We pulled in last night around 4pm. We unpacked, washed clothes and got in bed early so we could be up this morning in time for Anastasia to get back to school.
Her school was on break the two weeks before we went on vacation and then the week we were on vacation her school was back in session. So I needed to get her back in the daily grind quickly.
She got up this morning before I even woke her up. When I went to her room to get her up she was already in the shower.
I took her to the bus stop, she got on her way when the bus came and I went home and started working. I was excited to get back to work cause I felt very creative. It showed in the designs I came up with too.
So, back to the grind and the daily responsibilities. It’s good to be home.
Early this morning, Anastasia decided, with her friend, they would play over her house today. I guess she has a drum set and a piano. I thought, cool, quiet around here and maybe I could get some of this pressing work done.
Yes, I was completely WRONG!
About every 20 minutes or so I got a MMS (Multimedia Message) on my phone from Anastasia and her friends singing and playing the instruments. They decided to record themselves and kept sending the newly recorded masterpieces to me. This went on all day.
I wanted to be mad, I wanted to call her and tell her to stop, how could I though? The messages were so cute. Every time I got one I just stopped what I was doing to listen to it.
And in the end, she asked me to send one back to her, so I did. Here is mine:
My Message to Anastasia
(Yes the beat and music in the background I created.)
She came in a few minutes later laughing at the message. ;)
There are five days left till we leave for the cruise. I don’t usually panic or worry, although Anastasia is out of school and I am convinced she thinks I sit home and play all day long while she is in school. I have a new client and a TON of work to get done for them before I go on the cruise and I only have today through Thursday to get it done. Ugh. Friday we are all driving to San Diego for embarkation (spelling?).
Any way, I told Anastasia to make list of things we could do this week, so we could do something before we leave. She scheduled out the rest of the week with no time for me to work. Guess she’s my travel and event coordinator. :)
I know it has been a day since I wrote. Been VERY busy with work stuff.
Today we are going over my older sister’s house. I called her to see if Anastasia and I could come over earlier so her kids and my daughter could play. They haven’t seen each other in about 2 weeks, so I thought that would be cool.
She said that was fine to come over early and she needed to talk to me about something. She wouldn’t say what, although she said it had something to with Anastasia. Hmmm… She said she didn’t want to tell me over the phone and she said it would be much better if we talked in person.
I know my older sister. I consider her my second mother. She is just like my mom in many ways. So when she brings something like this up and she is very hush hush about it, I know it’s serious.
Guess I am leaving earlier to go find out what’s up. :\
To be continued…
EDIT: 28 Sept 2008
As a single father raising my daughter there are plenty of things Anastasia will go through that I will NEVER understand. My hopes and dreams have always been I would be with a woman that cares about her enough to talk to her about all things ‘girl’ by the time she gets there.
Anastasia’s 10 and a half and I’m still single, still raising her by myself. So this weekend’s issue, which I will not go into detail about, was more a ’she’s growing up and changing’ type issue.
I realize I am getting to that point where I have to rely on what I have taught her to this point and hope and pray it is enough to get her through. I will become more a coach than a ‘parent’. It is so hard to realize my little girl is becoming a woman and there is NOTHING I can do about it.
And NO amount of punishment will stop the process.
<sigh>
So my daughter comes home after school, she is happy to be home. It’s crazy humid here in Arizona and about 100 degrees. We are walking home from her bus stop and all she wants to do is play outside. Cool, I understand that. Except I need to go to the store and get milk, we ran out this morning. I am in the middle of work and really need to finish this pressing project. And her room is a mess shoved in side her closet. o.O
Ok, list of priorities:
Homework - if that’s not done she gets automatic detention, not cool.
My Pressing Project - Without the projects I complete and get paid for, there is NO money, obvious second choice since she can do her homework while I finish the project, right? Umm, no.
She decides she doesn’t want to use the brain God gave her and the one I have been trying to grow. She is up at my desk every 2 minutes asking another question about something I taught her last week on her homework.
After a little frustration on both sides, I just stopped the project, decided to devote all my time to her, since that’s really what she wanted. And we finished her homework together laughing all the way.
I’ve learned, without someone else there to help you with all the little things it’s all too easy to get wrapped up in what your doing, even if it’s what puts food on the table. Your child doesn’t understand or care about your work. They just want attention, and since I am a single dad, that means double the amount of attention.
So we ended up finishing her homework, going to the store, then I let her go out and play. I came up to work on that pressing project and decied to share this afternoon’s events here because it may be helpful to someone else.
