Nap time around our house is sacred. I don't skip those two quiet hours as a general rule. Though I still can't quite figure out who needs it more - me or the kids - I'm thinking it is me. Judah totally passes out each time; Eve on the other hand still naps once in awhile, but more often than not though she just quietly plays in her room.I know many mothers use naptime to catch up on housework, make dinner, etc. but not this mother. Nap time is Andrea time. I am completely selfish for two hours. I eat my lunch, read, blog, sleep. Basically anything I want to do. Sometimes I just need to flop on the couch and sit there for a little while.
For me, the most enjoyable part of nap time is the quiet. I thrive on quiet. I am not an extrovert in any sense of the word. Being around people, while I thoroughly enjoy it, exhausts me - Daniel and Eve on the other hand - it energizes them. So naptime is my time to recharge, to regroup and pull myself together for the second half of my day with the kids.
And I think it is really important for the kids as well. We all need a break from each other. Eve needs some quiet time to use her imagination, to play with the toys Judah has tried to jack from her all day long, to color - create. Judah on the other hand simply needs sleep. Otherwise, he's a bear. And not a teddy bear either - he's a growling, angry, tired bear. No fun at all.
How do you deal with nap time at your house? I read a blog awhile ago that said she also does a quiet hour in the middle of her morning. She gates the kids in their rooms and takes that hour to do housework alone. This is in addition to nap time. Interesting...
My curious mind inquires about you....
18 Comments:
Oh How I miss Nap Time!
I don't get nap time anymore, but I do have a "quiet time". After 8:00 PM is mommy time. The girls are in their room, and even if they don't go to bed, they must be quiet. They read, play quietly, or snuggle with Harley.
I am so glad you decided to not cut Eve's hair. It is really beautiful. I am having a hard time with Ashley deciding that she wants to cut her hair, but I will not be there when she does it. I can't bear to watch.
both of the kids take naps and it is pure bliss. What I do during that time depends on the day. I usually carve out a few minutes to blog- if I have something to blog about, If housework needs to be done, I'll do that. Sometimes I'll make phone calls I need to make. Sometimes I do nothing at all- just sit and enjoy the quiet and not feel the least bit guilty about it. :)
When my son was young enough to be taking naps, I too enjoyed the naptime. Naptime was my time to recharge whether it was just reading a good book or even take a nap. Quiet time to myself was a gift.
No more nap times in our house but I instead I get several hours a day while they're in school for "me time". I too am like you in that noise exhausts me. I'm an only child and an introvert so I love having the house quiet every day.
We definitely do naptime. Juli went through a phase a month or so ago where she desperately tried to drop it - she would lay in her bed and talk and call us and play - and never sleep. I still made her stay in there for at least the hour, but it was a little disheartening. Especially because, on the days she didn't nap, she'd slide in to the "terrible two's" around 4 or 5pm. She's start losing her cool, whining, not obeying, etc. Not her normal self. But then, after about 2 weeks, she started sleeping again (yay!) and has taken a nap every day since. Unfortunately for me, I work from home, so nap time is my "get some actual work done" time. Hopefully the day will come again when I can do the other stuff I want to be doing during nap time!
I miss nap time . . . now that I have a 5yo, 4yo and 1yo, I don't get naps.
Sounds like you have a great routine going though!!
Nap time here is usually 3. Alli always took one as a baby then. Ty as well & now Shannon. I never really planned it that way it just happened?? Anyway, Shannon naps then & alot of times Ty as well. Allison of course doesn't but I use that time for Me! I will alo of times clean during that time though. But, it makes me happy because I can't get anything done with Shan behind my every step. But in general naptime is mommy's time here too!
I enjoy naptime as well! Some days i do housework, some I am on the net..sometimes i cross stitch..just depends on my mood that day! Sometimes i am on the net for a bit and then will go do housework or something. combinations work nice for me! LOL
My baby still takes a nap...and X will if he is super duper tired...but sometimes he will just have "downtime". M goes to school. Sometimes i feel guilty for looking forward to naptime!
Bless nap time!! Sometimes Braydon doesn't sleep, and that's okay with me, as long as he's quiet and in his room. I must say though on the days that he doesnt sleep hes a bear also!! I use this time usually to take a bath (my newest passion!!) and try to get a nap in myself. I'm enjoying my time by myself as I know that shortly, this time 'alone' will be slim to none. But I read Braydon a book, we say a prayer, and then I put on his flute & guitar CD that he loves.
I too, am a stickler when it comes to nap time. I don't let K skip nap hardly ever!!! K is a very active boy and I need a break...so I do as you do...whatever I feel like. I usually drink a cup of tea and catch up on-line or sometimes I nap too!! In the morning I do make K play by himself in the playroom (there are doors that I shut, but can still hear and see through...he actually really likes playing in there!)...otherwise, I would get no work done!
Oh I LOVE nap time... it's just ending right now.
I do the same as you... I take it all to myself. It's MY time. If I don't I get annoyed later in the day. LOL
hope you had a great 'nap time' today!
It's my time too. :) In the days of unlimited coffee consumption (when was that???) I'd enjoy a cup of coffee and hunt around online. Occassionally it becomes "get actual work done" time, but rarely... as I'm such a good procrastinator. Usually I convince myself to work on something about 7 minutes before she wakes up (or even less!) and then get frustrated. She's always been a pretty "attention-needy" kid, but now more than ever - I think she realizes something's up. today during naptime - finishing a book I started!
The one year old naps--even if that means she has to scream and cry in protest (with me rocking her and singing hymns beautifully off-key) The three year old has Quiet Time/Rest Time. She will maybe fall asleep once a week.
Nap time is whatever I FEEL like doing--reading, housework, messing on-line. No guilt allowed. (Well, I try to enforce that rule on myself)
I agree with you on the "we all need a break"
Ours is much the same as yours. The kids can sleep if they want (they often do) or they can just play quietly in their rooms. That time is the time that I use selfishly (usually!) and blog/email or read. Or nap. Or just sit and listen to the quiet of the house. Or watch the news. You get the point! It's my time! Since J. has been away, I have used that time every day to email back and forth with him, sort of like our own almost IM system :)
Nap time is so important to me! Noah sound slike Judah - unless he gets a good nap the rest of the day isn't very nice. I used to use nap time as mostly me time. The first 20 minutes I do a quick clean up and do laundry or ironing and the rest of nap time is me time. Now that I have Chloe, it's not so simple. I might end up with 30 or so minutes, but I'm sure soon I'll be able to get back to normal. Or at least I hope so!
I wish I had a naptime!! I keep saying that if the world would pause each day for a nap, we'd all be a little easier to get along with ;)
I love nap time. Miller goes down right after lunch around noon. He awakes around 2-2:30.....I do ME time. I blog or watch my soaps or work on meal plan. I dont clean the house. I clean in the mornings while Miller is crafting or watching a movie. I dont sit him in front of the tv....he gets about an hour in the morning of tv and then we listen to music or read....we craft alot. But nap time is precious to me as it is for me too. Sometimes I nap too.
I crave nap time! LOL I think I need it more than Kayla does :) She doesn't take a nap on the days she goes to school (since it's in the afternoon) but when she's off school (Wed, and the weekends etc) I still put her down for a nap and she goes right to sleep. I love naptime LOL My time for peace and quiet and to do whatever I want LOL
Post a Comment
Home