What I did this week

All summer I dreamed about the week of September 3rd through the 7th. The plans changed a billion times, but the one constant was those days would be mine. Alone, no kids, no husband.

It's been a fabulous week. I've cleaned (and things have stayed where I put them), read (without interruption), visited with friends (without a child sitting on my lap or hanging on my leg) and written (without having to think "Now where was I?"). I even had my lunch brought to me one day.

This weekend, I'll be shopping with my daughter, spending time with my husband and actually listening to my boys. I've had a chance to hear myself think and a chance to miss my family.

For awhile this summer, I felt like a total shrew for anticipating time by myself. What kind of horrible mother was I? After four days, 7 hours of quiet each day, I've come to realize that even mothers need time to themselves - to breathe, to think and to hear their inner voice.