Back to Life, Back to Reality

All through the insanity of the holidays, I found myself thinking," It will be nice to get back to normal." Well, I'm not sure about normal per se - after all, whose life is really normal - but in our family we are at least back to reality.

My daughters returned to school yesterday. It was wonderful having them home and spending time together, but they were both ready to go back. They missed their friends. Last night I was regaled with stories about who got what for the holiday, who they played with, who the new best friends are and what they are learning in school. I live for those moments where my daughters really share their lives with me. I love hearing their stories and gaining insight both into the people that they are, and the young women that, at least my oldest, is becoming. My youngest - Tidbit - is still too little to be a young woman.
Funny story about Tidbit though. As I was walking her into school yesterday, she looked up at me with those big, brown eyes of hers and said, " You know mom, when I go to Kindergarten and Big Girl School, I'm going to need a new backpack." I said, "Ok honey, we can get you a new backpack for Kindergarten." She replies, "Ok, so maybe we should do that tonight so that I will be ready for Big Girl School tomorrow..." As we jumped into the puddles together I said, "Let's not rush being big Girls". She just smiled and said " Ok Mom." I know that long before I am ready, my little Tidbit will be off to be a Big Girl and I don't mean to elementary school either. Time flies.

My husband also went back to reality. He went back to work today. It has been absolute heaven having him home with me every day for the last ten days. Unlike the girls, he wasn't ready to go back. Last night he shared that he has been worried about so many things: work, his NASA application, selling our house when the time comes, time away from the girls and I, all the things that he misses.... We were talking about our oldest daughter, Little Bit. He asked why I had given her my old scarf. I said, "Well, she hates pink and it is all I can do to get her to wear her scarf because it's pink. Now that she has the blue one - problem solved." He said, " I didn't know she had an aversion to pink. When did that happen? It used to be her favorite color." I didn't have the heart to tell him that it had been well over a year since my daughter has refused to wear anything pink. He misses so much.

So, now that the holidays are over, we may not be back to "normal" but we are back to reality.