Yesterday, after dropping the kids off, I headed straight to the gym for my Zumba class. Normally, I have Tiny and Buba with me on Wednesdays, and they play in the gym’s playroom while I workout. They can only take about an hour down there, so I usually rush off to retrieve them once the class is over. But since I didn’t need to pick them up from the playroom this time, I decided to stay a bit longer and tried out some of the African dance class as well. Today, I headed down to the gym again, but did my own workout and didn’t stay quite as long. After a tough workout and a quick shower, I headed out to a (much needed) haircut appointment. And then finished up my free time with a delicious coffee treat from Starbucks. The whole experience was quite nice and well timed. It was the perfect preschool substitute experience we all needed to make it through an otherwise long and uneventful week.

Gymnastics update: Last spring, Tiny’s coaches really wanted to put her into a group for advanced preschool gymnasts. I was kind of on the fence about whether or not I wanted her to be in the group. The timing was really bad (the class took place during the kids’ nap time), and I just wasn’t sure I wanted her to be in a group that would involve mostly older kids. Still, we said okay, and started the year with her in the advanced group and Buba in a boys only group that met at the same time. After just one session, I made the decision to switch them back to regular old 3-year-old gymnastics. I could tell after just one class, that the class time was going to be a big issue for us, and Buba had a really hard time not being in the same group as Tiny. I don’t regret either decision one bit. I’m glad we gave the advanced and boys only classes a try, and I’m very glad that we switched back to a standard morning time gymnastics class. The kids are very happy with their coach and the other kids in their group, and I’m not at all worried about whether or not Tiny is progressing at an advanced rate or not. For now, it’s just all about getting some exercise and having fun. And both Buba and Tiny are getting a whole lot of that!

Finding time to spend with friends has been especially challenging, but this week I met up with friends at Starbucks not once, but twice! Both Wednesday and Thursday, after T and I put the kids to bed, I snuck out for about an hour an a half to enjoy a tasty, hot drink (Have you had the Caramel Brule Latte? It’s like liquid candy.) and some good conversations (and not just all kid talk). Although this is a relatively simple way of pampering myself, it was just the thing I needed before the craziness of the holiday season sets in.

I was very excited for them, but also a little nervous too. Tiny was ready (as I knew she would be) from the moment I told her about it. I was pretty sure she was going to be just fine. Buba didn’t say much about it. He wondered who his coach would be (I wasn’t sure at the time we first talked about it), but that was about it. I wasn’t sure how he’d handle being without either parent for 3.5 hours. I thought the odds were about 50/50 that I’d get a phone call to come and get him early.

T (who is now home on summer break) has been in charge of the kids most mornings while I’m off tutoring (and sometimes at the gym). Since I didn’t have any students scheduled that morning, I decided to give him some “me time” while I took the kids to gymnastics camp and then hung around in that area for the morning. I also thought Buba (who is a total daddy’s boy) might go more willingly if he thought T was otherwise occupied with things at home. I’m not really sure if any of this mattered, but drop-off was a cinch. Both Buba and Tiny walked eagerly into the gym and sat down with their coach (someone they knew, but not one of our regular coaches) and the other 3 and 4-year-olds. I kissed them both and was on my way.

The gym is only 15-20 minutes from our house, but I decided to stay within a 5-10 minute radius of the gym just in case I got a phone call that I needed to come back. Fortunately there was Target and Kohl’s and Starbucks to keep me occupied. I got in plenty of “me time” as I shopped for new workout tops and pjs and then sipped a mocha frappuccino while sitting in the sun reading a novel.

My cell phone did not ring once! I was so happy that the kids were, most likely, doing very well at camp. But I still headed back about 15 minutes early, just to make sure they were doing okay and to see if I might be able to sneak a peek through the observation windows. But when I looked into the gym, I didn’t see my kids anywhere. I saw the coach that I had left them with, but my kids were not with the group. I felt a little panicked, as I imagined that they had fallen apart and been whisked off to some secluded room for criers. But then a staff member saw me, and explained that they had become tired from all the activities and had gone upstairs with another coach to take a break and read books. She also talked about how well they had done, and how everyone had fallen in love with them (they were, by far, the tiniest kids in the camp, which ranged from 3 to maybe 10-12 year olds).

I waited for Buba and Tiny at the bottom of the steps, and they both had big smiles when they saw me waiting there. Tiny rushed right by me to go into the waiting area, where there are lots of toys, but Buba wanted right up into my arms. “I was a little bit crying,” he told me. The coach confirmed, but she also said that he was easily distracted into something fun. I gave Buba a big hug and told him that I was so proud of him for being a big boy camper. He had the hugest smile on his face!

The camp runs Monday through Friday for about six weeks, but campers can go as many or as few days as they’d like. Given the cost (this stuff definitely isn’t cheap!), Buba and Tiny will go just twice this summer, and they won’t go again until mid-august. They’re both eager to go back, and are so excited to tell everyone what big, happy campers they were!

And it turned out that the coach was completely sincere in her comments. Tiny happens to be naturally talented when it comes to gymnastics. She walks the low beam like it’s four feet wide (and has even attempted some jumps and forward rolls on the beam), she performs skills on the trampoline exactly as the coach demonstrates without further explanation (tuck jump, half jump turn, seat drop, stand up, ta-da!), and she can jump up to a low bar and flip herself over (or just hang upside down for a while) all by herself. She has amazing confidence when it comes to learning new gymnastics skills and will try, try again until she gets it.

Still, today, I was caught a little off guard when the coach suggested that we switch Tiny to a different class for the fall. She and Buba are currently singed up for a three-year-old class (they’ll be 3.5 in September), and she recommended that Tiny go into a class for advanced four-year-olds. The coach didn’t push it, but she did suggest that Tiny might be bored in the three-year-old class (something we’ve seen just a little bit of in her current class, but I haven’t found it to be a big problem).

I think it’s great that Tiny is so capable when it comes to gymnastics, but I’m not sure I believe that at three-years-old she’ll be better off grouped with older kids who are similar in ability that she would be with her own peers who still need assistance with skills that she’s mastered. I can’t quite explain it, but something just doesn’t sit right with me about putting her in that advanced class. Perhaps, if the class was multi-aged, I’d feel differently. I just don’t know. What would you do if this was your situation?

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My me thing this week was completely unplanned. I took the kids with me to Kohl’s on Wednesday to pick up just a few things- a Father’s Day gift, a graduation gift, and a few cards. But while looking for the graduation gift, I spotted a pair of sterling silver, daisy-like stud earrings. They were 40% off (isn’t everything always on sale at Kohl’s?), and I had an additional 30% off coupon (yay!). I didn’t need them. I haven’t worn earrings on a daily basis in years. But there was something so simple, and beautiful about these earrings, that I decided to splurge and treat myself to them. Now I just have to remember to put them on in the morning when I put on my other jewelry. No sense in having pretty, new earrings if they’re just sitting in a box!

and on Wednesday, it  finally happened! Unfortunately, it was during Tiny and Buba’s nap time, so they missed it. I saw it happening, but just couldn’t get my camera working fast enough.

At first, it just hung out at the top of the container.

Then it eventually moved on to the stick we had placed in the cage when it was just a caterpillar.

That’s where it hung out for the next day and a half while we waited for its wings to dry out. Then, this morning, we decided it was time to release it.

As soon as we took it outside, it began to open and close its wings, while still sitting in the container, as if it was practicing its next move. Buba and Tiny were fascinated.

When I removed the lid, the butterfly continued to stay put for a minute or so. I explained to Buba and Tiny that this butterfly had never flown before, so it might take it a little while to get going.

We were all so excited and amazed when it finally took off. It flew only a few feet and then landed in our grass. But as we approached it again to take one more look, it flew off into the clear, blue sky. Tiny and Buba cheered and waved. And we wished it luck as it went off to make its way in the world. Not a bad way to start our day.

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I made a conscious decision to participate in the Me Challenge this week. I hired a fabulous sitter (a retired elementary school teacher who was just amazing with the kids), and spent Thursday morning shopping by myself. I had hoped to do a bit of shopping by myself, but I spent most of the time at Target just picking up the everyday things we needed. My trip to Kohl’s was a complete bust, unfortunately. But it was still so nice to shop, and get errands done without having to manage the kids, their snacks, their behavior, and all that comes with running errands with 3 year olds. However, the next time I hire a sitter, I plan to do something more indulgent.

I’m not going to lie. There were definitely moments when I missed my family. Especially T. I thought numerous times how much fun it would be if he were there with me. But the majority of the time, I was just so happy to soak up the enormous amount of me time I had on my hands. I got to spend Thursday night with Sadia, a blogger friend who I’d never met in person (more on that in another post), and spent a good amount of time both Friday and Saturday catching up with college friends (we were all down there for a friend’s wedding). I got my nails done. I got my hair and makeup done (I was a bridesmaid). I ate Tex-Mex and BBQ. I danced my little heart out. And I stayed out late all three nights. It was awesome!

On Sunday, T and the kids came to the airport to pick me up. I had a little toy airplane for both Tiny and Buba and a big hug and a kiss for T. As I got in the minivan, T looked at me and said, “We missed Mommy!” I wanted to respond with “Yeah you did.” knowing that he’d probably gotten a heavy dose of all the parenting stuff I deal with on a daily basis while he’s a work. But instead, I just smiled and said, “I missed you too!” Which was true.

But this past Saturday, I decided to use my sleep in time as me time. I figured even if I couldn’t actually sleep in, I wouldn’t get up. Instead of trying to make myself go back to sleep, I would just lay in bed, relax, and enjoy the sounds of T trying to occupy the kids. And wouldn’t you know it. That was all I had to do. I was asleep within 20 minutes or so and slept all the way until 8:30am (a good hour and a half after the kids had woken up)! Feeling so well rested definitely put me in a good mood and got our weekend off to a great start.

But tonight, I put the kids to bed, picked up a friend up the street and headed out to a local nail salon (which remained open after their normal hours to accommodate our group). We ended up being a small group, maybe six or seven of us, but that meant that we all got to talk together and learn a little more about each other (and, of course, our kids). There were snacks and drinks, and it was really quite festive in there. Most of the ladies were getting pedicures, and while I do love a good pedicure and all that goes with it- the chair massage, the foot and leg massage, the pretty, pretty toes when all is said and done- I decided to go with a much needed manicure this time.

As I browsed through the wall of polish selections with another mom, I told her how I always choose a polish that ends up looking like I’m not wearing any polish at all- always a nice, pale pink to give my nails a little shine without really standing out. And just as I finished my story, I saw what appeared to be the perfect color- Isn’t It Romantic. A little smile spread across my face, and I knew this was definitely the one for me.

The manicure itself was very nice, although I was quite distracted by all the conversation to fully enjoy the hand massage. But I think my nails look great, and I’m happy to know of a place in town where I can get a nice manicure for a decent price.

When I got home, T was just finishing up some work in his office, and we snuggled up in front of the TV and watched a show together. It was a wonderful way to end another busy week.

So, is me time anytime you’re on your own, regardless of what you may be doing during that time? Or does it only count as me time if you’re doing something you really want to do- something fun, maybe even relaxing?

Because I know I have two chunks of time each day when I am not responsible for my children- nap time and nighttime. During nap time, I often start by cleaning up a bit around the house. Then I make myself lunch. Sometimes I’ll watch something on Hulu while I eat, but once I’m done eating Hulu goes off even if the program isn’t over. Then I spend some time preparing for my afternoon tutoring session, and if there’s time, I’ll write a blog post and/or read and comment on other blogs that I follow.

After the kids are in bed, 5 nights a week I’m off the the gym and don’t get home until about 9pm. Then I shower and get ready for bed. Sometimes I read blogs for a bit before watching a TV show on DVD with T (gotta love Netflix) and turning in for the night. Two nights a week are my nights off. But that just means that I don’t go to the gym on those nights. Those nights are filled with laundry, bill paying, and other housekeeping tasks. Not much of a night off, huh? Occasionally, I’ll make plans with a friend for one of those nights. It feels great to get out and be social, but then it seems like I’m playing catch-up the whole next week, trying to catch up on all the things I would have done if I’d been home instead. Ugh!

So, what counts as me time? TV and blogging sounds like me time, but laundry and bill paying? And what about working out at the gym? I’m not so sure. Just the other day, I finally found 5 minutes to sit down and clip my fingernails, and wondered if that was 5 minutes of me time. Was it? Perhaps I’m getting more me time than I think. What’s your definition of “me time” and how do you choose to spend it when you have it?

p.s. Don’t forget to enter my giveaway. You can’t win if you don’t play.