why quiet time is for mom

Today is a school holiday and Jason is off work.

Yay, right?

Not always.

Kids (my kids, at least) really strive on structure and routine. So days that we don't do our normal daily routine (school holidays and pretty much every Saturday) are really, really hard. I know it's totally my fault. I always want to sleep in and laze around and not do my normal stuff, either. The result is a definite increase in  freak-outs and decrease in productivity.

Like: my Monday chore is to clean the kitchen, and my January chore is to deep-clean the kitchen. Today I was going to tackle the pantry. I also need to pick up around the house (the tornado that is a weekend always does a number on it) and clean up the playroom. Instead we went to Target, I hung a shelf in the bathroom, and after a quick lunch, I escaped upstairs for quiet time.

I felt a little bit of guilt as I went up the stairs and left behind the messy living room, the dishes in the sink, the big girls to entertain themselves for an hour. But then I reminded myself how I would feel after an hour to myself: refreshed. Patient. Ready to work together to clean up the house and have a nice afternoon. And I didn't feel bad for taking for myself anymore.