Happy Hour

Toddlerhood is a journey of discovering amazing new skills every day. And of late, Star has taken to two new skills that delight me immensely. One – Going to sleep on her own, night AND day. Two – Sleeping for longer than half an hour during the day! Now it’s imperative that we make it home for her afternoon naps. Not so much for her (though she does sleep a lot better in her own bed), but for me. I’ve gotten into the delicious habit of savouring my own time during that afternoon nap. I put the kettle on and make a pot of sencha tea before I put her to bed. I give her a kiss and put her in her cot with a cup of milk. Shut the door and wait for tea to brew! I love the ritual of pouring teacup after teacup and relishing the quiet in the house. It’s become my Happy Hour (a term I coined after coming across a book entitled “Naptime is the new happy hour”).

While in Byron Bay I assembled a special holiday treat. Local chai tea, local macadamia nuts covered in dark chocolate, and my eBook on the iPad. It was a rainy afternoon and Star was chatting to herself in her cot. She never actually got to the land of snooze that day but she stayed in the cot for two hours.

I now know how other mothers stayed sane throughout babyhood, as they would have had Happy Hour at least once, or twice, a day. I questioned how I stayed sane myself, with the 30 minute dash to the toilet and hurried cup of tea I used to get before.