My ex has been absent a lot lately, which for me, means I’ve been in go, go, go survival mode. It has been me and the kids nearly constantly. Today ex had the kids for the day and I had no idea what to do with myself. This morning I brought my laptop to Panera, sipped coffee and vegged for an hour. Then I did some Christmas shopping (might as well get it done early, right?). Shopping on a budget is rather boring so the fun wore off quickly. At that point I headed home and spent the rest of the afternoon doing pretty much nothing. Which was good in away, but also kind of depressing.
I can’t really count on the fact that my ex is going to take the kids when he is supposed to so planning something in advance is virtually out of the question. I’m on a tight budget, which severely limits what I can do. I don’t have a huge circle of friends and the friends I do have are married and have family obligations that keep them from spending time with me when the girls are away. All of these things make filling up my free time challenging.
There was a time awhile back when ex was taking the girls on a consistent basis and I was finding things to do with all of my extra time. It’s been so long now that I’ve completely forgotten what it’s like to be foot loose and kid-free.
This weekend he is going to have the kids. My parents are going to be in town, but I will have Friday night and most of Saturday to myself. My goal is to find a few things to do for myself. One thing that is on my list is checking out a new Spinning Studio that recently opened in my town. They offer a free intro class on Saturdays and the regular prices are reduced for students. This could be a cheap way for me to do something for myself without having to make too much of a commitment. I’d also like to have a fun night out on Friday.
I desperately need to recharge my battery, but sitting at home doing nothing is not getting it done. The girls will be with their dad and I am going to focus on taking care of me, for a change.
I’m feeling the same way: I’m so out of habit for just doing things for myself without a 2 year-old attached. Now that her dad is ordered to see her 3x a week, I’m totally at a loss. Its like I’m brain dead when I think about what to do with my time.
Maybe one day both of us will be inspired with the answer.
You go mama! Love the attitude. So, what will you do exactly? A hot bath? A good book? A pedicure?
I think you have a good start on what you’d like to do. I usually end up wasting any free time I have on the freakin’ computer. I wish I could get motivated to do more and different things, but I’m usually so tired and worn out by the time I get to do something.
And like you, I’m on a budget (mine’s so strict it’s scary), that I really can’t go spend money anywhere, and window shopping just makes me depressed.
I feel like I work so hard and so much, but I never have money for ANYTHING other than the essentials. Sigh. Sorry to make this about me.
SMS: The plan is to read a good book, enjoy a glass of wine (or 2), and get a manicure! (there will also be cleaning, and running errands…but doing those minus 2 kids isn’t so bad)
SWM: I always end up getting sucked in by the computer as well. Then the free time is over and I haven’t accomplished a thing. I am going to try to limit the computer time this weekend, we’ll see how that goes.