Places for Peace

As a Mom, lunch lady and babysitter of young kids, days are pretty hectic. Not an hour goes by that I don't have a child talking to me or asking for something or complaining or tattling on someone. Some days there seems to be no end in sight. On days like that, I like to plot an escape!

Here are some of the places I like to "escape" to when it all gets to be too much. Shhh... don't tell the kids, though.

1. The clothesline. I love to hang the laundry out on the line, but no one ever wants to help with laundry. They see me unload the washer and flee in the opposite direction! The clothesline is a good escape when the kids are eating lunch and are less likely to try and track me down.

2. The dog pens. Feeding the dogs is yet another chore for the day, but the pens are far, far, far from the house and provide the perfect opportunity for me to hide when the goin' gets rough.

3. The car. When I'm on my way to or from work or during my daily route for work, I get a little drive time and to someone who is pretty much surrounded by kiddos 24/7, driving has such healing powers you can't imagine! With the radio on to sing along with or turned off to enjoy the silence, driving sometimes is my only escape for the day and I truly relish the time.

4. The grocery store. I know it's a chore, but have you ever been to the store without the kids? It is amazing how quickly you can breeze through the aisles! No waiting for one of the kids while they climb onto the end of the cart to ride along, no frantically searching the shelves for a spot to return the "I want this" to. I wish our local store had the free child care room that their main store has. It would surely add to my grocery shopping pleasure!

5. My MP3 player. There are many times when I can't get out to any of the aforementioned places. When these times creep up, I turn to my trusty MP3 player. I can disappear into my room and escape to a relaxing place with some Enya or get my frustrations out with some metal or rock.

6. My room. I mentioned it above and it can't be beat for a quiet retreat. This sometimes backfires, though, if the kids start to argue or if one of them just has to tell me something right now!!!... but it's worth a shot most days.

7. My yard swing out back. Very often, I can get a good 10 minutes out here before anyone realizes where I am. I can sit and put my feet up on the huge rock Mike put out there for me. Occasionally, I'll see a deer or two in the field or hear a woodpecker in the woods. I can see and smell my Sweet Bay Magnolia, which has the added bonus of screening the neighbors' house from my view. Yes, there is no place like it!

8. My front porch glider. Since the kids can see me through the window this lacks the privacy of the swing in the back, but if I just need some fresh air, it is a great place. Living in a small town, you can almost guarantee someone will drive by and wave at you or maybe walk by or ride their bike by and stop for a chat.

As far as escapes I'd like to have, we keep thinking about digging the back yard up, throwing in a couple of pond pumps and fillin' her up. I can picture a little dock and a bench or maybe even a stone terrace with a table and umbrella. That would be a great place for peace -and a swim- if you ask me (am I dropping enough hints here, honey?)!

Where do you like to escape to?