What would you do with 15 hours to yourself?
When I was a kid, summer was all about camp. Tennis camp, Swimming camp, Volleyball camp, Basketball camp, Piano Camp (that was only once) and even two years of Space Camp.
I thought my parents sent me to camps for the growth opportunities they provided. I could improve as an athlete! I would gain knowledge! I would make new friends and gather pen pals from all over the country! I was pretty sure it was all about me.
But I'm older and wiser now and I've figured it out: camp was for mom. Camp was a blessed 15-30 hours a week - more for the overnights! - of mom-time.
Last week was the first time in 3 - no, 5! - years that I've had a 3 hour block of time completely to myself when I wasn't on a plane or going to see a doctor. And even those doctor appointments, while blessedly kid-free, only last about an hour. I was staring down 5 of those blocks of time - Fifteen glorious hours of productivity. I'd been looking forward to them since I turned in those camp registration forms six weeks ago. (I'd even had to pull some strings to get Chloe in, since she was supposed to be 3 by January. She'll be 3 on Monday).
I had big plans! My list, which grew daily, looked something like this:
I thought my parents sent me to camps for the growth opportunities they provided. I could improve as an athlete! I would gain knowledge! I would make new friends and gather pen pals from all over the country! I was pretty sure it was all about me.
But I'm older and wiser now and I've figured it out: camp was for mom. Camp was a blessed 15-30 hours a week - more for the overnights! - of mom-time.
Last week was the first time in 3 - no, 5! - years that I've had a 3 hour block of time completely to myself when I wasn't on a plane or going to see a doctor. And even those doctor appointments, while blessedly kid-free, only last about an hour. I was staring down 5 of those blocks of time - Fifteen glorious hours of productivity. I'd been looking forward to them since I turned in those camp registration forms six weeks ago. (I'd even had to pull some strings to get Chloe in, since she was supposed to be 3 by January. She'll be 3 on Monday).
I had big plans! My list, which grew daily, looked something like this:
- organize 3 large bins, 2 boxes and 2 bookshelves of piano music
- reorganize playroom, purge toy collection
- Do some mom-only shopping. Swimsuit shopping with 2 kids is, I believe, in the 8th circle of hell.
- Make sense of random photos stashed in various places all over the house
- Work on our home "discipline" chart and establish a better system of accountability for the kids
- Write the next great American novel
- Read the last great American novel
- Join a gym
- Work out every day
- Lose 10 pounds
- Learn some new recipes
- Blogalot
- Re-create all the ipod playlists we lost in the recent "oops
- Joined a gym
- Worked out every day
- Discovered that after 45 minutes of cardio and a leisurely, uninterrupted shower, 3 hours really just isn't that much time
- Checked some e-mail
- Determined that maybe 2 weeks of camp isn't going to be enough
Comments
check out www.accountablekids.com
their system works for me...as long as we stick with it...and it's easier to stick with than other things...
I wish I could let myself do the pampering thing - I do plan to go next week for a pedicure...but between projects! Maybe I can take a book and multi-task. :)
Noelle, your time is coming! :)