The Po Show

The Hours

Wasn't it Virginia Woolf who asked, "But what about the hours?"

I currently have more hypothetical free time than I ever have had in my life. I say hypothetical because, of course, there's always stuff to be done. There's housework and never-ending laundry and daily grocery shopping (there is always something I must get, usually for one of the kids, that absolutely must be gotten. The usual suspects are apples or bagels for Matthew).

I spend a considerable amount of time on eBay-related activities: packaging up purchases, going to the post office, taking pictures of stuff I have to sell, itemizing my inventory, writing up descriptions in preparation for putting things up on auction (which is always done at night after the kids are in bed). I spend a considerable amount of time going to Gymboree and looking at their stuff, and buying their stuff, and buying more of their stuff. I also spend a lot of time yakking with the saleswomen there, since they're often my only social outlet.

So what do I do with my hours? I'm not entirely sure. They certainly are consumed; I find myself startled and hurried almost everyday, realizing it's almost time to pick the kids up from school. But if I look back on yesterday and ask what I did, I'm often at a loss to account for all my time.

One of the first things I did, when the kids started school, was read. I went out and bought some books, real books. Not magazines with short stories that I could get through in between fetching and toting for my children, but actual novels. It was the height of luxury to be able to sit and read, uninterrupted, for hours at a time. I honestly have not done that since I've been a mother.

I also rested. I took naps. On a few occasions, I came home from dropping them off at school and I hopped back in bed. I didn't have to worry about setting an alarm, because I didn't have to leave to pick up Tessa in an hour. The second week of school, I got sick, and I was able to just stay in bed and read the whole day, till it was time for pick-up.

I've been online WAY too much, and this is a real problem. The time suckage involved in reading and posting to my Gymboree groups is just too many of my hours. It's something I really need to work on.

Matthew had all his neuro tests, and I spent a lot of time researching and worry about those. I also spent hours researching Ritalin and Zoloft online too (ah, Google, a blessing and a curse). I ordered holiday gifts. I even bought a few things for myself (brick and mortar and online).

It's only the beginning of the school year. It's about 140 more school days till the last day of school. What will I do with the hours?