The 5th is STILL HERE

Usually we are a family of four. All three of the kids against me. (The Husband being at work the majority of the time- especially during "peak season") However, this week he managed to snag a vacation week- and it has totally thrown me off my game! I've been cooking 100% more, which means more dishes to wash, busy-ness in the kitchen, and just general madness. (No more dishes! Please!)

I am, however, glad The Husband gets to witness all the crazy on a daily basis. One afternoon, after a particularly painful day, and the kids were finally napping- he asked me how I don't go insane with the three nutty screamies around. I was pleased he thought I was any amount of sane. But no, it's good he sees this. So he can connect the dots when he walks in the door from work and I look like... an angry, unshowered yeti. Being penned within four walls with these three oftentimes feels like waterboarding. Only I would give up the information... if I had any to give up!

Also- The schedule has gone OUT THE WINDOW. Have I done any amount of my daily exercising routine? No. I have managed to make a big hot plate of sweet treats each and every night. I ate an entire dish of Rice Krispies treats practically singlehandedly- in one day. The Husband made french toast and sausage this morning. On top of this I am cooking 1/3 of a Thanksgiving feast for tomorrow. I feel like a big fat slug! I guess I feel like it's a vacation for us all, and so we do "fun" stuff instead of our normal grind. And this is probably what's tweaking me out if I sit around and think about it too long.

I have found out I do my best sleeping after The Husband's alarm has gone off and he's downstairs chomping cereal over ESPN. I need that REM sleep! (eye twitch)

And he doesn't want to watch 16 and Pregnant.- ever. I need my trashy TV fix! (it makes me feel like I've got my life together! In a big way! TOGETHER, DUDE!) But now the History channel is inexplicably always on! Who in their right minds wants to watch a THREE HOUR SPECIAL on the random non-native plants/animals brought over by the English settlers to America? (Apparently my husband- weird!) If I have to watch another episode of Mythbusters- I may start throwing Jell-O molds. The kids need their five hours of Curious George, man! would probably like to watch a show or two as well!

It's not that I am not extremely glad to have him home. Because I am! In theory, I could go... somewhere while The Hubs stays home with the kids. Why haven't I done that? Hrmmm.

The girls are thrilled to pieces to have Dada home. They snuggle up to him, insist he come play "animals' tea party," he is the only one who can help them with anything now, and they generally hang around him all day and pretend to enjoy watching him play Mario on the Wii.

He's also been a big pitcher's relief for me- he helps out when the girls start excluding my voice in their selective hearing. He helps out with the bedtime routine. (having the baby fed at the same time I'm blowdrying the girls' hair for the night is a HUGE help! How do I do this on my own, again?!)

It's totally crazy- but we haven't even had a fight! I was sure he was going to be all up under my skin by day two, and I would banish him to the bowling alley or something. But nay! He went and got me 1) a jalapeño burger, 2) my fav. chocolate chip cookies, and 3) brought me FLOWERS. Flowers, people! I can count the times I've got flowers on ONE HAND.

He's proving to be an excellent husband. It's only taken him 8 years to figure some of it out. But hey- I am not complaining. (now, anyway) Could it be that having him home for long spaces of time is a good thing for our relationship? Who knew! I do miss my tiny spaces of alone time, but I can skip those for a week. It's nicer to have him home.