I had an interesting weekend. I got to spend the weekend playing Mr. Mom while my sister went out of town for a seminar. My weekend began by picking up my nephews from the babysitter on Friday afternoon after classes. I prepared in advance with car seats properly restrained in the rear seat. I got to the sitter around five o’clock, and both boys were whiny. They seemed really tired. I was used to helping my sis out with Matt and Nick, but I had never had them by myself for a whole weekend before. I was a little intimidated. I stopped and got them McDonalds and played with them in the little kids play area there. We had fun. On the way home to my sisters both boys fell asleep in the car. I got Nick (the one year old) in the house first and laid him down on his bed, then I went out for Matt, who was already awake so I undid his seat and we went in. We went outside and played ball for a little bit and then I told him that we were going to do some things for Mommy around the house this weekend. I had brought my tool kit and wanted to take care of a few of the little things around the house while she was gone. I put Matt in the tub and got him cleaned from head to toe, and into his pajamas, and got him into bed. He had me read him a story and then of course another, and then a drink of water, and then he finally went to sleep. Well, it was about 9:00pm and my night was finally beginning. I went to the kitchen and did the dishes and put on a load of laundry for her. Then I hit the books for a little while, as I knew I would not have my usual amount of time for studying this weekend. I finally got to sleep about midnight.
Saturday started with Matt and Nick crawling up on the bed and tickling me. Not my usual wake up ritual, but it was kind of cute. Then I got Nick in the bath and cleaned up. Got both boys dressed and into the kitchen and got them some cereal. Which they ate and got all over the place, and then I started cleaning the kitchen all over again. I offered the boys that I would take them to the toys store later, if they would help me pick up the toys in the living room and the bed room. They were helping when the war broke out. They were fighting over who was going to pick up the blocks. I helped them resolve that and went inside to do a little more laundry. Then we headed for the yard. I knew it needed to be mowed, so I took the boys up to the gas station to get gas for the mower. When we came back I got the gas in the mower and began to mow while the boys played in their sandbox. All was going well until Matt dropped his sucker in the sandbox sand and began crying. I shut off the lawnmower, got the lollipop cleaned off, and back to him and finished mowing the lawn. Then it was lunchtime, I went in the house and made peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and then we ate and again I cleaned up the kitchen. Then I switched the laundry and folded a load, and by this time the boys had torn apart the toys in the bedroom. So I told them to clean up, while I changed the washer in my sister’s bathroom and straightened up in their. I put on a movie for the boys, while I tried to repair a broken cabinet in the kitchen. Got that fixed and made the beds and it was already almost dinner time. Well, I just couldn’t make another meal that would require cleaning up the kitchen again, so I called and ordered us a pizza, to be delivered, and stuck the boys in the tub and again cleaned them head to toe and put their pajamas on. After sopping up the water off the bathroom floor, the doorbell rang and I answered and paid for our dinner. We ate our pizza and played a little game of ball, we just rolled it around in the living room and then I gave them piggy back rides to bed. I read them three stories and tucked them in and sat on the couch, or should I say fell onto the couch. This was quite exhausting. I guess I never realized how much energy it took for my sister to get through the day. And I wasn’t working or going to school, just taking care of those two boys and trying to get a few things done around the house. My sister returned first thing on Sunday morning, she said she was homesick and left early. This was her first time away from the boys since her husband had passed so I think it was really hard for her to leave them.
I just must say that I never realized how much work it takes to be a parent, especially a single one. The repetition of activities is incredible. You do the same things over and over again until you think you just can’t do anymore, and then you go a little further. Well, I know I won’t be a Daddy anytime soon, but I do think that maybe I should set up once a week to take my nephews so she can have a break. I don’t think that she can keep going at the pace without some relief.