LPBA

I make what I want to eat. I always make sure there is one element that I know my kids like. And then they eat what they want, and I don’t stress if they don’t eat anything. The only rule is they have to sit at the table for five minutes. If they are super hungry they can have a banana and milk before bed, but they use this option maybe once a month. This way the adults have a pleasant meal and there aren’t any battles about what or how much they eat.

I’m sitting here on a very rare morning without my 2 and 4 year old so can really relate. The only thing I can add is that the missing them is what makes getting back to them so good, the things that were so hard won’t be as hard for a while when you’re back together. So I try to revel in the missing them a bit, knowing we’ll be back together soon and I’ll be a more patient mom for a little longer than usual 🙂

I completely feel you on the weekend dread. This week, all week I was unexpectedly completely solo with my two kids, 2 and 4. I was really worried about how it was going to go, because I really struggle on the weekends, so I just decided we would pretend we were on vacation. I still took them to their half-day school, but I didn’t worry if we were late. I fed them ice cream while I cooked dinner. I turned on the TV when I needed to (we definitely had more screen time this week). They napped in the car or didn’t nap if we were out doing something. We did different activities. And honestly it was the best week I’ve had with my kids since we were really on vacation. All that to say, I think on unusual days, just go for it, relax the rules and do what you need to do!!

I needed to hear different things with each kid. With my first, it wasn’t so much hearing as it was what my husband did. I was exhausted, lonely and scared, and it was the start of Covid so were completely alone. He said he was going to try something crazy and to trust him. While I was breastfeeding our three week old, he turned on Love Island. I’m not a reality show person, but the comfort of having something mindless to do while being stuck and home alone while I was breastfeeding all day was so wonderful. It truly saved my sanity.
With my second, my sister told me the love for her might take longer. She was right, it did and now it’s unstoppable. But it’s so different and hard in another way with the second, and that’s ok. I also needed to be continually reminded I was doing a good thing by giving my first kid a sibling, because I had a lot of grieving to do about the missed times with him. Now they’re two and three and I understand how magical it is, but I couldn’t envision it at the time.