A Little R&R

This last week is exactly what I needed. I was worn down and crabby about a week ago, mostly because I was tired. But this week I had a chance to get caught up, and it's been wonderful. I've been on Spring Break, and considered going to visit some friends in Kansas, but decided I'd be better off just taking some time to rest. Charley's preschool was still in session, so I figured if I have to pay for it anyway, I might as well send her, which gave me ACTUAL time to myself. It was amazing. We slept in every morning (yes, 7:30 qualifies as sleeping in), and I got Charley to school by 8, so she could have fun with her friends all day. While I generally picked her up early every day, I made the most of my child-free time, and at this point, I feel like I was pretty productive!

Last weekend, Charley and I went through some old clothes to donate. I was very impressed with Charley. While she generally won't get rid of anything that belongs to her, she did a really good job of saying, "That's too small. Donate it!" We had a nice little chat about giving things to children who don't have them, especially if we aren't using them anymore, and apparently she got the message. Anyway, we spent the majority of last weekend cleaning house, and getting rid of things we don't need. It might sound weird, but I seriously love doing that every once in awhile. It gets all of the clutter out of the house (at least temporarily, ha!). 

Construction workers at the zoo?

With Charley going to school all week, I had some availability to do things I don't usually get to do on my own. I went shopping, ran errands...I even did some house hunting! It's amazing how much faster and easier it is to look for houses without a 4 year-old in tow. House hunting is such a pain, but I found some promising places. I absolutely love the town home I'm in right now, but I'm looking for something a little bit more affordable. I still have a few months before I'll move, so I'm keeping my options open, and I know the right thing will come along at the right time.

By the time Thursday rolled around, I had done most of house hunting, and decided to take a day for myself. It was awesome. I went shopping and actually had a chance to try on clothes without the repetitive, "Are we done yet?" that I normally hear from a certain little girl. I didn't buy much, but even the experience of getting to try on clothes and go to several different stores was definitely a treat. In all honesty, most of the things I bought were for Charley. Her winter wardrobe was STOCKED, because she received quite a few cute little outfits for Christmas and her birthday. But with the warm weather approaching (fingers crossed...hopefully I didn't just jinx it), I realized that almost all of her summer clothes would be too small for her. So, I found a couple of great sales and took advantage. At this point, she's pretty well set for the spring, which is a relief. 

Charley and her friend Gretchen

I spent most of the week doing things on my own...and I never even got bored! But Thursday evening, Charley and I went to a friend's house for dinner and I realized it was actually nice to have some adult conversation. My friend and I chatted while the kids played, and Charley was exhausted when we got home. Friday afternoon, I picked her up from school and asked if she wanted to go to the park. Naturally, Charley was enthused by that idea, and we ended up at our neighborhood playground. There was a dad there with a little girl, and he was pushing her on the swing. "Oh, you want to go play with that girl?" he asked his daughter, looking at Charley. To my surprise, Charley squealed, "Hi, Gretchen!" It turns out they go to school together. The two girls played for the better part of an hour, while I chatted with Gretchen's dad and some other neighborhood families that came our way. It was nice. The people in this area really are very friendly, and I'm grateful for that. I even had a friend over later on, and at some point I mentioned proudly that I'd been social two days in a row. Ha! 

Not sure what they were looking at,
but they were definitely focused!

Today was kind of the icing on the cake for me, in terms of this much needed break. While it wasn't restful or relaxing at all, it was lots of fun. Charley and I got up and moving around 7:30, and by 8:30, we were out of the house. We were on our way to her friend Aurora's house, where we would meet up with Aurora, her brother and her mom, and head to the zoo. As a special treat, we stopped at a donut shop on our way to Aurora's house, to pick up breakfast for everybody. Charley's never been in a donut shop, so she was very excited. As we walked out of the shop, donuts in hand, Charley stated, "Donuts, AND going to the zoo? This is the best day EVER!" It was so cute. We went to Aurora's house, picked up the rest of the zoo crew, and were on our way. Aurora's mom is one of my good friends, so even though the zoo trip was primarily for the kids, we had a chance to catch up, too. Win-win! After the zoo, we were all exhausted, and after dropping our friends off, Charley and I headed home. I'm anticipating an early bed time for both of us...

With all of that said, this break has been just what I needed. I had time to myself to rest, and do a few things that I wanted to do. Kid-free. That never happens. I also got to enjoy some time with Charley and some friends, which was a huge perk. Part of me wishes I'd made it down to KS, but I'll be there soon enough, with several weddings approaching later this spring. I needed this time, and I'm glad I took it! On that note, I'm going to enjoy the last real evening of my break. I hope everyone has a great weekend!