Scooters and Selfishness

Read ahead for the okay to be a selfish person...

Well, Joel has the kids outside. They have been anxiously awaiting scooter-time all day! Grammy & Papa got them the cutest scooters for Easter. Logan's is a Radio Flyer, Aiden's is Spiderman & Abbi's is Disney Princesses... imagine that!

I love this, because I can watch them out the window, and see their happiness from a distance, but I'm also free to indulge in some Kelly time! It's priceless.

I was talking to someone the other day (they shall remain nameless), and this person mentioned how women can be so self-centered... spoiling themselves with extracurriculars, such as pedicures, nights out with the girls, massages, shopping after work, etc. I kept sitting there thinking, 'that is how I keep myself sane'... but I didn't say it. I just said that we all need some pampering time... some time for us.

The economy being the way it is has put a halt to some of those extracurriculars, but I still think it is so important for we, as women, to find time for ourselves, and to truly enjoy it. I'm not saying that the time we spend with our kids is not truly enjoyable... it is... but the small things we do for ourselves are the primary reasons we have happiness to share... with our kids, our spouses, our friends, etc.

Here is a list of some of the things I do for myself. Selfish or not, I truly believe they make me a more enjoyable person to be around!

1) I have my nails done every 3-4 weeks and my toes done on occasion.

2) I read... a lot. I love to read in bed with a mound of pillows and big, fluffy blankets!

3) I listen to music... a lot! I burn CD's and have music for any kind of mood. Music is one of my outlets.

4) I write. Since starting my book, and my blog, I find it to be amazingly therapeutic and fun! And the fact that people are actually interested enough to read it is a major ego boost! (so don't stop reading, k?) :)

5) I collect Betty Boop and Hello Kitty goodies. Thanks to my friend Anne, my entire desk area at work is decorated with a Betty Boop theme. It makes me happy to walk in to the activity room each day I have to work!

6) I sing. I have a karaoke page on MySpace and it is the primary reason I leave my account open. I absolutely love to sing!

7) I Facebook. It's a great way to keep in contact (or to get back into contact) with friends from school. It's also a fabulous gossip chain, whether subscribers like to admit it or not. :)

8) I enjoy a girls' night out every now & again. Drinks are optional, because we normally act & feel drunk whether we actually are or not.

9) I go on dates with my husband. Just because you get married, you don't have to stop dating ladies!

10) I take a bath when I'm extremely stressed out. A book... candles... the ultimate luxury.

I don't feel guilty (unless money is tight) and I enjoy all of these things so much, I have no desire to give them up. It may make me a little selfish, but I think we should all give ourselves the go-ahead to indulge a bit, and to let ourselves be a little self-centered now and then. Being selfless is a wonderful trait, but what's wrong with being selfless and selfish? Nothing!

Brusha Brusha Brusha

I once talked about my bedtime ritual, and my OCD tendencies, which seem to be magnified in the late night hours.

Tonight I'm reminded of them again. My children are fast asleep, but every now and then I hear a cough... and then another cough... followed by a whimper. Silence. The silence is what makes me a crazy woman. I realize that the cougher has been quiet for several minutes, and I run back to make sure everything is okay. It's a me thing... or maybe a Mommy thing. I don't think this can be blamed exclusively on OCD...

Along with my babies, my husband is also soundly sleeping. Earlier I mentioned some options for this evening. We could watch TV, or he could play his game and I could catch up with my Young & the Restless episodes from this week (I've been watching since I was 4). He said, "I was thinking about some sleep." He kissed me and went to bed. I stared at him in awe. How wonderful to just be able to go to bed when you say you are going to!

After the words "I'm going to bed now" escape my lips, I start my ritual. The ritual takes anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour, depending on the next day's events. If I have to work the next day, I pick out clothes (scrubs, thank God! Either Hello Kitty or Betty Boop... it's often a difficult decision for me).

After picking out my clothes, I choose clothes for the 3 kids. I check the weather first to see if we can get away with short sleeves. After weather-check and rummaging through three dressers for 3 complete semi-matching outfits, I take my medicine. As I've mentioned in previous posts, during this nightly routine, I check the door to make sure it's locked a minimum of two times. I know it's locked after the first. I do. But I always double check. It's a habit... a habit that makes me feel better. After a door check, I contemplate picking out lunch for the kids for the next day. I've become a slacker about this. I used to get out bowls, spoons, forks, can opener, etc. Now we just wing it. Even kids need some spontenaity, right?

After blowing off lunch, I brush my teeth, wash my face, check on the kids, try to remember if I took my medicine, then fear an overdose, so I think really, really hard and realize, Yes! I did take my medicine.

Then I normally check my blog, my Twitter, Facebook, occasionally MySpace, my Hotmail and then my blog... just one more time...

I put up the baby gate, so the kids don't sneak out (you never know... they're starting young these days), check on the boys and then Abbi (just one more time), plug in my cell phone, check to make sure my alarms (yes, I have to set 2) are on, and my ringer is loud enough.

Then I pull out my book (I'm currently reading The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks... fabulous!) with every intention of indulging myself in some 'me time'. I realize I'm too tired, lay my book on my nightstand and then close my eyes. I think for a bare minimum of 15-minutes, making lists in my over-crowded head that I will absolutely never remember in 5 hours when I wake.

Then I think about checking on the kids again, but in my hazy daze fall to sleep... normally to wake just a while later to a cute little pee-smelling baby crawling into bed with me. If you wish to read more about the pee-smelling baby, click here: http://kellysoriginals.blogspot.com/2009/01/amidst-this-chaos-we-find-our-happiness.html#links.

Recently my husband & I talked about being more spontaneous. I love to go on trips, decide to go out to dinner at the last minute rather than cooking, etc. My husband is perfectly okay with enjoying quiet nights at home. I love him for that... it saves us money... but I love the mix-up sometimes, too!

For such a spontaneous person, I sure do obsess over my nighttime routine. Maybe tomorrow night I'll skip brushing my teeth... hmmm... we'll see...