The summer schedule with children and all their stuff… well, the downtime that comes in between is kinda restful. I mean “restful” in that we’re not starting our day at the ungodly hour of 6:45 AM and I’m rising for the day closer to 8 AM… I can hear the children in the corners of the house, like mice, scampering gaily, poking me firmly awake when their tummies are begging to be fed.
This totally works for me.
But it’s camp for one kid over here, and another for the other kid over there, and ALL the schlep time in between… makes me feel like I don’t have a moment in the day for myself. It feels like we’re constantly moving. And while they’re really delightful children (really, they are) they talk to me all the live-long day, and frankly, I’m sick of it.
And of course they talk to me – I’m their mother, and I’m the adult in the house, and they have questions, and interesting thoughts to share. And they cry sometimes because this puzzle is too frustrating, or SHE ripped my PICTURE and I’ve been colouring it ALL DAY, or HE took my WHATEVER and I had it FIRST!! Their voices are loud and constant. It’s draining.
Yesterday Martin insisted that I leave the house and go do something before I hacked and murdered everyone around me lost my mind completely. He took the Littles to the Train Museum around lunchtime, and I sat in the quiet house.
It was glorious, yo.
I took a long, long shower and relaxed since I didn’t have to have my ear cocked the entire time, listening for the children whining, crying, or killing each other somewhere else in the house. I didn’t have to get out mid-lather because of their asshattery or shenanigans. Yay for me.
I took a long time rubbing lotion into my skin, in front of the television even! We’re pro-nekkid in our house, but it’s still nice not having little fingers prodding you someplace (followed by copious amounts of giggling) or asking why this fat bit is there, or where that scar came from. It was quiet. And I had the whole house to myself. It’s been a seldom occurrence since the end of school.
I stayed in the house until after 3 PM – it was then that I realised I had less than two hours to peruse stores if I wanted to… and I wanted to. I got dressed and took a taxi downtown.
I perused. I bought a sweater and a tres cute pair of short shorts, scooped a few magazines, some markers for Oliver, some other small crap… I didn’t say a word to anyone, except for the salespeople in stores, and only to respond no thanks, I’m just looking whenever they asked to help.
I walked sauntered all the way home. My watch said 7ish, and I knew the children wouldn’t be in bed quite yet, so I stopped at my haunt in the ‘hood, and had a glass of pinot grigio at the bar. By myself.
Glorious, I tell you.
I went home at 8 PM, and after the hugs and the kisses and the did you have fun with daddy? snippets, I basically bid them a goodnight and let Martin put them away for the evening.
He and I sipped cold wine while I showed him the junk I bought. We grilled some steaks. Fries on the side. Perfect and delicious.
We watched TV for a while and afterward did all kinds of wayward adult stuff.
Lovely, quiet day.
It felt good to be just me if only for a wee bit of time.
G.G.
