Quiet Time

-
My firstborn child, Ryan, was not good at taking his nap.  By the time he was two years old, I was hard pressed to get him to nap at all.  I had a new baby, I was exhausted, and I needed nap time even if he didn't. I began "quiet time" out of sheer desperation.  I would set a timer for one hour.  Then we would load his bed with books and a few quiet toys.  He would have to stay on his bed until the timer went off.  After a few days, this routine was  pulled off without a hitch.  Ryan didn't mind playing quietly and looking at books.  He just didn't want told he had to go to sleep.  The funny part was that more then half the time he ended up asleep.

I continued this routine with each of our children thinking that it would eventually come to an end when all the children outgrew naps.  However, this has not been the case.  Since I homeschool, I found that quiet time was the perfect time for the children to do their chapter book reading.  They look forward to this portion of the school day.  Even in the summer months when we are not doing formal schooling, we have quiet time when we are not busy with other activities.  I've also found the children get along better after they've had a little down time, and that is a big reason to continue the routine.

Alex, age 12, having quiet time.

The plus side for me is that quiet time gives me the opportunity to have my personal devotions and to take a short nap if I need it.  I find I need this period of time to recharge and be able to finish the day.  I'm a better mom if I get a little break.  For a time, I felt guilty for taking this "time out" for myself, but then I realized that whatever job one might work outside the home there are break times.  Job performance is improved when workers get a break.  Moms need a break, too.  It's a demanding job we do, so don't feel bad about incorporating a little "quiet time" into your life.  It's needed!

I'm linking up with:
 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Skillet Zucchini and Hamburger

-
Image
My garden is producing peppers, onions, and zucchini and yellow squash right now.  I ran across this recipe, and the kids thought it was great.  They liked it much better then the way I had fixed the zucchini previously in a similar recipe with diced tomatoes instead of spaghetti sauce. What You Need: 1 lb ground chuck 2 lb zucchini or yellow squash, chopped in bite size pieces 1 green or red bell pepper, chopped 1 large onion, chopped 2 garlic cloves, minced 1 26 ounce jar of your favorite spaghetti sauce 1 teaspoon garlic powder 1 teaspoon dried basil leaves 1/2 teaspoon black pepper salt to taste What To Do: 1.  Brown ground chuck with onion and bell pepper in a large skillet.  Drain grease. 2.  Add garlic and seasonings.  Stir. 3.  Add zucchini and stir.  Cover with lid and cook over medium heat for approximately 15 minutes until zucchini is crisp tender.  Stir about every 5 minutes. 4.  Remove lid and stir in spaghetti sauce.  Co
Read more

When You Have To Let Go

-
Image
Heartache.  Deep, painful, agonizing heartache.  For a season that felt like it would never end, I carried a weight of anguish that tore at my very soul.  Parenting had been the source of immense joy for me, but at the same time there came with it intense sorrow.    Learning to handle this heartache is something that for me personally both challenged and grew my faith.  During this time I learned to appreciate the words of Psalm 77.  The lament of the Psalmist was much the same as my own heart cry to God.  It says,  I cry aloud to God, aloud to God, and he will hear me.  In the day of my trouble I seek the Lord; in the night my hand is stretched out without wearying; my soul refuses to be comforted. When I remember God, I moan; when I meditate, my spirit faints. You hold my eyelids open ; I am so troubled that I cannot speak. I consider the days of old, the years long ago. I said, “Let me remember my song in the night; let me meditate in my heart.” Then my spirit made diligent search:
Read more

Grandma Bob

-
Image
One day at Ladies Bible Study I was recounting some of the specific prayers God had answered in relation to our journey through foster care to adoption.  When I finished one lady tearfully said, "Do you know what that makes me think?  That makes me think that there is a grandma out there praying for those children!"  That comment stuck in my head perhaps because I thought, "We aren't aware of any grandparents.  The grandparents were all eliminated as possible homes for the children." Fall blew by and soon it was time for the holidays.  One day in the mail a Christmas card arrived.  I didn't recognize the sender on the return address.  Curiously I opened it.  A picture of an elderly lady and a $20 bill dropped out.  I quickly read the card.  The writer introduced herself as the children's great grandma.  She wished us a Merry Christmas and said the money was to by a ham or turkey for our Christmas dinner.  She continued on and said, "I will be th
Read more