Mother's Day Off

Every year, when my husband asks, “What do you want for Mother’s Day?” I say, “Take the kids to your mother’s,” but I don’t think he believes me, and so I get the usual flowers and a dinner, which sometimes I get to host (yippee!).

But this year, he listened! He took the kids to his mother’s and I had one glorious day all alone. Best Mother’s Day Ever.
When I first learned my dream was going to become a reality, I cheered! And then I felt guilty (ah, that ever-present mom guilt). I should be with my family on Mother’s Day right? They were getting together with aunts, uncles, and cousins – wouldn’t it be awful for me to miss that? Then I came to my senses. Better to be at home enjoying some time to myself than sitting at a barbeque complaining about how I never get any time to myself.

I also planned the rest of the weekend so that I could get the benefits of being treated well by my family while they were around to treat me. I even wrote down my expectations and shared them with my husband and children ahead of time to avoid the disappointment of past years when I have left it up to them to read my mind. So I got time off and dinner out on Saturday, and breakfast out on Sunday morning before they left me for the whole day! (Did I mention that already?)

“No breakfast in bed?” you may ask. Well, we tried that last year. I got a wonderful breakfast– a tower of pancakes and bacon and coffee. But it was delivered at 6 am by the husband and son who I had heard fighting in the kitchen since about 5:15. If I’m not sleeping in, I’d rather go out.

The Mother’s Day breakfast also served to relieve my lingering guilt. I got to celebrate Mother’s Day with my family, but there is nothing like a restaurant meal with young children to get you ready for some alone time.

After breakfast, the family departed and I was happily home alone. I didn’t want a spa day or a vacation or a day at the movies. I wanted a day alone at home so I could actually finish at least one of my endless unfinished projects.

Although I’ll admit it was tempting to spend the day vegging out in the family room. When else would I have complete control over the computer, television, DVD player, DVR, and Wii? I was probably the only person hoping for bad weather so that I didn’t have to fit “basking in the sun with a book” into my schedule too.

But I had promised myself to be productive, so I cranked up the stereo and got to work as my iPod shuffled through my entire iTunes library. I was motivated by the surprising mix of music, from classic rock to energizing dance tunes, and even children’s music. I may have skipped past Elmo, but I’ll admit to grooving to Laurie Berkner and They Might Be Giants like a preschooler.

And so I actually spent my Mother’s Day doing a lot of work, but I didn’t mind it one bit. Yes, I vacuumed, but then the floor stayed clean! I cooked, but just what I wanted, no chicken fingers or fish sticks! Nothing got burned as I ran out to pull back a wandering toddler or change a diaper! And I got to eat too! The whole meal, while it was still hot, with nobody picking at my plate! I did dishes, but just once. Just once, I said, all day! I did laundry, but I got the clothes out of the dryer on the same day unwrinkled! And I put them away without my daughter simultaneously taking them back out! And for the first time in years, I completed a major project in one day, transforming my living room with new drapes. Ah, life uninterrupted.

I did have a few passing worries during the day, like “Did they get to grandma’s safely?”; “Did she get her nap?”; “Is he behaving well?” ; “Should I really be on top of a ladder with power tools when there is nobody home?” ; “Can the neighbors see me dancing?”; “Am I a little too happy about this day?” But everything worked out just fine.

When the day ended, I wasn’t relaxed or coiffed or pedicured, I was exhausted from all the tasks I had finally completed. Or maybe it was the dancing.