Yesterday I took a break for an hour, left Sour Pea with Maca.
Galagirl, that is a pretty similar design to what I wrote out in my notebook and almost exactly the same order.
I called my mom yesterday. She's moving to the area where I will be going to see my friend next month. She's currently on the highway somewhere with SweetPea. I left her a message: "It's NOT an emergency, but I need to talk to my mom, so call me when you have service and aren't driving."
She called last night when they got to the next stop (near Sedona). I told her a very truncated version of what was going on and asked if she was up to spending the first weekend I was stateside with me hanging out at the pool and just "catching up." We haven't seen each other, for all intents and purposes since April.
I Facetimed my brother at her retirement party (because I couldn't be there), so I could congratulate her. I also arranged the going-away party, but again, couldn't be there.
This is the first time we will live more than 30 miles apart. So I think it would be nice to spend a few days just the two of us hanging out, before I go tackle the funeral part of my trip. She agreed.
Generally speaking, I could talk to Maca about planning. However he's currently working 10-12 hour days, alone, doing hard physical labor, in addition to all of the planning, layout, material ordering, scheduling of when more workers start and how many, etc. that comes with running a multi-million dollar electrical project. Since it's just beginning, he's the only one on the job at this point and all of the "design" part of figuring out how their company is going to meet the requirements of the contractors prints is his duty to iron out before Saturday. That's what he's been doing since May.
Kodiak is a freaking rain forest, which the contractors didn't take into consideration. So some changes in the timeline/plan have to be made, because they can't pour outdoor concrete in LARGE quantities and expect it to set in a freaking downpour. Soo... he's digging the ditches for the underground wire himself. Because they realized that, "Oh! Gee, that has to go in FIRST, and if we don't get concrete poured ASAP we're going to be stuck til spring." *eyeroll*
He's pretty much wiped out and useless after work except to go to bed. We managed to take a few hours this weekend to go see a rodeo (creepy). But as far as having a serious conversation and having him be able to input anything functionally? Not really.
I HAVE kept him in the loop. I have told him, for example "If we leave 2017 we have these concerns. If we leave 2016 we have these concerns. I'm thinking we should try to aim for 2016. I still need to talk to the school about my classes, but would like to know if that makes sense to you." He does. But as far as having time to consider options for daycare or find them, no way, especially since he isn't available during daytime hours, pretty much 6-6.
That will change again for about a month this weekend. Then he will be back in a crunch as the "real" work begins abd he has to get the guys who come in laid out on what their jobs are. That will go til... about Christmas, and then it will slow down for another month or so before the "Hurry up and try to finish, while the plumbers, electricians, carpenters, sheet rock guys, etc., are crawling all over each other trying to do their pieces and requiring other people's work to be done before they can do theirs."
That will go til the job finishes, which was SUPPOSED to be January. But they are saying March and he says it looks more like May and thinks they are underestimating the effect of weather.
So... yeah.
If I have SourPea set up with daycare and the public school, I can arrange for me to go to the campus in the mornings and stay all day, which means I will have class time, study time, lunch break opportunities with a good friend who works near campus (we like to walk and talk on lunch breaks), as well as free access to the workout facilities on campus starting in mid January (12th). That will help me get some me-time in.
I'm not overly concerned about SpicyPea and family. Barring them being killed suddenly (in which case I would suddenly have two extra kids full time "forever"), they are both really good about not taking advantage and accepting my boundaries. When I'm home, I generally take the boys 2 weekend nights a week, and during school breaks I usually take them an extra day or two. They function very well with my rules and expectations and follow a very structured daily schedule/bedtime etc.
I spoke with Peanut (the 3 year old) by Facetime last night. He is itching to know when Grammy will be home again. "Grammy, you been gone a BERRYYYY long time and Mommy said she is NOT taking me on that boat to Kodiak, even if I like it so bad!"
Mommy got a calendar down off the wall for him and showed him what day yesterday was. He and I counted days til Sunday (when I get home) and he decided that wasn't TOOO "more long" to wait to see me.
I will have both boys Sunday overnight. Then Monday afternoon, after we drop the puppy at the vets (to be fixed), they will go home again. Then I will see them again the 27th of September for SpicyPea's birthday (but only a couple hours) before I take Spicy out. Then a month of seeing them one night a week again before I leave for Kodiak for a month.
Also, SweetPea will be home on the 20th. He's a HUGE help at home. It's much easier to go to the lake, the park, the library, even the store with him around. He's great with the kids. He doesn't mind hanging out with the family (kids included). Where it's kind of dull to play card games and board games if it's just me and one kid, it's a lot more fun with three of us.
To be honest-I'm looking forward to him returning more than anything else, because even though he's only 14 he's the most helpful, responsible and positive of anyone else in the household. If he's sitting on the couch doing his schoolwork (which he does without supervision) and I say I need to go take a shower, he's totally cool with that AND the fact that he's sitting there is enough to keep Sour Pea from screwing around.
He loves to cook, so we often take turns making breakfast, & whichever of us is doing it just makes it for all three of us.
He loves to work out, and makes an awesome workout partner too. Neither GG or Maca has any interest at all in having anything to do with working out, ever. Guess I raised a few good kids.
Just got to get through the younger one.