Let me just preface this by saying that I absolutely love being a mom and a wife. I love my family and I love having the opportunity to serve them and make their lives the best that I can.
That being said, I've been feeling a little overwhelmed lately. Between cleaning, cooking, feeding, washing, folding, playing, shopping, teaching, church, and the other million little things I feel like I need to do, I don't have much time to do things I want to do.
The funny thing is that most of these things I WANT to do are actually things that benefit more than just me. Like refinishing the kitchen cupboards, or finishing our family scrapbooks (I'm in 2006 now, hooray!). Unfortunately, there always seem to be other tasks that take priority, so nothing ever gets done and I feel unproductive.
Therefore, I have officially instituted the "hour of Megan". Basically this means that I get ONE FULL HOUR every day to do whatever I want to do. I don't care if the shower needs to be cleaned or the laundry done--I still get my hour. I can read a book. I can play the piano. I can blog. I can scrapbook. Or I can just surf the Internet and totally waste my time. But it's my hour, and I don't have to feel guilty about things that don't get done.
I feel like this is a good thing all around. When I'm getting my little projects done, I feel like I'm actually accomplishing something (as opposed to the "one eternal round" of household chores Spencer so accurately described). When I feel productive, I'm much happier and have more energy to do all the other things.
Jon is totally supportive of this, and I try to make sure he has his time to play his games (or read, but usually play) so all's fair. And I'm not a stickler about it--if I don't get my full hour because Seth decides he needs my undivided attention all day long, then that's okay. There's always tomorrow (anybody else singing the song from those claymation Christmas movies now? Cause I am).
So excuse my messy house (and messy baby) while I take up part of my hour to blog. And yes, feel free to ask me how this is going to work when Seth stops napping. Answer: no stinking idea. I'm not thinking that far ahead. :)
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
The "Me" Hour
at 1:11 PM
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
6 comments:
I can sympathize with working all day and still not feeling productive.
Good for you! I find this hard too, and have a hard time leaving things "undone" to do what I want. You inspire me-at least once life settles down a little bit-to do more of that.
good for you Megan! We all need those hour a day guilt free time!
Wish I could have one. Problem with two kids is that it often comes down to either a 'me hour' or a 'husband hour' and it's often a hard choice. Usually I opt for the husband, whom I love dearly and miss when I don't spend time with him. But it means that I also end up frustrated because I don't get my own projects done. (Current project: catching up our photo albums. The most recent I have is Jan 2007- Max isn't even born yet.) You're lucky you get to stay home and have complete control of your time!! This is one reason we're thinking that two is plenty!
Hi Megan, this is Natalie from Nauvoo. How are you doing? That is a great idea to have an hour for you. Perfect! I think I do that when Sydia is napping. I just take a little time each day to do some scrapbooking, blog, or exercise. It really helps my sanity. Good Job.
So how it works when your child stops taking naps is one of two ways depending. One is the DVD, which works and captivates the child but leaves you feeling a little icky as a parent. The other is to tell them that although the nap has gone quiet time has not and then let them play in their room with their favorite toys for the hour. Neither is quite as nice as the nap though.
Post a Comment