I wanna do something SPECIAL

Both Aaron and I work all day. Most nights we come home and hang out at the house, but every once in a while we'll go to McDonald's play space or hang out with a friend. We call that 'something special'. And I've kind of shot myself in the foot with this, but now that the weather is nice, more often than not we are doing 'something special' every night. Be it riding our bikes home, having a picnic at the park, tee-ball or going swimming - I have been really enjoying doing something fun outside every night.

Lately, if I pick up the kids from school and all we are doing is going home, Cam whines and says 'But I wanna do something special!" and does this very cartoon-like body lanuguage (head and shoulders down, arms crossed). What the heck do I do with that!? I explain that we can't do something special every day, because then it wouldn't be special anymore - and the way he says it makes me NEVER want to do something after school again! On the flip side, I very much enjoy doing 'something special' after work - it's my time to enjoy with the kids.

This weekend, Aaron is going away for a long weekend. He needs the break, and I know the kids and I will be fine (if it makes any sense, the kids are often easier with just one parent around). Then I started looking at our schedule - and it's overbooked with 'special somethings'. We have the town Spring fest, tee-ball, a farm visit, dinner with their cousins, a baby shower and then member's only night at the Museum of Science. Usually I would be excited for all the fun, but Cam's new bad attitude makes me nervous. He is really starting to talk back and not listen - and seeing his friends at daycare I know he is not the only one doing this, but MAN is it rough. I often hear him saying 'I know that, Mama' (in an exasperated tone, because OF COURSE he knows it) and he will just ignore me when I'm trying to get his attention. Drives. Me. Nuts. We are working on telling him that in our house we listen and in our house we are kind and respectful to our family members (and of course loop it back to our 'treat everyone like you would want to me treated' mantra) but oh my lord. Many nights, bedtime can't come soon enough.
And also makes me realize that Cam is almost officially a Kid. Definitely not a baby or a toddler - and sometimes he doesn't even act like a pre-schooler! It is insane to me how fast they change. People aren't joking when they say how fast your kids will grow up. And how hard it hits when you realize it.