WEEK OFF

This week I did something I've never done before...

I took a day off just because.

Actually I took a whole WEEK off just because.

Granted, it was not a full week as Monday was a holiday. And I did end up working last Friday to get some things done. And I did have to call in and do an hour long training for some new supervisors on Wednesday that are converting the beginning of next month to our new computer program.

But other than that, I've had several days with absolutely nothing to do except what my little devious self could come up with.

I never take time off unless I have a reason... such as a vacation or a swim meet or illness. And I guess this time off kind of counts as illness as quite frankly I was feeling a little crazy. Seriously. I have been under stress since about March and it was starting to catch up to me. Lately it's been one of those force myself out of bed to go to work kind of things. So I decided to take a break and use up some the comp time I keep earning from working overtime.

So what did I do during my time off?

So far I've scrapbooked like a mad woman.... finishing big projects like Darren and I's trip to the Bahamas in Sept 2008 and finishing pages in the kids books I had been putting off (like Christmas 2007 and 2008. I have a mental block against scrapping Christmas.... there are just SO MANY PICTURES).

 

I also catalogued all our Christmas ornaments by taking a picture of each one and recording them on a spreadsheet. I have some albums to slip them into as soon as I get the rest of the pictures back from the printshop.

I typed all my rag-tag recipes gathered from magazines and friends into WORD so I could use my laptop as a recipe book. Plus I plan to add pictures of dishes and the people whom I received the recipes from.

I finished my Pottery Barn knock-off Advent Calendar with cute little pockets:
 

I found Nathan's black church shoes that have been missing since October (yep... look close in our family Christmas picture and you will see he has BLACK SOCKS on...)

 

And I've slept. A lot. And I've read. A lot. And I've felt the stirrings of the real me that has been hiding beneath the facade of the work robot. And it has felt great.

I admit I have not been super mom and made dinner every night and cookies every afternoon. I didn't exercise and I didn't get through my project list. But the laundry is done. And the house is cleaner than usual. And despite the fact that I'm not a domestic diva, the kids have been happier. E1 just told me she "likes having me around" which is really kinda scary considering I work from HOME! Darren said, "Wow you sure have been happier this week" which is code for "wow you are not psycho woman this week". My first instinct is to say DUH but he does have a good point. I need to stop obsessing about work so much and remember that there is more to life than the computer.