Completed

Back to list format, for summarizing the weekend, and rainy Monday and all:

2 x 9km runs. Pretty much the same route both times. Yes, there was some walking involved. No, the weather was not great. Yes, I was tired and happy at the end.

One book read: "The Forgotten Affairs of Youth" by one Alexander McCall Smith. I loved that I read it after I got married, because in it, (*spoiler alert*) Isabel and Jamie finally go through with their wedding. They have no guests outside of their housekeeper and their infant son. Later, after they have dinner at home, they put on music and dance by themselves, which is what Mike and I did. I loved the end scene when they did that, and I love that there are people out there who do that, too.
It was my favourite part of the book, and of my own wedding.

Babysitting accomplishments: Took my niece to ballet. Got a coffee, read, and sat outside her dance studio while I waited the compulsory hour. An hour goes faster than I can even fathom anymore.
I literally had just sat down with my coffee, turning my ipod up full blast to drown out the parents ("blah blah blah our cottage") talking to other parents, and other kids, also waiting, presumably for siblings, who were shrieking and running around the corridor of the community centre where the dance studio is, that the hour was up. Noise and all.
Note to parents who are reading this: Your weekend days are my worst nightmare.
I also cooked a full dinner, for my mom and niece and nephew, from scratch, of risotto (yes, I made my own chicken stock. I know. I'm ill) and chicken and shrimp. When my sister got back from the baby shower she'd attended she ate too. It was a nice family dinner.

Blog entry: One. Sunday morning.

Cleaning: the entire bathroom. There are no words.

Weather: Grey all day Saturday. I felt tired and never really woke up, even though my run normally energizes me. Sunday started out grey, but turned to sunshine when my sister came to pick up her winter tires from my condo storage locker.

Noteable food: the from-scratch risotto, with saffron and roasted tomatoes (yes, I've been making everything in my pursuit of bikini season and fitting into all of last years' running gear).
Sunday night dinner--went out with my sister and her friend, to Joey's, the downtown location. It was okay. The washroom in the restaurant is about a half mile underground ( I kid you not).  Had a steak, which I badly needed, and even though we sat by a window that was leaking cold air, we had a great time, good conversation about life, love, happiness. They went on to a movie, I walked home at about 10pm. Went right to bed.

Missing: hmm. Well, Mike, for one. I talked to him on the phone a number of times, mostly convoluted, as Boston is in the hockey playoffs and had a game Friday night, Saturday afternoon, and Sunday afternoon. So, when that was finally done, and it was about 10pm, he could talk. Yes. Right about the time I'm actually falling asleep (yes, even on the weekend. Keep in mind: Day 8 of a brutal cold). So I really remember nothing of our evening conversations. Frustrating, but I'm buoyed by my upcoming visit.
More missing: My friends. Yes. As in no plans with any of them. My sister and I were talking about this. Since when do you need three weeks notice to plan even the most simplest of evenings? Such is life with small children I guess. It's so tiring for the child-less I have to tell you. I read a blog-rant about this last week and said to myself "Hallejuah".  I was thinking last night, at about 4:30pm, prior to my plans with my sister, not one person I would want to meet for a quick drink would be available right now. Nuts, isn't it? I miss my twenties/early thirties for that reason alone. Someone was always around (mind you I was always working but whatever). Now, it's like a no-mans' land of plans. I also get tired of weeknight plans (I'm banning them) and trekking out to go to someone else's house.
1) I have a nice home too. 2) I like to see the outside world in the form of places I haven't been in a while. And I get that motherhood changes some people beyond recognition--I'm grateful for those who are still themselves and have an identity that far outreaches their role as 'mother'. To those who understand that I don't want to talk about difficult labour and all that jazz. That really, outside the clubhouse: NO ONE does.

On the other hand, the amount of money I've started to save since all my friends have had kids is awesome. No plans=no going out. I went out when Mike was here, though, and I really enjoyed how we could make spur-of-the-moment decisions on where to go.
It's cememted the fact that kids aren't for me.
It's a tough fence to straddle, when I'm being really honest on the blog. I know that there are alot of people I know who read the blog, and I never want them to feel bad. But then I struggle with the real ME, who is child-free and resents when people say "Oh, just HAVE A BABY". And the real me gets real tired of this.
My friend has a theory that there are three things that people simply will not listen to reason on:
their kids, their pets, and their habits (she mentioned smoking specifically, I'm going a step further and lumping all habits in there--be it drinking, staying out late, liking a certain type of place, etc.).
I wholeheartedly agree.