Sew Much Free Time

I've been getting much more free time lately thanks to a paid babysitter and a babysitting swap with a friend. Sew much free time in fact that I've been sewing ;) I've made a few outfits for my daughter Lauren. You can check out more pics on our family blog at www.laurenmouse.com. I find this creative outlet incredibly energizing. Usually I'm beat by 10pm, but this week I've wanted to stay up and keep sewing until almost midnight! I even created a store at Etsy.com to try and sell some of my handmade things. If you haven't ever been to Etsy before you should check it out. They sell all handmade items (and a tiny bit of vintage stuff and crafting supplies). My store is at www.mommysaidsew.etsy.com.

Mary Kay Party

Yesterday I got to attend a Mary Kay party. We got free facials plus a makeup trial with application instruction. We also got some free gifts, and we had lots of fun. Of course, I made some early birthday purchases while there...but I also got to count 2 1/2 hours of Pampered Princess time!

More Free Time on the Way

I was excited that this project came into being right when I had decided to take advantage of a friend's nanny to watch my daughter 4 hours on Wednesdays. That has been going pretty well for the last month now. Every other week I go downtown to meet with my therapist and then browse in a shop or sit outside with a cup of coffee. The rest of the time I try to do something for me, like put pictures in photo albums or work on sewing or craft projects. I haven't done as much sewing as I had hoped to, but I think that's about to change. A friend of mine needs to have someone watch her 1 yr old while she teaches a pre-school class. I agreed to do a time swap with her. So now I'll have 4 free hours on Tuesday too. The trade off is that I will have 2 toddlers every Thursday, but I'll manage. It's worth it to think of all the projects I can get done, knowing that I can start on Tues and finish on Wed and then it won't be sitting around all week (things are cramped in our 2 bedroom condo - but that's city life). I've posted some pics of some hair clips I've made. Tell me what you think!

Back in the Game

Thanks for your post Heidi. I have been preoccupied with the loss of our baby, but I've also finally hired a reliable sitter. She starts tomorrow and will be coming twice a week for a total of 10 hours, plus date nights for Andy and me. One thing that I will be doing with my time is going back to Weight Watchers. Since we're not planning on getting pregnant for another year or so, I would like to work on getting back to a healthy weight. Other things I plan on doing are: working on my photo albums/scrapbooks, reading, and painting/decorating the house.

I wish I could say that I have spent 5 hours every week doing something just for me. The reality is that some weeks I get 5 hours in, and some weeks I'm lucky to get 5 minutes! But the important thing is that I know that it is possible to have time for myself, and that it's a choice that I get to make. I have to decide that it's important enough to make time for, and for me personally that requires support from family and sitters. I know that when I take time away from the daily grind to do things that I enjoy, I am a better mom and a better wife. The world won't end if the laundry waits another day or the toys stay out all night, but lives are definitely affected when I am burnt out and resentful that I haven't had a moment just for me.