"Me Time"

That has been a topic on my homeschooling email loop. As with a lot of things, "me time" depends a lot on my own family. "Me time" is a great concept! But, I don't think it is necessary, for me, in my family, to make me a better mom or prevent divorce or screaming at the kids or any other reason for "needing" "me time."

In fact, during this season in my life, our life, it adds more stress. For this season in our family, daddy prefers me home. He has a stressful job (deputy). So, it is my job to attempt to make our home a type of sanctuary. And, right now, in our life, if I am not home things get pretty chaotic. Well, they are chaotic when I am home but I provide a buffer, I guess. Well, I am not really sure what I do when I am home, but for right now daddy prefers me here ;). And I am more than OK with it.

The flip side is, if there is something I really, really want to do, I go with daddy's blessing and absolutely no guilt. And that happens every once in awhile. And I am totally OK with that. For the most part, I prefer it that way. As a friend of mine said "If you are trying to get out of the house because it is stressful. Then that stress has to be picked up by some one else."

I take my "me time" where ever I can get it and boy do I enjoy it and appreciate it and don't take it for granted. Doctor and dentist appointments are wonderful. I always take my "for pleasure" book. I try most mornings to get up about an hour before the kids and pray, read my bible and any other parenting/child rearing/marriage book I am currently studying. We try to have quiet time every day but that can be hit or miss depending on what is going on. The kids are usually in bed at a reasonable hour, which provides me down time at the end of the day to do whatever. Sometimes "me time" is just taking one, two or three kids as oppose to ALL the kids. Right now "me time" is a spontaneous trip to Lake Ella. Or sending the big kids outside to play with the neighborhood boys. Or when daddy decides to take the big kids to the movies and it just happens to be at EG's nap time. I works for me, for us, during this season.

"Me time" is a great concept if it doesn't become a thing that I feel is owed to me. "Me time" is a great concept if it doesn't cause undue stress on the family as a whole. Our lives are made up of seasons. And I am fairly certain there will be a season, sooner rather than later, that I will have more than my fill of "me time" . . .