Fridays aren't all they're cracked up to be

It's Friday! Hooray! My oldest does a "Friday Dance" in first grade. Lots of hip shaking and general happiness about Friday having finally arrived. Very cute. I remember when I used to LOVE Fridays, especially when I was working outside of the home. That meant time with Meg, time with Doug and time in my house instead of traveling to work, daycare, home, etc. Fridays aren't such a big deal anymore. Yes, it guarantees me a little bit more time with Doug, but other than that, nothing of my day is different from say, Tuesday (ok, well, on Tuesdays I have two kids in school, but you get my drift, don't you?). The weekend doesn't bring any relaxation; there's work to be done! Groceries to be bought! Laundry to be washed (and maybe folded!) and all that other stuff that I cannot do by myself during the week. Yes, I know, Doug is home with me and I should be grateful. You have no idea how grateful I am that he's home with me on the weekends. But, it seems, as a family of 6, that all we do during the weekends is chores and just general, un-fun stuff. As a family of 6, we can't just go out to eat. It takes military precision to get us out the door to say, Friendly's. Bibs, check. Sippy cups, check. Kids (oh yeah, them), check. Then the whole out-at-a-restaurant wrangling of babies who don't want to be in their seats, and big kids who have no patience for waiting for their dinners. And by the time we get home, I'm exhausted and in need of a big fat drink. Which I'm too exhausted to pour for myself.

And guess what this weekend is bringing? Can you guess? Yes, MORE ($#*)($*#&&*^ SNOW! According to the weather map, another 6-10 inches for us, and we always get the 10, and maybe a couple more, just for fun. We are close to 100 inches of snow for this winter, and that only includes December thru February. We started getting considerable snow in November. It's down there on the ground, somewhere. That means we will be STUCK IN THIS HOUSE, at least for tomorrow. Now don't get me wrong, I love my house. It's only 1 1/2 years old. We designed it and had it built. I will be paying for it for the rest of my life, so I need to love it. The problem for me is that I spend all my other days stuck in the house, and the monotony is starting to get to me in a rather large way. I long for a vacation, even a mini one, without my kids and just my husband. Just a little chance to get away from the daily grind and recharge. But remember, we're a family of 6 now, which means that we have 4 (count em, 1, 2, 3, 4!) kids to find care for. We have wonderful families who are local and love spending time with their grandkids. BUT, taking all 4 at once poses challenges and responsibities that can be too much for those who don't spend all day taking care of 4 kids. And we have a wonderful babysitter, Erika, who will watch all 4 kids (you are a goddess Erika!), but an overnight is just too much to ask of her. So, for now, I long for a break and hope it will come soon. But for now, I hear babies crying and must go get them up from their ridiculously long nap.