Quiet Day Activities

My husband got a promotion this week. We are definitely thrilled with the pay increase. I am, however, less than thrilled with the weird hours that come with it.

He went in at 6 am yesterday morning, got off at noon, and had to be back at midnight. He’ll be working midnight to 8 am for the next two weeks.

I understand that some families have schedules like this all the time. My heart and sympathy especially goes out to military families and single parents.

I am just not used to it.

I have never lived alone- ever. I went from my family to college dorm life to roommates to being married.

I know with the kids, I wasn’t technically alone… but still kind of creepy. Naturally, every noise was an intruder. Every creak meant our pipes would burst or the AC would spontaneously combust.

Anyway, the kids must have sensed my loneliness because E started coughing really badly and joined me at 2 am. I usually would try to get her back to her own bed, but I was tired from defending my home from imaginary goblins. By 6 am, she was in the very middle of the bed and I was sandwiched between her and K, who had to be next to me too.

Not much sleep over here.

E has the banshee whine of an overtired one year old. She fidgets and cries in my lap but cries harder when she gets down. I’m not sure what she is going for at this point. She is usually my late sleeper. 6 am is not her favorite time to be woken up, especially by brother whining loudly about wanting to be where she was sleeping at that moment.

Andy survived his first overnight and is now trying to sleep. We have to come up with some good quiet activities to accommodate daddy’s schedule for the next two weeks.

Some ideas I’ve entertained:

•Movie time- The ones that mesmerize, not the raucous laughter kind.
•Dance Party- Put on Pandora and tell them to dance and wiggle but no talking.
•Puzzles and Books
•Craft Time- Bust out the markers and let K go wild. Adding glue increases quiet awe but increases mess factor too.
•Divide and Conquer- My kids are exponentially louder together. If I get K playing in his room and E playing in the living room… Hmmm.
•Pack it up- Leaving for the park, mall play place, or Nonna’s may be the ticket.
•Ear Plugs- Maybe we’ll buy daddy ear plugs.
•Sleeping Pills- For Andy and/or the kids. (I didn’t say they were all good ideas.)
•Alternative Sleep Locations- By the end of two weeks, Andy may decide anywhere (his car, a park bench, an airport terminal, a rock concert) is more conducive to sleep than here.
•Sound Proof Wall- Building a soundproof wall between our bedroom and the rest of the house.
•Coffee IV- Maybe we can just hook Andy up to a constant supply of espresso. He won’t even need sleep!
•Reverse Psychology- I’ll tell the kids I really want them to be loud.

Ok, what are your quiet day ideas?

In other news, K earned his AWANA vest last night! He was so excited.

He is actually wearing his vest this morning. I’m glad it is washable, because E is trying to paint everything with banana.

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