I’m back!! And I just had a week that was as close to exam week in college as anything I have experienced in the past decade. With the husband out of town and three articles due, I very easily fell back into “exam week mode,” which I thought was pretty interesting given the amount of time that has passed since that season in my life.

Similarities from the past week and my typical exam week in college:

• Sleep deprivation – I went to bed anywhere between midnight and 2:00 am. In college, I always saved my serious studying or writing for the wee hours.
• Total junk eating habits – I was totally eating a meal at midnight and chasing it with my caffeine-laden DP. I’m calling Dr. Collins this week to have my girls’ cholesterol checked; I am sure we clogged at least one artery this past week.
• Very little exercise – I exercised once this past week, but little to no exercise was my standard all during college – not just exam week.
• Living on adrenaline in the glazed stare fog – Do you know that feeling? I was so tired and had consumed so much caffeine over the course of days that if I wasn’t studying or writing I just sat in one place, staring straight ahead without blinking. Very freakish, actually! Are you worried for the safety of my children? They’re alive and well – by the grace of God!
• Disregard for my appearance – Now I use to take this one to the extreme in college, but this time around I just dressed for comfort every day – something that would comfortably accomodate the fact that I was eating full meals at midnight. Ouch!
• That indescribable feeling when it’s all done: freedom, lightness, giddyness, relief, and a desire to just celebrate good times (come on…).

Differences this time around:

• TWO CHILDREN!
• I did shower every day, and I did at least wear a different shirt every day, I think. Don’t hold me to that one. In college, I totally embraced the same outfit for pretty much the whole week and honestly took few showers during exams. Waste of time, you know…
• No naps during the day this time around:(
• No books to sell at an absolutely ridiculous return at the end of the week in order to treat myself to Taco Bell (Oh, you can only give me $1.50 for this $475 book. Sounds good to me, just get it out of my sight, and I’ll take extra cheese and sauce on that soft taco…, thank you very much!)

Glad to be back. Glad my articles are done. Glad I’m a thirty-four year old wife and mom instead of the crazed, unhealthy, psycho I was in college!