Well, it's official. I need a break from being a mom. This may sound horrible, or it might sound completely reasonable, but at some point, I'm sure all moms get to this moment. My break doesn't have to be long or even overnight--we're just talking a few hours of Heather-time, sans Hannah. (I don't even like typing that, but it's the truth!)
Today was one of those days where I felt like I was going to jump out of my skin out of restlessness at approximately 9:00 this morning. Hannah was up by 8:30, and we'd had our breakfast...and my day was empty from then until 6:00pm. I did the responsible & appropriate Mom Thing and took us both out on a nice walk, picking some blackberries on the way. That was good, but then as soon as we got back to the house, Hannah was a wreck. She cried when I took away my cell phone, she cried when I took away the lotion she was holding, she cried when I took away the raw pie crust that she was eating. Now, you might be wondering why I'm so cruel in taking all these things away, but I was giving Hannah other options all the while. And these weren't little fake cries, but real live alligator tears & big "wahs." One thing I found interesting--and somewhat amusing--was that during one of these outbursts, she actually took a second to open her eyes to make sure I was watching. Hmmmm...That IS interesting.
At any rate, after a total nap time of 1.5 hours, Hannah was really falling apart by 5:00 when Keith got home (EARLY!!! :) She did one of those smiley, whiny cries that seemed to say "Daddy, save me from the mean mom!"
Now I'm sitting here doing stuff online & trying to think of the things I can do during my voluntary timeout on Friday. My mom has graciously offered to watch Hannah so I can do just that. Any ideas for something free that will be relaxing & fun at the same time? :)
What's amazing, though, is that despite all of today's frustrations & difficulties, I still find myself wanting to go outside and be with Keith & Hannah, even though these are precious minutes to myself. Ahhh, the power of unconditional love in action. :)
1 comment:
First of all, I find that it helps, when you have one of those days, to peek in on your little one when they are asleep. You will forget real quick why the day was so hard. Either that or feel guilty for feeling like you need time off. OK, maybe you shouldn't do that.
Here's what I'd do with time off (just off the top of my head...)
Meet a friend for lunch or dessert.
Browse a bookstore, sit in the comfy chairs and look through books that are interesting, but that you'd probably never buy.
Get a mani/pedi, or just pedi.
Get together with other friends for games (Bunco is a nice substitute for Prozac, I've found.
Walk through the mall in a daze (surprisingly relaxing!)
Get a haircut.
Get a smoothie.
Go see a movie with sister or friends. (I recommend a good chick flick, if one is out now.)
Go to Costco and eat every single sample they have.
Basically, my rule for time off is to do the things that I can't do with little kids in tow. Take your time, browse, read the descriptions of every single painting at the museum, go slow, enjoy, work around YOUR schedule, YOUR likes and YOUR dislikes for a while. Be selfish for just a few hours becuase before you know it, it will be time to be selfless again.
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