Instead of Blogging....

Ten things I did over the last 5 days instead of blogging:

• Took my family to the airport and sent them off to California for 5 days.

• Went to bed when I was tired. Didn't wake up until I'd had enough sleep.

• Slept in the middle of the bed.

  
  

• Had a long and argumentative conversation with God. Asked Him to show me a few things I had questions on. Still waiting for confirmation.

  
  

• Came to an complete understanding of what other mothers meant when they talked about spring break and summer and how hard of a transition it was having the kids home. Several years ago, when I was a stay-at-home mom of young children, I had no context for these discussions. At that time, everyday was just about the same, except the weekends or holidays when daddy was home. Now I get it. It's different to have time with family, time with kids, time alone during the week, and complete and utter time to yourself for a few days. All are needed. All are necessary.

• Washed, folded and put away only my own laundry.

• Stained our coffee table. Messed up. Wiped it all off. Stained it again. Coated it with a protective coating. Thought I messed up again, but took a deep breath (without getting light headed) and let it dry overnight. Much to my surprise, it all worked out. You can still see the places where the veneer was scraped off, but they're less noticeable, almost the same color as the table, and not divots anymore.

  
  

• Cleaned the house. Marveled at the fact it remained clean for 5 days.

  
  

• Had a long lunch with a good friend who's in a rough spot.

  
  

• Painted the fire place grate from gold to black. Now I only have one gold light fixture and a bunch of gold doorknobs to replace.

  
  

  Oh wait.... one more....

  
  

• Did I mention that I went to bed when I felt like it, and didn't get up in the morning until I'd gotten enough sleep?

I'm now about to head out to the airport to retrieve the family members. Tomorrow and the next day I will attempt to get back on track with the schedule imposed on me by society. But I'm grateful for the rest, relaxation and alone time I just had. I'm also grateful that my family is coming back into town. Our house is too big and quiet for just me.