Between the Loads of Laundry

I'm always impressed at what kids can get done in the shortest bits of time. A call of, "we're leaving in 5 minutes!" is plenty of time to start one last game of make believe. 15 minutes waiting for mom to find the car keys, someone's missing shoe and the bag of library books is plenty of time to create a masterpiece with markers (with or without paper). And, that half hour or so before bed? Well, the possibilities are endless.

I have decided to take this lesson from my littles and try to squeeze more out of those bits of time I find sprinkled throughout the day. As it turns out, the time it takes to boil the water and steep my morning tea, is the perfect amount of time to unload the dishwasher. And on laundry day, I discovered that, apparently, the 58 minutes it takes for one load of laundry to go through the washing machine is plenty of time to head to the nearby park for the first, cold, swim of the season, find cool bits of seaweed, play in the sand, enjoy a little reading, and then stroll through the park on our way back to the car.

I feel like I've discovered a secret well of time, the ladle is small and I only get a sip at a time but, with enough sips, who knows, maybe I'll be able to write a blog post every now and then, or finish that quilt I've been working on for 5 years now, or maybe, just maybe stock my etsy shop that has been so neglected for so very long. 

The possibilities are endless, but somehow I know that what will most likely come of this discovery is just a few more stories for my youngest who's growing way too fast, a few extra conversations dreaming and planning with my oldest, a few more cuddles on the couch with my chicken loving ballerina girl, and some extra games of catch with my sweet boy.

And of course, a few quick trips to the beach between the loads of laundry.