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My family and I always make fun of my mom because there have been many times that she'd run around the house trying to get things done or pack stuff up to leave and we'd ask her a question and she'd scream "NO Time!". Now I catch myself feeling the same way and screaming in my head about having NO Time!There was a time, back in my single days, when I was working a part time job, babysitting twins for 8 hours a couple days a week, going to college full time, and I thought I didn't have any time. And yet I still managed to have a social life! Then I got engaged, was working a full time job while planning my wedding, which in itself is a full time job, and I still managed to have a social life and spend time with my then, fiance, all while feeling like I didn't have any time.
Now I know what my mom was freaking about. I had no idea the magnitude of not having any time until I had a baby. Now there are days when I forget to eat or don't have time to shower. Somewhere in there I'm supposed to fit in time for a workout and cook dinner while keeping a 5 month old entertained. Talk about not having any time for yourself!
As an outsider, thinking about how easy it would be to be a stay at home mom, I was jealous because I figured you'd just have oodles of time to yourself to get whatever you wanted done. How could you not have a sparkling clean house, time to make fabulously healthy dinners from scratch, and write that novel you've been meaning to? Um...you have a baby, that's how. In between changing diapers, making bottles, doing dishes and laundry that never seems to end, and wiping down the endless surfaces that are covered in spit up, you are putting a baby down for a nap so you can refill the diapers and wipes, fold and put away that load of laundry, and maybe run the vacuum for a few minutes to pick up the big pieces of stuff that's on the floor.
I laugh to myself now when I talk to my single friends and they complain about not having any time. I told Hubby the other day of a recent conversation I had with our friend and he was like "Yeah, when was the last time she forgot to eat all day? or shower?". It made me smile in my heart because Hubby might not always say that he gets it, but he does understand that it's not as easy as it looks. He might not be thrilled when walks through the door after he's had a rough day at work with customers that treat him like crap to find the house a mess, a baby screaming, and dinner not even started, but he always steps up to help me out so I'm not running around because it's obvious I haven't had the easiest day either.
Not having any time has been a cause of some tension in our household because Hubby and I just don't get that personal time like we used to. When he gets home, he wants to take some time to unwind and maybe play a video game for a bit, while I would like to get on the computer or read a book or magazine that has been laying by the wayside for weeks now. But if we get sucked into that task from 9pm (after the baby goes to bed) until 11pm or even midnight, then we have lost any quality time we might get to spend together, not to mention the precious sleep we already lack. Then we've gotten into the habit of him turning on the XBOX, so therefore I open up my laptop while making an audible sigh (he says I do, I guess I just don't realize it) and we just zone out of each other and into our electronics for a couple of hours. That's a great way to disconnect from everything, including each other...
Life is a constant battle of not having any time. I suppose the lesson is to make the most of the time that you have each day. Put it to good use, learn to be super efficient, all while keeping a balance of family, marriage, work, and for your own sanity - your personal down time. Good luck! And please feel free to share any tokens of wisdom you might have on how you balance your life!
As an outsider, thinking about how easy it would be to be a stay at home mom, I was jealous because I figured you'd just have oodles of time to yourself to get whatever you wanted done. How could you not have a sparkling clean house, time to make fabulously healthy dinners from scratch, and write that novel you've been meaning to? Um...you have a baby, that's how. In between changing diapers, making bottles, doing dishes and laundry that never seems to end, and wiping down the endless surfaces that are covered in spit up, you are putting a baby down for a nap so you can refill the diapers and wipes, fold and put away that load of laundry, and maybe run the vacuum for a few minutes to pick up the big pieces of stuff that's on the floor.
I laugh to myself now when I talk to my single friends and they complain about not having any time. I told Hubby the other day of a recent conversation I had with our friend and he was like "Yeah, when was the last time she forgot to eat all day? or shower?". It made me smile in my heart because Hubby might not always say that he gets it, but he does understand that it's not as easy as it looks. He might not be thrilled when walks through the door after he's had a rough day at work with customers that treat him like crap to find the house a mess, a baby screaming, and dinner not even started, but he always steps up to help me out so I'm not running around because it's obvious I haven't had the easiest day either.
Not having any time has been a cause of some tension in our household because Hubby and I just don't get that personal time like we used to. When he gets home, he wants to take some time to unwind and maybe play a video game for a bit, while I would like to get on the computer or read a book or magazine that has been laying by the wayside for weeks now. But if we get sucked into that task from 9pm (after the baby goes to bed) until 11pm or even midnight, then we have lost any quality time we might get to spend together, not to mention the precious sleep we already lack. Then we've gotten into the habit of him turning on the XBOX, so therefore I open up my laptop while making an audible sigh (he says I do, I guess I just don't realize it) and we just zone out of each other and into our electronics for a couple of hours. That's a great way to disconnect from everything, including each other...
Life is a constant battle of not having any time. I suppose the lesson is to make the most of the time that you have each day. Put it to good use, learn to be super efficient, all while keeping a balance of family, marriage, work, and for your own sanity - your personal down time. Good luck! And please feel free to share any tokens of wisdom you might have on how you balance your life!
My Mom was a frequent user of the saying "No time". Like you and your mom, she was running around doing house chores, making meals and working full time with 2 kids. I dunno how she got it done but she did. So to all you Moms out there..Thank you for getting it done. Here's hoping one day I can get it done too! =)
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