Because Tim works nights and all day Saturday until 3, we don't get to see a lot of him. However, I have an advantage over the kids in that he and I get to spend a few hours together each morning. I get up early and nurse Miles, work/work out, then make breakfasts and lunches. Tim gets up around 8:15 and dresses Oli, then takes the kids to school. Then, when he gets back, we enjoy waffles (yes, waffles. I bought a waffle iron this winter thinking it would be great for the kids, and now Tim and I are the only ones who really use it. Mac is on and off with it, and [big surprise] Oli refuses) and watch whatever show we missed the night before while he was at work. Sometimes, we watch two. I nurse Miles, we watch TV, and talk. Then, I either work or work out (whichever I didn't do/didn't get a chance to do when I woke up), and then we eat lunch. Especially now that the semester is over and I don't have to run off to office hours, it is a really nice schedule. We don't get a lot of date nights, but we do get a lot of date mornings and lunches.
Starting June 17, that will all change (dun, dun duuun...) -- summer recess. And while I am looking forward to more time with the kids (I have BIG plans for this summer), I realize that Tim and I are in a sweet spot right now. I have less work because I am between the semester and summer classes starting, and the kids are at school. Some mornings, I actually have anxiety because I feel like I should be doing MORE. That said, I can definitely get used to this pace :) It is glorious! We have blown through our eating out budget, because we can't resist using this extra time to run errands that always end in getting a bite to eat while we are out. And I love it! I suppose it is a good thing that this sweet spot can only last so long, or we would be broke (and full!).
Don't get me wrong. It will be very sweet when the kids are home from school. They are at a great age, and I really want to make this summer one filled with play and educational field trips. But being able to focus on Tim, and myself, and to just hang out is a privilege that I won't have when we are all home together in the morning, and then he is off at work at night. And with our 10 year anniversary coming up this week (shameless anniversary plug), I know how important it is to focus on each other. And, I am so blessed that I enjoy spending time with him now more than ever. He provides a relaxing counterpoint to my stress over disciplining the kids on my own while he is at work, and we seem to have more in common now than ever before. I guess that happens as you spend the years together. Hopefully, this will be a continuing trend :)
So I will savor this sweet spot, fully acknowledging that it is both wonderful and fleeting, and then I will embrace our extra time as a family unit once the summer starts. My hope is that it will be filled with fun, outings, learning, love, and ice cream.
