As is the case with pretty much everything in my life, I embarked up on this Easter weekend with HUGE expectations.  Not necessarily a bad thing, it is good to aim high.  Here is, however, a run down of expectation vs. reality for Easter Weekend 2013:

Expectation:

I was going to get together with my business partner and knock out some copy and strategy… like a boss…

Reality:

Have not so much as texted my business partner, nor have I opened the CRM, nor have I done the research or copy I am responsible for completing before the end of this coming work week.  I will, as I always/usually do. It will most likely be a typical last minute dash to get it all organised.

Expectation:

I was going to take the kids to play on the beach and walk through the bush on our Island Paradise of Aotearoa… like a boss…

Reality:

Friday we dragged the kids off to Long Bay for a quick play on the beach and some lunch before we collected our Japanese house guest Yoko after her day of site-seeing around Auckland.

Also managed to lug two of the three Hobbit children and said Japanese house guest to the Easter Show where we were frequently and loudly appalled at prices and made to wait nearly an hour longer than expected to watch the fireworks show (which was the main draw-card of why we went along).  The children have been between my parents house and our house and parked infront of the television for the vast majority of the weekend, with short bursts of outdoor play accompanied by Grumpy Hobbit Hubby who is currently designing them a tree fort so must take regular trips outside to survey his chosen building site.

Expectation:

I was going to clean the house and organise my filing and hang up my SCRUM sheets… like a boss…

Reality:

None of this happened.  Thankfully my cleaner arrived early Monday morning to rescue me from the chaos of being home with all three kids for an extended period. 

Expectation:

I was going to make it to every single one of our numerous social engagements looking and feeling like an easy breezy, sexy character from some 1940’s film noir… like a boss…

Reality:

Made it to a dress up party on Saturday night which was fun enough, and the food was extremely good, but faded well before 11:00pm and was home and in bed way before midnight despite having my parents watching the children.  Sunday was a couple of our mutual best friends’ party to celebrate changing jobs.  I was in bed knocked out with a rather impressive tummy bug while Grumpy Hobbit Husband attended and later told me that about a dozen of my favourite people were at the party and I hadn’t seen any of them for months and months.  Boo.

Expectation:

We were going to head over to Thames/Pauanui to visit some family and see some of the beautiful Coromandel.

Reality:

Have not ventured out of Auckland.

Expectation:

I was going to bake and cook up an absolute storm to get us through the week with frozen pre-cooked and lovely, healthy goodies that would make Martha Stewart blush with envy.

Reality:

Well.  Today the children have eaten Easter eggs and I just ordered pizza. Thanks to this terrible stomach thing, I’ve been on a diet of dry toast and ginger-ale.  Also, I haven’t turned on an oven or stove-top element in nearly a week now.

Expectation:

I was going to write a months worth of blogs which I could upload at my leisure… like a boss…

Reality:

If I make it to the end of this blog without giving up and having a nap instead, I will be utterly amazed.

I could actually go on for some time with insights into the expectation vs. reality quotient that has occurred here at the Hobbit Homestead this Easter, but I won’t.

What I will say is this:

Despite being a fairly lazy and benign few days, I have had an excess of cuddles and kindness from my whole family, (even my mother in law – who is notoriously non-demonstrative).  I’ve also managed to see some friends before getting struck down with this stomach thing, and I can honestly say that I feel like the luckiest person on earth to know such a range of strong, interesting, entertaining and intelligent people.  And although I missed out on seeing some of our inner circle at the social gathering on Sunday, I got plenty of messages and well wishes from the people I did not manage to see, and the hostess of the party (who it has now officially been FOREVER since I have caught up with) was forgiving and gracious, and from what I gather they had a lovely party without me.

All in all, I feel rested, Loved and quite certain that days of productivity and pressure will return in short order.  

For today, however.  I think I’ll have another nap.

Happy Easter everyone.