Anniversaries, Tantrums, Hot Yoga

Yesterday was PVT's and my 12th anniversary.  Twelve years!  Three states!  Four dogs!  Four cars!  Four addresses!  And...oh, yeah, six kids.

The Puppy

Alas, we spent it apart, since PVT was in Plano, Texas, with our eldest for a soccer tournament.  He was certain he would be back last night, since the team faced a tough schedule.  I was fine with that; I could handle the five of them for two days, and then we'd all have Monday to enjoy the last weekend of summer.  So I got through Saturday in the godawful heat with the five children, and then Sunday in the worsegodawful heat with the five children, and then expected to hear around 5pm from PVT that they would be coming home.

They won.

I was horrified (no, there is no soccer mom worse than I!).  How could PVT spend yet another day with just one of our six kids?  How does that calculus make sense?  Of course our children should have opportunities for that one-on-one time, but Keane has several more tournament weekends coming up; how can a large family handle events like this sanely and fairly for everyone?

And the greater existential question:  how did I end up in 100 jillion degree weather with five kids on a weekend by myself in Tulsa, Oklahoma ANYHOW?

Oy.

I had really worked myself up into a frenzy last night, and even texted PVT that I would not be speaking to him until our NEXT anniversary, 9.2.13.  All because our son had the audacity to win a soccer game.  Imagine the temper tantrums PVT has had to endure these twelve years.

But then Rory was invited to a sleepover at a dear friend's house...which meant, yay!  He would have fun; one less kid for me to mollify.  And he would be going swimming....here.  And then, like an angel in the middle of the night, it came to me:  OH.  That is the answer to all these soccer tournament weekends:  when the boys are away, we will go...play.  Swim.  Do fancy hot yoga.  Climb the rock wall.  Get seaweed pumice algae massages.  We will join Lifetime TOO.

So, we toured the club today, and just like my friend Kappa Kappa Karen said, Lifetime is like a puppy:  we came, we saw, we bought.   And we will spend the next two weeks deciding if we love Lifetime.  Or if I am capable of leaving my nursing three month old in the child care for an hour.  Ha!  Ha!

And the bigger question, for me:  as PVT wished me happy anniversary over the phone, he mentioned, "This is our life now..."  But does it have to be?  How does a large family balance the tournaments/desires/weekends away of the one, in favor of the many?  I did not receive a large family playbook when I launched this enterprise that is the VTs.  I just don't know.

But in the meantime, I hope to be perfecting my planking technique.