So my daily existence looks something like this:
work day: get up at 5:55 AM. Take foster dog for 20 minute jog. Change clothes, throw yogurt, granola bar and tea bag into canvas sack, drive to work. Work until 5:30 p.m. Drive home. Play with girls for half an hour while Mitch makes dinner (pick tomatoes with Lucy, turn Josie upside down, pet Jeb the foster dog). Eat dinner. Wash girls. Watch 30 minutes of Sesame street with Lucy. Put Lucy to bed. Collapse in exhausted heap on couch. Watch 1.5 hours of something on t.v. - typically some t.v. show like the Wire on DVD. Talk to Mitch for 20 minutes or so about our life. Go to bed exhausted. Repeat.
weekend day: get up at 6:30 a.m. with Josie. Play with Josie until 7:00 a.m. when Lucy gets up. Walk foster dog or run foster dog and girls to dog park. Hang out with girls until 9:30 or so when Mitch gets up (I get to sleep in until 9:30 one weekend day per week). Put Josie down for her nap around 9:30. Around 10:30 go do something with the family (zoo, park, beach, etc.). Have lunch. Put girls down for nap. Take own nap. Get up in the afternoon and go to the park. Make dinner. Play with girls. Wash girls. Put girls to bed. Watch dvds. Go to bed.
Sometimes we manage to squeeze in some laundry or vacuuming or grocery shopping. I typically read a little bit (like 15 or 20 minutes) in the evening. Sometimes Mitch squeezes in a quick sail. Sometimes I go out for tea with Elise.
Life is good and I like hanging out with the girls and Mitch. Still there are days when I wonder where the days go. How can the whole day go away without my finding time to clean the bathroom, let alone do some yoga? I try to think about what life was like before the girls and it seems like it would be such an uninterupted sea of available time, it is somehow unimaginable. I know that wasn't how it felt at the time and I had difficulty finding time to clean the bathroom before I had kids too. What did I do with all of that time before? Before their were two little people with needs on the scene? I can totally see how people lose themselves and their lives in the parenting process. I can totally see how you wake up 20 years from now saying, "who am I and what did I used to like to do???"
We're trying to make sure that won't happen to us but whoa, those girls do suck one in... Here's to maintaining at least some sense of self with the gardening, tea drinking, book reading, friend talking to, and occasional yoga. If anyone remembers what I used to do in my previous pre-child existence, let me know...
2 comments:
I know, I know! You used to go bouldering on the east side and sit on rocks. Funny though - no one in that picture does that any more - kids or not...
I realize this wasn't at all the intent of your post, since I know that you love being a mommy, but this is a great summary of why I don't want kids - I'm not at all willing to give up all the ME time. I don't feel like I have nearly enough of it as it is (get home from work, and before I know it, it's time for bed), and can't imagine living with just a few minutes each day to read, exercise, etc... I know this is over-simplifying and you can make time for yourself, etc... anyway - I admire those of you willing to make that kind of sacrifice of personal time. Me, I'm way to selfish.
Well, you still do some of the things you used to do, just not as frequently or for as long when you do do them. Your life will become your own again, and not just 20 years from now. It won't be long before you're wiping your eyes because they're off to school living their own little kooky lives. In my own experience, what really sucks up one's free time is having to be away from home for some 11 or 12 hours a day, driving to work for The Man. Hats off amiga!
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