The other day a friend texted me this question:
What is the difference between a week where as a Mom you are working your ass off to get work, laundry, etc done vs. a week where you work some but also take time for self care (exercise, nap, read) and “take time to smell the roses with the kids” ? Which is more productive do you think?
I was about to sit down and type out my response right now.
But today was one of those days. One of those weekend days that’s even crazier than the weekdays.
Today I was at a t-ball game at 9.
Then I coached a swim practice at 11.
I went to a second baseball game at 12.
I took a kid to a birthday party at 1:30.
My parents took Number 3, 5, and 7 to their house while I was at the party with Number 6 and while Number 4 was at a friend’s house.
When Number 4’s friend dropped her off, I drove her and Number 6 down to my parents’ house too, where all the kids are going to sleep over.
I was going to go home, write today’s post, and then go out with my husband for the first time since his accident last August. Instead, I’m sitting at my parents’ computer right now.
Because I thought to myself, If any of my friends were in my position, I’d tell them to fuck the work, take the night off, and use it as an opportunity to relax and recharge and unwind and have some quality time with their husband.
Why the fuck would I waste valuable kid-free time on a Saturday night doing work and writing a blog post?
So the full answer to that question will come another time.
Right now I’m going to (joyfully) kiss my kids goodbye, skip kidlessly out of my parents’ house, stop at the liquor store and get a bottle of wine (or three), drink a glass as soon as I walk in my house, take a shower, drink another glass of wine, go out to dinner with my husband, drink another glass of wine, come home and make a deposit (or three), and then sleep as late as humanly possible tomorrow morning.
Or I may just get to the first glass of wine and be asleep before 8 pm.
Either way, I’m taking the whole fucking night off.
Because in this case, self care wins.
By a landslide.
I work midnights and have (basically) one day to do everything that “needs” to get done. I have made a housework schedule and work on stuff in small batches rather than trying to cram it all in on my one off day (and have passed some of the workload onto my 10 year old) There are days tho that the kids are both in school…..and I look at my list…….and I say “I dont WANT to” –because let’s face it, the laundry that’s there today will be there tomorrow……so I lay on the couch and either watch the insides of my eyelids or watch some mindless program that I can’t watch when the kids are home —or schedule a massage)
As it should!
Always the right thing!!!
