Thursday, March 27, 2014

Preparing for Child-Free Days.....

Ok.  This post is totally early.

This probably shouldn't be written until late August, but by then I'll be sick of having the kids home all summer so the nostalgia factor won't be as good.

This past year has been the only year since Aidan started school where I have had only one child at home.  While the big three have been in school full-time, Marin gets to hang out with me on her 'off' days.  (our school is one of the last to implement full-day kindergarten, which means that Marin goes to school all day on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and the occasional Friday.)

Last summer I was actually dreading it.  What on earth was I going to do with only one kid?  How was I going to keep her entertained?  All of her 'non-school' buddies were going to school full-time, so how was I going to survive a year without her driving me crazy, and me driving her crazy?

Well we've managed to fill our time, and that little girl is, quite simply, unbelievable.  She tags along with me whenever we had errands to do (which is often).  She'd be dragged to school when I had to go and help out with hot lunches (which was frequent).  She'd help me clean the house (which was embarrassingly not that frequent), bake, do laundry..... you get the idea.  All of this she did with a smile, and a giggle.

And now, even though it's only the end of March, I'm starting to realize that my special one-one time with her is quickly coming to an end.  No more "Mummy and Marin" days.  No more pre-school skates.  No more gymnastics.  No more library time. No more trips to Tim Hortons where it is just the two of us.

I know I'll find things to do once she's in school full-time.  I know my non-work days will quickly fill up with other things.  But for now, I simply can't imagine having a day off without my Mer-bear.

Yesterday was our last-ever pre-school skate, and I was fighting back tears as we left the arena.  I've loved every minute with my littlest lady, and can't believe it's coming to an end.

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