What a week! As it turns out, Maggie wasn’t teething after all but sick, so that’s been fun. We ended up at the doctor and confirmed it is just a summer cold yesterday and thankfully she is on the upswing. Although I had to take a late night Walgreens trip in my jammies last night to find a cough remedy to help her sleep. Sick kids can take up not only extra physical effort but also added mental worry and feeling bad for them can be so exhausting. Along with all of that excitement Jon and I celebrated our 9th wedding anniversary. He took the day off so we could spend some time together but our actual alone date time was only about an hour and fifteen minutes out for a quick dinner. It was a ton of fun to be out by ourselves and at one point we both thought we had forgotten something but realized it was just that weird feeling you get when you don’t have any kids with you. Here’s the only picture we took to commemorate the occasion and I took it while Jon was washing dishes because it was our only chance.
I was listening to a podcast recently and the message was that “we all have choices in what we prioritize. We may think we don’t have time for something but it’s possible that we just are prioritizing the wrong thing “. So when I talk to people about how much I love to read and they “can’t imagine how I have time to read” I usually have the same answer. Do I have tons of time to read? No. Do I deliberately choose to read at certain times and prioritize it over other things? Yes.
As a mom there are plenty of moments to find times to read, it just takes effort. Instead of spending time watching TV or scrolling I will purposely pick up a book. My two older kids do not nap and do not enjoy quiet time alone, so more often than not when I am resting they are around and watching and I want to set a good example for them by not always have my attention on my phone. Even something as simple as leaving a book in the bathroom instead of using your phone can be a deliberate and impactful choice
Here are a few of the ways I find or make time to read:
Before the kids wake up:
My kids tend to be night owls which actually works to my advantage in the mornings. If I’m not going to an early morning bootcamp I will try to be up before the kids are to grab a cup of coffee, a comfy spot, and my book. I love the quiet that comes early in the morning and that feeling of accomplishing something before my day has even started.
After bedtime:
Ok this one can be a little bit more tricky for me as I get closer and closer to my due date because I tend to start falling asleep if I relax too much. Thankfully my kids seem to know exactly when I’m about to doze and happen to need something at that moment. Regardless instead of watching TV, books are a super helpful choice to keep the house quiet in the hopes that maybe our kids will fall asleep early. I also try to have most of my evening chores completed before putting the kids in bed so once they are down I can have time as well. Does that work all the time? Of course not, but it’s a good goal to have.
Reading on a device:
This was a major game changer for me. When I started using the library app and borrowing books on my phone or iPad I was able to kick my reading habit into high gear. I love the feeling of holding a good book and turning the pages but my phone is typically within reach which means I am able to read in small doses. This goes against what I said earlier about always being locked into my technology so I will purposely tell the kids I am looking at my phone to read. (I doubt this makes much of a difference to them, but it makes me feel better) Reading on a device absolutely has its downsides, but the ability to be able to read in a waiting room, during a swim lesson, or even just different locations inside our house without always carting around a book is very helpful. It also gives me access to far more books than I would otherwise have and falls into our essentialist mindset because we aren’t collecting too too many books. (We still have plenty though) I think that because I always have my phone with me -which means my book is nearby as well- I am more inclined to pick it up because it isn’t something else to keep track of inside my house. There’s already plenty of other stuff that keeps my hands busy so sometimes having a book lying around doesn’t help.
Play time/Quiet time:
As kiddos get older I find that I don’t need to full on entertain them as much throughout the day. I am present and available but not in “camp counselor mommy” mode all the time particularly when Maggie is napping. So when Maggie goes down for a nap, the older kids have one rule- “Don’t wake Maggie up”. They tend to find some random activity that engages them for a while and allows me to slip in some time to rest and read. I also love seeing how interested they are in teaching Maggie new things and having time together without me involved so I take those chances to sit nearby and turn a few pages.
Reading while they read:
Monkey see, monkey do. There are times where my kids will all sit down and flip through the pages of a book together or make a big pile of books that they read to each other. Don’t be fooled into thinking this happens often but when it does, I am right there with them. It’s fun to read alongside the kids and I try not to miss those opportunities.
Baby feeding time:
If you are a breastfeeding or pumping mom, the time you spend nursing your baby or pumping to feed your baby can easily be spent reading. I wouldn’t suggest anything too dense because chances are you’re probably exhausted as it is and don’t need more reasons to fall asleep sitting up, but a cute romance novel might be just the thing to entertain you during a middle of the night nursing/pumping session!
Find a way to be accountable:
A few years ago I set a New Years goal to read 20 books in a year. It sounded like a lot at the time but I ended up meeting that goal before the year was half over. Some of the books I read were super easy romance novels that could be read in a day or two and that evened out the more dense materials that took longer to read. The next year and ever since my goal has been 30 books a year. Thats a lot of books and I will be the first to admit it but a year is also a long time. I use a Goodreads account to track everything I’ve read (they even have an option to set your yearly challenge) and keep a list of books I’m interested in reading. I also write the title of every book I read in a list at the back of my journal, so double the lists. For a while I joined an online book club but it wasn’t the same as an in person book club. I found myself not enjoying having to buy a certain book each month for it to end up on a shelf at the end and would instead love to find a library book club where we could all borrow the same book without having to purchase and read once. I’m more motivated to finish something if I know someone else is waiting to read it next, so I’m trying to borrow books from other people or time out reading with a friend to be able to discuss. There are plenty of ways to keep yourself accountable (maybe a book club with a deadline works for you!) and sometimes its just a matter of finding which works best to keep you focused. My main motivator is that 30 books in a year goal.
Books have always been a comfort to me. I know this isn’t how everyone feels but to me when I sit down with a book it’s almost the same feeling as putting on my favorite comfy sweats and sweatshirt. As a kid my parents found that one of the best ways to punish me was to take my book away. Reading is how I learn, how I transport my mind to new places, how I find new things to talk about with friends and family, how I escape, and what I enjoy. As a mom we give so much of ourselves to our kids and for me keeping a good reading habit helps me feel like me.
Are you a book worm too? What are ways you find time to read?
Parenthood and Pushups 