Now that Bryan is in full swing of residency and house projects have calmed down a little bit - I'm officially a house wife for the summer. I don't start up classes at Case Western until the fall, so I've still got a good chunk of summer time in front of me! I am still working part time (10-12 hours a week), but that still leaves me with a lot of time on my hands. I do try to be productive, but it is hard when there are no schedules or deadlines I have to meet. I know, rough life, right?! Well after 4 years of a very stressful job, I finally have some time to relax and I do believe I deserve it before I start up an intense 3 year masters program!
Meanwhile, I'll try to clue you in on what it's like to be a house wife!
Nope, not like those crazies you see on Bravo. I'm real.
Bryan gets up at the early hour of 4:45am these days (well, for the next week - and then he starts a new rotation and gets a whole new schedule). I try to get up with him sometimes, but it just doesn't work. I used to have to get up that early to be at work my early years in Chicago and I think I'm just over it in my head. So, I usually sleep in until 7am, which feels very late and I feel bad for Bryan. (He is totally loving residency though, so I'm also happy for him!)
After a morning coffee and quick email and Facebook check, I work out. I've been following the Insanity program now for 11 weeks. It's a 60 day program (roughly two months), so I'm 2 weeks into my second repetition of the program. I actually love this program! It's exactly up my alley and each work out is great. Now that Bryan has started at Cleveland Clinic, I can also use their gym now, but I haven't explored it yet. But I'm excited to very soon!!
Since I'm already sweaty after the workout, I figure this is a good time to head outside and water the plants and do the occasional weeding that needs to happen.
Usually by now it's midmorning and I prepare a smoothie for breakfast. I do another email and FB check and use this time to do any online searching for various items on my to do list like comparing certain items we're considering buying for our home, finding places to get our oil changed, buying textbooks for school this fall, booking flights for upcoming weddings, reading online news sources, gchatting with friends, and the occasional online shopping that just happens to occur (oops - but hey if I can admit it, it's not a problem, right?! Haha.) You wouldn't think it, but this actually takes a good chunk of time!!
When I'm done being "productive" (depending on how I actually used that time online) I will get a few hours of work done. I'm so lucky to be able to work from home at my leisure. In that sense, I'm spoiled.
Lunch is usually random of leftovers or things I combine from the fridge. I'd rather eat a few small meals throughout the day rather than one large meal, so it's generally something small.
I usually use the afternoon to run errands. You know, the usual grocery shopping, Target run, or other various things that just need to get done.
If it's cloudy, I'll either keep working or get things done around the house. If it's sunny, I usually can't think of a better way to spend the afternoon than going to the neighborhood pool. I'm so glad there is a nice pool just about a half mile away from us! I was also surprised to find a range of ages of the people there! There are little tots to grandparents there every single day, and it's usually pretty busy! The pool space is divided into sections of little kid play areas, large open areas, diving areas, and lap swim areas for adults and younger kids. There are also adult only seating sections. I love it!
Bryan usually gets home around 6:30-7pm (which will change in a week) and I try to have something for dinner started by then. If not, we prepare something simple together. Since it's been so hot, we've stuck to mostly grilling, salads and easy to prepare meals. Evenings are spent on the couch reading, watching tv or a movie, or just relaxing and talking. Bedtime is around 9:30-10pm.
Rinse and repeat. There you have it - the life of a housewife.
I'm actually really enjoying this time to relax. Being an introvert, I like being by myself and usually every day I have a checklist of things I need to get done, which helps keep me motivated. The best part is that it's flexible and if a friend calls me up and wants to go to lunch, coffee, or the pool, I can usually go in a heartbeat. I know that in a few short weeks, I will have almost no free time, so I'm just enjoying the time I have!!
Oh, and Dimitri is an awesome house mate all day! Why is it that cats love to sleep on top of clothes?!
One major benefit of all this free time is that friends can come visit and I'm free to do anything!!! The posts coming up will detail some of the fun Cleveland-y things that I got to do, thanks to having some friends visit us here!!!
