I told you you'd be jealous

We ended up having a lovely day, and don't I feel like an ungrateful spiteful nag for writing what I did earlier today. Phillip, as it turns out, finished setting up in time to meet me at church. Which was a good thing since I had two of the clingiest children on earth. Then, when it was time to take our neighbor home and head back to the picnic, PHILLIP ended up doing all the chauffeuring while I was driven, husband- and child-less, by a friend. Phillip and Jack and Molly came walking and running and bumping in her stroller, respectively, over the park field after I'd been there fifteen minutes, talking with friends. And later, after we'd fed the kids and ourselves, Phillip took both to play and I sat talking with friends for at LEAST another hour. POINT TAKEN, GOD. There shall be no more Woe Is Me-ing for a while. A day or two, at least.

Besides. Tomorrow I have the day off. That's right. I have the DAY. OFF.

Whenever my kids wake up from their afternoon nap (it's 4 and they show no signs of waking - we ALL had fun this morning) we're driving them down to Grandma and Ye Ye's house for their very first sleepover. I've been feeling rotten that they've spent so many nights with MY parents so this is exciting for all of us. There's no occasion, except for the fact that the grandparents weren't available for the weekend we originally requested, so we just made one up. My mother-in-law has Mondays off, so Sundays are the perfect overnight for her. We'll drop off the kids, put them to bed (because it IS their first time and I AM still a bit neurotic) and drive home. Phillip will go to work in the morning and I? HAVE NO IDEA WHAT TO DO WITH MYSELF.

Well, that's not entirely true, I guess. The problem is that I have TOO MANY ideas. I've only committed to one of them, a brow wax, as Hot By Thirty demands it. Other than that...

I think I'll go for a run when I wake up. I'm kidding myself if I think I'm going to sleep in, and I actually really like running before anyone is out and about to make me feel self-conscious. Plus it gets that bothersome exercise thing out of the way and makes you feel like you can eat anything you want for lunch because DUDE, you EXERCISED THIS MORNING.

The brow wax is at 10. Right now we are thinking I'll pick Phillip up from work and drive down to his parents' house together. That leaves me several glorious hours in which I can do any number of things, and the options leave me dizzy.

[Childless people, doesn't this make you positively ILL? The sheer JOY and ELATION I am feeling over eight-ish hours ALL TO MYSELF? Hours in which I will not be required to feed anyone else? Hours in which I don't even have to take my HUSBAND into consideration? CONSIDER YOURSELF WARNED.]

Part of me wants to put my house in order. Not just cleaning, but hanging the pictures I took down when we rearranged the babies' room. Organizing their closet and putting away their clothes. Vacuuming the upstairs, which I ADMIT IT, I hardly ever get around to doing. Finally discovering some solution to the mess of papers, pens, receipts and cords that reside upon my kitchen counter. Stuff like that.

Part of me is absolutely horrified that I might waste my precious free hours ORGANIZING. Get thee to a coffee shop! that part of me is shrieking at high volume. Go shopping! Leisurely drink a latte! Catch up on the pile of unread magazines next to the bed! Garden! Finally take my rings to the jewelry store and cough up however much it costs to make them fit again! HAVE FUN!

Part of me just wants to camp out in front of my laptop and WRITE.

A mix of all 3 parts, I think, is what's in order. I just don't know HOW. And now I am feeling all sorts of angst about my DAY! OFF! because I must maximize my time. I must I must I must!

Comments

[Charlotte]

Shopping! It's preparation for the hotness week (yes, you get a week).

In re: to your twitter. Read the following, they'll make you feel better:

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/29/opinion/29douthat.html

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/28/fashion/28marriage.html

[Melissa]

I never know what to do with my free time because I have it so rarely. I'm extra proud of myself when I don't "work" during free time (like organizing and cleaning) and head to a coffee shop and read. Of course, I'm still a little anxious and keep looking at my watch, but it sure does feel good. One time I even treated myself to lunch at a cute little crepe place on 5th Ave...and about 85th? Whatever you do, unplug and engoy your free time!

[Jess]

I have this problem too, on my days off, because whenever I need to get something done I tell myself I'll do it on my next Friday off, and then by the time the day arrives I would need to be superhuman to do it all. So, I can relate despite not having kids. I KNOW.

[sarahd]

Let me guess! You actually are spending the day lying on the couch watching old, stupid TV? That's what I almost always end up doing when there are so many better options on a day off!

[Liz]

Start with the exercise and the cleaning (give yourself a time frame - what if the day melted away while you were vacuuming??! *shudder*). You'll feel so dang accomplished that doing anything else will feel like you deserved it even more!

OH! I HAVE AN IDEA! You could take MY kid and give ME a MUCH NEEDED DAY OFF. Grumble. Never complain to me again ever. (ok, you can, I'm trying to forgive you for having the foresight of starting a family with parents nearby.)

[Christiana]

Here's to a wonderous day off! (wine glasses clinking) - can you find a girlfriend and do lunch? Take your time, maybe swing into a store or 2 and then do your organizing? Gives you a little bit of all of the above. :) Looks like I'm going to have at least part of a day off soon, so I'm looking forward to following in your foot steps! :)