Time Management or Something

We experienced our first major snowstorm this weekend. I do remember the excitement and joy I felt as a child when it snowed. I still experience that to some degree now. But, even so, I am always amazed at the sheer glee of my boys when it snows. I'm not exaggerating when I say that my oldest son was awake at 4:30 this morning and could barely be contained when he looked out his window and saw how much snow fell overnight. It didn't matter to him that it wasn't a decent hour of the morning yet and he actually became angry at my request that he go back to bed.

It didn't take much encouragement at all for them to suit up for some snow play when we adults finally did get around to waking up, getting dressed, and having breakfast. Quick as lightning our oldest two, who always seem to need my help on normal days with simple tasks such as putting on a shirt, had on their snow gear with no assistance from mom or dad and were out the door. My husband got himself and the two year old ready and soon followed them, leaving me and the baby alone for awhile. And, since we are fortunate enough that my husband's parents live just two doors down and love to have our boys visit, my husband returned minus children about an hour later.

Ah. A respite. A bit of time without the normal noise and chaos in the house. Granted, the baby is still at a stage where he requires quite a bit of my attention. But, still, having only one of the normal four offspring underfoot makes a huge difference in the amount of time I have 'to do something'. Which, brings me to my dilemna. What to do?!

Oh, I have no lack of options. There's certainly always cleaning and laundry and this would be a perfect opportunity to achieve some of those tasks that never seem to get done...such as cleaning the bathrooms or mopping the kitchen floor, or (ugh) dusting. But, what fun would that be? Perhaps I should do something that I enjoy such as baking or reading. Or maybe I should do something that I rarely get to do but always file away under the category of "when I get the time" in my perpetual 'to do' list in my head. After all, this would be a great time to organize or download some pictures or to tackle filing away those piles of paper that accumulate in various holding piles around the house. Maybe I should organize a closet or some drawers. Then again, since I am the mother of four, I am always exhausted. So, maybe a nap is in order.

What do I do with this precious commodity 'time'? And, this is my problem. I am terrible at time management. I am easily overwhelmed. And, I end up piddling away my time checking Facebook, doing some maintenance cleaning such as doing the dishes or picking up a few pieces of clutter. And, before you know it, that long stretch of time that I was so excited to have is gone. The boys will be back. The normal hubbub of the house will return. And, the opportunity will have passed.

Maybe I should just go play in the snow!