The best gift ever? If you’re thinking a new car, fancy night on the town, a deluxe vacation or a shopping spree—nope, not for me! My husband Brad offered to take the four kids to New York for the night to visit his parents, which gave me….Yes! A full 24 hours to myself in my house ALL BY MYSELF!
You may wonder why this is so exciting or if you are a busy mom, you may understand exactly why it was heaven on earth. You see, with Ellie’s recent surgery and hospitalization, for the past two months we really just got by. Anything that needed immediate attention got it, but if it wasn’t a priority it went into a pile. These piles around the house—and you know the kind I’m talking about—accumulated, the unmatched socks went out of control, the voicemails on the phone were maxed out (apparently 39 unheard voicemails is the limit), my desk was a mess, and the list goes on. Now, I love my family, but since I don’t get too much time to myself I treasured this opportunity. After we said a nice good-bye Saturday morning, I was in motion and, yes, I was smiling.It may sound bizarre, but I’ve never been so happy to do wash and clean my laundry room. There is something about having your house in order that makes everything a little more peaceful and less stressful (regular readers will recall my previous post on tolerations). With this newfound “me” time, I just kept tackling things that were hanging over me and the feeling of being overwhelmed diminished every hour. Of course I didn’t get through most of what I wanted (I set the bar pretty high) but I knew I wouldn’t so I carefully prioritized and felt great when they all arrived home.
It wasn’t all work. I relished those three meals all to myself because I didn’t have to feed anyone. Bedtime was a breeze and quite relaxing. Yes, it is the little things that can be so meaningful.
Now, I’m fully aware that someday my house will probably be quiet (or a bit quieter, anyway) and more organized, and I’ll miss these days of kids and chaos. So I remember this and treasure the moments that I have today. But I also welcome the short breaks to keep me going. And whether it’s a catch-up weekend like this one or a total R&R weekend, it’s awesome.
So, if you’re a thoughtful husband reading this and want to do something sweet for your wife, the gift of time to herself in her house may be just what she needs. It doesn’t have to be a birthday gift or anniversary gift, but instead can be a just-because-I-love-you gift. And grandparents, you can do this too. It doesn’t cost much and you get to spend all that time with your loved ones!
