Happy Home-iversary

May 1, 2017 passed without a lot of fanfare. It was only a week or so later that I realized I missed an important anniversary–no not my wedding anniversary. The Good Doctor and I were married in January.  May 1 marked the anniversary of me becoming a stay-at-home dad.

C (child number 4) was born at the end of February in 2015 and my wife took maternity leave. She went back to work May 1 and I started staying home. It’s not an anniversary that we really observe as a family, but I like to mark the day and use it as a time to reflect on how things are going. You know how life is. Sometimes it goes well. Sometimes it goes really well. And sometimes it just doesn’t go.

When life just doesn’t go it’s time to review and recharge. Whether you are a work-at-home parent, stay-at-home parent or work-at-the-hospital parent like The Good Doctor you need to take some time to for yourself. It’s not always easy to come by, and I admit I’m not the best at taking it or even realizing that I need it until after I have it.

Weeks after my “Home-iversary” the stars aligned for me to have some time to myself, which turned into an impromptu Home-iversary celebration. Dr. Jones took the not-in-school kids to the zoo. It just kind of happened and I didn’t really have a plan. I nearly just stayed home and caught up on laundry. But I went to the gym WITHOUT CHECKING KIDS INTO THE KIDS CLUB! I was out of the car and into my class in 5 minutes. It was amazing. Sometimes you forget how efficient you can be. See the comedic bit below for reference (at about 0:45)

After the gym I picked up a quick lunch in the gym cafe and then headed to the movies to see Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2. The theater was largely empty as it was a random weekday. I got my choice of seats.

I discovered the first Guardians of the Galaxy while folding laundry and loved it. It had adventure, humor, heart and didn’t take itself too seriously. I didn’t think I would get to the theater to see the next one. I loved it. I laughed, I cried, It became a part of me.

The benefits of mid-day, midweek movie going.

Vol. 2 picked up where the last one left off and explores family as its central theme. The family we have, the family we want, the family that chooses us. I always enjoy when commonplace themes are placed in unique settings–like a group of galactic vagabonds searching for both money and meaning. The soundtrack was good, the characters were further explored and there were plenty of things that went boom.

After the movie I ran a few errands BY MYSELF and then headed home to Dr. Jones and the kids. It was good to see them again. Between their departure time and my arrival time I was away for them for most of the day. It made a great difference in the rest of my week. So find your thing to celebrate–your time to yourself. Have your own “Home-iversary.” You deserve it.