lent

i've never given anything up for lent. i don't know why - we never really talked about lent growing up and then once i was an adult, i just never really thought about it. this year, a lot of my friends have posted about what they are giving up, why, etc. and it got me thinking. so i've decided to give something up this year. (and yes, i know lent started on wednesday. i'm just a few days behind....) so what is it that i'm giving up? not napping.

seriously.

that may sound a little silly and trite, so let me first say that i am not trying to take lent lightly or make a joke or be offensive. but here is the deal. i am in the wonderful stage of my life where my kids take naps at the same time every day. 99% of the time, they are asleep in their beds between 1 pm and 3 pm. which means that i have to be home during that time and i have two hours to myself.

i used to use this time wisely. i would spend the first hour or so being productive. i'd do dishes, fold laundry, make phone calls, write emails, clean, plan for dinner - things that need to be done and are waaaaaay easier without thing 1 and thing 2. then i would spend the rest of the time sleeping. these naps were a very vital part of my day. i love sleep. i do not function well without it. i keep thinking that one day i will learn how to get by with waking up early and not sleeping during the day. but that is just not the case. i need my rest. i need to have a time where i don't do anything, don't talk to anyone, and just rest. sometimes i actually sleep, other times i just lay on the couch and enjoy the silence. it was wonderful and really helped the rest of the afternoon to go well. i had energy to love my kids, take care of my house, and not be on the edge of a nervous breakdown when jason walked in the door.

but then i discovered netflix. i will watch anything on tv. i will get sucked into the dumbest show you could ever think of and watch it obsessively. i don't do that whole "just watch one episode and then get up and be productive" thing. i don't even watch tv and fold laundry at the same time. i just watch tv. i sit on the couch, watch as many episodes of whatever trashy show i happen to be obsessed with in the alloted time, and i get nothing done. it's also not restful. because at the end of naptime, i still have a pile of dishes, a pile of laundry, dinner to make, errands to run, two kids to play with, and no energy or interest in doing any of it, and definitely not enough time.

so for lent, i'm giving up my laziness. which may sound ironic since that includes napping, but it's really not. i promise. if i use their naptime to get a little work done and then take the break that i need - usually in the form of sleep - i am way better off.

and it is a sacrifice. because it's way easier to save all the dishes for the end of the night or to leave the pile of clothes in the laundry room or not vacuum and sweep when it's needed, and instead just sit and watch mindless entertainment. it's easier to not plan my time out, to not care about what the house looks like. it's easier to get sucked into these shows where i watch people live extravagant lives that i'll never have and imagine what it would be like. it's easier to just not care enough to take the time to rest. it's easier to not nap.

but for the next 40 days (well, minus a few....), i'm not watching tv during nap time. i'm going to sleep. because it helps me to be a better wife, mom, and friend when i do - and isn't that the point?