Mom time out

I am loving November. October was... SO busy. Too busy. November 1st came and it was such a calm day. I had no appointments, time constraints, pending projects, deadlines. All of November has been so refreshing. I've really tried to enjoy it and not rush into mad Holiday mode.

You know how kids have to get put in time out and they hate it? I would love it if I was getting out-of-control and someone said, HEY- go to time out. and I got to go to my quiet room by myself and think. Well I had 2 Mom time-outs recently. The first one came after a phone conversation with a friend of mine. I was alone after I'd put my kids to bed. My house was trashed, my husband was out-of-town, and I had a huge list of things to do for primary and Halloween. Plus trying to run my house, teach piano, and care for my kids mostly by myself. I was tired, over-worked, underpaid, and depressed. I tried not to let on to my friend how crappy I felt but I must not be a good actress because the next morning, she showed up with another friend of ours, and said "We're here to rescue you! Get out of here and go for a run." I was so embarrassed, humbled, and grateful. I started to bawl. My friends gave me hugs (which made me cry harder) and I put on my running shoes and left (they wouldn't take no for an answer). It is hard to describe the feelings I had. I was humiliated. But also amazed that my friends took the time to care for me. I felt so loved but so silly that my friends had to come bail me out--that I couldn't just take care of things myself. I will never forget what they did. A simple act of kindness. They gave me a time out that I really needed!

Time out number 2 came when I dropped my kids off at my parents'. My sis-in-law Abbey picked me up and we went to St. George. No kids, uninterrupted conversation. We met up with my MIL and Abbey's Mom for Time Out For Women. We had so much fun. 3000 women at the Dixie Center and no one got lost or freaked out because of the crowds. The messages were funny, entertaining, and inspiring.

They ended up buying the same shirt!

 

Our downtime included shopping, yacking our heads off, and eating delicious salads for every meal.  Fun bonding time with cool ladies!


This salad was amazing. George's Corner Restaurant - St. George

Mom's need to send themselves to time out more often. People don't usually give us time out unless we ask for it, plan it, arrange for the kids and the husband to be taken care of and then make it happen. It takes work for Moms to have a break. But we need to do it! We should remember to take care of the person who takes care of everyone else!

day one without the crazies

I can count on one hand how many times I've been without my kids overnight. The first time was our 4th anniversary (Preslie was 3) when we went to Anniversary Inn. Then there were 2 different girls weekend trips I took and left the kids home with Dax. Our trip to Spain last year was a biggie, and then now. But now doesn't really count because I still have Mack. Babies aren't the lowest maintenance children, you know. Dax has been on tons of hunting and work trips without us so it isn't so weird for him to be missing 2/3 of our children as it is for me. Day 1- I woke up to noises coming from Mack's crib and when I exited my bedroom, I fully expected Hunter to be sitting in his usual spot on the chair in the front room. He is the first one up in our house most of the time. The rest of the day was eventful, but quiet. I was amazed at how quick and easy meal times were. After Mack and I ate breakfast, I decided to go on a walk! I was again amazed at how quickly I got out the door, having only one pair of shoes to find and put on. I strolled Mack all around the town, dropping library books off, browsing the local furniture store, and stopping by 2 banks. Having the two big kids gone allowed me time to think (in quiet!) during the day. That kind of luxury doesn't occur too often for me. During one thinking session, I realized that I actually like being busy and working hard. I like having the kids around! It was good to know that. My days move so quickly and are so constantly stimulating, that it was nice to have some down time to appreciate the insanity that is my life right now. Dax and I went out to eat that evening and saw one of Dax's acquaintences who paid for our dinner! That eased some of the disappointment of Dax's chicken being undercooked. After a stop at the store for some essentials-which included ice cream and peanut butter M&Ms- and a couple movies, we had the rest of our evening covered. And bedtime was a breeze! I only had to ask myself to brush my teeth and go potty once before I went and did it.