The One Thing

It's not very often that I "miss" something from my life pre-kids. I definitely had a lot of fun, and enjoyed my time before becoming a mom (I mean, come on, I lived in a Big 10 town, had a great job, and wonderful friends - there was always something going on and some fun to be had, somewhere), but to be totally truthful, I don't often find myself looking back on that time wistfully.

Sure, it would be nice to have an uninterrupted shower, but really, as long as I'm getting clean, who cares? Usually it's during the shower interruptions that the rascals make the funniest comments or ask the most entertaining questions. (Example from today: I thought I'd sneak in a shower while all three boys were sleeping. Mutual naptime doesn't really exist in our house anymore - the oldest rascal doesn't usually nap. Today, however, we're going to be out late, and the munchkins woke up earlier than normal, so I instituted a common naptime for all. As I enjoyed the quiet and the hot shower, the inevitable knock on the door came. I called out, "Who is it?" and got this serious response "Hi, it's Joseph. Did you forget who I was?" No, son, I know exactly who you are...I just couldn't see through the bathroom door! Silly boy).

Anywho, back to the original post. Like I was saying, I don't usually miss things from my life pre-kids. My life was good then...but it's still good, just a different kind of good. Today, however, I realized there was ONE thing that I missed from my pre-mom days.

I miss reading.

Silly, isn't it? I mean, I read tons every day. I read labels. I read emails. I read blogs. I read posts on my favourite mom forum. But what I don't read is BOOKS.

I love to read. Fiction or non-fiction...it doesn't matter. I love the smell of a book. I love the sound of turning pages. I love the experience of curling up with a good book and losing myself in the words.

As I tried to do that today (more than once, I'll admit), I realized: I haven't read a real book in ages. I honestly cannot remember the last one I read. To give you an idea of my recent reading, I borrowed two large novels from the library way back in July. I still have them. I'm about halfway into book #1...and book #2 has been used as a decoration next to my bed since coming home from the library. I just don't read anymore - every attempt is stopped about 2 pages in, interrupted by a child, a chore, a phone call, whatever the case may be. I will fully admit it: I'm considering books on tape, just to try and lose myself in a story again. (On a side note, I'm not sure when I'd LISTEN to it, either. I can't imagine that most novels would be kid-appropriate, and I can't really justify wearing headphones when trying to take care of the kids).

Maybe, just maybe, I will make this my new goal: to read at least 15 minutes a day (sounds like my oldest rascal's homework assignment....). Now, I just need to figure out how to work that 15 minutes into my day.

Do you still read, as a parent? If so....HOW?!?! Share your tips!

Do you miss anything from your pre-kids days? Share below!