Chill

I really need to chill.

I have summer vacation burnout.

With the Western States Tour taking four weeks to complete (not counting one week to prep and one week recovery)...the flurry of social obligations, church responsibilities and medical appointments since returning home...plus the everyday overwhelmingness of keeping four children fed, clothed and educationally entertained all day...I am seriously exhausted.

And, of course, Michael Phelps has been keeping me up way past my bedtime.

So, this afternoon, I am hiding out in my personal little igloo. Do not disturb. It's "rest time."

Do you do rest time at your house? My mother was ridiculously religious about it, but of course now I see her wisdom and try to keep up the tradition, at least a few days a week.

These are the rules:

• every person must be in a separate room with the door closed
• children may play quietly or read
• napping is optional (actual sleeping is generally discouraged, as it interferes with my other favorite tradition...7 o'clock bedtime!)
• and, most importantly, LEAVE MOM ALONE

So...right now:

• one child is listening to a book on CD
• one has opened her own American Girl beauty shop
• one is snoring here beside me, blue blankie clutched tight
• one is begging entrance to the American Girl beauty shop, while being ignored by everyone else

And I am doing fifteen minutes of nothing, fifteen minutes reading my latest, and fifteen minutes sharing the igloo-love with all of you.

Namaste.