Cabin Fever + Daycare Days = This Blog Post

I am on the other side of one of the toughest daycare weeks in recent history. I like nothing about how I handled things, who I was or how I coped. It was hard but my rotten attitude made things ten times worse than they needed to be.

The dynamics have changed since my one-year-old returned from a two week holiday. There is a novel within that statement. I will recap that novel by saying the week was hard. Really hard.

Add the fact that one of my three-year-olds is transitioning out of naps and this seems to have changed the very core of her personality. And mine. I don't do well when I don't have that hour of quiet completely to myself.

This is compounded by the fact that there are more changes forthcoming and I am riding myself very hard right now. I have to find a better way to make things work with who and what I have right now.

At the core of all of this, is one challenging little person who I cannot leave unsupervised. I called my friend who has run a daycare for as long as she has had children and one of her own children was very much like this little person. I was looking for advise. I told her my troubles and how I was handling them. "I have to bring this child with me wherever I go...", I said looking for suggestions. Instead she simply agreed. "Yes, you do."

While my one-year-old was away, I could turn my back on this little person because the others were older and able to stand up for themselves. Now I have this littler person who not only needs defending, but she is picking up the habits of the child I'm "protecting" her from. And I am going to be adding one more, younger than her to this mix??

Granted, we are on the tail end of winter and we have been cooped up far too much for far too long. Our weather has been beautiful but what do you do when you have five little people and everywhere they play, there is ice, puddles, mud and/or crusty snow? How do you dress said children when they need snow pants and water resistant mitts to deal with the snow, rubber boots to contend with the puddles, but while wearing said rubber boots they are like Bambi on ice? They need to be dressed for winter, spring, summer and fall all at the same time.

Add all of this to the fact that I have started leaving the house again and finding adult conversation comes with a price. I need the stimulation of talking to someone over the age of "three", but it wears me out at the same time. Thus, I tend to rely on my daycare-friend-from-another-province to fill the gaps of friendship, support and advise when I need it the most. Right in the thick of my daycare day.

This too shall pass. I know the difference being able to be outside for extended periods of time will make upon our day. We have spring fever "times six" around here. We are all getting a little squirrelly. And I'm leading the pack.

Right now, I need to do what I can do with this weekend. Shuffling some toys into the playhouse on the deck should buy us some contentment. I need to do what I can do, with what I have on hand. And I have a lot on hand.

But first and foremost, I must go and put in my bookkeeping day. It is a day that challenges my brain and leaves no room to dwell on the challenges and frustrations of the week that preceded it. I need to debrief from my daycare world and perhaps jumping into a world of numbers will be exactly what I need the most.

The sooner I go, the sooner I can come home. I shall come home and tune out my negative thoughts and tune into something inspirational. I have the tools. I shall dig myself out from under the ice and emerge victorious. I need a little "Spring" in my step and the sun is doing what it can for us this weekend.

Sunny skies ahead!! I'm ready.