I read a book!

I finished my first book in over a year!  I know, it's embarrassing. I would not originally share my embarrassment as publicly as this, but recently I shared this with some of my other friends who have young children and they all agreed that it is hard to find time to read.  While I love my kiddos, during much of the last year when I was not caring for them or working, I wanted nothing to do but to turn my brain off and move as little as humanly possible during my free time.  The thought of reading a book, well, it just hurt my mind to think about.  That said I think the brain (like a good friend says) is like a muscle and you have to work at it or you lose the information it once had.  I know for me that is definitely the case and I got to the point where I decided that I just had to read a book.  It is no coincidence that this all coincided with my little guy's first birthday.  Anyway, I started with a book that friend raved about, The Help, and what can I say--I loved it!  What a good read and such a great story.  It was easy for me to get through.

So that leads me to something else.  I know I have written about this before but how do other people find time to do things with young kids?  I feel like outside of my guys and work, I really have very little time to do anything else, especially hobbies.  Even running, one of my great loves has been difficult for me to find time to do.  I look at friends who take classes and do all sorts of wonderful activities and I wonder how they manage.  Is it easier if your kids are older?  Do you do it at night?  I wonder how people find the time.  A real goal of mine in the New Year is to do one activity that does not involve my kids or my husband (sorry, Steve) that is just about me.  I am thinking I would like to take some kind of class maybe a photography or cooking class (I am sure my kids and husband can agree that this is much needed!).  So I am putting it out there so that I actually follow through with it.