What would you do if you had an entire evening to yourself?
For some of you, this is not simply an elaborate fantasy: this is something you are lucky enough to choose on a regular basis! For others, this is something you try desperately to escape whenever possible.
For another group, however, an evening to oneself is a rare, elusive and dreamy thing. Hello, fellow mothers out there!!
It has been a loooong week. Baby fell asleep on our way home, at her bedtime. Perfect! and then, she did not transition into sleep in bed. She woke up full of more energy than is possible after a 10 minute (!) nap. Can someone please study this child and solve the energy crisis?
Husband is rescuing me (and baby, probably) from a mother melt-down and took over. They are currently out on a walk. I don’t know how long they’ll be gone for, but I am declaring this an evening alone. This is what I’m doing with my time. What would you do?
Shower!! Something I do not have enough time for lately. Plus, when I can clean myself lately, it’s often a lukewarm bath with baby as a way to entice her into the tub. Not the same as a hot shower, and not effective at all for my hair.
Picked my outfits for the week. It’s fast, it’s a little bit fun, I didn’t have time to do it last weekend, and it’s one less thing to think about over Sat/Sun.
Clean up. Yes, it’s true. My husband would encourage me not to, yet I can’t relax in a messy home. Oh fine, call me on that: I choose not to relax in a messy home because when I look at mess, I feel both stress caused by guilt and too many stimuli, and excitement (I love to make things neat and tidy!). Plus, cleaning with baby around is not easy. I gathered and put in a load of laundry to wash tomorrow; put away some dishes; did assorted tidying and recycling. I did NOT clean the sink/toilet or empty the dishwasher, though I was sorely tempted. People, you have to prioritize sometimes!
Make food. I’ve realized that, though I’m not an exceptional cook, I love to make food for myself. Sometimes for others, too. It’s one of the pleasures of being home and having some time to myself: whipping up something tasty to eat. I toasted some squash seeds we’ve had around, and have a batch of rice pudding cooking. Plus, of course, tea.
Blogging. You may have noticed a few days’ absence. That’s because I have noooooooooo time to myself to blog!! And if I’m not blogging, my mental list of blog topics and titles and issues I need to talk with someone about (even if it’s a one-way conversation) builds up too quickly. Blogging lets me get some perspective on life and connect in some small way with others.
So, what awaits after blogging? Still TBD. In my dream world, I’ll eat rice pudding, mend socks and watch tv. In reality, I also might do that. I’m resisting doing some computer work because, though there is a lot to catch up on, I’ve been a bit at the end of my mothering and being rope lately and that probably isn’t the healthiest choice.
I would love to hear what you would do with an evening to yourself!