For the first time, my kids are spending the weekend with their grandparents in Green Bay. We’ll pick them up on Sunday so I can spend Mother’s Day with them, but I’ll have about 48 hours prior to that without them.

So far, it’s strange. Good strange, but strange. I had one split second of panic, where my mind yelped, "The kids!?!" as if I had accidentally left them at a shopping center. Also, I’ve (so far) had one moment of melancholy when I saw their tiny, identical sandals lined up next to the back door.

However, overall, I am really excited to have some "me" time.

Here are a few things I plan to do this weekend:

1.    Read an entire book. I’m a fast reader, so this isn’t a big deal, but I do plan to plow through "Water for Elephants" since my book club meets next weekend and I haven’t started it.
2.    Plan my garden. We share a garden with our neighbors, and meet with them this weekend to divvy up the beds and responsibilities. I can’t wait to get dirty.
3.    Go to a completely non-kid-friendly fish fry. Not sure where this will be, but I’ll track one down.
4.    Drink copious amounts of homebrew. We finished two batches of homebrew this winter and early spring: "Leap Year Lager" and "Long Winter Stout." Both have been ridiculously under consumed, but not for long.
5.    SLEEP IN. Sadly, it will be amazing if I can slumber past 9 a.m., but I am really going to try.

Anything else I have planned for this weekend I’ll keep to myself since it may or may not be suitable for a blog that’s owned by my employer. Wink.