Ryan’s work is demanding and often requires a lot of travel, which stinks, but we’re thankful that he has a great business that he loves. When he’s traveling I always joke that I go into “single mom mode” (SMM), which if you have a traveling husband you totally understand. When you’re doing 24/7 alone with the kids, you get into this self-sufficient mode, working his duties and yours into the normal routine. It’s not as bad as it seems, but it is exhausting — just like Ryan’s work is.
Most of the time I’m in SMM, the duties I have to fulfill in Ryan’s absence are pretty mundane: take out the trash, get the mail, get both girls to bed simultaneously. However, this week he was called to New York for a job and had to leave me with a pretty important task: attending Daddy Day at preschool! Thankfully I there was one other mom filling in for her husband alongside me, because there was a definite dude vibe to the morning. We crawled into a bear cave, used math and counting to make valentines, hammered golf tees into foam, and built structures out of little styrofoam noodles. I was making conversation with another dad who’s a builder, and I commented, “Wow, these activities are right up your alley! Hammering, building, counting…” and then I realized — duh, it’s DADDY Day. No wonder we weren’t making tissue paper flowers and braiding each other’s hair, haha!
Overall, E.V. didn’t mind having me along to fill in for Ryan on Daddy Day. I know he was upset that he had to miss out, but we made him a valentine and I’ve got his desk all set up with his gifts for when he arrives home tonight. ;)
P.S. Once a week or so I let Emma Vance dress herself. Naturally she chose a neon lavender fancy dress, donut leggings and a princess crown to wear to Daddy Day. Naturally. ;)
