A Summary of Sorts

This past week was our week with the kids. There are a lot of things we try to do when they are here to make them feel like they are 'home' for the week. Things that they can rely on and things they can roll their deep brown eyes at. After all, split custody is great in so many ways, but it makes it difficult for the children to have a place to call 'home'. I often hear them telling their friends that they are at their mother's house or their father's house. They don't visit either parent, they live one week with Dad and one week with Mom.

The "switch" time is Fridays after school. The amount of "stuff" my step children travel back and forth with is voluminous so one parent has to get to the other parent's house with a truck sometime on Friday and transport the "stuff". It's not like they need all of the "stuff", well that's not all true, Pookie (13) needs her "stuff", The Boy (11) just likes to have his "stuff" at home, at each home. And if it makes him feel more comfortable then its worth the schlep.

Friday night is when Pookie has a sleepover with her girlfriend(s). The Boy and his dad hang out. I stay out of everyone's way, schlepping humans and "stuff" if necessary. I usually make pot roast since it is Pookie's favorite.

This past Friday morning, before work, I was getting the pot roast ready for the crock pot and noticed that after I opened the box of Lipton's Onion Soup Mix there was only one envelope inside the box instead of two. The recipe calls for two envelopes, but I find that I get too gassy if I use both. And being gassy is just not lady like. After all, I have an image to uphold in this household; gassy stepmother is not that image.

I took the empty box with me to work and on my lunch break I emailed Lipton to let them know about the missing envelope. In yesterday's mail I received two free coupons for Lipton's Onion Soup Mix together with a nice letter from Chris Greene, Consumer Services Representative for Unilever and other valuable coupons for items that I use.

I can't help but feel a bit like a Proverbs 31 woman.

Monday nights are family night. We may have a family meeting first to discuss any concerns, rules or issues, then we play Catch Phrase.

Catch Phrase is an electronic game similar to the TV show Password. It is so much fun because we usually wind up laughing so much that our sides hurt.

This past Monday my husband had to give a clue to The Boy and all he had to say was, "Theresa does this all the time". Without skipping a beat The Boy answered correctly, "Clean".

What? I hadn't realized that that is their opinion of what I do all the time. I guess that is a better image than when I digest too much Lipton Soup Mix.

Pookie and I spend alone time during the week. We do a lot of talking about our lives. I was telling her how much I miss going out for ice cream, something we just don't do when it's constantly -10 degrees like it's been these past few weeks.

She suggested that we go (air quote) grocery (air quote) shopping one night after dinner....and when we get back without (air quote) groceries (air quote) we will just tell Dad that we ate them.

Hmmmm, I knew exactly what she meant.

Dairy Queen is quite a hike, but a girl has to do what a girl has to do and (air quote) grocery (air quote) shopping is what we just had to do. At dinner the next night Pookie asked me in front of her dad if we needed to go (air quote) grocery (air quote) shopping. I said , "yes, of course we need to go (air quote) grocery (air quote) shopping, I was going to go to the gym tonight, but I'm pretty sure that (air quote) grocery (air quote) shopping is much more important. Let's get ready to go."

"Hey, what's with all the air quotes?", my husband asked.

Nothing gets by that hunk of a man.

We went and had a good time. I love ice cream too much.

As time goes by things get more and more into a routine with the kids and our marriage. And that's a good thing. I love my life, I love my kids and how they are growing and I love my step children.

We are jelling as a family.

"Strength and dignity are her clothing, And she smiles at the future."