Oh my gosh, the little ones are both asleep, both taking their naps... Ahhh, then a moment of frantic, what should I do first? How do I make the most of this time so that when they wake up, I feel refreshed, recharged, happy to welcome them back into the world of the awakened? (Rather than disappointed because the only thing I did while they were sleeping was wash dishes, do the meal prep, and clean the house...)
So, how to make the most of this precious time when the little ones are asleep? Reframe the emphasis not on what I should do while they're asleep, but rather on how I want to be, how I want to feel while I have some precious time to myself... Well, for me, I'd like to feel peaceful, creative, fulfilled... So, if my body's in need of some yoga time, I'll do some yoga, the silent, meditative, listen-to-my-body kind of yoga, or if my mind's running wild, I'll sit in the backyard or living room and quietly meditate on an uplifting prayer, mantra, feeling, or sensation, or maybe I'll creatively express myself through writing (like I'm doing now while the little ones are asleep), or maybe I'll put on some inspirational or calming music and do the meal prep (if I feel moved to do so) in a creative, mindful sort of way. The point is, during my down time, I try to make it as sacred as possible. And the thing is, the more I practice creating sacred, mindful, creative time in my free time when I don't have a lot of things pulling at my attention, the more I am able to integrate that way of being, that quality of being into all the other areas of my life... So that when I'm cleaning the house, I'm breathing, I'm listening to inspirational or meditative music, I'm focused on creating beauty, serving my family, myself by clearing space, clutter, mess, I am focused on feeding my soul... And when I'm with my kids, I'm focused on loving, patience, playing, compassion, I'm there, I'm all there, and I'm all here, right here wherever it is I am. So, it just so happens that today when the little ones fell into their slumber, I felt pulled to write, to creatively express, and now that I'm almost through with my writing, I feel called to breathe and do some hip opening yoga poses on the living room floor, and then maybe I'll book a few appointments that need booking, or I'll clean up the dishes from lunch because by then, I'll have done a few things that really nourished my soul that couldn't be done while the little ones were awake (such as write, do some uninterrupted yoga, pluck my eyebrows), and I'll do them with calm... Or maybe I'll take a shower, cause sometimes when you have two little ones, the best thing you can do while they're asleep is take a shower cause it's about that time...