Switching it up

A few weeks ago, Kidzilla's Boy Scout troop went on a canoe trip down the Suwanee River. It was a parent- son event and I had every intention of sending A until another m begged me to go so she wouldn't be the only mom. I agreed, and then informed A of the plan. I think it was a "let me prove I can do it" weekend for both of us. I used to be real outdoorsy and spent many years attending and working at summer camps in addition to camping with my family. I am a life long Girl Scout. And I have this hidden compulsion to prove myself to all the Boy Scout fathers running the show. Plus, I had never spent a night away from the baby. Nor had A had to run the household (basically him, Babyzilla and the cats) for an entire weekend. A had some fantasy that two nights away would cause Babyzilla to wean from nursing (yeah right) and I would finally get some long overdue unbroken sleep (also, yeah right).

So Kidzilla and I set off Friday afternoon with the group. Babyzilla cried when he figured out I was not returning home with him in the car but it didn't last too long according to A. For me, the trip was great except for the having to sleep on the ground without my usual five pillows and the part where the leaders assumed we all knew how to canoe already. Canoeing is not in my current skill set. Saturday morning we all loaded up in the canoes with our gear and took off. Kidzilla and I were near the end of the pack the entire trip, but after the first few miles my " I am woman, hear me roar" pride kicked in and I probably would have refused to change canoe partners any way. And darn it, we made it 15 miles down the river over two days. I did get some instructional help along the way, but it just didn't click for me.

Meanwhile, at home A kept the home fires burning and even managed to get the laundry done AND folded in addition to taking care of Babyzilla. They had both donuts and ice cream out. They watched movies. They spent Friday night sleeping on the couch as Babyzilla was insistent on being there when Mama came home. They survived and A got a taste of what it's like for me when he's not there. Minus the working  eight hours a day, trying to cram errands in after work then coming home, fixing dinner and preparing for the next day part. But it was a start.