December Sanity Check

First things first. The Halloween candy table display actually worked. Everyone casually ate the candy as they pleased. My son discovered that he really didn't even like to eat as much as he thought and ended up throwing away several partially consumed pieces of candy. All in all, I think it was a success - even I wasn't compelled to eat it.

Moving on to December. Well, it's about 6:30 on a Friday night. I remember the days when this was the hour of primping, dressing and prepping for a night on the town. At first it was looking for dates then it was dating my husband. Tonight though, my world is a different place. My husband is at a fly tying class, my oldest daughter is at a friends, my middle daughter is downstairst with 10 of her closest friends celebrating her birthday and my son... oh my gosh, where is my son?? Oh yeah, he is at his friend's house - her mother just happens to be my savior here on earth. Am I angry at my husband for not being here for the party - no way! He had a hectic week and a very long day at work (I should know, I work with him). He needs the unwind time with his buddies at the fly tying shop.

What about my needs though? To tell you the truth, I couldn't ask for much more right now. The party is going just fine without my intervening - I even heard my daughter tell everyone they needed to clean up their dinner plates so they could make their ice cream sundaes. She really does listen to me, sometimes. The rest of my family is off having fun, doing their own things, and I have some time to myself to read, write, or just hang out. Time like this is hard to find any time of the year, but this time of the year especially!

Time for self is critical, and we may need to think outside the box in order to get it. Am I occasionally overcome with the urge to run downstairs and bring order and adult regulation to the party? Of course I am, but you know what? They really are doing just fine. They'll let me know if they need anything and I will be able to hear if anything critical should arise. I deserve this break and I intend to take it and ENJOY it!