Unprecedented

A few completely unheard of things happened this weekend.

1) Jay went out of town to visit a friend and dropped the boys off at his Dad's, leaving me at home a l o n e for 24 hours.

2) I spent a lot of that time with my mother.

I've gone out of town for business several times since having children, but that's really not the same. The real honest and goodness first time I spent any good length of time by myself since having kids was when I went to Blissdom in October.

The conference was great (and I mean that in the most literal and sincere of ways) but still, there was an agenda and I had to get up all early and stuff. So my plans for this past Saturday night and Sunday?

NOTHING.

I had absolutely NO PLANS.

And it was glorious.

That? Was the best gift my hubby could have gotten me for Christmas.

I headed out to my Grandpa's house on Saturday night where there ended up being an impromptu family gathering. Lots of food, cookies, beer and conversation. Funny stories I'd never heard that reminded me good ol' Papa was once young and did crazy things with his friends, and that he was once where I am now...feeling overwhelmed by kids and work.

I didn't have to dish up food for my boys and beg them to eat. I didn't have to wash faces and hands and try and keep them from running laps around the crowd and worry about them crashing into the fireplace. I didn't have to beg them to stop wrestling or whining and find a book or a toy or crayons to keep them busy time and time again.

I had time to talk and laugh...and to listen. And for that small opportunity, I am grateful.

That night? I put on cozy pajamas and slipped into bed between flannel sheets.

ALONE.

I slept like a rock.

There were no little people sleeping sideways with their feet in my face. No snoring hubby trying to cuddle to me in the middle of the night. (Uh, I'm sleepin' here. Get outta my space.) And if it weren't for a moronic accidental wrong number call from hubby's Mom's boyfriend (follow that?) at 6:45 a.m., I would have slept for 10 hours straight.

I rolled outta bed when I was ready, then had coffee and checked email without feeling guilty because some little one wanted to read a book on my "ap". My only plan for the day included heading out to one store to play a little catch-up on my Christmas shopping.

Now, my Mom and I don't often see eye to eye. We're just completely different people - I'm practical, she's...floofy. Flighty. Emotional. I'm tell it to me like it is, don't sugar coat it, be real. She cried when I told her my cousin's wife had her baby. (A cousin from my Dad's side of the family. They've been divorced 20 years and she probably hasn't seen this cousin of mine in, uh, 25? But I digress.)

So when she called Sunday morning and asked if I wanted company while shopping? Well, I normally would have said "No thanks." But it must have been the extra rest, cuz I said "Sure" and before I knew it we were on our way out the door.

I make lists and head into stores prepared - she browses every isle, buys things she already has and tends to wrap Christmas gifts without putting tags on them. (I tease her every year about it - I can't tell you how many times my brothers have opened gifts only to have them quickly snatched away with an, "Oops. That one's not for you.")

First store? I let her do her wandering - I mean, shopping - while I headed my own way, straight for the items I knew two of my brothers would like and actually needed. Later, when she flipped through racks of sweatshirts, unable to decide if she actually wanted to buy some, or for whom, I walked away, my list for that store complete. Thinking I was just killing time, I looked up and did a double take.

THE MOST PERFECT GIFT FOR MY HUBBY.

I had had no idea what to get him and there it was. I scooped it up, giddy, and all but rubbing my hands together at my own cleverness for finding it.

Having had good luck in that store, we went to another. More people crossed off the shopping list. We stopped for a late lunch. And it was nice. After that, a third store for a return and then I had a crazy idea.

"We should have a wrapping party. We need wine."

My family was on their way home, but we had time. We stopped at the liquor store, she headed home to pick up gifts she'd previously bought and I had the dining room ready for wrapville when she got back. Wine was uncorked, Christmas tunes were a blarin' and tags made it onto her gifts. (I made sure of it. In fact, the issue of my Mom wrapping gifts so last minute so as to cause the entire family stress and anger has been such an issue in past years I don't know why we didn't start having 'wrap parties' long ago. Gifts are wrapped ahead of time and we HAD FUN DOING IT!)

So. That's my "My Weekend" in not-so-much of a nutshell. I feel more rested, the Christmas shopping list is nearly done and on top of it? ALL MY GIFTS ARE WRAPPED.

{{exhale}}