This week, Tim & his father are in CA on business. That gives me quite the reprieve. Don't get me wrong, I love that Tim works from home now and is here when we need him, but here's a few reasons why I also enjoy this week:
1. I have a perfectionist personality. I want things done the way I've thought it out and planned and decided is the best way to get it done. I'm not always right, he often is, but when he does something that's not my way, (especially in "MY KITCHEN"), I get frustrated and stressed. It's like me telling him what to do in HIS workshop area, right? It's my problem more than his, I admit that, but still...this week, I'm neither frustrated, nor stressed.
2. I'm sleeping the best I have in years! Tim tosses and turns, and if he wakes up in the middle of the night, something in him says, "Quick! Stand up and go walk around!" He doesn't even know why he does it. Sometimes it's just a quick trip to the bathroom, sometimes in the kitchen for a snack or just a drink of water, but it wakes me up, and then I'm up for hours trying to fall back to sleep while he passes out immediately. This week, I'm in bed at 9 if I'm not picking up Adam. 12am if I am picking him up. Then I sleep right through until 7 or 7:30! In the past 18 years, I've slept in 45 minute to 2 hour intervals - it's so nice to sleep straight through!
3. Food. When Tim's here, I never know when he'll eat, when he won't, when he'll have his RVL shake, when he's starving...it's hard to plan around him. I end up making too much, or not enough (and feeling guilty), etc. This week, I only worry about me. The kids take care of their own breakfast and lunch, and with Adam working nights, I only have to prepare for 2. No being around food all day long. No temptations to snack as I make other people's meals every two hours because no one follows the schedule for eating I planned (see #1).
4. Time. I try to be the best wife/mother/teacher/housekeeper I can be (again, see #1). When Tim's here, I feel guilty any time I sit down to read, journal, relax at the computer, watch a movie before 8pm, etc. With him gone, I'm free to go through my day working on those important but not urgent things I want to do more often but don't take the time to do. Again, Tim doesn't make me feel guilty about this, I do. Without him, the pressure's off.
5. Kids. When Tim's around, especially in conjunction with Dad, often they walk around all stressed out, or leaving trails of their Alpha Male personalities all over the place. It stresses the kids out. Typical American teens, the kids assume if they make eye contact with either of the men, they'll be assigned some physical labor, so they spend lots of time out of sight. This week, they've been around more, bedroom doors open, more talkative,...it's been great. It feels like we're so close these days. Again, I don't want you to think badly of Tim. It's just that teens will do anything to get out of doing "extra", right?
6. Schooling. Because there's a low-stress factor going on this week, and Tim's not here to run loud YouTube videos during the kids' reading & school time, they're more focused this week, more reading's getting done without so much prodding, and the kids are retaining more than usual. Tim doesn't do anything to distract them on purpose, it's just that he doesn't like headphones, I guess. And to be fair, if I ask him to turn it down, he either will, or will then put on headphones, or even go upstairs to use the computer there. He's almost always willing to do the right thing. It's just nice not to have to make him feel bad by asking.
I think my next post will be all the reasons why it's not so good that Tim's gone. Wouldn't that be the fair thing to do?
