Time to Regroup

Okay, so I knew this day was coming, just didn't want it to come this soon. You know a mother treasures the rare times the house is quiet as children are sleeping. Gives you a chance to sit down (what's that, you mean in a chair?), have a cup of coffee, type an email, read a chapter in a good book, take a short snooze, shower in peace, watch something other than Dora on TV, or simply just stare into space. I have treasured those moments now for 4 years, 2 months, and 12 days--I always called it my rejuvenating time, irregardless of what I was doing. Not only this week has my one-year old decided to rid herself of her morning naps, but my son has decided he's too big for sleeping anymore during the day. AAAahhhhh, such a sad, sad day. Yes, a rite of passage for him and for her as it shows they are exerting their independence and growing. Too fast, I might add. But, for me as their mother, it's a time to regroup. Time to figure out how to manage an entire day with no break as well as realign our time in how we do things during a day. I'll survive, I'll manage---just give me a few days/weeks to mourn the loss of time to myself. For now, we will try the "quiet time" in his room--encouraging an hours worth of play time by himself that is QUIET. For him, that's a difficult concept to grasp, but with the help of a little self-control and a clock to count down the minutes, I'm hopeful he'll still give mommy a short break. Transitions during childhood-----I believe they are always harder on the parents than they ever are on the kid!