I'm pretty sure this happens to all stay at home moms with school age children. As I'm out and about, or meet someone I haven't seen for a few months, we chat, and catch up on our families. When I tell the person that all the children are now in school all day every day, THE BIG QUESTION pops up: "What are you going to do with all your free time?"
Now, I really wish I had a great answer for this, something along the lines of "Well, in between working on the great American Mennonite novel and trying to find a way to create a renewable energy source using leftover material from our nation's Pinterest projects, I'm also helping a non-profit in its fight to end Third World hunger!" Alas, this is not remotely close to the truth.
The question itself doesn't offend me in the least, because I used to wonder the same thing. In the haze of the preschool years, the thought of all day school hovered before me like a desert mirage. Somewhere, there was a land of uninterrupted thought, of time to read, to work on projects, to use the bathroom in peace. An oasis of calm awaited me, if I could just stick it out another year or two.
Well, that's partly true. I'm really starting to enjoy the new routine, which, I should mention, is possible in no small part because my husband worked and studied hard for years, and now has a good job that allows me to be the stay at home parent. As the weeks pass, I'm learning with some surprise that even "free time" fills up quickly, and it takes some deliberate thought and choice to structure it in a way that is balanced.
For example, this was my day yesterday: up at 6:30, to finish packing lunch and then greet my nephew, who is dropped off at our house at 6:45 three days a week. In the next hour, our children needed to get up, dress, eat breakfast and get ready for school with a mimimum of fuss. By 7:45 everyone was in the van, and by 8 I had dropped all four children off at school. I then headed into the city, ran for a few miles, and stopped by Central Market to pick up some goodies for my husband, who is working a stretch of nights.
By the time I got back home, it was nearly 9:30. After a shower, I took one load of laundry out of the dryer, put a load in the washer, finished the breakfast dishes, then spent some time talking to Nate and fixing us both an early lunch before he left for work. I drove to Goodwill and bought some clothing for the two older children, then head out to Boscov's to get another pair of yoga pants while they are on sale. After that
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