It's Been A Tough And Challenging Week, But It's Friday. Exhale.

It's been a very tough week for all of us. After having a 3 day Christmas holiday weekend, Lisa went back to work on Tuesday. Early in. That means she gets up at 3 a.m. and has to be to work for 5 a.m. When Lisa called me during her lunch break, she informed me that the numbers were huge. She'd more than likely be there until 6:30 p.m. In my world, that translates to her being there about a half hour beyond that time and not getting home until 7:30 - ish. Since her promotion in late May, this was the longest she's ever had to work.

She ended up getting out of work around 6:00 p.m. On Wednesday, she didn't get home until 7:30 p.m. Yesterday was the worst. Lisa didn't pull into the driveway until about 8:00 p.m. I had dinner ready. The kids had been fed. We didn't sit down and eat dinner until 8:30.

I have no idea what time she'll be getting home tonight. Lisa mentioned the numbers were smaller so it won't be as late.

On Lisa's end, she's exhausted. She has been sleeping through her morning alarm. It's been difficult for her to get the amount of sleep she needs because we've had to eat dinner so late. Neither one of us can eat and then go directly to bed. She's had to stay up for an hour or two after dinner and move around so her food digests.

At least today is Friday. She'll probably get home earlier. We'll eat dinner as early as possible. She won't have to worry about getting to bed as soon as possible. Tomorrow morning, she can sleep in.

From the kid's view, they're not used to Lisa working so late. She's the one who usually takes them out during the late afternoon hours and fixes and feeds them dinner. On Tuesday when I fed them dinner, they all looked at me as if to say, "Why are you feeding us dinner? Where is our other Mommy?"

Then, as the evening rolled along, they paced and ran to the door every time they heard a noise. They were waiting for her. They knew something was off. It tugged at my heartstrings. I sat on the sofa and worked from my Chromebook. It was the only way they'd all settle down and relax.

On my end, it's been a tough week. We're in what the meteorologists are calling A Deep Freeze. In fact, yesterday we broke the all-time record for the lowest daytime high temperature. It's been brutal. When it's this cold, my chronic pain blows through the roof. On Tuesday, when I did all of the housework and took the indoor Christmas decorations and tree down, I took a few wipeouts in the kitchen.

Ouch.

In addition, people have taken this week off. Our kids have barked at the noises they're not used to hearing throughout the day. It's been sporadic, but enough to slow down what I've been able to get done for work. Then, once the late afternoon hits, and the kids have had their second round of snacks, they're all in the mood to play. They've had their afternoon naps.

They're ready to go, go, go...

Lisa is the one who usually entertains them at that hour with playtime, fetch, and snuggles while I put the final touches on dinner and pick up the kitchen.

I've had to do double duty. And that's okay. I'm not complaining. Lisa and I have an unspoken balance between us. If I'm super busy with work stuff and deadlines and I haven't gotten to the dishes or vacuuming, she'll come home from work and pick up where I left off. The same holds true when she works longer hours. When she gets home, dinner is made and there's nothing for her to do except sit, relax, enjoy dinner, and not have to worry about anything.

I'm relieved that it's Friday. 

I have a quick tutoring session this afternoon and then it's housework, organizing the biscuit/craft room, introducing winter boots to Willa, and a bunch of other miscellaneous stuff.

I'm not sure what time Lisa will be getting home, but when she does, the only thing she'll have to do is get in her comfy clothes and sit and relax with the kids.

They miss her.

I'm grateful she has another 3 day weekend. We have a few things to do, but nothing major. And, we'll be enjoying some festivities at our neighbor friends house on Sunday and Monday.

We can exhale. Unwind. Relax a bit. And enjoy some scrumptious food with some of our favorite people.

And yes, that includes wine.

Life. Is. Good.