Taking it easy

Well after yesterday's flurry of activity with a sick baby in tow, we are STAYING HOME today.  Being lazy.  I'm still in my pjs at 10:30 am (okay this is not unusual for me on any given day, but whatever) and I think we'll spend the day doing some fun read-alouds for homeschool.

Mary's still sick--while she had a good day yesterday (lots of napping and in a mostly happy mood), I was up with her again at 2 am this morning...changing her crib sheet, washing her off etc.  She IS in good spirits, though, chewing on my flip flops crawling around and babbling and laughing at her siblings.

Having a sick kid or two doesn't really stress me out TOO terribly much--I'm used to it, really, and I genuinely LIKE being home--but a baby with a stomach virus results in a lot of laundry and late-night cleaning, and every time I nurse her I say a prayer she'll keep it down.  Not to mention I'm constantly paranoid that I'LL catch it.  (Which, let's face it, I probably will.  But it's worth cuddling sweet Mary Lu Lu.)

And alllllll of this is why I'm so extra thankful that some girlfriends and I have a dinner out planned for tonight.  It could not have come at a better time.  I'll be able to leave Mary home (where she will probably just sleep and be loved on by the rest of the family) and enjoy dinner and drinks with good friends.  I shall take a shower and put on clean clothes (that don't smell like I've been taking care of a sick baby) and feel rejuvenated.

I don't need a lot of time away from my kiddos.  Really.  I honestly don't need a ton of "me time" in that sense--I feel like my evenings, after the kids go to bed (so from 7:30 pm on), belong to me and that is plenty.  My kids are with me all day, every day, but for a lot (most?) of that time they are playing/working/reading/??? independently.  Sometimes my house is really quiet.

But.

After my unfortunate bout with kidney stones, and now two sick kids (and many loads of laundry and Clorox wipes used) within a week, I'm ready for an evening out.  There is sure to be good conversation, lots of laughter, and much empathy to go around--the four of us have nineteen kids between us.  Four, four, five (that's me!) and six.  But tonight it'll just be us moms.  Rather exciting I'd say!

So I'm counting down the hours until my friends pick me up and we head off into the sunset--er, to the restaurant.  I know by the time I get back home I'll be so, so anxious to check on my sleeping babe, and I love that.  It's as it should be, I think.

Okay, so today's gameplan, in review: stay in pjs for as long.as.poss.i.ble.  Read good books.  Bathe sick baby.  Eventually take shower and put on fresh clothes and go out to eat with fabulous friends.  Come home to wonderful husband and cute under-the-weather-baby who I will have wondered about the whole time I was gone.

Not such a bad day.  I rather like taking it easy!