mom hours

\

This was a good week for me. Monday during dinner I had a particularly helpful conversation with Rory. Monday was an especially solid day. I felt good about my role as a mama. I played hard with my kids. I ran a few loads of laundry. I had a plan for supper and had it on the table before little children came and threw themselves at my feet to "Eat! Eat!"

It was during dinner, and about the eleventh time I had gotten up to get something that I said to Rory, "hey, would you do bedtime tonight?" He said he would. A few moments later I added more. "And would you mind clearing the table and starting the dishwasher tonight?" He said he would.

And the strangest thought came into my head and I said it aloud. Without the typical exhausted emotions, without being an ounce dramatic or full of self pity I said, "I guess I'd just like to be done for the day. I put in a good days work, I was present with the kids, I accomplished many things, and any boss would be pleased by my performance today. I guess I'm done." I said something like that.

And Rory replied, "You mean, you'd like to go home now."

Bingo.

"Right! I would like to go home and disconnect from my work tonight. I would like to turn on the tv and eat chips and corn salsa all night long."

It was such a funny non-emotional conversation. Usually these conversations are intense with me exhausted and needing an out. But this conversation was so matter-of-fact. I just wanted to go home for the night, come back in the morning and once again give it my all.

Rory did load the dishwasher and I went out to feed the chickens. Then we put the kids in the tub to fill up the last hour of the day. The kids did go down, and eventually I was on the couch watching the bachelor eating corn salsa.

I just had wanted quittin' time to come three hours earlier. Because mom hours are long hours.