Time for us

On Sunday afternoon, Chris and I did something that we rarely do.

We put ourselves at the top of our to do list.

Made time for us.

This is something that sadly, we don't do enough of. The days are long, exhausting and energy zapping. Our mental to-do lists revolve primarily around the children and for Chris, work.

Can you start breakfast? Where should we go this morning? Why did so and so throw his breakfast on the floor?! What's planned for lunch? Who needs a diaper change? Who's getting into this or that? Which one of us is going to run to the store for groceries?..... What should we do this afternoon? Their starting to climb the walls..... what's for dinner?.... Let's take the boys on a walk before bed... Bath time... Chase the kids down the hall try try and dress them time.... Brush teeth... Feed baby... Read books.... Get them into their beds.... Someone needs their blanket adjusted...Someone can't find their pacifier... Someone needs a diaper change again..... Someone is crying and keeping everyone up and I have no idea what the problem is... The lawn needs to be cut.... The kitchen is a mess.... The baby is hungry again.... I gotta get stuff ready for tomorrow.... and you get the point. Like so many couples, by the time it's our turn to relax, watch some t.v. and maybe have a glass of wine, it's late. We're exhausted. Sometimes, we're crabby.

If it sounds like I'm complaining, I'm not meaning too. I wouldn't change our situation for anything in the world. I'm just acknowledging how easy can be to not make time for yourself or for your marriage, when you have small children.

But Sunday we did. We made time for us and it was soooooo wonderful.

My mother-in-law offered to come in for the day and when the trips went down for their nap, Chris and I biked over to the lake and rented kayaks.

Just me and him and the peacefulness of the lake.

It felt good to do something fun and different, together. We hadn't kayaked since we took a trip to Thailand together in 2004!!

Afterwards we grabbed lunch at an outdoor BBQ place across the street. We both kept saying how it felt like we were on vacation! A two hour vacation but a mini-vacation none- the- less.

We arrived back home just in time. The trips got up from their nap and were all hungry. Owen needed to nurse and Colin needed help with something too. I made a grocery list for Chris and he jetted off to Meijer. Things returned to the busyness of family life.

But our time on the lake stuck with me. I could tell that I was more patient with the boys and able to enjoy them in a slightly new way, just having had that break.

It was a good reminder for us and so I say it to you too.

Don't forget to put yourselves on your own to do list! Do something fun and different, even if it's for only two hours and right down the street.

Pretend you're on vacation!