If there is one thing I have come to value since becoming a mom, it’s downtime. And the busier I get as a mom, the more I need it. It’s a matter of simple supply and demand: once my supply of downtime dwindled down to nothing, it’s value shot up.
This week, after a busy and chaotic holiday season, my older kids are back at college and my younger kids are back in their regular school routines. Although I miss them a ton, I’m secretly savoring the alone time. That’s because I finally get to indulge in a few of my favorite pastimes, including….
1. Reading
I admit to being a little nerdy, but reading is my #1 downtime activity. I’m seriously obsessed with books. I even created a Pinterest board just to celebrate how much I love books in my (and other people’s) home. I love to escape to a different world, with new characters I haven’t met yet and new situations and plot lines and locations…and when the book ends I nearly always feel a little bit sad to say goodbye.
2. Exercise
Bear with me on this one. I don’t usually look forward to exercising…actually I never look forward to it. But once I get started, and it actually starts to feel good, then I’m like, hey why don’t I do this every day? And then I remember, oh yeah, I DO do this every day but I usually dread it. And then I’m like, wait I should get more psyched about this because it feels pretty good in my body.
So, exercise is not exactly what I actively look forward to in my downtime…but I always feel good afterward, and I never regret doing it.
3. TV
I almost never watch regularly scheduled tv anymore, other than my favorite news shows. Now though, I’ve followed my kids’ leads and gotten into binge-watching my favorite shows online. Recently, I’ve enjoyed Ozark and Penny Dreadful. And currently, I’m in the process of rewatching each season of Game of Thrones, because IT’S JUST THAT GOOD and quite honestly it’s even better the second time around — I’m picking up on way more and getting more out of it.
What types of activities do you enjoy during your downtime?