My blog friend Octamom, I call her my online big sister, has been taking questions and answering them a la "Octamom 101" in her insightful and irreverent style. She has 8 children, from 2-year-old twins to an 18-year-old young woman. She also homeschools and is an all-around awesome woman of God. I encourage you all to check her out. Anyway, my question for her was:
How often do you take "me time" and how do you manage it? I know your oldest are babysitting age now, but "back in the day" were you able to take the time for yourself? Sometimes it seems that my only time is when I go to the grocery store alone.
Her answer started with:
Oh, Girl.
I feel ya.
Ironically, I'm the first one to tell my friends how much they need to have alone time, how important it is to take a deep breath, take a few moments, recharge the batteries.
Ironic because I'm not very good at doing that very thing.
Yeah, go read the rest... I'll wait for you.
http://www.octamom.com/2009/05/putting-me-in-time.html
So, her answer gave me the guts to be real with all of you about my "me time." *giggle*
I confess that I often let my 3 youngest kids watch copious amounts of preschool t.v. or videos in the morning. Just so I can drink a cup of coffee, which Sabina will try to put her finger in or drink herself. I also try to check email and read my blog buddies latest posts (I really don't have that many) before they bombard me with requests for snacks, drinks, lunch, and "mom can you put Indy away?"
I confess to occassionally sneaking away to the bedroom to read, only to be found out by Nick who thought I was in the bathroom.
I confess to enjoying the drive home after dropping the oldest kids at school. When I drive them, Nick stays home with the youngest, because we only have a 5 passenger car right now. There are no fights to break up, no little voices saying "mom" 10 times, and no crying! I crank up the radio and worship the Lord, singing along to a Christian song I've heard 100 times, but only now getting the depth of Love expressed. I pray! I think about stuff I have to do and stuff I want to do. It's lovely.
I confess to staying up way too late (and paying for it the next morning) in order to feel like ME and not just MomME.
I am blessed by Nick that he recognizes my need and occassionally kicks me out of the house. Then I'll go get coffee, or something, possibly window shop a little, and usually end up going to the grocery store before heading home. It's true!
He also has been working on his schedule so that I can go to the Orlando House of Prayer alone to pray, sing, read scripture, meditate on the love of God. I've gotten to do it 3 times already! It's awesome!
I also confess to finding that folding copious amounts of laundry late at night is somehow totally zen.
I wish I could go on bike rides. I would like to join a book club. I even actually loved working at Barnes and Noble part time a few years ago, and would like to do it again. I plan on scheduling more time for myself soon. But until then, I treasure these small moments to spend by myself, tucked in quiet, soothed by God's goodness.
I guess it's reassuring to know that I'm not the only one who zens out while doing piles of laundry and actually likes going to Publix. I didn't realize how much I looked forward to grocery shopping until my husband surprised me by doing it for me....kind of as a gift to me. I chewed him out and cried.... wasn't exactly the reaction he was expecting ;) We have since gotten our lines straight on who is in charge of that one ;) (He did a really good job shopping btw!)
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