Home Alone—Almost

Once again, Lori has left for two weeks on a business trip to Taiwan. Once again, I am the lone parent, taking care of the kids.

I don't mind. For some reason, the girls and I seem to bond more when it's just the three of us. Perhaps that's because when they ask for something and I say "no," they can't run off to their mother, and so they tend to compromise more.

Because it's just me running the show, I have to be on top of things and pay more attention. I have to be more organized. For example, on Saturday, I had to juggle getting the girls to their various dance classes, clean the house, shop for groceries, ensure the girls were fed on time, and keep them engaged. It made for a busy day, but it sure went quickly. We ended the day, curled up, watching a movie.

Yesterday (Sunday), because the girls worked so hard at cleaning the house (we don't seem to be able to get them to do it when both parents are at home!), and because they finished their homework and music practice before lunch (again, a first), I took them to the Carp Fair. It was a gorgeous autumn day and I let them pick what we did. An hour and a half later, after three rides (the first one scared Sarah; the last, Lainey), some overly sweet lemonade, and a bag of cotton candy that had the wasps chasing the girls, they were ready to leave.

We've had a good, productive weekend without Lori, but it hasn't been without its challenges. I learned something new: while you can replace macaroni noodles with bow-tie pasta for mac and cheese, you can't replace cheddar cheese with mozzarella. It makes a gooey glob that just doesn't stir in well with the pasta. It was a mess, though the girls did eat it—and they said that they liked it.

When I put the girls to bed last night, Lainey had troubles going to sleep. She started missing Lori and cried. She asked if her mom could come home early—say, maybe six days, instead of the remaining 12?

I'm sure we'll be fine.