I literally have not exhaled in the 2 days since I’ve been back. For the first time ever, I decided to only work a little {instead of a whole heck of a lot} on my vacation. Which meant I got up before everyone else, and worked on photo edits, and orders, and albums while my mug of coffee and I watched the sun come up. It also meant that I stayed up long after everyone else went to bed, and worked on website designs, and school newsletters and tribute dinner wording until all of the coffee in the world ran out and I could no longer keep my eyeballs open.

But my days and evenings were filled anything but work.

We were tourists and went to the Loveless Cafe, and walked around in downtown Nashville and in Downtown Franklin — and didn’t buy any boots. We hit up the bowling alley, the movie theater, the indoor ninja jumping place. We hit Target and Dick’s Sporting Goods (and took photos with the….deer). We had pie, and then more pie. And then some more. We lit candles and played dreidel. We did ’90s dances. We ate whipped cream straight from the can. We watched the Packers win. We made homemade frozen pina coladas. We rang in the new year with face masks, Ticket To Ride, and ginger ale. We had fevers, and coughs, and colds, and barfs, and even pink eye. We made new friends and hung out with old friends. We got to see my kids’ cousins get a new cousin.

Messy. Chaotic. Perfect.

But, as I said, I literally have not exhaled in the 2 days since I’ve been back.

My kids are still on winter break (they get to sleep in and be lazy until Monday…luckies) but I am most definitely not. I have deadlines poking out of all of my crevices. So, bring on the working-from-home-mama’s vacation dilemma — there’s (so much) work to do, but the kids are around and they want to doooooooo something, they want to dooooo something, let’s do something, can we do something, why can’t we dooooooo something. 

Surprise! I’m terrible at balance.

So, here’s the thing. I didn’t pee today. Or get dressed. Or brush my hair.

BUT! I made dinner — meat sauce and quinoa, roasted parsnips, and salad (go me…kicking the 100 days of real food’s tushie) AND bought tickets for the whole family to see Moana tonight.

I can always pee on Monday when they go back to school.