Good Ideas for "Me" Time!

Get some exercise DVDs, like yoga, pilates or Tai Chi these will help you to stay fit & keep up with the kids when they are older as well as sleep better.

You have some really good suggestions from other mamas. I just want to say; it's okay for you to just read and nap. You don't have to fill every minute with something. If you are looking for something to do because you are bored with reading and napping that's different.
Pampering yourself is good (bath, facial,etc...), teach yourself a new language, do exercise programs like pilates or yoga, learn a new skill like knitting (then you can make presents for your family), write letters to friends, or try a new recipe.

Hi K.-

I have three little monkey's so I don't get very much "me" time. One thing I've recently taken up, however, that's a fun use of that quiet time, is knitting. That may sound old fashioned or grandmotherly, but, hey, it's really fun and rewarding! There are so many cute, more current, patterns out there... everything from hats and toys for the kiddos, to really cute sweaters and socks for you. I started out with a scarf, then made some legwarmers for my daughter to wear to her dance class. Seeing the finished results were very rewarding! If you're interested I'd recommend a great site that has wonderful instructional videos for getting started and tips for solving lots of problems: http://www.knittinghelp.com/.

Enjoy these alone times while you can! The naps don't continue for very long! I love my kids, but I do miss having those peaceful moments in the afternoon!

How nice for you to have a couple of hours to yourself during this recovery time after having a baby! It likely won't last for long as newborns' routines change so much during the first 3 months, so enjoy it :). I recently went through a very tough time health-wise after having my baby and I regret not resting enough that first 6-weeks; the lack of rest and stress has caused me a lot of pain and trouble. If I were you, I would do something restful.

1. Give yourself a foot spa and pedicure
2. Play Solitare with a real deck of cards (as opposed to on the computer.)
3. Crossword puzzles.
4. Begin a journal for yourself or one for each of your kids.
5. Play and instrument (if you know one).
6. Do prenatal yoga or other safe exercise for your stage of recovery.
7. Bake something simple and healthy to snack on (just don't be on your feet too long.)
8. Have a devotional time, pray, read your Bible and read the book called The Mission of Motherhood by Sally Clarkson (Christian)--that book has inspired so many moms, in fact, my moms' group has read it twice!

Enjoy!

Blessings,
J. (mom of 5)

mmm.... My 'me' time usually goes to exercise. I find the benefits of exercise to be so astounding, it has always been worthwhile trying to get myself to do it. (Really improves my mood, as well as my general overall sense of well being.)

What about some gardening, or writing?

Another idea is to pick a goal, any goal, and work towards it - learn an instrument, master bread baking, read the Bible end to end, etc.

My first thought was to fill a tub with bubble bath or bath beads.....light some candles....yes even in day light, get a book, something to drink like a soda or some sweet tea - what ever it is you like and get a bath tub tray like some of the ones in the links below and take the time to relax and refresh yourself. Then pamper yourself with some lotions and perfumes and maybe take the time to try new hair styles and makeup, give yourself a pedi/manicure.......you are very lucky to have a couple hours to yourself while the kids are napping...take the full 2 hours a couple times a week to take care of you. I'm not saying let your house go but maybe do a quick clean during the week and a heavey clean one day on the weekends or something. (I'm sure you will be able to to divi the time out)I especially LOVE the suggestion someone gave about learning new recipes! I have alot of "kid & family" friendly recipies that I would be more than happy to share. They are very easy but tastes like you've been cooking for 20 years! Just email me :-)

Here are just a few links of bathtub trays that I could find

http://www.bathtubtrays.com/

http://www.amazon.com/Umbra-020390-390-Aquala-Bathtub-Cad...

http://www.designerlinensoutlet.com/store/product1.asp?Pr...

http://www.discountbathtubaccessories.us/BathtubTrays-###...

You could try gardening. I am not much of one, well the veggie kind of gardener, but I love planting flowers or tending to my hanging baskets. Another thing I like to do is just veg out on the couch when my 3yr old twin boys are napping. I record my shows that I like to watch and then I just grab a bag of popcorn and watch my soaps or whatever. Take the time you have to yourself and enjoy it. The house can always wait.

I love to cross stitch during my free time. Now I do rotate between activities and am not currently cross stitching but that is one thing I choose to do. Well I don't get the free time now that my 4 year old doesn't nap...LOL take advantage of the peace while you can.

K., can I borrow some of that time?? Anyway, after I had my second daughter, I had really low self esteem, what helped was exercising, painting my nails, doing facial masks, etc. doing things like that helped me to feel good about myself. Also, I have been meaning to learn to scrapbook, that would be fun!

There are some other obvious things like... taking a bath, giving yourself a manicure or pedicure (not for me, but some like it!), etc.
If you're into gardening at all, you could maybe plant yourself a little garden either in an indoor "bed", or near a window that would keep you close to the kiddos.
Or my favorite... draw! I absolutely suck at it, but... it's fun! I have a colored pencil, special (meaning big!) eraser, and a kids sketch book that's only mine. I am not artistic in the slightest bit, but I have found that even my stupid looking drawings were still fun to draw! You can also go online and fine "how to draw..." just about anything you want and do it step by step. And the best part, as your kids get older, they think you're the best artist in the world!!!! (My 13 year old still believes I can out draw anyone!!)

It might be fun to get a good cookbook and try a new recipe each day. They have lots at the library.

Hi K., I have 2 kids also (2 and 3 now) and I like to take a ton of pictures of whatever they do (they move so fast I have to take 10 to make sure I get 1 good one - lol). One of my favorite "me" time things is to upload the pics to Shutterfly.com and you can crop them and share them with family and friends and make all kinds of cool things with them (cards, calendars, photobooks, etc.) I made a photobook of one year and am tring to do one for last year now. Personally I like it much better than scrapbooking because - NO MESS!

Enjoy this special time, whatever is happening right now will likely be totally different a month from now. I will send happy thoughts your way that both of your kids are good nappers for a long, long time!

There are several companies who put out DVD's to learn many different subjects. The Teaching Company is one. You could pick almost any subject, from history, science, math, literature, anything!

You know...7 years down the road...and I'm STILL trying to figure out the when's/how's/and what to do's for "me time" :) So congrats to you for taking ahold of it now.

How I spent naptime, was studying. It was the only time I studied (nap and bedtime), so I had to cram a LOT in there. I'm taking this year off of school, and have to admit that I'm fairly adrift. Do I work on my lesson plans, do I clean the house, do I read a book/lay in the sun/ work on finances/ etc etc etc. I really wish that I had one or two things that I enjoyed doing that I could just look forward to as "me" time set up every day. So whatever you choose...good on you. It's probably the single best way of keeping sane that I can think of.

Good Luck!!