Over 96 solo hours with baby

Well, to be more accurate, I only had 48 solo hours - the weekend - without my partner in crime, DH. *Sidenote - DH needs a new nickname, of which I am brainstorming. Today, we’ll call him SkiBuddy, because he was away skiing, you guessed it, with his buddies.*

 

So, SkiBuddy left on Thursday night for his long-planned, and much-deserved weekend away with his high school friends. They’ve gone on this annual retreat to Colorado for two years, and I hope it continues into the future. Lord knows that SkiBuddy doesn’t give himself a break unless his arm is twisted. Even on supposed relaxing weekends at his parents’ home, he can’t relax poolside until he’s dug a hole or planted a tree or something. I am not making this up. It must be the German guilt complex - if you are not working, providing or producing, you die! I always feel a little bad for him - as I sip my Mai Tai and jump into the cool water. More often than not, however, I get caught up in the flurry of activity and keep working, not relaxing, too.

 

As a result of aforementioned ski travel, Garcon and I were left to fend for ourselves, with our trusty hound, Bruno. And it was a truly wonderful weekend. I felt really productive, for the first time in a while. Tasks achieved:

 

- Picked up new laptop for worry-free employment pursuit

- Installed three sets of plantation-style blinds

- Enjoyed dinner out (Fri) and dinner in (Sat) with Honig and her DH

- Attended two Super Bowl parties

- At one of aforementioned SB parties, provided grandchild fix to parents

- Grocery shopped enroute from SB party #1 and SB party #1 - Note to self: consider skipping SB parties in order to shop at this time next year - there wasn’t a soul in the store

- Installed carbon monoxide/fire alarm

- Had house professionally cleaned (kitchen and baths), vacuumed and dusted all living spaces

- Washed/folded eight loads of laundry during professional cleaning

- Rearranged living room furniture

 

Aside from the fact that I’m proud I checked off a number of things on my list, I can’t help wondering if SkiBuddy’s absence made me feel more productive. Sure, I’m proud of the way the house looks. I’m excited for him to see how it looks when he returns this evening. And sure, I’m a little defensive about his comments that I leave a path of destruction (read: clutter) every where I go. So I’m looking forward to proving him wrong - to proving that things don’t fall to pieces when he leaves, and that I am indeed capable of keeping a clean house. I noticed I was also a little less anxious while he was gone. I think that’s due in part to the fact that I had no one to obsess to - that my primary task was to keep Garcon happy, clean and out of trouble. Without SkiBuddy to rely on for help, I rose to the occasion.