Standing at the Computer

8:57 a.m.

I know that we all (well, ok, I do) spend more time at the computer than we realize. I am acutely aware of this at the moment as my daughters fight over shoes and bread, I have a basket of laundry balanced on the stool that is (sometimes) used at the computer desk and I am still in a robe with a towel wrapped around my head (yes, I did get a shower before noon today!)

I was walking by the computer and I thought, "hey! I wonder if any of my family members have posted any pictures of my nieces/nephews" and the next thing I know I'm looking up blogs, reading the NYTimes, and for the 10th time this morning checking my email.

And, so I can rationalize that I am not going to be here very long, I am standing. I guess it burns more calories (so I can chalk it up to exercise, right?).

Really, the true reason I have time to play on the computer this morning is that my husband is HOME. Well, he's back in town. I was very disappointed and sad that he had to go to work this morning. "I haven't even had you 12 hours, yet!" I wailed after him as he callously walked out the door into the dark rain to work. Well, ok, he actually stood there with a stricken look on his face, obviously torn because he'd rather stay home with me, but knowing he needed to return and report about his conference and get some things started at work. Or maybe it was just the look of being jet-lagged.

At any rate, I'm VERY glad to have him home. I'm hoping the girls are ALL on the mend. And now I can resume life as normal. So, I'm going to just walk away from the computer and get going with my day.

There are some serious benefits to having the computer in the dining room: no privacy so everything is above board; it's easily accessible for looking up recipes or help with homework; it's in an area where the kids are mostly visible while playing. But, the drawback is that it's too easily accessible, and on my way to do most everything so it's too easy to just "check" something quickly, and end up standing in my bathrobe with a towel wrapped around my wet hair, a basket of (clean!) laundry balanced on the stool propped under my elbow as my daughters are crying in the next room. But I'm really leaving now.

Maybe I should just turn off the computer...

9:12 a.m.