I’m Not A Slacker
I swear to you, I am not a slacker. If you knew me in high school or college, you would know that I am an extremely determined, hard-working person. However, if you knew me only through my book club (the mothers’ book club I joined back in November), you might think that I’m the world’s biggest sacker. Because I just can’t seem to finish any of the books. Sometimes I don’t even come close. This is not something I’m proud of. But after meeting a woman in the club who has 6 children under 8 years old (no twins) AND who managed to finish our last book when I only got about a third of the way through, I decided I needed to come up with a plan that would give me more time in each day for reading.
My plan was to dedicate at least 30 minutes of nap time and 30 minutes before going to bed as time for me to spend reading. But the major flaw in this plan was not factoring in fatigue. The moment I sit down to read, I feel completely exhausted and usually find myself nodding off within 15 minutes. So, I need a new plan. Perhaps a nap right after lunch and then a bit of reading time before the kids wake up? I suppose it’s worth a try.
It’s entirely possible that I’ll be that woman (the one who always comes to book club unprepared) for a few more months. But I’d rather show up unprepared than drop out and lose that one time a month where I get to have adult conversations with other local moms.
I think I can, I think I can….
Some day I’ll finish a book again.
Don’t be so hard on yourself! It’s a club that you are supposed to enjoy, isn’t it? If you turn it into a chore, you’ll enjoy it less…. Finding time to read will get easier. You can always do what I would do – skip “chores” in order to read. 
I’m exactly in the same boat! I have always loved to read, but I’ve done little of it since the girls were born…save for the first few months when I was pumping. I got some real quality reading in during all those sessions!
I have recently decided I really MISS reading, and I’m trying to find a way to incorporate it into my schedule…without lulling myself to sleep!
The funny thing is, I haven’t stopped buying books over the past 15 months. I just can’t resist the sale tables at Bar.nes & No.ble! At least I have a really inviting stack of tomes with that “new book smell” to further entice me back to reading.
I wish I had more time to read. Let me know if you come up with a comfortable balance.