Rejuvenated

Merry Christmas (a few days late), my friends.

I wiped the dust off of my laptop this morning and it creaked and moaned as it opened. To say its bones are rickety and arthritic is a gross understatement. In laptop years, this thing is a great-granny.

It seems particularly out of sorts due to non-use. My vacuum cleaner knows how it feels.

But, I woke up this morning, and for the first time since Christmas Eve, I felt like blogging or Facebooking or reading news or whathaveyou. It isn't that I've been too busy or enjoying my family so much that I "forgot" about my computer or that I "needed" a break.

There is really no reason at all.

Which leads me to ask - Why do we as bloggers feel compelled to produce explanations for our lack of blogging? I say we stop doing that. Let's blog when we want to blog. About what we want to blog about. And, for heaven's sake, let's stop comparing ourselves to others. If we all blogged the same things, same style, same frequency, to the same audience, what a snoozefest the internet would be.

Where was I? Blogging? Arthritis? Vacuuming?

Oh, that's it. Vacuuming - the lack thereof these last few years days.

So, today - I woke up - and for only the second time in three years (yesterday being the first), I don't have any tiny ones to care for this morning. No dishes to do, laundry to fold, bathrooms to clean, diapers to change, or mouths to feed.

My husband's family has been caring for our three boys since Saturday morning so that he and I could get away for three days together. They gave us the best Christmas present ever. (We love you so much and are so grateful to you, Mom and Dad, Rach and Ryan, and Em and Justin!)

It has been glorious. In every way.

We had a quiet and delicious lunch at P.F. Changs and walked around the "day after Christmas" mall (which both of us LOVE to do sans kiddos. People watching is our family sport - we love it.) My husband introduced me to Chipotle on Saturday night. He's been a gazillion times and I had never been and I LOVED it. It's spicy. My kind of Mexican food.

Yesterday, we didn't leave our hotel room until 6:30pm. I took three naps, we watched movies and football, and then drove across the street to have dinner at The Cheesecake Factory. We ordered the made-to-order Guacamole, Chicken Madeira and Steak Diane - which, if you've never had the Chicken Madeira or Steak Diane at The Cheesecake Factory - GET THEE TO THE CHEESECAKE FACTORY IMMEDIATELY. The flavors are divine in both of those dishes.

We were too full to eat dessert, but that has nothing to with ordering and eating dessert in our family. We finished our meal with Banana Cream Cheesecake and coffee. Regular coffee. Which after napping all day, did little to keep me from falling asleep within 20 minutes of returning to our hotel room.

I have decided that I had three years worth of tired built up in my body and yesterday, I finally said goodbye to tired and hello to rejuvenated. I needed a day to sleep. Rest. Sleep. Rest.

I think all Mommas need that at least once a year. And, not when we're sick. Or have just birthed a newborn. Or are potty training. What do you think?

Today, our last day before returning to our boys, we're going outlet shopping. I've saved my pennies over the last few months and I have some gift cards and a very generous husband with whom I'll be leisurely strolling hand in hand through stores with all sorts of little, breakable goods, sipping coffee, and stopping for a long lunch where we can continue to talk about anything and everything.

No stroller. No negotiating through meltdowns and threats of discipline. No bribes for good behavior.

Just us. Rested, rejuvenated us.