Even as I begin to type this, I am being summoned away to once again try and put Lil Man to nappy-nap. Silence truly is golden- because it’s rare. At least it is here in this household. Whether it’s the barfin-shartin’ of the cat, the crankin’ of a cantankerous infant, or the Willowah Shriek of the Sophinator, there’s always some sort of noise happening here.
(One hour later)
Lil Man is (knock wood) down again. Aaaaaah, yes. The plight of any stay-at-home parent: nap time. We need it. They need it. Why is it so dang difficult for them to do it? And trying to cram all the things that get left undone into an unknown amount of time? Fuhgettaboutit. So, as I sit here posting this, snick-snackin’ on TJ’s Baked Cheese Crunchies (like Cheetos, but waaaaaaaaaaaay better- and gluten free!), here are some thoughts on how to spend that inevitably short period of time….
>>Have a list of things that need to get done. I myself am a list maker, bulleted preferably. I don’t like step one, step two, or a list of things in order of importance. My thoughts are random and I need to write them down quickly (See note about unknown amount of time). Keep the list in the same place so you know where it is next time you need it (this is a tuffy. I am notorious for losing everything from my glasses- blind as a bat w/out them- to my keys). For me a little sketchbook in my butt pocket works great. I call it “The Brain Dump.” And on the cover there’s a sketch of a brain……yes, taking a dump. Genius.
>>Do things in 15 min. increments. I came across this tip somewhere in a magazine. The idea is that doing short blocks of (whatever- cleaning, sweeping, etc) is supposed to leave you w/ a sense of gettin’ things done, w/out feeling overwhelmed by the mountains of tasks needing to be tackled- which is a good thing. That, and you have no idea how much time you have, so the more 15 min. tasks you can do, the more you feel like things are getting done, you’re in control, and you keep your sanity. Yaaaaaaaaay!!!!
>>Meditate. This one’s a bit more challenging, especially when you have more than just a nappin’ infant. Do it. Tell the other kids your taking a dump or something, but do it. I haven’t done it myself enough, but I’ll keep you posted on when I do and how things turn out (the mediation). Because I think it will really help.
>>Take the opportunity to spend some time w/ your other lil ones (if you have them). Babies take up quite a bit of one on one time, which could leave your other lil ones feeling left out. I use this as leverage to keep Soph from terrorizing Matty when he needs to take a nap. “If you don’t stop screeching, you’ll wake your brother. And if you wake your brother, I won’t have time to play ‘Pretty Pretty Princess with you.'”
>>Check Facebook/ troll the web. This could maybe be a reward for after chores are done, kids are played w/, and you’ve meditated and experienced Nirvana (Nevermind). Social media can be a huge time sucker, especially if you fall victim to the games (sorry Farmvillians; I don’t want to step on anyone’s toes, but I honestly don’t have time to help you till your virtual soil and grow virtual crops). But done in moderation, it can be a great way to keep up w/ old friends, update your distant relatives on the latest funny thing your child said/ did, or do what I like to do and make an occasional witty/ satirical comment/ observation and post pictures of your infant’s chubba-thigh-that-could-double-as-a-butt. Then there’s trolling the web. I do that if I’m looking for design inspiration, such as ideas for the Man Cave, the blog, a landscaping idea, or anything diy.
Given the time, how would you choose to spend it?