Where do you find the time ... ?

I hate this question, because it's a loaded one. Answer one way, and you're bragging. Another, and you're blowing them off.

"Where do you find the time to do freelance work? Write a book? Paint the bedroom?" And the unasked question, "What didn't you do so you could work/write/paint?" This immediately conjures images of laundry piles ignored and children wandering listlessly around the house, dirty and bored.

We all instinctively know what's possible during a day. And you'll never meet another person whose priorities are perfectly matched to your own. The real question is, does the family work? Is the dynamic working for everyone?

Things are easier for me this year than last. Last year, I had a newborn and a three year old who went to school two times a week. This year, my one year old naps while why four year old goes to school three afternoons a week. And I have a babysitter who comes by for a couple hours once a week so I can run the errands and do the tasks that are less kid friendly (who wants to stand at the DMV with children?)

There's been a stiff learning curve, but I'm feeling like we're finally managing to strike a healthy balance that gives me some adult time. And the trips we take to the zoo and the playground together are much more fun when I'm refreshed.

So I'm riding a high of welcome personal time and hoping it continues. And if I do laundry one less time each week to finish a chapter, everyone in my household seems to understand.

Got a minute?

For yourself, that is?

I'm generally a tense ball of mess. My friends will tell you I'm anxious. A worrywart. So it doesn't take a lot to get me really worked up.

But I get there a lot faster when I forget what's keeping me going. For me, that's writing time. Me time. It doesn't have to be much. But I've got all of these ideas rambling around in my head. And if I don't take a bit of time to let them out, I just plain explode.

It isn't pretty.

Now, it's not really a big fireworks event. But I get a little snippy, a little less patient with the kids. I find it hard to concentrate or sit still.

So instead of doing that one more thing before I have my me time, I'm going to schedule it right into my day. If it's right there on my to-do list, I can't skip it, right?

My Space

When we first bought our house, it seemed like an incredible amount of space for us and our two kitties. Enter dog. And kids. No surprise I've been feeling a little cramped lately.

If there's one thing I miss, it's my office. I foolishly thought because I so must of my work on the laptop I just didn't need office space. I didn't account for the tools of my trade: books, folders, photography equipment, digital recorders, notebooks, pens ... the list goes on and on. So I do most of my work at the dining room table with my stack of goods next to me.

But a little personal space is pretty critical. I never felt the need more than this last year, after the birth of my daughter. Not only did we lose a bedroom to our new addition, she took over ours. With a co-sleeper attached to the bed, she was firmly entrenched as a partial owner of my space.

The good news: She sleeps through the night now. In her own bed. And taking the co-sleeper down prompted another action: a spiff up of the bedroom, complete with paint, new bedding, drapes ... the works. No more an alternative feeding space. Goodbye burp cloths, binkies, and the like. This is serious adult space.

I love my kids ... and I love having my space, too.

Today, I promise to:

1. Spend at least 30 minutes relaxing in my space
2. Find a quiet time to write
3. Read

What will you do for yourself today?