Monday, January 7, 2008

Evenings and Weekends: Open

One of the best outcomes about my decision to stay at home with William and not work outside the home is that we now have our evenings and weekends available to do whatever we want. I remember before William came into our lives Saturday morning (OK, afternoon) would roll around and Brian and I would high five; he would say, "I've got the downstairs" and I would say, "I'll take the upstairs." Meaning cleaning, of course.

There was no other time to get it done during the week. On a good day both of us would be out of the house before seven-thirty and arrive home no sooner than six. The six o'clock bell would be followed by a trip to the gym, perhaps, or a grocery run or maybe even diving into the laundry pile. If we really felt motivated we might even (gasp!) cook! But most nights we just scrounged up whatever healthy option we could find for dinner before settling in for our favorite primetime television shows. Both of us, too tired from our busy schedules, would get lost in the TV before wandering up to bed.

Now I can (and am happy to, I should add) get all this done during the day. That's why whenever somebody asks me, "What do you do all day?!" I just have to smile. The cleaning, the cooking, the shopping, the laundry can all get done during the day while Brian is at work. My favorite evenings are when all my to-do items have been crossed off and there is a hot meal ready when Brian walks in the door. I know, it sounds so 1950s. But if you saw the kind of dad Brian is you would know, it's definitely 2008. As soon as he hears the door creak William, already into his dinner, lights up at the sight of his daddy. He looks at me as if to say, "Is that really him?!" and then back at Brian and continues to giggle and kick his legs at full speed.

All three of us can sit down and enjoy a meal together. Brian, after being away from William all day, is delighted to take him upstairs for his bath while I clean up the kitchen in peace and quiet. Once William is down for the night we have the evening to ourselves instead of an evening of housekeeping tasks.

Our weekends are much the same. Trips to the coffee shop. A walk outside. Cheering for our favorite football teams. Wrestling and tickling on the floor.

I'd love to tell you that the picture I just painted is how it is all the time but of course it isn't. The point is, this is the decision we've made together and this is the life we strive for. There are always bumps in the road. There are days when William's irritability has pushed me to my limits. There are days when Brian's job has caused him so much frustration that it bleeds into the rest of the family. But then there are days like yesterday when we all took a stroll on our favorite walking path during this January thaw and I know we've made the right decision.

1 comment:

  1. Jenny,

    I still love reading your blog. I especially loved this entry. I'm glad to hear everything is going so well!! Lily and William need to meet soon! Talk to you soon.
    Allison Mayer

    ReplyDelete

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