So much to do, so little nap time

Here’s something I ‘m working on: naptime management. Usually twice a day, I get at least one magic hour of mommy time. Even if only one of the girls goes down, I can still claim victory, as corralling one little zombie is much easier than two.

After bottles are made, fits are over and quiet replaces sobbing, then, the panic sets in. Where to start! What project to tackle first? Should I nap? Watch last night’s Daily Show or stare mindlessly at a wall?

-Oh wait…I hear Elise. Nap time over. But, Clare is still asleep. Little victories.

Ok, I’m back.

Elise is entertaining herself looking out the front window. All is well.-

So, this is exactly why I get naptime anxiety. Because naptime is fleeting and you never know when mommy time will expire.   

I need a solution.

I think I’ve found it, or I’m going to try this strategy anyway.

Here it is: Relax. Make a list. My plan for naptime, is to sit, write, and think.  Prioritize. Do only what really needs done. Take inventory. Recognize how much I have to be thankful for.

This seems like a better idea than tearing through the house trying to get everything done in a short, unspecified time frame.

I usually don’t like no-no lists, but sometimes they are good reminders. Here is my naptime no-no list.

Naptime No-no’s:

1.     No starting household projects. I see all these blogs of mom’s who are redecorating their houses and making all kinds of DIY crafts during naptime. They are amazing. I wish I could be like them. But, I’m not. If I tried to do those things I would have my house in an un-livable condition with all the furniture out in the garage with one coat of primer and a half wallpapered wall in the kitchen. Meh, I’ll save the redecorating for later. It seems exhausting.

2.     No folding laundry. This is one those things that the girls actually like watching me do and I like to use it as a vocabulary building exercise. Example: “This is mommy’s shirt, it’s yellow and there are flowers on it”, “This is Clare’s shirt, it is small”, “These are daddy’s socks, there are two of them”, “I’m going to stack the towels up here”, “I’m going to put the basket up on the sofa”. You get the idea. And now you see what I mean about writing and being able to use my grown up words.

3.     No talking on the phone. This only recently occurred to me. The reasons are similar to those of the laundry folding exercise. It’s important for the girls to hear me using my words. Sometimes when I’m talking on the phone with friends or family I put it on speakerphone or make exaggerated faces or hand gestures while I’m talking to keep them entertained. It’s like story time for mommy and baby.

4.     No workout videos. This is the time to relax a little, remember?  Besides the babes love watching me, and Richard Simons (I have the Sweatin’ to the Oldies box set…great investment) sweat it out together. And even though their only 10 months old, I like to think I’m setting a good example of exercising with them. Save this activity for the waking hours.

5.     No Facebook. I have to work on this. It’s so easy to drain your time on Facebook. And is it me, or do people seem really negative lately? I don’t need that kind of negativity on my mind, not during the happy hour of naptime. On the flip side, I’ll end up looking at pictures of someone’s fabulous vacation and start feeling ho-hum about my day. No thanks. I’d rather live in the happy land of being oblivious to fact that others are lying on the beach or hiking the Rockies. I’ll look and be jealous later.

6.     No Pinterest! And this is pretty much the reason I have to even make a no-no list. Talk about wasting time. Though I do love it. I really, really love it. But, I don’t need to spend naptime building even more unrealistic expectations for myself. Unless I’m looking for a specific recipe or outfit idea, or what ever, stay away. Idea inspiration can wait.

7.     No online shopping. Instead, see #6 on the DO-IT list. Why spend money and add clutter to an already crazy situation. Plus online shopping can be a downer because it makes me want things I never knew existed, and definitely can’t afford.

Ok, that’s enough of the no-no’s. Now for the DO-IT list! There are some things that just cannot be done with babies clambering like zombies at my feet.

DO -IT during naptime:

1.    NAP! When you and if you can.

2.    Sit outside with a cup of coffee. Cheaper than therapy.

3.    Write. Whether it’s journaling or blogging. It helps me get my thoughts organized and reminds me that I went to school for a reason. Plus I better keep in practice of thinking. Someday the girls are going to need my help with homework.

4.    Mop the floors. It’s hard to keep the girls away from the cleaning solution filled waters while they’re awake. I save vacuuming for the waking hours though because they like the entertainment.  The vacuum is one of my best dancing partners. She really lets my dance moves shine, never steals the spotlight.

5.    Clean bathrooms. I’m not talking deep clean; I save that for when I have an extra adult on hand. Just wiping things down and a quick scrub of the toilet. I can’t do it while they are awake because once I have the cleaning gloves on, I can’t pick them up.

6.    Dig stuff out of the attic or the garage. Sometimes I like to go shopping through stuff that I have stored. You never know what you can find. It’s like a trip to Goodwill or Hobby Lobby for free. Can’t do this while the girls are awake because I can’t hear what’s going on while I’m digging.

Well this naptime has ended; time to go back to mommy land. I’ll have to remember to keep my naptime guidelines in mind for the next episode of “Clare and Elise take a nap”.

Again, Dr. Seuss said it best when he said, “Don’t cry because it’s over. Smile because it happened”.  And that’s how I feel about naptime.