Recently a friend who was helping care for her toddler niece and colicky baby nephew asked me via text how moms have time to brush their hair or get a cup of coffee. I laughed and wrote back that those things happen when nice Aunties come to visit, but it did get me thinking about how my personal time management has changed since the baby.
Probably the most significant difference is how I use baby-free time. Specifically, there have been occasions when the following things were more important to me than showering:
– sleep
– food
– coffee
– writing
– a chat with an old friend
– cleaning (I’m a Virgo, remember?)
– a quick escape, i.e., a visit to my favorite websites
– quality time with my husband
– quality time with a heating pad
And yes, I do occasionally put the kiddo in the pack-n-play for five minutes while I shower. I know he’s safe in there, and I leave the door open so I can hear him and talk to him. But that also means I rush through the process, which takes a lot of the pleasure out of it. And yeah, I know, that sounds weird, but when you haven’t showered for a few days and you know the kid is going to be asleep for at least 45 minutes, there is a whole lot of joy to be found under a stream of hot water.
Mama-Come-Lately 
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