Please welcome Robin from Creative 2X’s Mom. Mother of ‘one of each gender’, she spends her time learning how to be the best wife and mommy she can be. I LOVE that.
So I find myself with a few days without kids. Every mother’s dream. My in-laws called last week and wanted to the kids to visit for a few days before we all get together for the weekend. We made a plan to meet half way and pass off kids. I packed them up, not forgetting all the special lovies, but accidentally forgetting the toothbrushes (of course). Off we went to meet them and the kids were practically jumping out of their skin. They were so excited. What’s not to love about a trip to your grandparents? Pool, WII, and yummy treats. All a kid could ask for.
I was a little excited. I had thoughts of sleeping in. That was the most exciting part for me. Sleep… I think I’ve been tired since about Oct of 2005. So any extra sleep makes a huge difference. That was exciting. And I wanted to do some thrift store shopping (more of that to come later). There were a few things that I was looking forward to.
But then reality set in. It was so quiet. I set to work right away on little projects that I’d been putting off. Had some projects outside, some work ahead on their birthdays, did some baking and some blog work. But it was so quiet in the house.
I’d find myself not doing certain things during nap time, or going to shut their doors after bedtime. And there was no one there. I began to think “What’s a Stay at Home Mom without the Mom part?”
Between the dishes, and the meals, and the laundry, and the potty training, and the swim lessons, and….
WHEW!
This morning I was rushing around, hitting those thrift stores like I planned, scoping out a few yard sales. I found myself driving down the road and I thought, “Why am I hurrying to much?” I was driving through this beautiful part of the city and couldn’t understand why I was in such a rush.
That’s when I decided to take a deep breath and forget the “Mom” part of the day. Instead focus on where I was. The peace and quiet. No place to be. No one needing a sandwich or a nap. Just me, being.
Yeah, I’m excited for my kids to come home. It’s been a discipline though out this day to sit and be. But after that moment in the car, I knew I had to take full advantage of the time I had. No one’s going to slow down my life for me. No one’s going to tell me to stop and breath. I have to do that myself.
So “What’s Stay at Home Mom without the Mom part”? It’s just me. Learning to breath. Remembering to take time now. If I can discipline myself in these small moments, I can remember to take in the moments with the kids. It’s good. It’s a break. It reminds me that I do love being a stay at home mom.
Sigh…
Now, … can someone pass me the bonbons and turn on the TV? (Oh, and ignore those small children with the suitcases. They’re really not supposed to be here till tomorrow.)
About Angie
Love this post! I just wrote a post on taking more “Mommy-Time” but it is so weird when the kids are gone and as you say, so quiet!
Oh wow, this is a great post. My husband is kicking me out (nicely) for a day or two soon so I can have some time with a girlfriend. It’s hard because I never go anywhere by myself (or rarely). When I do I end up talking to myself because I’m used to little people listening and not talking back (yet).
This is one lesson that every Mom has to learn…take full advantage of the quite and slower pace while the children are away…it’s hard to make the switch – but well worth it. Great Post!
It does totally take a long time to let down my hair even now that they are big.
Wonderful post. I’ve never spent an entire day at home or away without my daughter but her first day at preschool last fall the house seemed so deathly quiet I had to resort to baking all morning. We do so rush about as Moms – I am forever covered in bruises from doing such silly things as walking into the kitchen countertop in my haste to get somewhere, thinking somehow it will magically move out of my way. So you are right, we do have to teach ourselves to slow down and to enjoy the alone time we are lucky enough to get.
When I found myself alone one weekend morning, I was so excited I didn’t know what to do with myself. Not that I didn’t know how to spend that time, but I had ALL KINDS of things I wanted to do but wasn’t sure how to prioritize. I think that’s a sign that I need to do that more.
I guess sometimes a little time to ourselves is all we need to recharge and fall in love with our “other” life, when the noise returns, all over again.
I find that I cannot wait to get a break from the kids but as soon as I’m away from them I miss them like crazy. But we all need those breaks as it does make us a better mom. More sane, I think.
Thanks for the guest post.
Thank you all for your kind words of encouragement. It’s nice to know that I’m not alone. I think you’re right. Once in awhile we do need these times alone to remember how in love we are with our kids and husbands.
to have mindfulness is a wonderful thing. auto pilot is necessary but zaps our energy…. Good for you! Enjoy your time. We can all learn from your post!!!
I found myself wishing for some time like that as I was reading your post. Life is just all about being a Mom for me right now and I know that and I’m good with it but sometimes, it would just be nice to have a day or two to myself. But yes, I’m sure I would wonder what all the quiet was about… 😉
Glad you got some ‘me’ time.