Can I Get Some Free Time Please?

Posted on 10.11.07 in General and there are 15 comments.

Wow. Having three kids has really thrown a kink into my free time.

When we had two, I usually had an hour or so in the afternoon while the girls napped and then 2-3 hours in the evening after they went to bed.

Now?

Well, no one naps at the same time and my 5 year old is beginning to not need a nap at all, so I rarely have any free time during the day.

The Smallest Person goes to bed between 8 and 8:30pm, so by the time the house is picked up Jimmy and I often don’t sit down until about 9 or 9:30pm. We try to go to bed by 11:30pm since our three little alarm clocks come in between 6 and 6:30am.

I used to have about 4 hours a day to find time to run, read my Bible, process paperwork, blog, shower, reply to emails, make phone calls and um...relax.

Now I have two hours.

So, if I haven’t called you back, replied to your email, acknowledged your comment, read your blog or if I’m a little stinky - that’s why.

How about you? How much free time do you have and what do you do with it?

*Free time is defined as any time period in which you can have complete uninterrupted thoughts and/or go to the bathroom alone.

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none, zilch, nota. 

Being a single mom to two toddlers, I am excited if I get a shower.

I have heaps, thanks!  The joys of being single.  I do work full-time, of course, but I really do have a fair amount of free time.

Crystal,
I seriously don’t know how you do it. Really. Perhaps you could drop the kids off for dinner at our house sometime and you could go eat a meal or get some coffe in peace.

Amy,
That’s awesome. Enjoy it. Savor it. Make the most of it. And occassionally....waste it...just because you can.

Free time is kindof my job.  Except for the five hours a week I teach, and the five that students may or may not come by, my job is to sit around and think deep thoughts.  It’s a blessing, but also sometimes a curse - wasting time is way too easy.

A lot.  My small person season is over; that happened in the wink of an eye, believe me.  Now my house is either filled with noisy, stinky teenagers - or empty.  Now I can go to the bathroom, give myself a pedi, go for a bike ride or rollerblading...whenever (mostly) I want.  Teenagers can 1) wait, 2) do it themselves, 3) get there under their own power, and 4) understand the need for privacy.  I work with little kids all day, and it’s such a pleasure to come home to my teenager!

Very, very little for me!  I have two young ones and work full time.  If I want to do something for ME (e.g., crochet, watch a movie, or play around on the computer), I stay up late.  So, I trade off some sleep for some free time.  It works for me.

Yes Kat, I do understand what your talking about. Its really HARD!
I have found myself at my capacity with four. The older girls are fine, I have them down, but the younger boys (remind you a 2 year old and 6 month old)-its CRAZY!  I steal a minute here or there to try to recharge or complete a task, but for the most part, I generally get about 30 minutes to myself during the day. The evenings are my favorite when everyone is off to bed.
Also, a lifesavor, is Mothers Day Out and a homeschooler comes over every other week. At least I can my time then.

I hear ya!

During nap times, I have my five year old lie down and rest for about 20 minutes, while the other two sleep, then when he hears the timer he gets up, so that is it during the day, and then at night I get about 1 1/2 to 2 hours before I fall asleep. 

Most mornings I try to wake up an hour before the kids, to pray and check e mails etc. 

Do you try to walk with all three?

A friend of mine recently gave me a note that said, “children make the days feel long and the years feel short.” so true.  All I can say is aprehend each moment, relish each day and don’t spend too much time dreaming of the future, because once your there you’ll reminance about the past realizing the time really did go by too fast.

I get more than most...but it’s not much w/homework. My homework never ends. I do stop and go get coffee with friends whenever I can...that makes my constant state of work/school/church stuff bearable.

I have more free time than I want, to be honest.  I work full time but am single and my teenage son is too busy with his friends to spend a lot of time with deal old mom.  BUT, I do remember the days when I longed for a few minutes to myself and I only had ONE!  I don’t know how people with three little ones do it but I admire you.  I promise - you will have much more free time as the kids get older (like it or not

suess you are right on. 

With 7 kids, most of my life has been pure chaos.  My wife was the stay at home mom for obvious reasons.  You have to remember that “to everything there is a season” and that those seasons sometimes change quickly and without notice.

Kat, I feel your pain.  Kat (my Kat) and I just accepted that this was our season.  We reveled in the self-sacrifice and being too busy, and teaching our kids to live a life that honors God.

But once a year, on our anniversary, we fled for 3 days.  No kids, no cell phone, one call a day to check on things and lots of time with each other.  We slept in, ate pizza in bed while watching movies, had you know what alot (lets face it, there is not enough time for that either), and just enjoyed each others company. 

It was three days of heaven, but we could hardly wait to get back to the kids. 

Some of the kids are adults now. The kids are not little anymore, and have moved into that independent phase.  We are much less busy with them now, but, to every thing there is a season.  I am excited to see what season God has next for me.

I work.  Sometimes my wife is jealous.

MamasBoy,
You work.

And your wife does....?

I know what you mean, but I just had to give you a hard time.

I can totally relate to your situation--I found that I had quite a bit of free time with only two little ones, and my baby (almost three months) sort of threw a wrench into that well-oiled machine.  I do look forward to mornings my husband is home so that I can take a shower ALL BY MYSELF! 

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