Picture this...
It’s 1983. In a small house in suburbia a mum (let’s call her Wendy) puts her baby down for a sleep. The house is quiet. Wendy looks around and considers her options for the next hour as her baby sleeps. Her heart sinks. “Do I vacuum? Or read the paper? Do I bake a cake and listen to the radio? Ho hum.” she thinks. The boredom and isolation overwhelms her.
Zoom forward 30 years.
It’s 2013. In a small house in suburbia a mum (let’s call her Clare) puts her baby down for a sleep. The house is quiet. Clare grabs her laptop, sinks into the couch and updates her blog, then learns a few chords on guitar with the help of YouTube. The last 20 minutes Clare grabs a cuppa and Skypes her cousin, who is living in Japan.
This is how much the world has changed in the last 30 years.
Before the internet, mums would tuck their little ones in for a day sleep then use the time to catch with the ironing, get the toilet squeaky clean, settle in for feet-up time, watch daytime TV or leaf through the newspaper.
But mums are better connected now. The world is at our fingertips. When our babies are snoozing, many mums are online, connected and busy. We’re learning, teaching, creating, working, freelancing, and chatting - really anything but scrubbing the floor.
It’s perfectly possible. Did you know babies sleep in the daytime on average 1000 hours in the first 2 years of their life? In the early days it’s often essential to catch up on sleep, rest and take it easy as a busy mum. But when the sleep deprived months ebb away, you may get restless. So when your brain asks for activity and excitement - fear not. We have the technology to be connected with the grown up world.
Maternity leave is no longer a time to stare at the walls and wonder where our brains went. This is our opportunity - away from the office cubicle and into worldwide freedom. This is your time.
So while your lovely baby slumbers, here is my top 10 ways of living life to the max, via the world wide web:
1. Write a book - once a week write one chapter. A novel, a guide, a memoir. Whatever it is we don’t need a publisher anymore. We can self publish into an eBook, sell it on Amazon and bingo - we are an author.
2. Start an online business - it’s all the rage and it’s easy and affordable. Freelance your services, sell products, start your own online course teaching whatever you know.
3. Learn to grow a vegetable garden.
4. Learn to play guitar with YouTube. There are literally thousands of guitar lessons available on YouTube. Now is the time. You can even learn to play ‘Twinkle Twinkle’ just in time for baby waking up!
5. Start a blog about something you are really passionate about, get some sponsors and earn a bit of pocket money.
6. Learn how to be a productivity junkie so all your mundane domestic duties are ticked off by 9am - leaving you with more time for fun stuff.
7. Hire a Life Coach via Skype and hunt out your passions, sift your goals and become committed to health and well being for your body and soul. And all while sitting on the sofa.
8. Start your own radio show via podcast and stream your opinions and insightful thoughts to the world.
9. Start an exclusive Google Hang Out mums group so you can touch base, have a giggle, enjoy adult conversation and feel human again.
10.Get in your stretchy togs, close your eyes and do a great little 10 minute yoga routine.
Maybe you are already participating in some exciting activities whilst the slow cooker looks after dinner? Comment below and share your online adventures with us so we can all get involved.
What do you do with the time when your baby is sleeping?