I bet I could fit in the suitcase!

The Husband is a smarty pants.  He is a smarty pants and he is a quick study.  Because of this, some people at his company thought he would be excellent at training others on something new they've taken on.  They were right.  He is so excellent at it, that they decided to send him to another state to help train employees there as well.  So about once a month, he heads to the great state of Texas to do some training.

Of course I miss him when he's gone, and of course I would rather him be home, but he has a job and I realize how incredibly wonderful that is, so I really can't fuss about him having to go out of town for work.  I pout for about five seconds and then let it go.  And while he's gone, I enjoy every second of that time after the girls go to bed that I have to myself.  Well, except during the seconds I'm missing him.  Or the seconds when I know I should be going to bed but I just can't make myself get up off the couch because I'm listening to every noise I never heard before and swearing that the refrigerator is haunted.  But seriously, most of the time I enjoy that time to myself the best I can. 

One time The Husband's work sent him to California to be trained on something.  Obviously someone in his company knew that The Husband had a lovely wife who had never been to California, and that if he went there in the summer when school was out and Grandma was able to watch the girls, that lovely wife could go with The Husband on this trip.  And she did.  I spent a kid-free week in California.  Other than almost ending up in Mexico when trying to get to Seaport Village, I had the best. time. ever.

So when I found out that The Husband was going to be traveling kind of regularly, I asked him when I was going to join him.

He totally did not get why I would want to come!  I mean, other than not wanting to be apart from him for that long, he totally got that.  But otherwise, he was baffled.  "Why would you want to come?" he asked.  "I'll be at work all day and we can't afford to do much at night.  What would you do?"

What would I do?  What would I do?!  The question really isn't, "What would I do?" as much as "What would I NOT do?"

I would NOT wake up to an alarm.  I would NOT rush in the shower.    I would NOT think about laundry.  I would NOT think about dishes.  I would NOT have to vacuum.  I would NOT change any diapers.  I would NOT think about what to make for dinner.  I would NOT be concerned about anyone walking in on me and The Husband making out on the couch.  I would NOT watch Noggin.   

I don't think I'd even care if I stayed in the hotel all day every day.  I could live out that ridiculous stereotype of the stay at home mom, and just sit in front of the TV watching soap operas and eating Bon Bons.  (Hey moms, have any of you actually had a Bon Bon before?  I haven't, and I wondered if I was missing out on some rite of passage...)  Even if I'm in some hole in the middle of nowhere, the hotel is bound to have a pool, and I can put on my bathing suit that covers the sharpei puppy look on my tummy and hides the stretch marks on my legs and lounge out in the sun in a chair under some shade and READ!

I think I need times like that once in a while, to get rested, relaxed, to get recharged.  I appreciate any time I get to myself, and I know I come back to the house feeling a little lighter on my feet and ready to get back into the swing of things.  And you know that saying, "If mama ain't happy, ain't nobody happy!"  Well, when mama is happy, and content, and refreshed, I think the rest of the house can feel it too.

Do you find time to enjoy yourself?  Do you think it's important?  (If you're thinking it's too good to be true, maybe head over to Theta Mom to check out her Time Out for Theta Month Thursday -- she's does that on the last Thursday of the month.  See what she has to say, and what other moms are doing for themselves, with just one hour each month.)  Or, dare I ask, do you think it's selfish to try to have some "me time"?  *biting nails*