threadwalker

The kids went to grandmas house last weekend. They left straight from swim practice on Thursday. I'll see them again today at 6:30 at swim lessons.

It was bizarre. We both kept commenting on how empty the house felt. And we both had periods where we didn't know what we were supposed to do with ourselves because on some level we were expecting to be doing something with the kiddos. So strange.

Rediscovering Each OtherWithout the Dynamic Duo we had a chance to spend time together. F also took Friday off from work, so he spent Friday recovering from a week of hell instead of Saturday, which was awesome. I suggested he take every-other Friday off between now and forever. He laughed. Actually, we spent a lot of the weekend laughing, holding hands and snuggling, etc.

Friday night we went to see "GI Joe". Nice special effects. It's been so long since we've seen a movie together (logistics being what they are), we normally see the Box Office Blasts like Harry Potter or Narnia. I'd forgotten that they could make movies without acting, plots or good dialogue. GI Joe wasted a few hours of my kidless Friday night. But the time spent holding hands, snuggling, communicating, eating out and kanoodling was pretty awesome. I'd forgotten what if felt to go on a date.

On my own schedule - the first in a long time

Saturday I stayed in bed past 8 am ... with NO interuptions! Then I sat in the hot tub while it was still cool enough to be pleasurable ... with no interuptions! Then I went to the craft store (where I scored a bunch of feathers for my 12th Night project) and to Bed-Bath-Beyond (where I was looking for a spring form pan and found a zillion other things that I apparently needed and didn't know it) and at both stops I took as much time as I wanted without being nagged by side-kicks or having to juggle potty breaks and snacks.

Saturday night was an adult evening which involved card games, adult conversation and adult beverage without having to have my Mommy-Radar on, telling my fans to stop interupting, without having to get out of my seat every 20 minutes to get someone something to eat/drink, or having to be conscientious of my language. (I can't speak for other parents, but whenever we go somewhere with the kids, I'm either watching them, about to check in on them, listening for what they are up to or somehow aware of them. Whenever I let them drift from my conscious awareness, something happens - breakage, owies, loud noise, rambunctiousness, etc.) It was a really relaxing evening.

to the Corbie Cave!

Sunday I practically teleported to the Corbie Cave at 7am. Who knows.. maybe I did? There is NO food allowed in the Corbie Cave. I took a few super brief snack breaks, but I pretty much worked straight from 7am to 4pm, which is when heat and hunger drove me into the house. My Corbie Cave is not air conditioned, there's no fan and I've blocked up 2 of 3 windows to keep sun-light out (prevent damage to fabric). When the door is open the late afternoon sun shines directly on my back. My sweat shop really was a sweat shop! Hahaha! However, I cranked out a new Italian I'd been wanting to make and a new (lime-ade green) kirtle. The Italian just needs eyelet holes and hemming. The kirtle is probably only half way done because I didn't have matching thread for surface sewing. But I think it just needs lacing eyelets, anchoring should seams, attaching the skirt and hemming. It may look like a lot, but the bulk of the machine work is done which means I can finish it with frick 'n' frak without having to juggle them and Miss E's desire to sew and my own project goals simultaneously. yay! I call it a victory.

I got creative in the kitchen, too. I used my new spring-form pan to make a dessert that was not as awesome as I the recipe book billed it to be. They called it the "Fantasy Flourless Chocolate Cake". It was okay. It would have been pretty good with coffee, but it was not something I'd ever fantasize about; in fact I wouldn't fear a sugar over-dose if the kids had any. It was lighter than I expected so tonight I may have to try again after I get another dozen eggs (it took 10 eggs!).

And there was fitness. I ran 6.2 miles last night varying my pace from 9-10 min/mile. I was whupped afterwards and my heal/achilles were tight this morning. But it felt great and I'm pleased I was able to do it. I ran 3 miles at lunch today and it was pretty much just a recovery run; victory was moving one leg in front of the other into the head-wind at something faster than a walk.

It will be a relief to see the kids, though. I think little mini-vacations are good for my relationship with my husband as well as my relationship with me, but I'm back and ready to cheer them on during swim lessons, ride herd on the reading, juggle dinner into our hectic schedule and wrap up the evening with a tickle fight and snuggling.