A few weeks ago, my husband announced he had to go to LA for training on new equipment they had purchased for the office. Because I have a calendar looping in my brain at all times, I knew immediately that this was going to fall on a weekend that the kids weren't going to be home. I never like it when he's traveling, but I am going to admit at that moment the clouds parted, the sunshine burst through and the angels let out with a loud "Hallelujah!" because I realized that for 48 hours, I would have the entire house to myself. Not only would I get alone time, I would get alone time with NO schedule. Oh. My. Gosh. What would I do with myself? Nothing. That's what. I could hardly wait. I composed myself, said "Oh shoot, honey", and then went into the garage where I could do a little dance without hurting anyone's feelings. I'm not one of those people that needs other humans and activity at all times. Don't get me wrong, I love my friends and family--wouldn't trade 'em for the world, but silence and stillness make me giddy when they happen as infrequently as they do in our household. I was going to savor this.
Friday was the day everyone was heading out, and while I didn't have any concrete plans for myself, I knew that I would have plenty of time to do whatever I wanted. I came home from a long day at work, changed my clothes and went for a short, crummy run. It was muggy, I was tired, but I did it purely for the satisfaction of knowing I didn't sit on my ass ALL weekend. When I came back in the house, I took a good look around at the state of my beautiful home. Blech. I often say that by Friday, our house looks like Bangladesh. Gravity must be particularly strong here as most items we have touched throughout the week are on the floor. I didn't have the energy to clean the whole house, but I figured I could at least make one room perfect...I just wouldn't go in the other rooms until tomorrow. Cleaning and exercise out of the way, I checked the fridge to see if I needed to run to the store. Nope, honey had taken care of me once again and made sure I had everything I needed. God, I love that man! I shared an apple with the dog, ate some cheese and crackers, and watched crap tv for an hour before deciding it wasn't embarrassingly early to crawl into bed. I swear, I may be 42 on the outside, but my soul is 80. I had told the kids that I would sleep with the dog in my daughter's bed this weekend (no dogs allowed in our room, and I felt bad sticking her in her crate for the night) so Elle and I got comfy and I read for a bit before turning out the light. About an hour later, I woke to a noise SO LOUD, I thought someone was driving a train into the room. Did I mention the dog is an English Bulldog? Did you know they snore louder than any human on the planet? Good Lord, she was loud...and hogging the bed. I am possibly the best sleeper I know, but there was no way I was going to be able to get through the night like this. I had to wake her up and get her downstairs to her crate so I could crawl into my own bed and get some sleep. This is no easy task because Elle doesn't like to wake up. Even after I got her off the bed, she would just lay down in the hallway and glare at me for disturbing her. I couldn't bribe her with a treat--her stomach doesn't do well with midnight snacks and I sure as hell wasn't setting myself up for that cleaning task. I couldn't even resort to carrying her because she weighs 50+ pounds (my delicate little flower) and my shoulder can't do that yet. Finally, with a lot of coaxing, I got her down the stairs and into the crate and I collapsed in bed ready to sleep through to a lazy morning.
Wrong! Saturday at 7am, my internal alarm goes off and I am wide awake to rain falling outside. Okay, I can deal with this, rain is peaceful...roll over and go back to sleep. Nope. 7:15, I'm up and pushing the coffee button as fast as I can. I sat browsing the web and finished my book. Answered a few texts and then visited with daughter #1 when she stopped by to get ready for work. I should go be useful now. Took a shower, got cards and bags for Fathers Day gifts, shopped for lunch and dinner (we are daily shoppers--never stop by unannounced or I will offer you salad dressing and BBQ sauce as that's about all we have in the fridge). Came home and tried to watch a movie. I say "tried" because 10 minutes in my ADD kicked in and I paused the movie to clean the kitchen. I watched about 20 minutes more then paused to start the laundry. Finished the movie because I want to be Katherine Heigl in my next life and her co-star looks like 1980's Aiden Quinn--yumm. Dinner of fruit and wine and...damn...too early to go to bed. Okay, let's see what we have on OnDemand
... Gene Simmons Family Jewels it is! They're married now and Shannon wants to adopt--Wait a minute...is that her sister Tracy? What happened to her face?!? Why aren't they addressing this? It's all flat and she's practically unrecognizable! I can't watch this dreck. Elle is bored. I bought her a huge Busy Bone but she has abandoned it and is pacing around the house looking for more interesting family members. Sorry Elle--just me. A few more dumb shows and it's time to hit the hay with my new issue of Vanity Fair. Kristin Stewart is on the cover looking a little zombi-fied. (I keep reading her name as "Schtewart" like "Megamind" because I'm a dork.) Okay, time for sleep.
Sunday morning: 5:46am--No. Not happening. Go back to sleep. Okay, 8:22--much better. Get up, coffee, breakfast, sit for 3 hours watching HGTV and TLC because remember, the house is already clean, and I finished my book. Kind of missing my family now. Plus, how many episodes of Toddlers and Tiaras can you watch before you have to officially call it a problem?
I won't bore you with the next 6 hours. Suffice it to say that I didn't solve any world issues or cure cancer. Every time I thought, "I should go..." or I should do...", I would remind myself how precious this quiet time was and how ticked I would be with myself later if I filled it with noise.
I went to work the next morning and listened to everyone's stories about their BBQ's, Graduation Parties, and Fathers Day events and was thrilled to be able to share that I did Absolutely Nothing...and loved it!
Thursday, June 21, 2012
Sunday, June 10, 2012
It's Madness, I tell you...
I have been having the same conversation with a lot of different moms lately regarding the hectic pace of the end of the school year. Who decided that the last 3 weeks of the school year meant that our children need activities, concerts and field trips every moment of every day? Do you people not remember March? We had a whole lotta free time then people! Let's sprinkle in an outing or a fundraiser to break up the monotony. But nobody asked me. Our kids aren't those overloaded children with 6 activities each either, but since there are four of them it adds up pretty quickly.
Last week, one daughter began her season of cheerleading with a daily practice. This week, we added to the fun by loading her up with drivers ed. (Yes, we chose this class--it was either sign her up now or Grandma's going to be driving her around until college.) After we throw in travel time, this means she has about an hour a day in which to eat, do her homework, and make eye contact with the family. Another daughter is very active in the music department at school. We had the end of the year band concert last week and the end of the year choir concert last night. Both were amazing--we have such a great music program and these kids are so talented! That being said, I don't enjoy eating dinner at 10pm, and my girl was so tired, there were tears. My oldest loved band so much that she joined a community band in a town half an hour away where she attends college, so we had a concert last week and another one this week. The band includes people of all ages and they are really good--plus, you can tell that they are having a great time with it and that makes it even better. But again...half an hour away, at night, after work. I know the youngest has a science fair coming up but he takes after his father and is very stingy with details so I'm pretty sure we will learn about it at 11pm the night before he has to arrive at the school an hour earlier than usual. And I'm sure he will need to show up in a new, freshly ironed outfit and a working model of a flux capacitor.
In the meantime, I work full-time, and hubby has his practice in another town and is in the process of opening another one. He does all of the grocery shopping and all of the cooking--yes, he is AWESOME. He is also wonderful about jumping in when he can to pick up, drop off, or attend, but like many dads, he counts on me to tell him who, what, when, and where. This means that I have a day planner running 24/7 in my brain to make sure we don't miss anything. This is not a good thing at 4 in the morning. I have found that my spouse does not appreciate it when his alarm goes off and before he can hit the button, I have reminded him to pay the camp deposit and asked when I need to pick up his dry cleaning. His response has usually been to clamp his hand over my mouth, while mumbling "No talkie, Woman"...which is a lot nicer than my response would be if the situation were reversed.
Underlying all of this whining is my frustration at wanting to be everywhere, do everything, and support everyone at the same time even though I know it's impossible. I also know I am not alone in this and that makes it better. So to all of you who ate your dinner off a paper plate over the sink at 10pm last night while writing a check for lunch money and ignoring your spouse: the end of the school year is just around the corner and you can rest assured that those same kids are going to be bored to tears in less than a week.
Last week, one daughter began her season of cheerleading with a daily practice. This week, we added to the fun by loading her up with drivers ed. (Yes, we chose this class--it was either sign her up now or Grandma's going to be driving her around until college.) After we throw in travel time, this means she has about an hour a day in which to eat, do her homework, and make eye contact with the family. Another daughter is very active in the music department at school. We had the end of the year band concert last week and the end of the year choir concert last night. Both were amazing--we have such a great music program and these kids are so talented! That being said, I don't enjoy eating dinner at 10pm, and my girl was so tired, there were tears. My oldest loved band so much that she joined a community band in a town half an hour away where she attends college, so we had a concert last week and another one this week. The band includes people of all ages and they are really good--plus, you can tell that they are having a great time with it and that makes it even better. But again...half an hour away, at night, after work. I know the youngest has a science fair coming up but he takes after his father and is very stingy with details so I'm pretty sure we will learn about it at 11pm the night before he has to arrive at the school an hour earlier than usual. And I'm sure he will need to show up in a new, freshly ironed outfit and a working model of a flux capacitor.
In the meantime, I work full-time, and hubby has his practice in another town and is in the process of opening another one. He does all of the grocery shopping and all of the cooking--yes, he is AWESOME. He is also wonderful about jumping in when he can to pick up, drop off, or attend, but like many dads, he counts on me to tell him who, what, when, and where. This means that I have a day planner running 24/7 in my brain to make sure we don't miss anything. This is not a good thing at 4 in the morning. I have found that my spouse does not appreciate it when his alarm goes off and before he can hit the button, I have reminded him to pay the camp deposit and asked when I need to pick up his dry cleaning. His response has usually been to clamp his hand over my mouth, while mumbling "No talkie, Woman"...which is a lot nicer than my response would be if the situation were reversed.
Underlying all of this whining is my frustration at wanting to be everywhere, do everything, and support everyone at the same time even though I know it's impossible. I also know I am not alone in this and that makes it better. So to all of you who ate your dinner off a paper plate over the sink at 10pm last night while writing a check for lunch money and ignoring your spouse: the end of the school year is just around the corner and you can rest assured that those same kids are going to be bored to tears in less than a week.
Saturday, June 2, 2012
Ahhh, Technology!
Well, I did it...I bought a treadmill. I run outside 99% of the time and I love the fresh air, the sounds of the birds, and getting a feel for the happenings in my neighborhood. I just find it peaceful. Sadly, I live in the Pacific Northwest, so I also find it cold and wet most of the time. A little cold and wet is okay, but our schizo weather is not to be trusted and I have been caught in more than one "monsoon", as well as frozen my toukas off when it was down in the 40 degree range this winter. That being said, I still had no plans to buy a treadmill because I know me: I would want the zippy, spendy one with all the gadgets and that's just not in the budget. Or so I thought. Turns out I know a guy. Without selling an organ, I am now the proud owner of a truly cool machine and have run this week in Paris, Central Park, and the Vegas strip...all without leaving the garage thanks to Ifit and GoogleMaps. I have logged way too much time designing my own running routes all over the globe. This week I have Hawaii, Beverly Hills, and Sidney...maybe I'll stop by 42 Wallaby Way. I will still do most of my running outside, but I am finding that I really like having the option. Oh, and BONUS: we had to clean the garage before it was delivered and I was able to take 3 truckloads of stuff to Goodwill. I love purging.
I told my physical therapist yesterday that I want to break up. I just feel like I'm done with going in every week to do the same damned exercises I do every day at home. They have been WONDERFUL and taken such great care of me, but I feel like I need to move on. It's not them...it's me. I have one more visit in 2 weeks with the big guy there, then another visit with my surgeon, and then I think I can probably put this whole shoulder thing behind me. I'm not 100%, but I'm probably 85-90% and I'm okay with that.
This is a momentous week for others in my household: Child number 3 got her drivers permit on Friday and begins drivers ed classes on Monday...consider yourself warned. Next week is big for another reason as Child number 2 turns 16 and will be able to get her driver's license, carry her cell phone, and be allowed to date. Yes, we are those mean parents that make them wait to date and I think it's one of the best rules we have. They are spared a lot of drama so they can spend a few more years focused on growing into confident people who will be better equipped to handle a relationship when it happens. Oh, and just for the record--I met my husband when he was 14 and I was 16...and I told him I wouldn't date him until he was 16. So there you go.
We are counting down to our summer vacation but we're keeping our chosen location a secret from the kids until everything is reserved. Until then, we keep telling them we are heading to "Dino Town" (a location better suited to 4 year olds) and we're playing that schtick as long as we can because we're evil and like to mess with them. This is payback for sleepless nights and spit-up on all our clothes, it's our due and it's FUN!
I told my physical therapist yesterday that I want to break up. I just feel like I'm done with going in every week to do the same damned exercises I do every day at home. They have been WONDERFUL and taken such great care of me, but I feel like I need to move on. It's not them...it's me. I have one more visit in 2 weeks with the big guy there, then another visit with my surgeon, and then I think I can probably put this whole shoulder thing behind me. I'm not 100%, but I'm probably 85-90% and I'm okay with that.
This is a momentous week for others in my household: Child number 3 got her drivers permit on Friday and begins drivers ed classes on Monday...consider yourself warned. Next week is big for another reason as Child number 2 turns 16 and will be able to get her driver's license, carry her cell phone, and be allowed to date. Yes, we are those mean parents that make them wait to date and I think it's one of the best rules we have. They are spared a lot of drama so they can spend a few more years focused on growing into confident people who will be better equipped to handle a relationship when it happens. Oh, and just for the record--I met my husband when he was 14 and I was 16...and I told him I wouldn't date him until he was 16. So there you go.
We are counting down to our summer vacation but we're keeping our chosen location a secret from the kids until everything is reserved. Until then, we keep telling them we are heading to "Dino Town" (a location better suited to 4 year olds) and we're playing that schtick as long as we can because we're evil and like to mess with them. This is payback for sleepless nights and spit-up on all our clothes, it's our due and it's FUN!
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