I would love to say that this is when I clean the house, do the laundry, get dinner started, etc., but that would be a big, fat lie! When DS naps (and DD is at school), I totally take that time to myself...I watch something I have on the DVR, Facebook or take a little nap myself. Yeah, I know there are many things I could be doing that would be way more productive, but that 2 hours that I get to myself makes me a much happier, refreshed mama which, in turn, makes me a much better mama to my kids!
If you are wondering when I get all those things done, I usually make the beds and straighten the house and stuff in the mornings after breakfast when DS is playing with his toys. Laundry just gets done sporatically during the day whenever there is a load that needs to get washed and then I usually fold and put away after they go to sleep at night. I make dinner after DS's nap when he is having a snack and watching Max & Ruby (he gets to watch 2 episodes/day). Thankfully, we have the house thoroughly cleaned every other week by a sweet older couple. If it weren't for that, I'm sure I would have to do alot more during nap time to keep up with everything.
Just curious if any other SAHM's do what I do...
Re: Be Honest...What do you do when LO naps?
Brady Phoenix, 8.29.09
Claire Zoe, 10.26.10
More often than not I do some combination of the following: eat ice cream, FB, email, bump, fold laundry, take a shower, get mail, take out trash, etc.
I'd say its a mix of 70% relaxation and 30% productivity, on average.
Naps? What's that? LOL!
The only one that naps is DS.........so, both girls are up all day. I don't have a lot of free downtime. I get 1 hour while the girls watch TV, and I'm usually on The Nest, straightening up (the girls help with this) and preparing for dinner.
There have been a handful of times that I have napped on the sofa in the playroom while the girls are watching TV.........
Right now since I am pregnant with twins, I take the whole 2 1/2 - 3 hours and do nothing productive. I sit with my feet up, drink ice water, eat, watch TV/movies, Facebook, Bump, blog, or even nap. It's really nice. It took me awhile to get over the guilt of being that big of a bum, but all twin moms and books recommend resting as much as possible. It has helped since I am entering my 3rd trimester and have zero problems and no signs of the possibility of pre-term labor. Of course I guess I could have had that even if I was productive all day everyday, but I am going with the rest helped. I know that it definitely keeps me from getting sore/dehydrated/as exhausted.
Normally I would relax some and do some things. Since I only have one DS and he is pretty good, I get a good amount done while he is awake. When the twins come, I am sure my resting and relaxing days are over. I see naptime being my catchup time.
I usually take a shower and maybe get a few things done during DD's first nap.
For her second one, I read and go on the Internet.
For her afternoon nap, I sometimes nap with her, or I do a few things in the kitchen.
I can throw things in the laundry when she's playing quietly by herself, and I do more of the heavy cooking, etc. when DH is home or when she's in bed for the night.
I also WAH however whether I work depends on how busy I am. If I dont work, I eat and bump. Sometimes I prep dinner, or make babyfood. Sometimes I catch up on my tv shows via on-demand. Every once in awhile I will clean...haha.
I love nap time!!
I always say I'm gonna walk on the treadmill, i'm lucky if I do. I'll wind up on the computer, watching TV, coooking, cleaning, or doing the laundry.
Totally depends on the day-
I WAH so that is a lot of time right there- grab lunch- check email-
Since getting to the end of my pregnancy- i have refused to clean during her naps. I clean for 1hr a day and that is when she is up. I have just started to lie across the couch during her naps- between the heat and running after a toddler and being pregnant- just takes all of the life out of me. I feel better after a 20-30 min cat nap.
During most of my second pregnancy, I used the majority of the time to rest. I was exhausted and needed to recharge. DD usually takes a good 2 hour nap (sometimes 90 minutes, sometimes 3 hours), and I almost always use the first hour to rest pregnant or not (tv, eat lunch, internet, read, etc), and whatever time is left to clean/be productive.
Now that #2 is here, I am quickly realizing that in order to get anything done at all, I will have to use the majority of nap time to be productive. There is just hardly time at all for being productive while both of them are awake. Luckily I have an Ergo and DD #2 seems to like it so far! :-)
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