A Getaway!

I can't tell you how much-needed this little getaway was for me! Work has been stressful (as evidenced by previous posts), and this is just what I needed. Shane's parents gave him a gift certificate to the Timber Cove Inn up on the Sonoma Coast and we stayed there on a Thursday-Friday earlier this month.


We headed up north shortly after we dropped off the kids at daycare, and enjoyed stops at a beach and a late lunch at a roadside stop. We were able to check in to our ocean view room (!) and enjoy the rest of the afternoon by walking around the grounds. We also spent quite a bit of time just vegging and watching TV (for those of you that don't know, we haven't subscribed to cable for 2 years!) all the while sipping champagne (note my red face!). Finally when sunset came, we went back outside and watched the sun go down. Though it was beautiful, we didn't stay all that long because it was really brisk and windy!

We had a really lovely dinner at the Timber Cove's restaurant and Shane even treated me to dessert--I indulged in the hot fudge sundae... YUM!


Friday I tried to sleep in, though those efforts were shot the moment Shane woke up. Oh well. At least I didn't have to get up at 6:00! Getting up at 8:30 was a treat! After breakfast we walked the grounds again and lingered in our room as long as possible before heading back to reality. On the way down, we stopped for crab sandwiches in Bodega Bay at the Sput Point Crab Company which were definitely worth the small detour off of 101.

By the way, Shane's mom was kind enough to pick up the kids Thursday night and watch them overnight, then drop them off at daycare again on Friday, in case you were wondering! By the time we got reception on our cell phones again, I had a message waiting for me on my cell: my parents are already at our house in anticipation of Micah's birthday weekend the next day! Wait, I thought they said they were coming on Saturday? Oh well. You'll have to wait a couple more hours, sorry!


It is so great to connect and have some 1:1 time with your spouse without worrying about the kids. Don't get me wrong, we missed them while we were gone, but I also felt like the time away allowed us to recharge our batteries and have a blast with them over the weekend. All in all it was an awesome mini-getaway and I can't wait until we can do it again!

Work-Life Balance

Is there such a thing?

I'm finding it harder and harder to achieve it, if it is even possible. I got a new boss a few months ago, and it's been crazy ever since. A different work style to get used to. But slowly, I am. I think the hardest thing for me is my long day. I get up at 5:45 or so, leave by 6:30, work the day, and get home at 6:00 p.m. Add to that getting dinner on the table, bathing the kids, reading stories, cleaning up, and putting Melia to bed... It makes for a really long day. I don't usually get to sleep until about 11:00.

My goal is to be able to have more free time. Free time to spend playing with the kids, free time to read for pleasure, do crafty things... maybe even clean! But as it is, I'm so tired by the time the kids go to bed (at 9:30!) that I don't want to do anything except go to bed. Shane is a tremendous help and a wonderful father and I am blessed to have him in my life.

My New Year's resolution is to be more organized. One of my first tasks to achieve this has been to plan dinners for the week, which, so far, has been going pretty well. It's amazing how simple things like taking out meat and putting it in the fridge to defrost the night before can make dinner preparation so much quicker! I also invested in an awesome slow cooker and that has been great so far. I'm continually on the lookout for tasty, healthy recipes to try it in. But the ability to throw some ingredients in the slow cooker in the morning and come home to a finished meal is fabulous.

The next step is to figure out how to clean the house... and keep it clean. Any hints, tips, or tricks?