Craving Routine and Normalcy

Man, it feels good to be home.

We just got back from another week of vacation.  We got home from Portugal, did laundry for 3 days, then left again.  I know.  #firstworldproblems

Victor, Max, and I enjoyed a beautiful week in Michigan for my mom's family reunion.  We had a fabulous time and I can't wait to share all about it next week.

But for the next couple of days, I'm going to jump back into our daily routine.  And I have never been so excited to do mundane stay-at-home-mommy type things.

Things like:

going to the grocery store

doing laundry

cleaning the house

meal planning

cooking

taking care of the dog

cleaning up toys a bajillion times a day

running errands

I am such a routine-oriented person.  I'm also a home-body.  I love being at home.  These two characteristics combined turn me into a big ball of anxiety when it comes time for extended travel.  The lead-up to departure day is always so stressful for me.  I think Victor has finally come to terms with the fact that I am not the best version of myself leading up to vacation.  But he loves me through it and keeps insisting that we take more trips, so I guess I'm not that bad.  Once we're at our destination, I tend to relax and loosen up.  But I'm always excited to come home, no matter how wonderful the vacation was.

I think the biggest reason I've been yearning to be home and back into our routine is Max.  He's been a trooper through it all, but he has definitely been affected by all this jet-setting.  He used to go down so well for naps and bedtime and would actually request to be put in his crib during storytime.  Over the past 3 weeks, he's been forced to take car naps (the worst).  He was also out way past his bedtime a majority of the nights we were away. He had to navigate a 5-hour time difference in Portugal.  And to top it all off, he had to sleep in a Pack n' Play (ick!).  He now clings to me when I try to put him in his crib and screams for about 15 minutes before passing out.  I hope he'll get back to his old ways soon.

I hope you all have a fantastic weekend!  I can't wait to share all about our trip to Michigan and get back to more regular posts soon!