Let freedom ring! (For at least a couple of hours, two mornings a week.)

For the first time since June, I had all 3 boys in school this morning!  I was tempted to come home and do nothing but enjoy the quiet in our house.  But I knew if I came home, I would start to clean the house or fold clothes or wash dishes or something not fun.  So I decided to stay out for the 2 and a half hours that I had before I had to pick up Will from his preschool.  Months ago, I imagined the things I could do in those magical hours.  Breakfast at a restaurant where I don’t have to cook or clean, and I can order whatever I want without thinking about what I would have to share with my boys.  Or a massage.  Or shop for things for MYSELF, such as non-mommy shoes, maybe even ones that have those things on the bottom that make me look taller.....oh yeah, they're called heels.  But alas, I went to Home Depot to buy a new sprinkler to water our lawn, followed by a trip to Target to get some milk, snacks Harrison and Alex can take to their schools, things on teachers' wish lists, and other odds and ends that somehow add up to more than I had planned to spend.  (Seems like every trip to Target is like that.)  So running errands wasn’t exactly the “me” time I had envisioned.  But it was still really relaxing though.  I refer to shopping without kids as “retail therapy.”  It really is peaceful to browse down ANY aisle I choose.  And when I picked up Will a couple of hours later, I had a big smile on my face.  I didn’t miss him during those 2 and a half hours I was gone, but I was really happy to see him.  And I was happy to pick up Alex from his school an hour and a half later, and happy again to pick up Harrison from his school, another hour and a half later.  I forget sometimes how important it is to take time away from my boys.  I need the break to take the “mommy hat” off for just a little while.  I wear that hat constantly and it's the hardest hat I've ever worn.  I have one more free morning tomorrow.  (I have Will with me on Wednesdays and then I work at the preschool on Thursdays and Fridays.)  So what do I have planned for tomorrow?  More errands?  A trip to Costco?  Volunteer in one of the boys' classrooms?  That would be a big NO!  I'm going to have breakfast with a friend and then we’re going to get pedis!  Now this will be some serious “me” time.  And I will probably be doing cartwheels when I pick up Will from preschool.  :)