Early Learning School and Free Time?

If you've been following along, you know that for the past 3 years, I have been a stay-at-home mom who has hardly left my daughter's side. From those first 7 months of being on call to breast feed at the drop of a hat to the end of last August, I can count on one hand the number of times I have been away from her for more than an hour.

So last month, she started an Early Learning Program that gets her out of the house for 2 1/2 hours each Tuesday and Thursday. Bliss! I can finally get some time to myself, uninterrupted, no one under my feet or demanding my attention.

Unfortunately, by the end of her third week in school, both of us had come down with a cold. Not wanting to spread it to others, I decided that she had to miss school for both days during the first week of October. Oh well, I'm too sick to enjoy the time off anyway although it would be so nice to just curl up for a couple of hours and take a nap.

Finally, this past Tuesday she was feeling better and so was I. I waited patiently for the clock to tick down so I could drop her off and run the errands that had piled up from the week before.

We arrive at the school a little early where we are greeted by one of her teachers. As I turn to run out the door, she asks "Did you forget that today we are taking the children for a hike in the park, you will be coming with us won't you?" As much as I wanted to shake her by the shoulders and plead with her to please take my daughter off my hands for just a couple of hours, I hear myself saying "Oh, that will be fun, does anyone need a drive?"

As my daughter and I are leaving the park after the hike, one of the teacher's calls out to me, "Don't forget, there is no school this Thursday, we have an Inservice". I want to scream out "What?? Are you kidding?? What about my chores, errands and FREE TIME!!!" But instead, I paste a fake smile on my face and wave good bye as I realize that Thursday is now out too. Back at our truck I stop and talk to one of the other mothers. But as I get ready to climb into the driver's seat, she says "I'll see you next Thursday, the kids are scheduled to go to the library, we can hang out there together while we wait for them". "What?? I only get one day next week!!!????"

Two weeks late but I finally have my wicker furniture stored away and my frost-bitten Summer flowers are in the compost bin. After working in the dark for the last two nights, my Fall decorations are finlly set up on the front porch. Last night I took that 15 minutes to run up to the attic and find my Autumn wreath. With it finally hanging in place over the window above the pumpkins and gourds, I breath a sigh of relief. Done!

And that's when it hits me.

"When am I going to find the time to put up the Halloween decorations???!!!!"