I always roll my eyes when people talk about the extra hour of sleep they're going to get when the clocks fall back in autumn. As if any one with young children gets the opportunity to sleep in... the kids never sleep an extra hour.
Although, I must confess it is getting easier. Now that the girls are able to get up on their own, turn on the tv to their favourite shows, and even manage to get some cereal to stave off their hunger, we have been lucky enough to actually sleep in a little bit on the weekends.
(Actually, this new-found weekend routine has taken me by surprise. I was very proud of myself when I registered the girls for a 9 o'clock gymnastics class on Saturday mornings this fall. Thinking that the girls and I would be awake early enough anyways, it was a good opportunity to get up and out of the house, leaving more time for other things the rest of the day. Of course, it's been in the last few weeks that the kids have settled into a weekend routine of heading down to the tv and leaving us alone to sleep for a while longer. There has been more than one Saturday morning when I've awakened in a panic later than 8 am, frantically organising breakfast, leotards and ponytails before rushing out the door!)
But, an extra hour in a weekend - so many things I could do with it! I've written in the past about my internal debate of whether or not to sacrifice weekend time for a nap. But now that even the younger of my kids are less likely to voluntarily settle down for a weekend snooze, I'm finding my choice to nap is being affected too. Oh, I still love a nap. It's just that there are so many other things to fill the time.
Take today, a incredibly rare 25 hour day. Even today, I didn't nap. A choice I may now be regretting. But what did I do instead? How did I spend my extra hour?
I began my day with a reorganisation of my spice rack and pantry, interspersed with cut-and-paste assistance.
After making pancakes, I took the girls to church, followed by a quality lunch of Chef-Boy-R-Dee ravioli and veggies with dip.
Then, instead of napping, I ran almost 10 kilometres. This is a recent trend which really makes me wonder what is happening to me... choosing to run instead of nap... what on earth is going on?
After my own lunch, and a small sit down to watch a fashion design competition by my girls, I headed to the grocery store with my youngest to pick up dog food, paper towels and baking powder. Things I've missed from my past three or four grocery trips.
Yard work followed by dinner preparation interruption by kids squabbling over costumes and dress-up.
Vacuuming (first time in weeks!), bedtime routine, laundry folding, making for tomorrow, clothes away-putting, and finally some blogging (first time in months!)...
How did you spend your extra hour today?
