The end of a very long Monday

Thank you for the nice anniversary wishes. All those "you take such good pictures!" comments were HIGHLY AMUSING to me, as I spent hoooouuuurrrrs trying to find pictures that 1) were not totally embarrassing, which are MOST OF THEM, and 2) wouldn't ruin my picture post for Culmination of Hot By Thirty Day. I have a LOT of choices for the 'Before' section on that post, people, and several times I barked at Phillip to get over here, look at this, THAT WAS ME. GAK.

So anyway. Six years. Moving on.

Oh wait. Let me tell you what we did for our anniversary. We went to church. Then we drove to my grandma's house to see my aunt, because we missed her last time she was in town. And then we went home. And I spent I-kid-you-not two hours dredging up all of those pictures while Phillip ate one entire flat of Costco strawberries and watched MMA. (If you do not know what MMA stands for, be thankful.) Aaaand then we went to bed. GOOD TIMES.

But that's okay, since we're spending Friday night here, sans children natch. There will be massages and jetted tubs and beautiful scenery and hot weather and adult beverages and total breaking of the Hot By Thirty rules and you KNOW I've been compiling my various outfits. We are more excited about our one night 30 minutes away from our house than we've been about... oh, pretty much anything. Possibly the actual experience cannot live up to our anticipation, but I almost don't care because even the anticipation is fun.

And that's just the FIRST event in the Cheung Family Summer O' Awesome.

What I am mostly not doing is dwelling too much on what happens at the end of the Summer O' Awesome, which is the start of a new era: grad school. We are elated, of course, that he got in and it really is the Perfect Program for someone like Phillip and there's no better time to do it, but if I really sit and imagine how our lives will change I start to get a little, ah, shaky. Ideally my husband will be working Monday through Thursday and attending classes on Friday nights and Saturdays. Not so much ideally he'll be working Monday through Friday and going straight to class on Friday nights and Saturdays.

On the drive home yesterday I tried to think about what our Sundays will be like. A while ago we decided we wouldn't do anything except church and grocery shopping on Sundays, because church throws off the nap schedule and it's too hard and we're too tired to wield our Menacing Schedule Batons on Sundays. (Unless a beloved aunt is in town, with handmade dresses for your daughter, in which case you most definitely get in the car and visit her.)

But when Phillip is in grad school, Sundays will be the one day a week we might actually be able to do something as a family. Even if that something is Sitting Around In Our Living Room. So I was trying to think of a better day to do the shopping, or maybe I should go to the more expensive store because it has carts that hold more than one child and I can go during the week. I was wondering if we should try and make it to the earlier Mass to maximize our time. Or start going on Saturday nights, even though that means going to a different church, and DO YOU SEE WHY I AM TRYING NOT TO DWELL ON THIS?

I know it's not the biggest deal in the world and I know it's just something we'll get used to and not all of my neuroses are valid. And even if they were, I still want this for Phillip. I am so proud of him, and even a little excited about this new thing in our lives.

Still. The paranoia, it persists. I might write about it every so often. A random incoherent stream-of-consciousness freakout here and there. You won't mind, right?

Molly is in bed already because she woke up at a most unacceptable hour of the morning. Phillip is making stirfry. Jack is cooking in his kitchen. Oh, and now Phillip just said, "Is that POOP on the FLOOR?" and Jack just said, "POOP!" and then Phillip said, "That's POOP! On our FLOOR!" and Jack is looking rather proud of himself and Phillip is marching him upstairs and I better go and clean it up. Night night.

Comments

[Jess]

OK, I am with you on the anticipation thing. That's part of why surprises aren't my favorite. Also I'm with you on the planning and the figuring out of the details. I'm already trying to figure out what we will do if I go down to a part-time schedule once there's a baby and stay home a couple days a week and Torsten is trying to get work done from home but what if the baby is crying while he's on a client call so maybe we should just move his office down to the basement where he can work in peace and one of us will have to move down there after the second kid anyway because one of our offices will be turned into a second bedroom so why not do it early? Do you see? I like to think ahead.

[Christiana]

If it makes you feel any better, there was poop on my floor this morning, too. Thanks to the dogs, not the baby, though. There was a bit of a who's going to let out the dogs conflict this morning... I digress.

I can totally see why you might stress over the grad school thing. I am not looking forward to the day when my own dear husband decides it's time. And we won't mind you talking about it in the slightest.

Sorry your actual anni was a bit of a dud but I am so jealous of your celebration to-be. :) Awesome. I thought I did good to get a night of baby-free, but you have got it going on. :)

[Jessica]

Happy Anniversary!

(I shop with Charlie in the cart and I wear Van in my Mei Tai).
It's the only way I could do it.

Congrats to Phillip for getting into Grad school. It's gonna be so great.. you know, when he's done.

[Jen]

I carry the baby in one arm and drag the cart behind me with the other. But only on days when she will Not Be Put Down.

My goal for our anniversary this year is to go take pictures in front of the place where we got married.

[Sarah in Ottawa]

I HATE, HATE, HATE grocery shopping on weekends, so for years my strategy has been hitting stores on weeknights. Ostensibly, Phillip will have homework, but perhaps one night a week you could run out and do a solo grocery run? It'll save SOO much time. You could also run out and get some stuff during a parental visit (to their place or when the inlaws visit you).

I can't wait to hear about the Cheung summer of fun! And no worries about the freak outs; I'm sure most of us would be feeling the same if in your shoes.

Our 5th Anniversary is this year and we'll be away (on a cruise from Vancouver to LA). My parents will be along so that night (and on my b-day, 7 days before) -- built-in babysitting. ROCK!

[janey]

I also try to get the shopping done on days we aren't home together. You might try going after putting the kids to bed. Phil could study while you're gone. You know you're a parent when the grocery store counts as "alone time"! On an upnote, your anniversary destination won't have poop on the floor!