What would you do with an entire day to yourself?
I asked myself that same question yesterday when at 9:30 am David told me to go, to take a day and do something fun, just for me.
See, the day before I’d been feeling a little worn down. Poor little Kaitlyn ripped off a fingernail when she was playing outside and fell. Hailey took the opportunity to take a pen to her chair, then to our bedroom door.
Thankfully she signed it with an H so I knew who to talk to about it. (The picture does not do the act justice.)
In an effort to feel like I had control over something, because it clearly wasn’t over my kids, I had channeled my energy into frantically organizing. It started with the plethora of junk in Hailey’s room and ended with a cleaned out pantry.
Not all was bad (clean pantry!) but David decided I had gone a little crazy and graciously demanded I take a day to myself after breakfast on Sunday morning.
So, I had 8 hours and 23 minutes to spend ALL BY MYSELF, but not a clue what to do with it.
In default mode I headed to Barnes and Noble. I wanted to play with the Lightroom trial I had downloaded, but within 15 minutes I realized my blog was down so I was contacting my tech guys, which turned to answering emails and working on back-end stuff. About an hour into that I stopped myself. Catching up on work stuff was not what this day was supposed to be about. David was specific- go do something fun.
So I did.
I drove into Charlotte and had lunch at Fern in our old neighborhood.
I know some people are opposed to eating out on their own, but I savored it, and those incredible roasted fingerlings.
On the way to South Park Mall, I listened to podcasts and realized I very behind on the times because podcasts are AWESOME. At the mall, I meandered around Pottery Barn and Frontgate before heading to Nordstrom where an awesome girl named Nicole helped me find some basics for fall. I fell in love with these jeans.
As a couple of you suggested- they are ankle length, which works well for my height. The dark wash works well for my thighs.
I ran into a reader (Hi Emily!) and in my solo shopping euphoria I hope I didn’t scare her off by immediately asking how she styled her gorgeous curly hair.
I wandered for a little bit and silently cursed Lululemon for their beautiful clothes and high prices that I was unable to justify after buying my new jeans.
What to do now?
I hit up Homegoods and realized I’m terrified at the idea of choosing a rug.
At this point I was ready to kick back, so I decided it would be ok to pull out my computer again, but only to watch Lightroom tutorials.
Now it was nearing 5:00 pm and I knew I wanted to squeeze in a small thank you for David so I bought some snacks to restock his car stash.
Then I filled up with gas and he CAUGHT ME as I was vacuuming out his car, as he was stopping to fill up my car with gas after taking the girls out to get TCBY. Did I mention he did the laundry too? That’s love folks.
And just like that, my 8 hours and 23 minutes were over, but I’m still riding that refreshed perspective wave. I feel completely re-energized and honestly, completely spoiled. I know a whole day to myself is super indulgent, but it was a breath of fresh air that really helped me regroup. Bring on the week!
If you had a whole day to yourself, what would you choose to do?
Andrea says
Good for you! A day to unwind and de-stress is sometimes essential.
I can relate to Hailey’s art work on your door… My 5 year old drew a 4 square court on her grandma’s carpet last year. I was so upset and felt horrible that she ruined her grandma’s carpet. But in the end, even good kids make silly mistakes! 🙂
Brittany Dixon says
Oh my gosh, haha a 4 square court! It’s one of those moments where it’s just painful, but you will laugh at years down the road! …right? 😉
John J. says
Good re-charge! Kudos to David. My weekend re-charge consisted of biking, boating, and golfing. Bring on the week!
Brynn says
What a great husband! That is so important to take time away when we hit those points in life.
If I had a day to myself it would look very similar to yours plus a trip to the gym and maybe a manicure or massage.
Brittany Dixon says
A massage would have been an amazing cherry on top! … but those jeans were a little pricey so probably best that I skipped out 😉
Mandy says
What a great guy to give a hard-working mom a well-earned break! Glad you were able to re-charge after a challenging day with little ones. My husband has done this for me before and it was exactly what I needed. 🙂
Heather says
What a great husband! That sounds like a great day! I guess if I would ever take the hubby up on his offer to watch the kids, I would probably get a run in, get my nails done, and do a little shopping (probably would end up buying stuff for the kids instead of for myself).
Brittany Dixon says
I was SO tempted to buy the girls ALL THE THINGS, but after my rampage against all the junk in Hailey’s room the day prior, I was able to resist 😉
Morgan @ Morgan Manages Mommyhood says
How sweet! I honestly have no idea what I would do wtih a whole day. I know I’d obviously find something enjoyable to do, but in my mind I imagine myself wandering the streets aimlessly.
Brittany Dixon says
That’s exactly how I felt, like I didn’t know where to start. I certainly wandered aimlessly a decent bit at the mall 🙂
Katie says
I LOVE that he “caught” you vacuuming, and that he can see the importance for some mama alone time. I love eating alone. There’s places I want to go to that my family and friends aren’t as crazy about, or we just don’t happen to be near enough to go, so its great when I can just chill by myself and enjoy a good meal.
kate says
Sounds like a great day – and an awesome husband.
If I had a whole day to myself I would definitely go shopping as well and probably for a massage and if by any chance the stars would align and there would still be time left, I would go for a run. 🙂
Also, thanks for reporting back on the jeans – I’m going to try these Paige jeans!
Sarah S says
That is so awesome!! What a great hubby. Sounds like you had a great day to yourself!
Kathy says
Great day for YOU!! I understand when given the opportunity your mind goes blank and it is hard to figure out just what to do with that special gift of alone time! Have a fantastic week!
Heather says
My husband is always telling me to go out and do something fun… but I never know what to do with myself, so I end up going grocery shopping and am home within 3 hours. Not exactly fun or relaxing. 😉 Ha ha.
Brittany Dixon says
Next time head to the mall and get into a little trouble 😉 I joke that now I have souvenirs (new jeans!) to remember my day of freedom- ha.
Laura @FitMamaLove says
Sounds like the perfect refresher! I actually get a day to myself here and there with some frequency since my in laws take both kids for me sometimes. Usually those days are used to get work done, but I try to squeeze some fun in there, usually by going out for coffee and getting a pedicure. 🙂
Brittany Dixon says
How wonderful to have family close by! Coffee and pedicure is a fantastic treat- good for you <3
Hannah @ CleanEatingVeggieGirl says
What an awesome day!
I actually love eating out on my own from time to time. I find that I REALLY savor the food and the atmosphere of the restaurant more.
Cassie says
Definitely a Homegoods trip! And lots of reading!
Dani @ Dani California Cooks says
Whenever I have a day off, I ALWAYS find myself wandering to some sort of shopping. It can be deadly! Glad you had some time to enjoy yourself – it’s amazing what a few hours to yourself can help out with.
Tracy says
Seriously, David is a gem! Give him a high five from me!! Glad you enjoyed your well-deserved day 🙂
Brittany Dixon says
He is a gem! Haha. 🙂 He even text me with ‘don’t rush home- just enjoy’ which helped me with the guilt. He’s a keeper!
Jayme says
Sounds like a wonderful day! For Mother’s Day, my husband gave me a night in a hotel…alone. It was blissful!
I’d love to know which Podcasts you’re listening to. I’m always looking for suggestions!
Christina says
Your post made me laugh, because vacuuming my car out is at the top of my “to do” list (but so hard to do with a little one in the car seat), so that would likely be at the top of my list as well 🙂
Natalie @ The Ravenous Mommy says
That is an awesome day! I think I would fully appreciate a meal alone too 😉
My perfect day off day off would probably involve a spa treatment, a movie and a nice lunch. Ahhh!
christine says
If I had a whole day to myself I would start it off with a run outside. Then I would take a shower and get ready for the day (uninterrupted!) I would then go get a pedicure because my feet need some love! After I would potentially look for a place to have a bite to eat outside…its hot and humid but (nothing a cold cocktail couldn’t cure) I love the heat and can’t enjoy it with a 9 month old and husband that’s not a fan. After that I may do some shopping for myself as well as for the family. Then I’d come home and cook a nice dinner (uninterrupted, haha). Then I’d get in snuggles with my boys 🙂
Liz @ I Heart Vegetables says
That is so sweet of David! I’m glad you got some time to recharge 🙂 And those jeans look great on you!
Beth says
Sounds like a great day; the only thing I would add is a workout and steam room at the start! The jeans look great!
Elizabeth says
I recently spent most of a day at home by myself unexpectedly and didn’t know what to do with myself. It was the first time in over 3 years….long overdue but I didn’t realize that I wasn’t taking time for myself until I had some time. What did I do? Clean. I really love a clean house so it was like I did it for myself
Laura @ Semi-Vegetarian.com says
When I was a kid my friend had one of those washable tub crayons. We thought it washed off anything, so we “decorated” the carpet in her room. No joke, we drew pictures and colored all over the floor. The image of her mom opening the door and seeing what we’d done is still clearly imprinted in my mind!
Stacy says
I would love a day to myself. At my old job I would try to take 1 day off a quarter, but I have a new job so I haven’t done that in a while. Luckily my hubs is staying with the kiddos while I go to San Francisco for a girls night- my first one since the baby was born 10 months ago!
On a random note- how do you like the Simplified planner? I really want to buy it this year, but I’m wondering how the daily layout works and if you feel like there’s a lot of empty space in the time break down when you don’t have a lot of scheduled events. I typically have quiet a few meetings throughout the week but not a lot throughout a specific day. I’ve been using a weekly calendar and it just looks so messy when I write all my apts down without a time breakdown.
Emily says
Hi Brittany! It was SO nice meeting you in person and chatting with you on Sunday! It sounds like you had a successful shopping trip and I love the jeans you picked out – Paige jeans are my favorite. 🙂 Hope you are having a great week!
Brittany Dixon says
Thanks so much for saying hi Emily! So good to meet you. And actually, I’m trying your advice right now and not touching my hair as it dries. Hoping my curls look half as good as yours in an hour or so 🙂
Jill says
Would love to know what podcasts you’re listening to! I loved Serial and am trying to find one just as good. Love your blog!