Sometimes I eat more than fishy crackers and soy butter

Now that our visitation schedule is signed and sturdily in place, I know exactly when I will have time to myself each week. At first, this was hard. Now, thankfully and with some deep breathing, grrrlfriend conversations and 50-minute hours with my therapist, it is easier. I've chosen to embrace the time rather than throw a bunch of negative energy into those hours.

And so I have Wednesdays and every other weekend to wander through the grocery store, clean and finally get to deadlines that somehow have slipped past me. But I've also decided to get out of the house, have fun and do things that will rejuvenate me so I feel good when Lil E comes home.

Mostly, this means that I don't cook on the nights he's away. I've never loved cooking for one anyway and so these nights are a great excuse to try new dishes that some other person whips up.

Going out to eat and exploring new restaurants has been a treat for many reasons (after the jump):

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What happened when I got stuck on the other side

I've been so busy buzzing about preschool, politics and playlists that I haven't yet told you that I'm now writing for a fabulous site called Single Minded Moms, powered by Single Minded Women. I am so happy to connect there with other mamas raising kids (all or mostly) on their own, including one of my favorite bloggers, Ms. Single Mama.

I've posted there about how Lil E locked himself in his room, which it seems many of you have also experienced. I had a lot of revelations while we were stuck on opposite sides of the door, sitting there for an hour, touching fingers and passing notes until the locksmith arrived. Click here to read the details.

There's more to come, too. I will be writing monthly about how single mamas (and all of us mamas, really) can put self-care back on the list of priorities.

Let me know what you think! Share your ideas for delicious ways to be good to ourselves and give Single Minded Moms some love.

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Lil E Explains: Who he's voting for

On the candidates: "I know I know I know! I know John McCain and Ohhh-bama are running for president. I knowwwwww, Mom."

On the issues: "Oh, so Oh-bama wants our war to end. He wants to talk it out just like we try to talk it out when we're mad. Does John McCain think fighting is good? Maybe they need a time out. Maybe they should try because talking is good. Right, Mommy? Right?!"

On the historical significance of having a Black president: "In preschool, we mixed paint to match our skin to make masks of ourselffffs. One girl has really dark skin. It's pretty...LIKE CHOCOLATE! Mine is like...what color? Oh yeah, like white, sort of. Like peachy or something. There's all colors at preschool. But mostly white, sort of. But we're all our own color. Why is my skin mostly white again?"

On Lil E's official Decision 2008: "John McCain does not believe what we believe. I'm voting for Oh-bama, Mommy. I am. I AM! I AM VOTING FOR HIM!"

On what it all comes down to for the kid (call it preschool policy): "Oh-rock Oh-bama is really special."

Agreed, darlin'. Agreed.

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