Crib Notes - The Little voice says PARTY

Here's one of my humor columns for you from earlier this Summer:

Three days! My daughters and husband took off for three days, leaving me to my own devices.

After 13 years you sort of forget how to be by yourself for three days. Back in the day, I never had a problem with a good bit of alone time.

But you know what? It’s like a bicycle. It all came back with a vengeance.

In anticipation of the huge expanse of time I was going to have to myself I made a mental list of all the things I’d accomplish. I’d clear out closets! I’d tackle my desk, aka the black hole! I’d get rid of all the mismatched socks once and for all! Maybe I’d even paint the bedroom!

Then, the little voice in my head started screaming like crazy. It’s that little voice that I have managed to silence for years. Well, she was back and she was having none of this ambitious plan. “You are going to spend your first mini-mom vacation doing MOM STUFF! Are you NUTS? The heck with that!”

Pretty convincing little voice, I have to say.

Things went downhill fast at that point, but in an exhilarating downhill skiing kind of way. The list was out the window. My ambition completely disappeared.

I surrendered my badge from the nutrition police and ate things that were bad for me. Candy bars. Cupcakes. Powdered donuts. And that was just breakfast. The sugar rush nearly knocked me over, but it was so worth it.

I spent the morning at the lake with friends and horses and never once worried about how long I’d been gone or when I had to get back to feed, water, and clean anybody.

I watched little people on cable, which was strangely compelling, particularly since they handle pit bulls. (I did fold one basket of laundry while I was watching, a sort of “penance basket.”)

I left dirty dishes in the sink. Just left them there. (Okay, just overnight, but still.)

Even the dogs got in the act. They had a mid day hot dog snack, a smattering of cheese squares, and a left over powdered donut.

(Not in my column, but for us horsey folks, Sunday was when I went to the cow sorting clinic)

Then it was over. By Sunday afternoon I was running around getting things back to the pre-little voice condition. It was an intense two hours, but by the end of it I was firmly back in mommy mode.

But I tell you what, I’m going to give that little voice more of a listen. That girl knows how to have a good time.