Too much kid-free time on my hands

I just read a Facebook post from a friend that proclaimed that she would be in a much better mood if she could only find the time for a shower.  My friend has impeccable hygiene, she just has a seven month old infant and two older children. If you are a mom, unless you are blessed and fortunate enough to have live-in full-time help, you can completely relate.

Now, I’m a mom at the other end of that rainbow. All you moms out there with oatmeal or spit-up in your hair, it will happen to you too. I remember thinking: OH! what I would give for a MINUTE to myself!

Careful what you ask for….

Today: from 8:20 in the morning till 8 in the evening, I was kid free. Two big kids at sleep away camp for the next four weeks. The youngest on a late night at day camp. So, here’s a list of what I did. Keep in mind, I felt like I had ADHD of the maternal mind. Every time I was doing one thing, I felt I should be doing another, as to not waste one precious moment of this free time:

1. Went with a friend to the Rochester Public Market, talked about the many great things about living in Rochester, like no traffic, people who don’t honk the nanosecond the light turns green, and.. the Rochester Public Market.
2. Put fresh basil in a vase. Big plans for the basil:  later be ground into homemade pesto.
3. Put in a load of laundry (you knew there had to be laundry)
4. Pulled the plug on the basement freezer which has not been defrosted in over a year. Sorted out identifiable and unidentifiable food substances.
5. Hung out laundry to dry in July sunshine.
6. Walked to the library to return books to avoid fines (see previous blog entry)
7. Came home, and hacked apart the receding glacier in my basement freezer.
8. Changed linens in daughter’s bedroom (don’t know why I did this, she won’t be home for another month.)
9. Two minute spin with my new weighted hula hoop.
10. Practiced my Torah reading for this Saturday.
11. Realized I should be enjoying the day. Made iced coffee and sat outside. Read two chapters of my current book. Felt guilty that I was not doing more around house or practicing my Torah reading.
12. Back in basement. Hacked away some more at glacier.
13. Answered email for column idea. Thought about writing column for next week. Bad idea, should be enjoying the day…
14. Started making dinner.  At 3pm.  Marinated tomatoes, tossed  chicken in marinade, sliced eggplant & zuchinni to grill. Thought about the impossibly hard words in my Torah reading.
15. Back to Torah reading practice. But guests were coming in two hours.
16. Swept patio. Cleaned tables and chairs. But I wasn’t properly savoring summer this way.
17. Cut bouquet of flowers from my garden, placed in a mason jar on the patio table. There, that’s better.
18. Washed face just in time for guests. Had a great dinner great conversation.

Toby home from day camp late night at 8:00, claiming the counselors didn’t have time at the late night to make s’mores. So, I found the time to do one last thing on my list, which earned me the current title of best mom on earth. 

I think I have squeezed all I can out of this day. If you had a kid free day, would you know what to do?