Of course the first item on my official wishlist this year is world peace. I truly mean that. Not in a Steve Martin kind of way, but in a seriously, our planet is going crazy and we need to stop all the hate kind of way. My other wants are for my family to be healthy and happy.
And I’d like sleep, obviously. That’s a no-brainer gift for any mom of young ones, right? But, after all the presents are opened, and I’ve finished oohing and aahing over the handmade preschool art and gift cards my loved ones will give me (which I do truly appreciate), and we clink sippy cups to ring in the New Year – here’s what I will go to bed secretly wishing I will receive this year:
- A replacement for that antique colored glass pyrex bowl my son accidentally broke. This was a hand-me-down from my husband’s family and has been gone three years already. I still miss it, especially when I want to mix a big batch of dough which it was perfect for. But who has the time to go online to one of those replacement china websites to find the exact piece you’re missing? Sigh.
- A bath. Can’t remember the last time I actually took a leisurely soak or even a quick soak in the tub. Even when we’ve stayed at hotels lately and I’ve meant to take a bath, it’s never actually happened. Nowadays I’m lucky if I even wash my hair every day. So, an hour spent relaxing in lavender-scented water sounds like a decadent luxury item.
- Time to read. Not just a blog post here, a news article there. I mean like curling up on the couch for hours and getting sucked into another world. Right now the only book club I could join would be one that reads 1.5 pages every night before passing out from exhaustion.
- Fix all the broken toys. The ones with broken legs that just need re-gluing, the dolls with loose stuffing, the gizmos that simply need new batteries. Easily fixable problems, I said as I put them in the garage…and then never found time to actually work on.
- Figure out where to drop off our e-recycling. We’ve got piles of random electronics that have bit the dust, but my eco-consciousness won’t allow letting them end up in a landfill when they still have useful parts. Yet it seems like every time I see one of those banner ads around town announcing an e-recycling event, the date has already past. Why is it so hard to be kind to this planet?
- One month of good sleep, like eight hours each night. Remember when you used to wake up refreshed and excited to start your day? I don’t. At this point, I’d settle for a week of uninterrupted nights. Ok, even just one night in which both kids sleep soundly and neither they, nor a meowing cat in my face at 2am, wakes me up.
- Sort my son’s artwork. I do love seeing his creativity come through in myriad ways (the first time he drew a discernible person – me! – I teared up with pride and awe). However, it seems like every day he’s bringing home oversize paintings, cut out shapes, and 3D collages made from household items. How do I decide which art to save for posterity and which to toss (because I can’t seem to toss any of it). Please, tell me, where do I put all this stuff???
- Finish my photo scrapbooks. There was a time in my life when I’d happily spend an evening listening to the Amélie soundtrack while putting together thick books of trip photos and mementos. That time has long since passed. Now I’ve got bags of printed photos from our Honeymoon over 8 years ago gathering dust in the closet.
- Just one day of not having to yell. When did I go from being a person whose biggest daily concern was being three minutes late to work, to legit worrying that my child is going to eat poop several times a day? Just once, I want to go a full sunrise to sunset without having to holler at someone to not wipe their boogers on me, or to stop doing that thing I’ve told you a thousand times not to do and yet…you…still…do…it! GAH!
- Not have to answer any questions. Can I wear shorts today? What are we having for dinner? Where’s my toy that I haven’t played with in months? Why is this wet? Sometimes, I just don’t want to be the one with all the answers. If this ship is going to keep sailing smoothly, someone’s got to keep us on course and be fixing all the leaks. But, why does it always have to be me? (I’ve got the answer for that one too).
- Go through my email inbox. I have 1500 unread messages. This is basically undeclared email bankruptcy.
- Did I mention sleep? Just can’t stress it enough. I want sleep. More than three hours of uninterrupted sleep. Please. Sleep.
