Nolan, playing at the playground on a rather fine dayWhen I decided to quit my job to stay at home with the kids, I underestimated the "burn-out" factor. Staying at home full time after working in an intellectually stimulating career has been wonderful, for the most part. Unfortunately, there is no break when you are Mom. Add in an insomniac toddler, a winter full of medical problems, and a spate of bad weather... and the weariness factor increases tenfold. There is a high probability that I am losing my ability to communicate with adults.
Truth be told, we need a vacation. I'm not going to get a "real" vacation this year (while Dennis and Matt are camping in the Sequoias with family, Nolan and I will be at John Tracy). Still, some attempt at a vacation must be planned, because I am becoming a rather stressed-out mother. And stressed out mommies are no good to anyone.
So we're going to Pittsburgh. It might not be the Bahamas, but it is close enough to do over a long weekend, and it has plenty to do for small children. I managed to secure a decent three-star hotel in Greentree, PA for $59 per night on hotwire.com. It has an indoor-outdoor pool, is in the outskirts of Pittsburgh, and it has free parking.
We're going to visit the Children's Museum, the Carnegie Science Center, and the Pittsburgh Zoo and PPG Aquarium over Memorial Day weekend. No doctor appointments, no therapy, no rushing to preschool/swimming lessons/ice skating lessons/MOPS/library story hour/speech therapy. Just a nice, long weekend of swimming, playing, and visiting a few new places.
I truly cannot wait for this little trip!
8 comments:
What beautiful eyes Nolan has!
I understand your need for vacation! I'm feeling that way myself lately. Things have been quite busy around here. I'm just so ready for summer. It will be a stark contrast this summer since Miles will turn 3 and his early intervention classes and visits with the hearing specialist will be ending. All we have planned for summer is sun, sun, swimming, and sun :)
Good for you! As per usual, I can seriously relate to about every word on the page. I'm finally going to start looking for a counselor to talk to as well. I have just started to realize that I'm in this for the long haul and to feel this weary this early in the game means it's time to ask for help. A vacation is a great idea, too.
I am very glad to hear that you got one night of uninterrupted sleep, and I hope it continues! Back in the later winter, X did not sleep through the night for . . . oh, at least 6 weeks and we were exhausted and cranky. Interestingly, it did somewhat coincide with his two year old molars coming in. Anyway, I feel your pain and you certainly deserve a holiday after all you've been through! Our trip to JTC in June is our big "vacation" this year, but we'll try to do some special day trips too.
Oh hurray! Good for you! I hope it is refreshing :d
What a beautiful kid! And as I mentioned when you were here last Tuesday, the Church Brewery is a fun restaurant in downtown Pittsburgh -- we went there pre-Ben, but as I recall it seemed very family-friendly, despite the presence of the brewery.
You're coming to the 'Burgh! I hope you enjoy your stay in our fair city!
We don't really eat out much so I don't have many restaurant suggestions. One thing that I think you should do (if you can fit it in) is to ride the incline to the top of Mt. Washington. The view is awesome and Station Square (at the bottom) is a nifty area with a lot of choices for restaurants. The Melting Pot is there (which I do love) but lots of parents don't feel comfortable with their kids near fondue pot flames.
It is so good to go thru the blog Leah, I am trying to catch up on the last 3 months of ur posts, but I must say ur boys are looking absolutely smart and handsome.I am glad u could sleep well and hope more such peaceful nights for you.
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