The 'ber' Months are Here

We have officially arrived in the ‘ber’ months! The warm, snuggly season - well, once the weather decides it is ready, that is. It is the snuggle and read with a blanket or curl up and watch a cozy show season. It is also the back-to-normal season. School starts, and with that come the activities. Which, who are we kidding never stopped but it was summer. For the most part, we could be more relaxed about bedtimes and routines. There wasn’t homework to do and lunches to pack. 

Fall activities are different though and often feel more time-consuming. There is more traffic on the roads, homework and assignments that need to be done, oh and don’t forget the birthday parties. You need to balance your social calendar with your child's, and that is exhausting and expensive. 

Often we begin to lose ourselves in the parenting aspect of our lives and forget that we were a person who had hobbies they enjoyed before having our amazing families. There was one thing I always made time for when my children were younger that I still do today. After the kids are in bed, if there is time, I watch at least one show. Alone. By MYSELF (well, now it is with my husband, but at the time, I was single, so it was alone. Also keep in mind it was a quick show until the kids were asleep and not asking for their 50th glass of water). Then I would go to bed and read. Sometimes I would start to read then wake up with the book open beside me, but I always made time for even a few pages. I was never a reader growing up. My mom was. She always had a book with her. Didn’t matter where we went, she had a book. She always said that if she had to wait for someone, she might as well read. 

Reading for me was my way of bringing in some calm. When the kids got older, I ran, a lot too, but I always came to the book at the end of the day. I am now 53 and have not stopped. My TBR is longer than my grocery list for a month and grows every day. There are so many ways to read too. There are audiobooks and podcasts, so now we can listen while we are washing dishes, cleaning or driving. That is, if we aren’t listening to the kids' music to keep some sanity while driving. I find that reading takes me somewhere else. I live a life that is not mine, whether good or bad. The characters all of a sudden become part of me while I read. I am completely invested. I cry with them, get mad for them and at times will yell for them to run when needed. I imagine what they look like in my head and am often irritated if they cast the wrong person when the movie is made. I am a firm believer that the book is ALWAYS better than the movie or show they make for it. 

So as we begin our trek into the activities during ‘ber’ season, remember to take time for you! It may start as something that feels like an impossible task, but will turn into something that is so routine you won’t realize it became that. To help each other out, leave a comment letting people know what one or 10 (I won’t judge) of your favourite books are.