Wow. Talk about a new lease on life. Having time to actually, ya know, breathe, has motivated me exponentially. I started the week with a lofty to-do list that I didn’t think I would ever get through and yet here I sit, with all of the major events tackled, minus a few blog chores.
I think part of it is that I’ve been pushing myself so hard since August that I finally became use to my break-neck speed. Only this week, instead of pouring all of that energy into school, online school, and the last few drops into Bo, I’ve had time to pour all of that energy into Bo, Mike, and lots of other little to-do’s that were building up while I was swallowed by a mountain of work.
Bo’s been going to Grammie’s for about 4 hours every day, as we are trying to maintain the routine he will have when my online classes start again. It is truly amazing the amount of work one can accomplish with 4 hours a day sans child.
Even better, I’ve had evenings off so I’ve been able to spend time on the computer reading blogs, watching TV with Mike, and reading. It’s amazing how much better my outlook on life is when I know I’ll have a couple of hours each evening to do something I want to do, instead of just hammering out more work.
I know that my vacation from paid work won’t last long — spurring me to get things done. I’ve cleaned all of the carpets in the house, ran tons of errands, cooked lots of good food, washed multiple loads of laundry, cleaned out my closet, gathered items throughout the house to take to the consignment shop, visited a with friends, made important phone calls, started back on Weight Watchers, started a new exercise plan, did all of the normal day-to-day chores, and overall, just regained some sense of organization and sanity in my life. It’s wonderful.
The best part is, tomorrow, Mike, Bo, and I are headed to Champaign to look for an apartment/hotel. I’ll be able to enjoy the trip, guilt-free. There won’t be an online class waiting for me, papers to grade, or even laundry to do.
And that, my friends, (thought I’d throw a McCainism in there for ya) is the beauty of being a newbie work-at-home mom who just had three days off from paid work! 
Sounds great, but we still miss you. Do you have any idea how many times I have had to go to the bathroom ALONE?