7 in 7: Day 7!!!

Okay, so you are probably wondering why I'm taking the time to type a post when it's still light out.  Lately, that has not been the trend.  Well, in fact, the sky is pretty dark for 6:00pm in the summer because we have yet another big storm coming through.  Thunder has been rumbling for about half an hour already.  But inside the house, it is really quiet right now.

I was working on laundry, dishes and the homeschool room this afternoon (after a brief rest) and C offered to take the kids to do something fun with them for a couple hours and then bring something home for dinner for us.  Can anyone still hear the echoing "WooooHoooo!" I called out when he offered to give me quiet time by myself. 

I don't mean to imply that he doesn't do this for me somewhat regularly, but that I thoroughly appreciate it when he does.

In fact, that's what I asked for on my 40th birthday next month.  A vacation for just C and me.  And guess who got right on top of that, Rose, and ordered up some plane tickets and hotel reservations?  C, that's who.  My birthday weekend, I'll be going off to San Diego for the first time since I was like three or whatever.

So there you go, thieves, the adults won't be home.

It was just too exciting to keep in.  I've known about the trip for a couple weeks, but I tried to keep quiet as long as I could and then I needed something spectacular to post on my 7 in 7 challenge finale.  So yeah.

C and I have been foster parents since 2003, during which time we fostered, we had only about two dates because it's such a tricky time for the kids and setting up respite that we just didn't do it.

Since adoptions, we have had an increase in dates and just this year we began dating every Friday night.  Then S left, and well, with her parting was -- for the most part -- the end of our dating.  Unless we take some kids with us (which really isn't a date).  We took a date one night when all the kids were at VBS.  That was nice.

As far as trips go, when J was an infant, a friend of ours watched the kids for one overnight.  And a couple years ago, we went to a hotel in Albuquerque so we'd be close enough in case of emergency and farmed the kids out to generous friends, willing to take them for two nights.  But we have never traveled without kids -- together -- other than those two times.  In ten years, People.

We love our kids.  We truly do.  We know they behave better when there is consistency in our parenting as well as when we hand them off to others.  But with all that has gone on this year and in this lifetime, C and I need a little break.  So we'll be near the ocean for five whole days.  An actual plane trip away!

I'm excited and nervous about being away from them for that time, but as my parents often remind us, we need the break.  And the kids will be fine.  And we'll come back feeling more refreshed and ready to take on the challenges of day-to-day.

So we are in the process of finding care for our kids -- have some likely candidates and one who offered to even come over to our house to stay with some of them here (which would mean Nova would also be all set and we wouldn't have to kennel her).  We have worked out the days I won't be available to watch E.  Now it's just time to anticipate and eventually pack.

I know that opinions about trips without your children are varied.  There are those who are all for it (my parents took regular trips without my sisters and me when we were growing up) and then there are those who disagree with this concept.

Truthfully, I haven't really made up my mind on the subject.  We'll see when we get back, I guess, and I'll tell you about that then.  When dealing with kids with Attachment Issues, anything can happen.  But it doesn't really matter if we are here or not -- anything happens just about every day around here.

I'll be Instagramming our trip and possibly blogging a bit (but that is less likely) so stay tuned for a virtual vacation on our dime by clicking the square camera icon up there on the right around my birthday in September.

Thanks for checking in each day this week for my 7 in 7.  Will I be here tomorrow?  We'll see.  But the challenge is done.  I survived.  Haha.

Blog you later.