Free Time

While life has changed for the better since I have had kids.   Having 3 kids, working full time, running between meetings and practices life can get pretty crazy.  We don’t have a lot of free time, and some days are pretty time crunched to get everything done that I need to.    I often find myself in conversations with others or thinking to myself “when the kids are a little bit older, I will be able to do BLANK.    This got me thinking about my top 10 things I hope I will have time to do in the next 5 years.

Here they go
10.  be able to get 8 hours of uninterrupted sleep in a night
9.  Get six pack Abs’s
OOPS wrong list, this is my list if I ever run into my fairy Godmother.  I got confused on my list since 8 hours sleep is on both list.  Can u tell I really want sleep!!

Any ways, back to my top 10 things I want to be able to have time for when the kids are a little older

10.  I want to be able to get 8hours  uninterrupted sleep.  Just ask my Husband it has been 7 ½ years since we have had 8hrs of continues sleep. At this point that seems so far fetched that’s why I have it on my fairy godmother list!

9.  I want to work on my yard.  I love this time of year.  I want to sit outside on my patio and admire all the flowers.  I want to have a garden.  I try to tell myself right now I am nurturing 3 of the most important things I will ever raise and there is always a time for flowers but you only get so many years to spend with your children.  However I do hate being surrounding by neighbors who have nothing but time to spend on their yards and feeling like “that house in the neighborhood”

8.  I want to be able to go shopping by myself.  The thought of going grocery shopping without grubby little hands throwing Oreo and fruit snacks into my cart would be a dream come true...  I want to go swimsuit shopping without little eyes staring at me and asking me if we are done yet.  I want to go to all the stores on my list and not be cut short because someone is having a meltdown.  Lastly I want a 5 min shopping trip to last only 5 minutes not to be dragged out for 30 minutes because I have little people who want to walk slowly behind me or away from me, or they have to use the bathroom.  Don’t even get me started on the toy aisles!!!


7.    I want to be able to work out 5 days a week.  I love working out, it makes me feel good and it makes me healthy.  Unfortunately things like work and sick kids get in the way of working out 5 days a week.  Right now if I get 3 days in a week I am not crabby.   Sometime I even get in 4 or 5 days a week in and I am really happy but unfortunately there are some weeks I only get in 1 or two times in and it makes me not happy.  So I am looking forward to the days I have a little more time to focus on myself.  It hardly seems fair when you are in your 20’s and your body is naturally slim you have all time in the world to work out, now that I need a little help I have no time.

6.  I want a clean house.  OK don’t get me wrong my house is no pigpen but it is not as clean as I would like it to be.   When I have more time I won’t have loads of laundry stacked up waiting to be folded.  My kitchen and bathroom floor will be washed on a weekly, my beds will be made regularly.  My closets and drawers will be organized, I will vacuum daily. Unfortunately right now something has to give and if it comes down to changing the sheets or going out and playing a game of horse with Cody, I am going to choose horse because that is more important but I do dream of a spotless, well organized house but until than you will notice hand prints on my glass doors and crumbs on my kitchen floor

5.  I love photos; I love taking them but never seem to have time to do anything with them besides posting them on face book now and and then.  I love digital cameras but all my photos seem to be stuck on a memory stick.  A few years ago I made 2 digital photo albums which went through two years of photos.  I love them.  I had a copy printed for me and one for each of the kids to put away for them.  They are awesome.  I planned to do one for every year of photos but now I am two years behind and those photos just sit on that memory stick.   So once I have some more time, I will finish those books because they will be a great gift to give my children someday.

4. .  I want to read books and watch movies.  I can't think of the last time I read a good book.  I have to admit I read nothing but Fluff books.  They are simple pleasures that I do enjoy.  My husband laughs at the books I choose.  I love those romance types.  Reading books remind me of times when I had nothing but time on my hands.  Going along with this theme is watching movies.  The last dozen movies we have rented I have not made it to the end.  I can't stay awake.  Between working different shifts and being woke up all night by a hungry 1 year old and I am exhausted.  Hopefully one of these times I will make it to the end 


3.  I want to be able to spend more alone time with my husband.  I miss my Husband.  I know that marriage and date nights should be a priority but sometime life gets in the way of how things should be.  Right now Steve and I work different day off schedules and different shifts so are children can be in limited daycare while we both work full time.   This is something that is important to me because I was lucky enough to have a stay at home mom.  So hopefully once the kids are in school full time we will both be able to work day shift and have the same day off schedule.    So hopefully soon enough I will be able to do a weekly date night with my husband and let him know how much I appreciate him, however until than he will have to settle with my staring at him across from my desk at work and giving him a little friendly pinch to the behind when no one is looking as he is leaving work to go get the kids

2.     I want to be able to shower, shave my legs, and wash my hair, all on a daily basis.  I know it is not asking much but I am sad to report that is a very rare day when I can accomplish all 3 of those all in one day.  Some days it is hard enough to get a shower in let alone washing my hair and shaving my legs.  Most days I only have about 20 minutes to shower and get ready for work, So that means if I am showering I’m wearing my old lady shower cap so my hair does not get wet because I don’t have time to blow dry it and straighten it.  My older sister thinks I am gross because there have been few times I have gone more than a week without washing my hair.  Please don’t think less of me, I am just being honest.  Also going along with this I would love to have time to do all the fun girly things I seem never have enough time to do like, nail polish, eyeliner, curling irons….etc

1.    I want to be fun again.   Sometimes I feel like I don’t know how to have fun anymore.  I know how to do fun things with or for my kids but sometime I feel like I have lost my fun self.    It seem like I am so worried about getting kids to bed, or up for school, or how they will be for the babysitter, or wasting time off on myself that I never do anything just for me.    OK so anyone else feeling like this let’s start Thirsty Thursday, Margarita Monday, Slamming Saturday's; I don’t care what you call it.  When I am not so needed I want to meet a group of mom’s out once a month and learn how to be fun again.  Who is in?

So to my children I want you to know that having kids is great but sometimes life is crazy busy and sometime you just plain and simple drive me crazy.    I know someday I will look back at this post and laugh because you will be away and college and I don’t know what to do with myself but right now I do miss having sometime to myself.  So now you know what is on my top 10 list, what is on yours?