Farewell Saskatoon.. Welcome Back Routine

We had been out of our element and our routine for the last 5 weeks now but alas we have arrived safe and sound back in Vancouver! (Insert sigh of relief here!) Kindergarten is approaching in but a few short weeks and I couldn't be more excited to get this girl back into our routine and prepare her for her next adventure. I am trying to remain optimistic about school starting again on time in September. So for now we must say Farewell Saskatoon and get back in the Vancity swing of things!

I love going back to Saskatoon to see the friends and family but I find it so hard to pack up our lives and be without the normalcy your own home can bring for an extended time and I fear that with baby number 2, it will only get harder. This looks like our trips might be getting shorter and less frequent!

The 3 Routines that I learned that we cannot live without...

1. Bedtime routine and yes that includes an appropriate bed time!  Routine includes BRUSHING your DAMN teeth! Why is this such a nightmare with all children? By this point in the day, I was pretty fed up, why not just do it? Instead of the book "GO the F&*# to Sleep!", it should be "Just Brush Your DAMN Teeth!" It's like you sprung this odd chore on them last minute... "Really?! I have to brush my teeth??"

2. Proper meals with proper amounts from ALL food groups and no pink milk (strawberry flavored milk) doesn't count as a dairy product and no candy is not a food group either! Oh and by the way everyone, while desert is fun and a nice treat, it is NOT mandatory!

3. Having back up! I call this a routine because it is routine to make a parenting call and have the other half back you up! Well that's a little different when you are miles away from the other parent and are currently staying with your own parents.  I don't know how many times I heard this trip, "Well you never had that and you were turned out fine?!"         "Really? Did I??"

There were many times when I made the call to finish dinner without playing "Let's Make a Deal" to be completely undermined by the cool grandparents.  This is understandable!  But let's space it out a little, spoiling for 5 weeks is just painful and creates this little attitude I had never seen before.  So far it looks like she left it in Saskatoon.. Cross your fingers, knock on wood, please don't let that attitude resurface anytime soon, or ever again would be nice... Just saying!

And now with a sigh of relief, I am happy to announce that we are back in Vancouver and getting back into our groove. Don't get me wrong, I love my parents and I am so very thankful for everything that they have done for us but there is nothing like sleeping in your own bed, cooking in your own kitchen, snuggling with your husband and having someone else that will back you up when calling in reinforcements! There is no place like home!

Image Courtesy of Lofty Living