I just want a rest, you know?

[flea]

My dream about moving down here had me taking a while to find a job, but putting Dillo in daycare anyway, and having a couple-three months of sitting alone in the house all day, reading, drinking tea, listening to NPR...

Well, the local NPR station doesn't run a format I like during the day, and the perfect job for me was open, and I applied for it and got it before we even closed on the house, and we decided to buy a house that really needed my income to afford, and here we are. It's Sunday night, mr. flea and the kids are taking a bath together in the jacuzzi tub, and I'm contemplating packing some lunches, prepping the coffee maker, and doing another week of it all.

I like the Tuesday mornings off, though in practice it's 'read a chapter of a book, vacuum, read a chapter, empty the dishwasher' but the Tuesday nights are tiring and so far they seem to screw up the whole rest of the week. We really need to fix the bedtime routine and night-wean Dillo and make it so mr. flea or even, egads, a babysitter, could put the kids down alone. I just can't imagine how that is going to happen.

I guess I get the rest in 16 years or so. I just need something a little closer to look forward to.

Comments

[serrana.livejournal.com]

Must admit, things have been much easier since we booted the little one out of our bed. Oh, he still yells when we put him in his room, and it was a rough month getting him weaned, but...yeah, much easier.

[forodwaith.livejournal.com]

Oh god, lunches are my most unfavourite chore. At least Sean is nearly old enough to make his own.

My bitchiness lately focuses on Dan working so much from home. It means even when I have time off, he's here, plus more jockeying for the computer.

[casperflea.livejournal.com]

Part of yesterday's problem was I was in charge of children while mr. flea did the quicken (for 3 hours), and he used his laptop to remotely access the desktop, using BOTH computers, so I couldn't sneak away for revivifying breaks!

[jonquil.livejournal.com]

Um.... why exactly are *you* responsible for doing the whole week? IJS.

I heartily recommend -- because it's made such a difference for me -- starting to book the occasional Saturday or Sunday afternoon off. I have the excuse of visiting friends, but "Oh, I'm going out to be by myself" is equally powerful. Then go to a coffee house or something.

Can you book one of those a month? Just one?

[casperflea.livejournal.com]

The problem is, my parts of the week alone are too much! We have a very egalitarian home life. I do more of the organizing and cleaning, but mr. flea does more of the "watching the children so I can get something done for crying out loud." We alternate cooking, and trade off dishes/kidwashing, that sort of thing.

The other big problem is I feel like I have so little family time that I can't go out by myself, or hire a sitter so we can have a date. It feels wrong to spend an evening out when we are only home with the kids 4 awake hours a day plus weekends. Even though we really need some time as a couple.

[jonquil.livejournal.com]

I have decided that you have to slow down before you crash. I feel, like you, overwhelmed by my commitments to family time (my children aren't as young, but there are other kinds of family time). But if you don't carve out and insist on non-family time, you're adding to the stresses on the family. Honestly.

Can you give yourself, let's say, an hour every other week as a couple? Just enough time for dinner?