Naptime!

Let's face it.  Motherhood can be exhausting.  It can be demanding.  It can be frustrating.  Where does a mom find time for herself?  I think I learned the secret many years ago when my children were still small. The answer is NAPTIME!  You may think that that isn't anything unique.  All babies have naptimes.  Let me explain...

What I did was have naptime every day from 1-3 pm.  For babies, this meant sleeping.  For toddlers and pre-schoolers this meant a quiet time in their rooms.  Even for older kids, 1 to 3 pm was a quiet time for all.   By scheduling this, all the kids knew that during that time, they were expected to either read quietly in their rooms, sleep, or do something else that didn't require my attention.  While they were busy "napping", I would use that time for myself.  If I hadn't gotten much sleep the night before, I'd nap too.   If I had a project I was working on, I could do it without interruption.  I could do whatever I wanted to do.  It was amazing how much I accomplished.  Having that break in the middle of the day made it possible to handle the stresses of the afternoon and evening better. And, the kids were well-rested too.  (well, usually)

If there was anything that helped me keep my sanity, it was definitely naptime!