"I meant what I said, and I said what I meant!": What would YOU do after chatzos?

When I finished setting the table on Friday (about 10 minutes before chatzos!), I wondered out loud, "What will I do this afternoon?"  The kids would be napping.  DH was post-call (read: awake for 30 hours taking care of critically ill children) and would be napping.  All of that time!  Just for me!  Would I read or do my nails?  Maybe I would put on a mud mask?  Maybe prepare some words on the parasha?  Or MAYBE a mommy nap!

And then I heard the dreaded words coming from the kids room, "MOOOOOMMMMMMMMMYYYYYY!   I don't WAAAAAAANNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNAAAAAAAAAAAA NAPPPPPPPPPPPPPP!"  Okay.  Fine.  No nap. I am well aware that the afternoon nap is an endangered species for the toddle-bug.  I am not going to ruin the baby's nap to prove a point (what is the point?  Mommy needs to do her nails?).  So there I was, a grumpy kiddo and HOURS before Shabbos to kill.  I needed a strategy-- fast!  What could I do to keep DS occupied and happy that didn't include undoing all of my hard work to get the house ready? 

Strategy number 1: read as much Dr. Suess as possible.  The boys checked out "Six by Suess" at the library and DS LOVES it.  It is a collection of six great stories by Dr. Suess.  That is a lot of Suess, people.  Somewhere around the 150th hat of Bartholomew Cubbins, I began to think that Dr. Suess was a sadist.  Would the book ever end?  Were there REALLY 4 more to read after that?  WAS IT SHABBOS YET?!? 

Strategy number 2: go visit DS's friend and partner in crime downstairs.  Friend doesn't nap either and I knew that his mommy would be going NUTS on a snow day (with a three year old and a two week old!  yikes!).  That plan worked well-- the boys kept each other company until the time DS would NORMALLY wake up from his nap and I was able to drink a cup of tea and shmooze with the cute new mommy. 

But all of this strategizing got me thinking: is it realistic to expect that erev Shabbos will be a blissful time of pure mommy indulgence?  Moreover, is it realistic to think that that time can exist at all (after Chatzos or otherwise) when there are small kids around?  My friend, Houston Ima, says, "Yes!  You have to make time!  Take care of yourself!  Take a Break!" 

She is right!  We need to find time to take a break and indulge ourselves a little.  Even if that means eating a few M&Ms while we read about Horton sitting on his egg and drink a little tea while chatting with a good friend.