Mental Health Day for this CRAZY Bloggin' Canuck
Oh, and did I mention I am a single parent this week because Jamie is back East on business? Hence the reason for the Mental Health Day. It may come as a surprise to those who know what a social being I am but I looooove to be alone. But marriage + kids = alone no more.
Fortunately, everything came together at the last minute and I had seven blissful hours all to myself. And what did I do? Why, I'm glad you asked!
1) I went to Boulder, Colorado's outdoorsy, green-living Mecca. Where residents are freakishly athletic and the dreg-locked CU students can pass as homeless people.
And where I finally conquered something on my dying-to-do list: I biked up (and up and up) Boulder Canyon and then cruised down along the Boulder Creek Trail.
It was a killer 2-hour ride and I thought I had put in a respectable effort until two GRANDMAS cruised past me.
Mind you, these are Boulder Grannies, which makes them superior among their blue-haired species.
2) After my ride, I showered. And shaved. These alone should warrant recognition of some kind.
3) I grabbed lunch and went to see Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2. Alone. Ever been to a movie alone? When I was single, I used to do it all the time. And I loooooove it because I don't have anyone asking me questions or begging me to take them to the bathroom.
Other than those two annoyances, Jamie was certainly missed.
Though exhausting, I was thrilled with how much I was able to do. Not that we're ever lackadaisical. When Haddie is in preschool, Bode and I always cram a lot into our three-hour window--from biking to hiking to going for walks.
One of the other mothers at preschool is amazed by this and last week, I relayed a conversation I had with her to Jamie:
"And then I asked her what she does while her kids are in school."
"And what did she say?"
"She cleans. BWHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"
"Amber, I encourage you to pursue friendships with women who are great examples like this."
So, here's your question: you have seven hours to yourself. What do you do? Play? Shop? Sleep? Or [gulp] Clean? (Though if you answer affirmatively to the latter point, I don't think we can be friends. :-) Let's hear about your ideal Mental Health Day!
posted by Amber @6:30 AM
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45 Comments:
Well, first, if I know I'm going to get a mental health day then I try to clean ahead of time so that I don't have to waste any energy thinking that I should be cleaning. And I do enjoy what I want to do more if the house or whatever is clean and/or organized.
I like to do any number of things that I need or want to do on that could be different on any given day which could include any or all of the following:
shop, sleep, work on something on the computer - blog, picture editing, etc, work on a home decorating project, call a friend, eat out alone (which is like your movie thing and I enjoy doing it), watch a DVD movie that only I will enjoy, read a paparazzi magazine..... Yes, mental health indeed.
"Other than those two annoyances, Jamie was certainly missed."-- HAHAHAHAHA. Oh my gosh, you kill me.
Seven hours? I don't remember the last time I had 7 minutes...
Hike. Read. Write.
Or
Sleep. Watch movies. Sleep more.
Or
Clean the house.
Yep! I said it. That doesn't mean I would do it, but if I was seriously alone without the kids and the hubby for an entire day and I had the energy? Make-over day for the house. That way, I wouldn't have to do it for another 5 years!
I clean.
Laundry.
Organize.
But wait...who has 7 hours sans kids?
If I had 7 hours without ANY kids... that would be a whole different story.
Nap.
Shop.
Mani/Pedi.
Shop.
We can still be friends right?
Right?
If I have 7 hours to spend on my mental health I will do me-stuff. Cleaning is not really me-stuff because that's part of the regular list of tasks that need to be done so the family can have a healthy, restful place to live in. Me-stuff as far as I am concerned are things I enjoy doing not things I have to do. Like reading a book, going out with my Cannon Rebel XT to take random photos, antique shopping/browsing, lunching with friends, etc. I'm glad you were able to take a "real" mental health day. It sounded like a very pleasant day.
Marivic
Sleep in.
Read book over breakfast.
Take a nice long bubble bath.
I'd probably enjoy the shopping if I could take one of my sisters with me.
and then I'd read some more.
I need one of those mental health days, they sound nice. The rare time that I get alone is usually spent online messing around reading blogs or other things like that. I am very much a loner kind of person, so I have to have alone time every day or I go batty. That is why I stay up super late in the evening so that I can do something with out people bugging me. Now that both kids are giving up naps I really have to have the evening mental health time.
it just depends on what i've done lately. usually shopping is part of that time period. when my kids were young, i used to scrapbook if i had a good chunk of time.
i've been known to go to the movies by myself, but with friends is better. so lunch and a movie and then some shopping with a friend or two sounds good.
cleaning would never be part of the equation!
Clean? Are you kidding??? As my recent post attests, I bike, go to the temple and shop! That's my kind of day!
I LOVE being at my house by myself. When everyone goes away, I often just sit and enjoy the quiet. Well as quiet as it can get with a hyper puppy and a cranky old female dog around.
Other than that, I try to drag my friends with small kids out of their house too and we go have sushi.
Sleep in, curl up with a good book and my best warm blanket ( more often than not in the warm of the sunbeams 9Remembering our actual summer time is 3.7 minutes in the Great White North, and read and doze the morning away. Then lunch, ah lunch~ anything I want healthy or not. And then I round of the day with an afternoon nap.
(hmmm is it bad to call in sick on the 3rd day of school?)
I will not clean when I am alone. This is my rule. I barely clean when I have others with me - I hate housework and if given to myself I will take a nap, go shopping, work on a project i want to do, me me me me me me me!!
When my kids were little, all of my free time was spent working. I could get so much done when they weren't around needing to be fed every five minutes. But if I didn't work, I would have probably read and napped.
geez, i hate to admit it but i might just clean. glup. although i had 5 hours to myself on tuesday and i went to the gym (biking in boulder sounds way more fun) went to target and leisurly browsed the ailes and ran several boring errands. i could learn from you!
Mental health day... you have no idea how awesome that sounds. But it feels like I spend a lot of time alone. Reading books, blogging... I would love to have a girls day. I used to do that all the time with my friends in Oregon. I just don't have anyone to go out with here... sorry. OKAY! 7 hours? Since we're pretending, can I pretend to have an unlimited budget too?? Because, if I can, I would love to spend 7 hours shopping at the "High-End" outlet malls not far from here. Then I'd want to eat at PF Changs or Cheesecake Factory. Then take in a movie. And then, just like you, I'd want an uninterrupted shower. Heaven...
My OCD (aka "Martha Stewart Crazy") side would LOVE to organize and clean and paint bathrooms! But I'm finding that I have to reign her in more often than not - mostly because I don't feel that refreshed after I'm done.
The "real me" would definitely do the solo-movie-thing and go browsing at the art supply store. I just love taking in all the sights, smells and textures of the fun stuff there! Especially the paper - the limitless potential of "virgin" paper is so invigorating. That's the stuff that "fills my well".
A whole day? I'd definitely spend some of it with silence and some with loud and fun songs. I'd watch movies (I can never see a whole girlie movie with kids.) I'd crochet. I'd have to clean if only to have the house clean with out other things getting messy while I do it. I'd organize my basement!
I'm glad you had a great time!
Just the other night I told my husband I needed a "sick day." You know, one of those days where I'm not really sick, but I stay in bed ALL DAY without any interruptions! Oh, that would be nice!
The Infidel Angel side of me says that I'd spend the whole day getting close to my ancestors in the Temple. The Devil Infidel side says: "Forget that. I'll be down at the Golden Corral buffet shoving sirloin into my mouth and then going to blow the family budget at Hobby Lobby."
Hours alone? What's that? Oh, yeah, that time when my little one goes to preschool at 12:30 and then my girls come home from elementary school at 2:30. You mean those TWO hours three times a week? Well, Wed was our first day, and I painted. Yep. Painted. Tomorrow I am hoping to attend a wedding with family, so that will be fun. I really don't have that many hours alone, and I tend to fill them with errand running, working at the school, yoga, or (gulp) cleaning. Sometimes I do just stay home and watch tv, though, but don't tell anyone.
My hubby is in your town this week. Some big home electronics and computer show at the Denver expo center. I hope he's having fun. Say hi to him if you see him.
I think I would just hang out with you on your mental health day because it sounds so great!
PS I just gave you an award at my blog!
Sounds like a fun day off! And what gorgeous scenery!!
Honestly? I probably would hurry and clean so that I could relax and do everything I REALLY wanted to do...coming home to a clean house makes every outing better. Mopping a floor can be really rejuvinating. But...a movie would be way more fun!
I wish I was good enough to say cleaning...but then I'd have to admit to my husband that I said that and he would die from laughing too hard...
7 hours...all to myself? I have no idea!!! I like what you did...very, very cool indeed Amber!
I love Boulder, but I doubt I could risk going alone. The last time we went, we had major car trouble and had to tow the vehicle and rent a car to get home.
I haven't been on my bike in so long, I can't even imagine the ride you had.
I have tons of time since I'm the mother of one in middle school, but rarely do I take a full day off.
I likely would have grabbed a girlfriend for a very long and relaxing lunch.
Amber, you gave me lots of good ideas. Treating myself to a movie regularly tops my list.
I just made a list today of over a dozen things that I need/want to sew/make. I would love to be able to do that with peace and quiet.
Mental Health Day?? That is brilliant. I could really use one of those myself. I am glad you took some time to yourself. Going to a movie alone is something I've never done but always wanted too. Maybe I will this year.
On those kinds of days I used to do whatever I needed to do to be rejuvenated--if it was sleep I needed, it was sleep I got; if I felt like I wanted to read a book, that's what I would do. Or if I wanted an afternoon of shopping--sure. (Now as far as cleaning--if it was something major that needed to be done when little bodies weren't around, it was done when they were napping or in bed for the night--otherwise cleaning could be done any time)
Spa till my bank account is empty!
Wow. I can't even imagine seven hours of uninterrupted alone time. Sounds lovely.
During the girls' nap time I do one cleaning job (on my monthly calendar I assign myself one cleaning job per day). Once that job is done I don't feel guilty about not doing more and I can play with the girls the rest of the day.
If I had a day to myself though, I would probably sleep and read.
Some of these comments are cracking me up! I wouldn't clean. no way. lunch + movie sounds good, plus a little shopping, reading and scrapbooking.
Note to all your blogger friends. Amber is sick and therefore is spending her day alone again, because her mother in law and I felt sorry for her.
PS Amber: Hadley is laying on the couch watching a Barbie Princess Movie!!!
I would go to a hotel room and watch movies rented on pay per view while laying in my pajamas in the king sized bed and lull in and out of sleep. And then have someone bring me some food.
I do something outdoorsy and invigorating. Then I shower and do something involving a book and a whole pot of really good coffee.
My theory on cleaning is this: I don't clean during times when I'm paying someone else to take care of the kids. Childcare costs more than a cleaning service. So it would be cheaper to keep the kids home and do something fun with them and pay someone to scrub the toilets while we're having an adventure. While the kids are in daycare/preschool, I only do things that no one else could do for me (shared chores, or things I could pay less money to have someone else do). Generally, this means I'm grading papers or doing something work related, but it also means that I don't feel guilty about the occasional shopping (not errand running, which I do with the kids) or other personal time. My two cents...
I would sleep in without any interruptions! Take a nice long bath with a book. And hopefully it would be a Saturday so I could hit some garage sales without getting ANY phone calls asking what time I would be home!
Oh my - that would be HEAVEN!!
I would pack up and head to the beach without sand toys, boogey boards, and fruit snacks. I would take one chair with a cute beach bag that fits one towel,a book, bottle of water, and sunscreen. Afterwards I would do some shopping and stop in at a cute cafe to have a bite to eat. A cafe without a kids menu! Hmmm...I wonder if I could fit in a pedicure too?? Thanks for encouraging me to dream!!
Oh and congrats on having the 7 hours to yourself!!
I always want to sleep...but, I end up cleaning...
Oh my gracious! Your comment on my post called "Baller-bow-rina" about my son being a, "killer dancer" was positively brilliant!
7 WHOLE UNINTERRUPTED HOURS?
I'm sorry I can't get past that thought.
Work out - preferrably outside
Shop a bit
Get some take-out
Watch a movie at home.
Sounds perfect to me.
KEEP BELIEVING
Hmmm..alone time. What's that? I can tell you that I would certainly NOT clean. No way, no how.
I would do a little shopping, for shoes and jewelry because let's face it I don't want to be depressed trying on clothes on my mental health day. The alone chic movie sounds fun too. I would then find my most comfy sweats and cuddle up with a good book. Cherish the thought.
Is this seven hours with or without guilt? Because that makes all the difference.
I also LOVE going to the movies alone. You and I should go to a movie not together sometime. =)
I'd love me a mental health day... I'll try wording it that way the next time I tell my hubby that "We're going to be on the news if he doesn't get his butt home. Soon!"! Lol, it might go over better? But, yeah I certainly wouldn't spend free time doing anything normal like clean. No, no - it must be magically spent!!!;)
7 hours of alone time sounds like pure bliss! Just having my brain to myself for that long would be wonderful.
And going to the movies alone sounds good to me!
If I had 7 hours to myself, I would take my laptop back to my room, curl up in bed, and catch up on the months and months (it seems) of blogging that I've missed!!!
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