Time For Who?...Me?

I expected Tuesday to be great. But I didn't expect Tuesday to rock my socks off. Nana offered to take Mason for the afternoon (4 hours) so that I could clean my house and get caught up on laundry. I have NEVER asked someone to take Mason so I could clean, but after Dover's spring break (10 days at home), I found myself giddy at the thought of some alone time. To say the least, I enjoyed those 4 hours. Until then, I hadn't noticed how many little things had changed since having Mason. Here are some of the things that I enjoyed...

1. Getting Out Of The Car. I stopped at 2 places on the way home to make a quick pick up. It was so nice to jump in and out of the car without unloading a toddler from the back (or avoiding the errand all together because of the hassle).

2. Leaving Doors Open. As I was cleaning, I was so excited to leave the laundry room door open as I moved about the house. Typically, all closet doors have to be shut behind me so that Mase doesn't get into everything. Seems simple, but with 4 loads of laundry, baskets in hand, not opening and shutting that door suddenly became quite convenient.

3. Baby Gates Down- Not only was I able to leave all of the baby gates retracted, but I was able to clean rooms in random order. Usually, I have to plan this out so that gates shut behind the cleaned room, in an attempt to keep my clean room...well, clean. Which leads me to my next simple enjoyment:

4. Cleaned and Organized Rooms Stayed Cleaned and Organized. Simple. Cleaning up around a toddler is an oxy-moron. For at least 4 hours yesterday...things were in their place!

5. Mopping. Just try explaining to a toddler why he can't play in the shiny wet floor-now add a curious 75 pound Doberman to the room. Mopping is something I have to save for nap time or his alone-play time. However, yesterday, I mopped whenever and wherever I pleased. And afterwards, there were no little (cute) footprints on my fresh floor.

6. Quiet. I think I enjoyed the quietness more than anything. No background noise is something I simply forgot about. I realized something yesterday...I am NEVER alone. NEVER. I love my life, my family, and my job. I wouldn't change a thing. But I will try to add more quiet-time to my week.

7. Quality Bailey Time. Although Bailey and I didn't play or walk, I did enjoy having her with me in a quiet home. It was like old times, and I realized how much attention Mason really requires (and takes away from Bailey) when he is home.

8. Open Windows. I can't open windows at my house. Although they have screens, the last thing I want is Mason falling out of the window. (All of our windows are floor to ceiling.) Not only was the weather gorgeous, but having that wind blow through my house was so refreshing!

9. Did I mention how QUIET it was? No cartoons, no demands, no crying, no temper tantrums, no noise. It was beautiful.

I hope this doesn't come off as complaining. I'm not. I just enjoyed a simple afternoon to myself, super-cleaned my house, cooked dinner, did a TON of laundry...and in all that, realized that taking some time to myself might be good for me, and my family. Mason had a blast at Nana and Grandads (THANK YOU FOR KEEPING HIM!) and Dover kept commenting on how refreshed and stress-free I seemed. Good things.