Well, it's not a weekend at the spa...

...but it's better than nothing. I've had some difficult days in the last two weeks, and I could really use some time off. Time with a masseuse, tall fruity drinks, maybe a hammock under some palm trees. Gourmet meals brought to me by handsome cabana boys.

Sigh.

Well, back to reality. Mums don't get time off, as a rule. Once a mum, always a mum...even when your kids are grown. My own mum could probably use an escape like the above...but instead, she's going to let me have a little time off. Three days next week - Friday through Sunday - I am going to be at an event where my band (what's left of us, and we're shrinking fast right now. Really, you'd think we were hand spun wool and someone washed us in hot water...) is performing. Mum offered to watch the Evil Genius so I wouldn't have to bring him with me.

I love the little guy. Bringing him to new places, camping out, watching him sing and dance along to our concerts, and using our time somewhere new to teach him are all terrific. But...he's exhausting, ,sometimes. When I have him with me, it's hard to relax, to sleep, to take a shower - even when my bandmates or folks at the event are wonderfully nice and take him away for a while. I just can't do it. So mum decided to take away some of the stress and difficulty by keeping the Evil Genius at him for me.

Three whole days. If I leave early on Friday morning, I will have more time when I get there to do...umm...as little as possible.

Well, I'll have to make up my bed, set up to do readings, and eventually perform, but other than that? Nothing. Sweet.

It's not that I don't love and absolutely trust my bandmates/dear friends, or the wonderful people at these events...it's that I just can't let go of being his mum when he's there with me. When he's home with T or my mum, I can relax. I may not know what he's eating, drinking, or doing each day, but he's in our home environment and "safe". If you're not a mum or dad (but mostly a mum), you won't get it.

If you are a mum, you're probably thinking how much I suck right now, getting a whole weekend off. I understand.

I won't mention the nine days in June, then...