Just what I needed

As I mentioned last night, I took today off from work. I've been wanting a day to myself for I don't know how long. It just never seemed to work out, but this week everything lined up in such a way that it seemed inevitable. When I went to bed last night, I thought I might be spending all day in bed as puny as I was feeling. Fortunately, I woke up this morning in a much better state. I'm not at 100% by any means and probably need to take another dose of medicine before bed tonight, but I definitely feel like I'm headed in the right direction. It was so nice having the house to myself for the day. I saw the family off to work and school and made a pot of coffee which I sipped from all morning. After breakfast and a dose of Day-Quil, I decided I wanted to make a list of what I wanted to do with my day off. LOL! At first I was going to work on the house, work on Scentsy stuff, and scrapbook in hour-long segments all day. Since I'm planning to crop (scrapbook party, for non-scrappers) with some friends on Saturday, I opted to focus on the other two items today. I did about 5 loads of laundry (some of which still needs to be folded and put away) as well as folding and putting away a couple of loads that were already done. I cleaned off our TV table which seems to be a catch-all for anything Rylee doesn't need. I also cleaned up my dresser in the bedroom and cleaned out the pack 'n' play in room that became a dumping ground before vacation. Now it can be packed away since Rylee sleeps (some) in her crib. I also managed to go through the mail mountain and temporarily hang a couple of things Joseph got me for Christmas. This doesn't seem like much for an entire day off, but I worked at a leisurely pace. After all, I didn't want to make my cold any worse and was my day "off". I also managed to establish Velata and Grace Adele spreadsheets for tracking customers and their orders. Megan and I were brainstorming Monday what we wanted and thought we needed, and she came up with a great template. I worked on Scentsy earlier this week and will try to get 2012 and 2011 entered into it soon. The 2 newer brands were a little easier since I don't have as much history with them. Rylee fell asleep on the way home (as usual), so I made dinner and saw Aiden through his homework. He doesn't really need any help just somebody to check his work and listen as he reads. Love it!! After dinner, I jotted out some Scentsy team emails while Joseph made individual apple pie on the raclette using crescent roll dough and canned pie filling. YUMMY! I could get used to living like this. I totally missed my family today, but the solitude was much needed. I was pondering this over lunch and had a bit of an epiphany. Ever since Joseph and I met, I've felt guilty when I've wanted/needed/craved some alone time. This guilt only increased with the arrival of the kids. I have such a wonderful family and love spending time with them. Why on earth did I want to be alone so badly sometimes? I think it's because I'm an only child. As much as I hate being an only, it's who I am. I didn't have to share much growing up, least of all my space. It's still an adjustment to have other people need so much of me. Sometimes I need to recharge my batteries by being by myself again. It helps me realize how blessed I am to be so important to such awesome people. My husband - words can't describe how much I love him, how much he means to me, how much I need him. My kids - they are my world and my delight. I'm getting tears in my eyes just thinking about how much I ADORE this family Joseph and I have made together. It's all I've ever wanted, and now by the grace of God I have them. Now, I want to do everything I can to make them happy, and sometimes that means I need a little time on my own to do my own thing and remember who I am. I am me - wonderfully made.

~Heather