Expectation

Ah, the irony. A couple of weeks ago, there was a bit of celebration over a little alone time thanks to the mister's first business trip in Erin's lifetime. That was cancelled. This week saw another trip scheduled. I did not get terribly worked up about the potential for a little solo time until Sunday when it began to seem like a serious possibility. And the mister's flight took off this morning just after eight. All was going according to plan.
Except the seven weeks in a row of fewer than five days in school just became eight. For the first time in our almost eleven years with Suburban ISD, the school had an Early Release Day announced via e-mail and phone calls. A late start to tomorrow looks likely as temperatures remain below freezing going into the evening.
Rather than disappointment over the lost time to myself, the afternoon with the kids has been a good chance to talk about the sorts of inconsequential things that sometimes reveal deeper insight into one's offspring. Instead of the usual school day busyness, we have cruised sea life web sites and videos hunting Katie's subject for a Science report and gone for a walk to investigate whether or not there was really ice outside. (There wasn't. There likely will be.) It's been an entirely enjoyable afternoon.

*Paper bomb update: I conveniently spilled coffee all over my desk this morning. That was highly motivating. All the affected papers have been dealt with...