When All Your Kids Went to School and You Finally Were Alone..

I find myself taking advantage of the relax time too. I have heard and I think it can be right - A body in motion stays in motion - the days I volunteer at my son's school are the days I get things done!

Relax.. I slept and watched movies, ate the foods that my kids dislike, talked on the phone, went shopping at stores the kids didn't like to go to, and reconnected with friends who I had lost touch with. This is YOUR time Mama! The house cleaning will get done eventually, but this is the time for you to take a bath, go to the bathroom without interruption, enjoy reading, chat with friends, and do something for YOU!! You may feel like you are being selfish, or not getting things accomplished, but you are wrong. You are reenergizing yourself, which in turn will make you a better and more rested Mom, so you are giving your kids a gift of a happy and healthy Mom! Get a manicure or pedicure, or do whatever makes you feel special. You have spent the last few years attending to everyone else's needs, so now you get some of your time back to spend on YOU! DO NOT feel guilty! They will benefit in the end, and you will get to that housework soon.. trust me on that one. LOL! Enjoy and have fun! You deserve this Mama!

OOPS.. Once a month with Lunch Bunch.. Good lord, if we met once a week.. !

Went to lunch with friends.. Long lunches.. I still meet once a week with my Lunch Bunch.. Our daughter is now a Senior in College!

Ran a lots of errands. Was able to help more with our grandparents and parents.

I did have a list of things I was planning on doing..

But I did not do them all at once..

Volunteered for her schools.

I would get a pedicure while sipping margaritas!

I enjoy each day at home. However, I do have to schedule things for myself, or I will never get them all done. I am more on the easy-going approach. I have a very "lived-in" home. However, I notice that I feel better and more productive when everything isn't so cluttered and unorganized. So, each day I pick a room and have at it.

I think the first time my son went for a full day of school, I didn't know what to do with myself! I know that I made sure to clean the house that week, but I also had some coffee outings with friends, and shopping!

My kids are older now, 12 and 9, and they were in aftercare and summer camp until a couple years ago when I had to work full time in an office. Now I'm blessed with working part time from home. I have enough "me time" for ALL us moms on here! I spend a lot of time doing nothing. I have never been good at housekeeping but we keep it up enough to not be embarassed when people come over. My ADD doesn't help any either. When I married my hubby, I told him I had "issues" and wasn't good at working or housework. He said he didn't care, all he wanted was for me to "take care of our kids". That was it. So I'm blessed to have the life I do. My advice to you is to enjoy your time and don't put so much pressure on yourself. You will get everything done. Enjoy the quiet time and the time will come where you will start to get things done. =)

Mostly thought "what the heck happened to all the TIME I thought I'd have?"!!!

Also my husband gets home at around 2:00 from work, so the days I'm home are pretty jammed with "stuff" to do....it always amazes me how the day FLIES by!

Right now you're probably really missing the little O.. I know I did. The first week of K & 1st grade I mostly mulled around waiting for the bus! LOL

Set up a schedule--flexible but some bones to work around.

I agree with the poster that said the busier days are the most productive ones, so plan some stuff--volunteering, a class, appointments, etc. You'll more effectively work around "set" items!

Yep, my busy days are always more productive, because I know I only have a limited amount of time to get things done. The quiet days..... I have all day to get to this or get to that, which never happens!

After running DD to school, I usually allow myself a moment of quiet to enjoy my coffee and watch a little GMA, then I get to it. But I have to have a routine or to-do list. And I use a timer. As in, pay bills/return e-mails/misc office work for 1 hour. Laundry for 1/2 hour, etc. It keeps me on task, which is essential for me.

Good luck!

I cried.
My little one;s first day of kindergarten was my oldest's first day of his senior year.
So what did I do? I got a freaking dog, a Beagle no less.
I volunteered at the elementary school two days a week and at the middle school once or twice a month.
By the second year I pulled my daughter out of school and began homeschooling. THen the next year I pulled my baby. THis is our 4th year homeschooling and the Little Man will go back in after next year, 7th grade.

So in two years I will again be free. I will NOT get another dog!!!

Sounds like you are decompressing because you are about to switch gears here:) Enjoy every minute of it...you deserve some "me" time!:) Once I get some time, I will clean, paint rooms, get rid of old stuff, and anything else that I have put off that wasn't a priority. When my kids are home, we are usually doing something and lots of things get put off until I get time to do them.

I don't mean to be obnoxious but this is why I don't understand how SAHM's say it's harder than being a working mom. I totally get it when the kids are young and not in school - that's hard - but once they're in school, I've always thought there'd be a fair amount of time for the mom to do things for herself... But I'm told "no, it's SO busy". So it's interesting to read the responses. I think about quitting work to stay home so it's not so hectic all the time but get scared off by the SAHM's who are complaining all the time how busy they are. I say enjoy some time if you're getting it. Staying home with young ones for years certainly earns you some R&R.

Take a few weeks to decompress. Then sit down and write out a to do plan. Set some goals for yourself -- school, hobby(ies), social functions (volunteering) and me time (mani/pedicures). Make meals ahead and freeze so that you don't have to "slave" over the hot stove every day.

In time you will find your pace and be fine.

It took me a while to get it together but I did. Now I can't wait until I stay home as in retirement but it will be rewirement into a job I really want my passion.

Children are a part of my life by not the main part. They are now grown and moved on with their adult lives.

The other S.

PS I can look out the windows at work and see the sun or rain and I can go outside and take that breath of fresh air.

I LOVE that you are not instantly guilted into cleaning obsessively. My kids are both now in school, yet when they first start back, I often spend that first day or two watching movies, reading a book, or doing something else less than productive.

Consider that you might be going through a bit of kid-withdrawal... meaning that the emptiness of the house, while soothing, is also lonely. There is not one way to react to time alone at home... and you will likely find your reaction changes. That you cried when they went to school is telling (and perfectly normal).