Quiet Time

Two days a week I have some alone time. My older children are in public school and my youngest goes to mother's day out. The few hours of alone time I have on those two days is PRICELESS!!!

I have come home after dropping the little one off and just stood in the house enjoying the quiet. There is something wonderful about being able to take a shower with the door closed and take as long as I want. I can pick up a book and become absorbed in another world without fear of distraction. Then there are the days I come home and play some music really loud...like really loud. Usually it is music I don't listen to with the kids: Disturbed, Korn, Rob Zombie. (I LOVE these bands.)

When my husband and I got married, we had already talked about the number of children we wanted. Our magic number was 3. I knew I wanted to have them close together so that they would be able to share experiences. (I am the oldest of three myself. My brother is 3.5 years younger than me and my sister is 16 years younger. My little sister felt more like my child than a sibling.)

What is life like with three children under 7? Chaotic, hectic, LOUD, exhausting, wonderful. Having known we wanted three children close together means that you will never hear me say raising them is "hard." I am the kind of person who carefully thinks about big decisions so that I know what to expect. Of course having three small kids is hard, but then again, so is life.

Life is only as hard as you make it. I have found that often if I just change my focus or switch the way I think about something, it will be different. Sometimes even just giving myself permission to let something go and put it in God's hands is enough to turn it around.

I enjoy my quiet time. I enjoy being able to read, watch what I want on TV, look at Pinterest, or even take a nap. I enjoy quiet time more because it is rare in our household. One day my kids will be older and I will have more quiet time while they are home. I think this will make me a little sad; to know that my children are home but want nothing to do with me. I cherish this time while my children are young knowing it is all too fleeting and rare. After all, children are only small once in their lives.