When Suzy decided she was going to go to the Biggest Loser Resort in Utah for a week I was excited and a little scared. I was excited that she was going to take some time for herself but I was a little scared because I was going to be with the boys for a week by myself. It seems kind of silly since I am their dad but I knew how much Suzy did when it came to taking care of the boys. At least I thought it did!
I have it pretty good. When I have to go workout, I go. If I have something to do, Suzy always says go ahead. She is always willing to stay with the boys and allow me to go do what I need to do. It took about 30 minutes for me to get a glimpse of how much work she has to do when I am out and about.
Our boys are active. REALLY active! If they are awake they are moving and exploring. Rex likes to watch Mickey Mouse Clubhouse in the morning and then the TV is off the rest of the day and he wants to be outside. For some reason I had it in my brain that when I was out and about Suzy was doing things that she needed to do and the boys sat and played quietly. I was wrong!
Rex and Jax like to explore everything. When I was building the chicken coop last week I ran inside to get some water. I came back out, he was up on the ladder trying to nail where I was just at. His brother was coming up right behind him with his plastic hammer to help. Lesson learned: Take the ladder down when I am not using it immediately.
The one thing I never gave much thought to was planning meals. Suzy always feeds the boy healthy and nutritious meals. When she wasn’t home I kind of thought that they would magically appear. They didn’t. Sometimes I forget to eat. The boys don’t. We have had them pretty well scheduled since they were born and they know when lunch time is. I may as well come clean. There was one day that the boys ate toaster waffles for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Lesson learned: Plan meals ahead and try to add a little variety.
Nap time was a little difficult. Rex is at that age where he feels like he doesn’t need a nap even though he does. Jax would go right to sleep but it took a while for Rex. In order to keep him from waking up his brother I would put him in our room. More than once I would go back to check on him and find that he had turned on the television and started a dvd to watch. I wanted to be upset but I was kind of proud that he was smart enough to figure out how to do all that.
The most interesting thing I learned is how difficult it is to make time for yourself, especially workouts. My gym has child care so I was able to take them there in the mornings. I had to make arrangements so that I could go back and get my second one in everyday. The thing I learned is that you have to plan ahead and make that commitment.
One of the most common questions I get at my events is “How do you make time for the gym when you have kids?” My new answer is “Figure it out and do it.” Most gyms do have childcare and almost everyone has a person in their life that they can ask for a little help. If you are like me, you may not like to ask for help. After this week I realized that it is ok to ask and people are most often more than willing to help out.
I couldn’t have made it through the week with out the help of Aunt Sandy and Grandma and Grandpa Preston. They made things a lot easier for me and checked in to see how things are going. There was a time in my life that I would have gotten frustrated by people offering to help me. Thank God those days are behind me. Because of their help I was able to maintain some sanity.
Last week was a growing week for me. I learned that I can take care of my kids by myself. I learned that my wife is awesome and works so much harder than I ever imagined. I learned that I have a support system that is invaluable. I learned that being a parent takes as much work as any job, and most importantly I learned that I have two amazing little boys that help make my life even better.
See you tomorrow!
