making good use of his naptime

Look at me, I’m blogging during my allotted writing time. That is bad. But is it better than slacking entirely? Is it better than posting on my mommy boards, or going downstairs to watch The View? After all, I am sitting in a chair, at my computer, and I am writing. I think it’s a step in the right direction.

My baby naps, on average, four hours every day. One of those daytime hours must be spent pumping (don’t worry male readers – I am not going to talk about pumping 😉 ), so that leaves me three good hours to be my own person.

I am still, after six months, trying to fine tune this balance of being a mommy and trying to maintain some sense of my individual self. Maybe I’ll be working at this balance the rest of my life? But I think I’ve learned something here, so let me humor myself.

During his naptime, I will do the things that he doesn’t allow me to do while he’s awake.

You would think that sounds so simple, but it really just occured to me. I haven’t been doing that. Or more precisely, I haven’t determined exactly what those things are. The laundry, for example. Don’t fold the laundry while he’s sleeping. Sit on the floor and fold laundry while he’s playing. And look, he thinks I’m playing too! Writing cannot be done while he’s awake, so naptime is writing time. Don’t watch TV while he’s sleeping (actually, don’t watch TV at all). Don’t do the dishes or clean the house while he’s sleeping. Working out cannot be done while he’s awake (it actually could if we had a finished basement, but ick, I can’t bring him downstairs with the spiders! Knowing him, he would probably try to pick one up and put it in his mouth!) and showering cannot be done while he’s awake. So naptime is workout and shower time. Makeup and hair brushing can be done while he’s awake.

Do you ever figure out this parenting business? Do you ever get to a point where you think, hey, I know what I’m doing now?