Me Time

Me Time. Who knew it existed?

For the last 19 1/2 years I have enjoyed having at least one child home for most of the day.  The last three years I have had at most two hours of "free time" during kindergarten or preschool to race through Costco or the grocery store.  I have made the conscious choice to be physically and emotionally present when the kids are home, so I was always "on" and busy all day.

I can remember many times when I had really young kids when I wondered if I would ever have a free minute to myself again. Time to read a book, time to use the bathroom by myself, time to think an entire thought.  And then there was that year when we first moved to WA when I was entertaining one-year-old Joseph all day while living in a hotel and hunting for a house and home schooling both girls. Whew. Talk about a lack of "me time."  There have been some really busy seasons of my mothering life. 

This is the beginning of a new season, as Joseph has started 1st grade and no children are home from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.  It is SO quiet. I don't even want the TV or music on most of the time. I just like to feel the quiet while I work through my "to do" list (which actually gets done now!). I have no excuses anymore - I have time to exercise and read scriptures every day, and even time to read for pleasure for awhile. I can stay reasonably on top of the house and the business of keeping the family running, but I still feel like I have time to breathe during the day. 

Which is good, because the minute the first kid walks through the door we are running for the rest of the night . . . lessons, activities, homework, chores, piano practice, dinner, scriptures, good night stories, tuck in bed, collapse and set the alarm for the 5 a.m. to help Bailey get ready for Seminary.

I thought I would mostly be sad when my last child was in school all day. Certainly I mourned the end of a season. But I'm seeing the beauty of this new season, too. There are some things I have put off or have always wanted to learn, waiting for the right time, the right season of life.  With about five hours a day of "me time" I'm taking time to think about those things and make some plans.

And right now I am enjoying the chance to be Tiffany for a few hours every day before I am Mom again after school. Mom will always be my favorite job and title, but it's good to have some balance.