For years, the hours my kids were at school belonged entirely to the house. Then I got sick, and the math changed. I could not spend six hours scrubbing and still have anything left at pickup.
The new arithmetic of a quiet house
So I made a rule: the first hour is mine before it is anyone else’s. Tea. A few pages. Sometimes a short walk if the energy is there, sometimes just the porch if it is not.
Then one real task — not five. One. The rest of the time I protect like it is precious, because it is. This is not selfish. It is maintenance on the person everyone else is counting on...maybe with a side of laundry.
C
Written by Cheroka — for the mom behind the to-do list.
