Refreshment

Emma and Siri just returned home from a week spent with their Nana and Zeyda, for those of you who don't know, Nana (pronounced with a Long Island accent) is Italian and Zeyda is Yiddish. :) Anyway, they had a great time, playing in the sprinkler, visiting with family, seeing "Nana's new synagogue," and generally just wearing out the grandparents!
During that week that we were kidless Matt and I spent EVERY night out! Some nights were later than others, and needless to say, we were exhausted! We got together with old friends, new friends, went to a Orioles game, and really had a great week. I also found some extra money and took a little time to make over the girls' room. I was really excited about buying them a chalk board and yesterday Siri colored all over the wall with the chalk. :)
So, now our family is back to normal and its like the girls were never gone. That week without kids was like a wrinkle in time, it was super great and fun and freeing, but it almost feels like it existed in an alternate universe. It was a really great time for me to get renewed and rejuvenated. Sometimes the mom-guilt threatens to eat me alive. There are times that I am proud for being patient with my kids, understanding that Emma needs to experience all the little things on her own, taking time to explain things to Siri. And then there are the times that I react, like when Emma took the scissors to her princess dress, even though I know that she didn't understand what I was doing as I was cutting Siri's dress. My emotions snowball from there on as I recall that a child's personality is shaped by the time they are 3 (or 5 or something) and I tell myself that my lack of exposure has ruined her! When I slap some sense into myself I know that these are extreme assumptions, and long story, short, this past week was really refreshing for me in the mom department!