Parent Busy

I think everyone knows that kids are a huge life change. I used to see co-workers, or family member say that they couldn't do this or that because of the kids, and I swore that I was not going to let that happen to me.

After graduate school, I felt like I almost had too much time. I worked full-time, ran 5-6 times a week (ranging from 30 minutes to 1.5 hour runs), dropped in on sports weekly, took 3-4 yoga classes a week, kept my house sparkling, maintained my yard, walked my dog daily, would do weight work outs at home, put several hours into WoW weekly, had friends I would see often, and I would just go shopping or hiking for hours (or a full day if I was hiking). And I still had down time!

Now, I can barely answer a text message within 2 days. I feel a bunch busier, but I don't feel like I'm getting nearly as much done. Perhaps it is because I have to make nutritious meals every night. My before work runs have turned into helping keep a 2-year-old from spilling milk every where, and insisting she keep her clothes on. In place of physical activity every day, I'm spending two-three hours on bedtime starting from bath to pajamas to stories to just staying in the room training her to sleep on her own. I love it, and I love her. It is hard to see how much my life has been redefined without my say. I'm busy, but it's just not the same as before. During the bedtime routine, I can't text someone back. That would be stealing from my daughter, or placing my phone at risk to end up in the tub ;) My downtime has become the time to do chores, which seem to be exponentially larger from the tornado of toddler. Yes, she does help, and I do get her to put her toys away but I'm not going to use harsh cleaning chemicals when she is awake. I'm located farther from work, and I know I'm losing about 8-10 hours of time I used to have just by being in a vehicle. I'm working on changing this but it's my reality for now.

I know as she grows up, the balance of time invested in her will decrease and the time I can invest in myself will increase. But for now, I'm parent busy. I'm hoping my investment will be returned with a great relationship when she's 8, 15, or 22. I want a strong connection with her, and if that means I only run 2 times this week and the laundry piles up, I will pay that price.

How do you or did you balance going from being busy to parent busy without losing yourself and your friends?