Currently my self-care involves exercise. I run outside once per week, even though it is soooo cold and icy and snowy this time of year. The fresh air and exercise does win out over the inconvenience, though not by a ton. For my other weekly exercise, I go to a gym with child care. I had it all planned out for Friday morning. Usually I make it happen earlier in the week, so after a week that had some busy stuff and heavy stuff, I was craving that time.
Also, we had a date planned for the same day in the evening. The gym has a "parents' night out" and we signed up our kids for the first time, having all of them meeting the age requirement now. It was going to go a bit late for them, but we decided to go along with it anyway.
Well, Cricket developed an awful cold. Oh, colds. There's no fever, so you want to just go with it, but she sounded so, so bad. So I skipped the gym, hoping for improvement before the evening. But as the day went on, we knew keeping her up late was not a good idea. So, there goes the date, and the date budget, as it was pre-paid. And our date last month was cancelled, too.
It just sucks sometimes, you know? I know we're not the only parents to encounter this, and I know it's small in light of big stuff, but man. Sometimes I preach the "you have to take care of yourself" line so much to myself and others that when those plans fall apart, I start to fall apart, too. Like cry in front of the kids and have to take a break in the bathroom (thankfully B was home).
But I did get to go to a mom's group that I love as a plan B, which was after kids' bedtime and didn't really give me a break from the kids or time out with B, but it did help me refocus and remember to live life like the gospel is as true as I say it is. Confess my sins, my "little" ones, like being jealous of friends with family in town that babysit kids with or without colds. Pray and pour my heart out for others who are hurting. Keep on going.
And in two weeks, we have an attempt at an overnight away. Here's hoping!
I plan so few date nights I am not sure what I would do if my plans fell through! I pretty much just wait until family visits for Nick and I to go out! Yikes! At least you tried. We pretty much consider a movie to ourselves a date :)
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