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Health & Fitness

Fall is Here

What does a mom do the people who have been running their life go off to school for the first time?

Here we are at the cusp of fall. I haven’t blogged since mid-summer and it feels like ages ago. I wish I could say that my absence was due to a grand European vacation or a retreat in the Swiss Alps, but the farthest I got to travel this summer was Wisconsin Dells. Not to make it sound petty- I hadn’t been on any kind of vacation in a few years and it was wonderful just to get away with my kids. But that seems like months ago now that school has started and things are back in action.

   This year was a milestone for my kids- my son started Kindergarten and my daughter started preschool. Ultimately, this turns out to be a milestone for me as well. The school that my son attends is a full-day Kindergarten which means that for the first time in 5 years, I am without him for 7 hours a day and my daughter goes to school 2 mornings a week- meaning that for 2 whole mornings a week, for three hours, I am alone and child-free. . Everyone asks me how I feel about this,  and the emotions are mixed. In some ways it is a loss- its been 3 years since I’ve been home alone with only one child and over 5 since I’ve been without kids entirely, and of course I miss them when they’re gone. I’m also ecstatically excited about having time do what I want to do… or even just to do errands without two kids tagging along. I was only 23 years only when my son was born so for the better part of my 20’s, my kids have been my entire day. Now I am facing something I have been unfamiliar with over the past 5 years- myself. Who am I again? What do I like do in this thing called “free time”?

   I tried what had always been difficult with two little ones tagging along- some hardcore shopping. I was quite successful with that too, until my husband saw the credit card statement and that killed that. I've done alot of house cleaning and weeding out old clothes and toys, though one can only do so much of that too. I have a list of other things to do while the kids are gone- work on my rubber stamping, do my yoga dvd's, organize my collections, practice my barre work for my dance classes, swim,  nap... eventually I'll get around to all of them. Right now though, I'm just enjoying having downtime and the chance to get to know who I am as person again, instead of just a mommy. And when the kids come home I am more than ready to be their mommy again.

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