Soaking It Up

So we're through Week two! Wow! What a doozy!

I can't tell you much about what we did, but I can tell you that I was fairly certain we weren't going to make our challenge this week. You'll have to stay tuned or come back in January to find out if we did or not, but suffice it to say regardless everybody worked incredibly hard and I am super proud of them. 

This week a few new families have been brought into the fold as others have gone away. The time constraints and the toll that this whole show has taken on all of our families isn't small to say the least, so it makes sense that a few families would have to drop out. Our weekends are eaten up sitting around waiting for things to happen and we're all working so hard to get the challenges in motion that I think sometimes we forget to sit back and soak it all up. We're doing something here, creating memories and beyond that, a community. 

This week I sat back in the challenge, which was a really odd feeling for me. I am a leader by nature and I crave organization. I have a very hard time sitting back and watching things be done without offering my support at best and my opinions at worst. But, this week I really needed to focus on myself, getting my license and work stuff. This whole half of the summer is going by so quickly and it feels like I'm going to be back at work in just a day or two. In reality I'll be heading back from mat leave starting at the end of August, but with the show and regular daily life it's all starting to seem rather overwhelming. I know I just need to take it all one day at a time. 

One of the most difficult things is the stress the show is creating within my family. I feel so rushed trying to get from point A to point B, working on the things that need to be done, promoting each challenge that we are doing and the little things even as small as dinners seem to be getting pushed aside. I feel as if I'm not taking these last remaining weeks with my children to enjoy them. I'm happy we are able to experience this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and I am BEYOND grateful for the opportunity to create new relationships within our community, but I am also sad because I don't have as much time to enjoy the boys as I normally would. 

Cash is adjusting a lot better to the cameras now, although doing the one-on-one filming sessions (vs. with all of the families) with just our family and the crew can be tricky. Trying to answer questions and be consistent on camera while managing a toddler is a challenge in and of itself. Thankfully we've had a lot of support from friends and family when it is truly needed and Cash has made quite a few more friends in the process. 

The other day the baby sitter took him to the park and she said that a couple of girls there knew him and were playing with him. Logically I thought it must be my good friend and neighbour's daughter as they play together all the time and she often goes to that park, but when I asked her if she'd been at the park that day with her daughter she said no. We don't know very many people in our area yet so the only other explanation is that it had to be one of the "MDN" families. I really hope that the connections that we are making in these few short weeks will last a long time to come, not only for myself, but for our whole family. 

Making funny faces while shooting yesterday.