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So, awhile back, I wrote a post on Why Moms Need a Time Out. Some of you loved the post, but others of you said something like, "I want to love this post, but I just don't think it's possible for me to find quiet in my day." And I want you moms to know this: I hear you. The last thing I wanted to do with that post was to burden or discourage you. Instead, I'd hoped to inspire you to make filling up yourself more of a priority so that you could be more energized to pour into your families. Because here's the thing: if we just give and give and give and give and we never take time to replenish our supply, we're going to end up completely drained and exhausted. One of my favorite times of each day is in the quiet morning hour before the house is awake. I spend time in God's Word, I write in my Blessings Journal, and I often read a chapter or two from the current devotional/spiritually encouraging book I'm reading. This is my fuel and foundation for the day. 
However, one of the reasons I'm able to get up before my family wakes up is because I'm not waking up multiple times in the night with babies and toddlers. I'm in a season of life where my three kids still go to bed fairly early and they (for the most part) sleep through the night. A few years ago when I only had babies and toddlers, I was pretty much always behind on sleep and it wasn't wise or healthy for me to wake up an hour before everyone else got up - because I needed every minute of sleep I could get. So I get it that there are seasons of life when quiet is hard to come by and sleep is a premium. And I wanted to write a post for moms who are in this kind of season to give you some practical ideas and suggestions on how you can find time to refuel your soul - even when life is very, very full. 
1. Make it a Priority. It has well been said, "If something's important to you, you'll make it happen. If it's not, you'll make an excuse." We moms are really good and taking care of everyone else long before we'd ever consider investing in ourselves. I wholeheartedly believe that motherhood is supposed to be a selfless act, but not to the point of breakdown and burnout. The first step in actually finding time to have quiet in your day is to understand why it's a priority and how it can make a difference for you and your family. Once you get this, then you can guilt-lessly commit to finding a way to make it happen - even if it's just five minutes every other day. 2. Keep it Simple This is important to understand. Making time for quiet doesn't necessarily mean that you need to find an hour-ling block of time in your day. If you wait for an open hour block, you'll probably be waiting a very long time. Instead, find ways to just soak up the little bits of quiet you have in the season you're in. Pray while you're cooking or nursing or changing diapers, listen to the Bible and uplifting music on your phone throughout the day, listen to podcasts while you're cleaning, turn on music during your commute… sneak in moments here and there to refresh and encourage your heart! "Do what you can, with what you've got, where you are." 
3. Streamline Your Life. Take inventory of your current time usage. Are you wasting pockets of time watching TV, surfing Facebook, blog-hopping for no purpose, or volunteering for things that are just draining you? Are you cramming your day full of things you don't really enjoy just because you feel obligated or because you think staying busy will make you more fulfilled? What are you spending time on that you don't love right now? What's taking a lot of your energy and effort and not bringing you any fulfillment? Is there a way you could eliminate, streamline, or delegate any of that to make more room for quiet? 4. Get Up a Little Earlier or Stay Up a Little Later. Okay, so I hesitate to put this one on this list, but hear me out: Maybe you could get up 5-10 minutes before your family does so you could have just a tiny bit of time for quiet before the three-ring circus of the day begins? Or maybe you could stay up 15-30 minutes after everyone goes to bed and invest some intentional time into doing something that fills you up? {Just promise not to get sidetracked onto something and then stay up way past your bedtime and end up completely dragging the next day! I'd recommend setting a timer and maybe telling your spouse or your friend in order to help you stay accountable and focused.} If you're not getting enough sleep at all, please go to bed early and stay in bed as long as possible. But if you feel like you might be able to spare 5-15 minutes of sleep without a problem, experiment with getting up early for a few weeks and then experiment with staying up late for a few weeks to see which end of the spectrum fuels you more and which allows you the best quiet. 
5. Swap Babysitting With a Friend. Perhaps you have another mom friend who'd love some kid-free quiet once a week. Ask her about the possibility of swapping babysitting once a week - where she'd watch your kids for an hour or two so you could have some quiet and then you'd watch her kids so that she could have some quiet. This means a little bit more work while you're babysitting, but it might be worth it for the quiet it buys you - free of charge. 6. Institute a Household Quiet Time. If your kids are old enough to be in a pack-n-play or their room, you could institute an afternoon quiet time for everyone that lasts 30 minutes to an hour. This will look differently for different families. It might mean that everyone takes a nap or rest time. It could mean that the kids watch a DVD for 30 minutes. It could mean that the kids get to play quietly in their rooms with a special basket of toys or a Busy Bag. One thing that we've done sometimes is to have a Reading Time, where everyone reads quietly in the same room. This allows me to get some reading done and soak up a little bit of quiet, too. 
7. Leave the Kids With Dad. When our girls were little and Jesse was working really long hours and we had no family or babysitters nearby, I knew I needed to get out of the house by myself for at least an hour or two every week. So Jesse decided that Saturday mornings were Mom's Mornings Out. I'd go to Panera down the street and enjoy a bagel and a cup of tea and just read, plan my week, and get some blogging done. This one or two-hour block of time made all the difference in the world for me - and it gave Jesse some focused time with the girls in the middle of a very busy work schedule. 8. Hire a Sitter or Mother's Helper. This option might not be financially feasible, but I still wanted to mention it. Consider if there's wiggle room in your budget to have a sitter or mother's helper come over for an hour or two ever week. Oftentimes, a young teen girl will only charge around $10-$12 per hour (or even less!) and paying her to help out so you can run to the store, work on an organizing project, or even take a shower, can feel almost life-changing and every bit worth the extra expense. 9. Get Creative. There are so many other outside the box ideas to consider such as: - Putting your kids in a double stroller and going for a walk (it might not be completely quiet, but it could be a refreshing change of pace).
- Taking your kids to the park and watching them play while you sit on a swing or park bench.
- Reading aloud with your kids while they play with LEGOs or Play-doh (again, not completely quiet, but it's still quieting to my soul to read aloud).
- Popping in a DVD for 20 minutes while you sit in the other room and read and savor a cup of coffee.
Remember, even 5 or 15 minutes can make a big difference. Don't keep living life barely surviving. Take time to nourish and feed your soul and refresh your spirit and body. What ideas do YOU have for making time for quiet even when life is really full? I'd love to hear!
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