Looking Forward to Nothing

No ladies volleyball tonight. The state of the art gym has a malfunction with the state of the art bleacher system. They won't close, which means three of the 6 courts are useless. This happens at least twice a year. I suppose the school is now 15 years old, and mechanicals do break. As much as I like  my mid week outing, we were scheduled for the late game, which means no one really goes out after. I'm actually a bit relieved. Last weekend was anything but restful with two events, plus an impromptu "crisis" resolution for my mother in law on Saturday, plus the Renaissance Fair all day Sunday. We have plans of sorts this weekend, but other than the movie with DD1, nothing is on a hard core timeline.  As I wrote a few days ago, we have two weekends with nothing at the end of October, and I am looking forward to a blank slate. 

Anyone else get like that? My life is not so exciting and busy that I need to schedule in me time-that phrase irks me to no end anyway. I just have come to the realization that I like a good sleep in with no alarm clock on non work/school days. I like being able to binge watch a few episodes on Netflix, have a movie day, or read a book cover to cover without interruptions. While I am not there yet, perhaps once I get the minimalist vibe going in my home where my housework is down to just care and maintenance I can look forward to whole weekends of nothing? Perhaps not, but those blank calendar pages, and tonight's red X through volleyball on the calendar look pretty good to me right now. 

Getting Back to Routines

A year ago at this time, I was dealing with a major health issue and surgery, which thankfully corrected, is seems so far, the issue. It was in that week, and the weeks after before I returned to my 60 hour work week that I knew a change needed to be made.  I was getting up before 5:00, cramming any last work  that was still lingering, or setting something up for when I got in the office. I would then be in the office, or about town in meetings from 8:00 until 5:00 or 5;30, followed by a long commute home, lugging additional work home most nights, starting up again about 9:00 until I collapsed with exhaustion. Weekends were better, but I found myself being e-mailed frequently, particularly the weekends after my boss had been out of the office, as her catch-up became my catch up. I changed jobs in March, and while I still have a completely crazy busy work day, it for the most part stays there.  From 8:00-5:00, nine out of every 10 days in the pay period, I give it my all, and the remaining time is mine and my families. 

However, I feel like I spent the first several months wondering what to do with those extra hours. I realized in hindsight, I was a bit of an adrenaline junky, getting my fix from the hurry hurry go go, and my mind wasn't yet making the change. I settled into appreciating more down time, more attention to hobbies, but I still was missing something.  What I think I miss is the morning jump start that set my day in motion. While a year ago, the jump out of bed was forced to make sure one more load of laundry, three more e-mails, and a report were dealt with, I now have the luxury of using that same early morning time, that routine, to focus on my transition to the new day.  I was doing this regularly this summer when participating in the Rise and Write facilitated at  Out of the Writers Closet.  I'd look for those prompts, reflect a few minutes, and dive in. It felt good, and it gave the spaces in my mind a tenant. While I may not write each morning, and those of you reading might be thinking, "thank you", I am reclaiming the 5:00 a.m. spot for me. Who else has dealt with major change in time, in a good way, and how did you reframe the way you shaped your days?

Home Alone

DH and DD#2 are setting out in two weeks for a spring break trip to visit grandparents in Arizona.  I will have the whole house to myself, not counting pup and guinea pig. The thought of an evening to myself to putter uninterrupted, leaves me a bit giddy, but I might overdose on a full week.  If I am to avoid a week of Netflix binge, some proper planning is in order with a mix of work, housework, duty, and play. 

Work: The week might be a good time to dive into my new job deeper than I suspect I might be able to in the first couple weeks when I will be getting oriented. I won't necessarily be able to stay in the office later because the pets will need care, but I plan to start a pile of good bed side reading. This might be a good time to better explore the office neighborhood and know what amenities are nearby, and how I can utilize them. 

Housework: Things should stay tidy with just me in the house to mess things up, right? Therefore, I should be able to get any  neglected tasks like actually dusting with a rag and polish, mopping the floors, and neatly folding and putting laundry away. Not only could the house be tidy, it might actually be clean.

Duty: The week should be a good one to check in on the status of some volunteer commitments. I'm a parent rep for soccer and in charge of a youth breakfast at the end of the month. I would be ahead of the calendar if I do some updating and connecting that week, instead of pushing until closer to the actual deadlines. It would be a good time to sort out the spring calendar, noting birthday, Easter, and Mother's Day gifts needed or heck, even getting them bought and wrapped.

Play: I see  a couple girls nights on my calendar-maybe movie and drinks afterwards, or going for frugal on the Tuesday night movie deal and free popcorn.  After dropping the family at the airport for their 8:00 p.m. flight, I would love to head to an improv show on the opposite end of the world from me, to watch a friend perform, with nobody else's schedule to think about. And to keep it real, some Netflix bingeing will be in order. 

What do you think of my plan? Have I missed any categories that you would focus on?   

He'll wonder where everyone is.