It's been 6 weeks or so since I sent my littlest nugget off on a bus to school all day. I had no clue what to expect from all the quiet that was about to enter my life, and all the choices I would be able to make with the 6 hours the kiddos were in school. It's been an eye-opening time. Here are some things I've learned in these few weeks...
1. I did not, nor will I probably ever, morph into a Type A person when there are no children underfoot. This was not really a serious expectation of mine, but looking through all those magazines for the past 10 years with all those lists of how to do everything better made me sort of hope I could complete those lists once I had some more time on my hands. Nope.
2. The day really does go by quickly. I thought for sure that I would spend at least a few minutes a day pining over my children, but I must say, there's not much time for pining. A few chores, a quick workout, lunch, an errand, and it's time to put on my gameface for the homework/dinner/bath/bedtime craziness.
3. The dog has not been harboring a secret ability to speak that he was just waiting to bust out when I actually gave him my undivided attention. He's actually pretty non-responsive, and he has yet to show any enthusiasm at all when I ask his opinion about my shoe options for the day.
4. The amount of housecleaning, laundry, food preparation and errand running has not diminished in any way now that the kids are gone a good chunk of the day. I guess that was a semi-embarrassing realization, as I found myself surprised at the fact that a good portion of my week is STILL spent sorting, washing, drying, folding, putting away, and repeat, repeat, repeat....
5. As an introvert, I really like quiet sometimes. It does not bother me at all to have no one to talk to but myself. (the dog, as I mentioned earlier, is hopeless) In fact, I feel like my brain cells are starting to replenish, and I've mentioned to more than one person that I am recalling words and other information that I didn't even realize was still in the dusty old archives of my brain. See?!?! ARCHIVES, ha!
6. As much as the basic chores and errands haven't diminished, I appreciate the fact that I can now get most of those things done without tripping over toddlers. I can get ready and walk out the door in, like, a minute, and I'm not sweating by the time I get to the car with a bunch of kids and a diaper bag hanging off my neck. I can talk on the phone without a cacophony of "Mommy, Mommy, Mommy" in the background. I can use the bathroom privately. (I can hear the wistful sighs of all you young moms on that one :)
7. The hurt over all my babies no longer being babies, though quieted down some, is still there. As much as I am enjoying this new stage, I wonder if every new stage brings, along with excitement and promise, a little scar tissue from the joys that have passed into memory.
