Things I anticipate most when my kids finally go the eff to sleep!
The moment our precious little ones' heads hit the pillow is a pretty awesome one. Don’t get me wrong, I love my kids more than life itself, but gosh do they wear me out!
In our home, we jokingly call the hours between 6:30-7:30 “the witching hour” because this is when our kids turn into little witches as we try to wrangle them, go through their bedtime routine, and get them the eff to sleep. It’s not always easy, and sometimes there are tears (sometimes coming from me), but to finally get a little bit of peace, we have to see it through.
I look forward to a bit of down-time at the end of the day to decompress from the constant go, go, go after a day of being in what feels like survival mode.
After all, I deserve it.
These are the things I anticipate most when my kids finally go the eff to sleep.
1. Binge-watching American Horror Story.
Or binge-watching anything for that matter, but this is what my husband and I are watching currently. The thing about having this time to watch a show with my husband is that we don’t agree on much when it comes to shows, so when we find something we both love, it’s amazing. We don’t always have the extra money for a babysitter, so this time is special, and I look forward to it.
2. Eating my secret Keto snickerdoodle cookies.
I’ve been living the Keto lifestyle since July and have never felt more amazing. But I also have a sweet tooth. To keep this lifestyle going so that my body can reap the benefits (increased energy, better digestion, and weight loss), I have sweet treats available when I “need” them. This week it was snickerdoodle cookies, and no one was going to touch them besides me.
3. Sex.
Because no one is having sex when there is a toddler sleeping in your room.
4. Scrolling through my Facebook groups.
Guilty pleasure alert. I’m in a lot of Facebook groups for writers, bloggers, moms, etc., and don’t always have the time to be current during the daylight hours. You might call me a lurker, but I love to scroll and scroll and digest everything I missed out on during the day.
5. Doing a self-care routine.
It’s hard to do a face mask during the day because my toddler gets really scared of the charcoal one I’m currently using (I do see why). Self-care is saved for when the kids go to bed, and I relish that time.
6. Reading.
This is what you’ll find me doing on a night where my husband and I just finish binge-watching a series and haven’t yet agreed on another one, or my daughter is in deep enough sleep for me to turn on my bedside table lamp.
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7. Going to the bathroom alone.
We all talk about just wanting five minutes to effing pee alone, and I feel that so hard by the end of the day. It’s one of those things you never thought you’d say — and then you became a parent. During the day I feel like I have to keep the bathroom door open or else I can’t hear what my 14-month-old is getting into in the living room. But most of the time, she just follows me in, gets into things that are out of my reach when I’m on the toilet, and I’m left with a mess to clean up. Just being able to pee alone truly is what #momgoals are made of.
8. Going through our budget.
I know, I know. There’s nothing fun about going through the budget, but the obsessive part of me can’t rest until I do, and I kind of look forward to it. I either get really excited when we’re ahead of the budget for the week or end up scolding my husband for the expensive lunch he had while I scarfed down leftovers (not cool). Either way, it’s a relaxing routine that has become a part of my evenings.
9. Not sweeping the floor for more than 10 minutes at a time.
My daughter spills things on our hardwood floors constantly throughout the day. Crumbs. Drinks. Yogurt. You name it — she’s dropped it. Because of this, I’m always sweeping or mopping, and I hate it. I love having a moment when I get to put down the damn mop and not think about it until the next morning.
10. Just thinking about my needs.
This is the biggest and most important one of them all. Very rarely throughout the day do I ever get to ask the question, “What do I want to do?” It never happens. It’s all about the kids, their routines, and work. So at night, when everything has been put to bed (even the computer), and I’m able to relax, it’s pretty much all about me. I don’t see a damn thing wrong with that. Motherhood is great, but we need a little bit of freedom, too.
