Planes, Trains, and Autmobiles

My hardworking hubby hit the tarmac today for the first time in a while. He'll be in Calfornia for three days and although I'm not sure if I'm ready for him to start doing this every week again, I'm pretty sure I am going to make it through this one. Typically, the bonuses of his travel are not having to make dinner, getting to watch my shows on TV, and not getting sucked into sitting on the couch all night and actually getting some housework done. However, this week my mother is staying with me two of the three nights so the bonuses are a little different- got to go out tonight and get out of doing bedtime without feeling guilty and I didn't have to cleanup the kitchen after dinner. A new bonus of Casey being away is there isn't enough firewood chopped to have to be responsible for keeping the woodstove going all day.
Wow.
 That is a prime example of one of those things that after I say it, I wonder- "Whose life am I living?". Chopped wood? Keeping the stove going? Whaaaat?

I don't really have a smooth transition from Planes (yes, the reference to the Tarmac was the only thing relative to Planes) to Trains, so here goes-  You know how as a Mom it can be easy to get frustrated and feel like noone appreciates all (or any) of what you do? I am learning how to let this go, but still have daily dfficulties with doing so. A few days ago, 2yr old Casey asked me to play trains with him. In my mind to play trains we had to first fix the track. So I pulled out the directions from the drawer of the train table, laid each piece out by category and spent the next half hour constructing the perfect track. Of course, by the time it was ready, Casey had lost interest in playing. Yet, that night, Big Casey (my husband) noticed the train table and was really impressed which I know by his statement, "Wow. That must have taken you forever.What did the kids do while you worked on that?"

Lastly, There is a new automobile in our lives. (I know, another lousy transition, I'll work on it). There is a blue "Car bed" in my son's room. Although we bought the kind of crib that turns into a toddler bed and then a full bed, the car bed was given to us and  is pretty cool. I don't love that it doesn't really go with the jungle theme in the room, and if I were supermom I would whip out my creative skills and turn that racecar into a Safari Jeep while waiting for my homemade pies to cool. Instead, the car is parked next to aforementioned crib which is awaiting dissasembely. Anyhow, It's been a long time since anyone has desperately request I sleep with him in a car. And frankly, as I  find myself falling asleep with toys dancing all over my face and body I find that giving in now may be much worse then giving in then. I, inevitably wake up in what feels like the middle of the night (but is actually about 11) to realize I yet again didn't get to the thousand things I planned on doing once the kids went to bed and stumble down the hall to fall into my own bed knowing the 6:45am wake up call will be here soon and I can try again tomorrow.