Domestic Bliss

I'm not sure what it is about these quiet Saturdays that I find so blissful. I suck as a stay-at-home parent. I know; I've tried it. I need more adult interaction than I have habitually gotten as a SAHP, and it's one of those cases of If Momma Ain't Happy Ain't Nobody Happy. And trying to work from home on a more than occasional basis? Fugghedabahtit. Now and then - as with our Thursday afternoons working from home while Gramma takes Abby to swimming lessons - it works. If it's just Abby at home with me, or I'm home alone due to illness, it works. I get lots done and I am in my comfort zone of home while doing it. But even then I need to go back to work or I get bugnutty without the adult face-to-face interaction.

But the Saturdays when it's just me and Lizzy are so peaceful. It's not like I sit around eating chocolates either. I usually do a little cleaning up from the previous night's game, and some laundry, and cook a bit (lentils and chicken with artichoke hearts today), order groceries to be delivered later in the week, job hunt online, pay bills, and just generally hang out around the house. She plays with blocks and draws and "weads" books and watches "babywiffic" TV shows. Weather permitting, we go for a walk and play on the playground. I generally don't even get a shower until evening on these days, because I'm using all our hot water for the dishwasher and the washing machine.

And I love it. Of course, it is only one day, and only one kid (the alternate Saturdays, when Abby and Leanna are with us, are not typically as calm for sure). Maybe it's that I have the time to read a bit or that I can usually get hubby to take over for an hour when he gets off work so I can have alone time (ahhhhh - my sweet Orc Calgon...). Note the differences when I'm outnumbered by the kids - that link refers to last Saturday. Today I'm all calm and relaxed. I've done the dishes, started dinner, planned next week's game dinner, done the online grocery shopping, done some online job hunting, done a little basic tidying up, worked with Lizzy on her potty training skills, drawn endless iterations of "you and me togethah, mama" on Lizzy's Magnadoodle, watched a couple baby shows with her, read her at least a dozen books, assisted her with building a "tall house towah", and played around on blogspot and facebook. And it's only 12:30 PM.

I am perfectly content.