How do you make time for yourself without sacrificing time with your family? This is a question many parents struggle with every day. Where do you cross the line between being selfish, and giving yourself a break so you can maintain some level of sanity? Our weekday life is so chaotic with work, school, dance classes, meetings, choir practice, etc, that me time is virtually non-existent. The problem with that? If you are longing for some precious alone time, you get more frazzled by the second. I would love to go to a yoga studio every morning, but that’s impossible. So I soak in precious me moments when I can during the week. I scoot my youngest to the playroom after her allotment of 2 shows end so I can slowly sip & savor my coffee while I put my feet up in the recliner and catch up on my pop culture with Regis & Kelly in the morning. Yes, it’s a little silly, but mornings are so incredibly hectic, once 9am comes around, I’m ready to chill out for a brief 20 minutes if I’m lucky and then get back to the never-ending list of tasks I have to do that day.
In the afternoon, after putting down my youngest for a nap, I allow my oldest to watch her 2 shows while I lock myself in the bathroom for a few to catch up on my reading. Hey, who has time to read magazines outside of the bathroom these days? Not me! Am I neglecting my child by doing this? Sorry, don’t buy it. She’s 6 years old, and we do not allow her to sit in front of the TV all day. She appreciates this downtime as much as I do.
But my favorite time of day for ME is that blissful moment after the kids go to bed. What’s that? Your kids go to bed just before/at the same time as you do? I get that every family is different; ya gotta do what works for you. But for our family, the bedtime routine is vital for everyone’s sanity. The kids’ need their rest, and their parents need the downtime! We start getting our girls ready for bed at 7:30p, and by 8:30p they are ideally in bed. Yes, we have nights where this doesn’t happen, but it’s incredibly rare to see them up past 9p. Once the kids are in bed, I like to do some yoga or get a workout in on my elliptical while playing Scrabble or Angry Birds on my iPhone. And then… the hubs & I enjoy vegging out, catching up on our DVR &/or each other with a beer or bourbon in hand. It’s just nice to have some uninterrupted adult time together, no matter what we’re doing.
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