9 Things I Can’t Wait To Do Tonight in My Spare Time
The possibilities are endless for that much-needed 58 minutes I have to myself tonight.
It’s approximately 8:56 PM.
The kids are asleep. This is that glorious time at the end of each night when I get to stop being a mom and put myself first instead.
Tonight’s gonna be so great. I’m on my way to the kitchen to pour myself a nice glass of rosé while I decide how to kick off the evening.
1. Set my armpit hair on fire with an at-home IPL device
I bought this Revlon at-home IPL device to get rid of unwanted body hair because I didn’t have the time or money to invest in laser hair removal.
The woman on the box looks super happy with her results.
So far I’ve seen no results and it makes my bathroom smell like I’m setting my hair on fire, but I’m gonna give it another shot tonight.
2. Write that last thank-you note to Aunt Julie for the birthday present she sent my son 6 months ago
I’m really excited about finally checking this one off that to-do list!
Aunt Julie was so generous to send my son that toy ambulance with the realistic siren for his birthday last January. I’ve been trying hard to teach my kids the value of a thoughtful, hand-written thank you note.
But every time I’ve forced my son to sit down for 5 minutes to write his own note to Aunt Julie, he just draws a picture of a bloody alien eating a helicopter and then rips up the paper because “IT’S STILL NOT RIGHT!!!”
So I’ve given up and decided to be his ghost writer instead. I just need to find the stamps…
3. Have a good cry while watching Youtube videos of military parents reuniting with their kids after being deployed
Doesn’t it just feel so good to have a great cry sometimes?
Sometimes I love to sit back on the couch, hunch over my iPhone, and watch families being reunited after a prolonged military duty.
My favorites are the surprise videos where a parent pops out of the set of a school play or a graduation ceremony and their kid runs to them in disbelief.
I have no connection to the military and have never been away from my children for more than 3 days. But boy do these videos really hit home.
4. Have a good cry while watching Youtube videos of deaf babies hearing for the first time
I also have no connection to the deaf community.
But believe me when I say that you have not really cried until you’ve watched a video where a little baby gets a cochlear implant and responds to its mother’s voice for the first time. I live for these videos.
5. Eat pretzels dipped in cream cheese at my kitchen counter
Crying always makes me work up an appetite!
My go-to plan for sensible snacking at night is to throw one of those single-serving bags of popcorn in the microwave and then finish off a bag of pretzels and a block of cream cheese while I wait the 3 min 20 seconds for the popcorn to finish.
6. Call my best friend, who is like a sister to me
After I get a snack, I’ll probably call Jen. Jen is truly like a sister to me. We tell each other everything. And it’s been a while since we talked, so I’ll probably give her a ring.
Jen lives on the West Coast, so I usually call her around 9 PM my time when she’s busy getting dinner ready for her family. She probably won’t pick up, so I’ll just text to say “Let’s talk soon!” And then she’ll respond at 2 AM my time with a photo from her son’s first day of school and say “For sure! Miss you!” And then I’ll text her back right when I wake up (3 AM her time) with a photo from my own son’s first day of school, and I’ll say “talk later tonight?”
And then I may not hear from her for a few months. But every time we do talk it’s like no time has passed at all.
7. Find a new yoga video to do online
I have been trying to get back in the habit of practicing yoga at night. I find it’s just so centering.
I don’t have time these days to go to expensive studios, but there are so many great options to follow for free on Youtube! I love exploring new instructors there. Sometimes I’m looking up new yoga videos and then Youtube suggests I watch a new baby cochlear implant video, and I just watch that instead and stretch a little while I cry.
8. Look up pictures of my high school boyfriend’s ex-wife’s new kitchen
Okay, I know, Facebook is for old people. But Erica just posted pics of her new kitchen renovation in the farmhouse they purchased in West Virginia, and I find it’s so great for my creativity to just sit back and imagine all the other lives I could be leading at this very moment.
9. Tidy up a bit
I know what you’re thinking. It’s time to put yourself first, mama! Why would you spend these precious moments cleaning? But cleaning is just so grounding for me, and it sets me up for success for tomorrow morning.
So I’ll probably just take a couple of minutes to organize things and tidy up. I might start by scraping out the kinetic sand that my son crammed into the water tubes of our Keurig machine this morning.
Sign up for a Medium Membership to read more!
More from Michelle A. Cmarik:
