(Disclaimer: Nap time…a.k.a my lunch break/morning mess clean up session/dinner making/how-many-things-can-I-possibly-accomplish-around-here-before-the-kids-wake-up time) for me, is not typically spent pampering, but at times I admit to forgoing other responsibilities and indulging myself. I equate it to the paid working folk sneaking out for an afternoon latte regardless of the pressing matters at the office.)

I will never learn. Never in my 3 3/4 year life span as a mother have I successfully painted my nails during naptime. However, today I heard the sweet sound of silence coming from the boys’ room and it lasted for at least 10 minutes….I was in the clear! I could paint my nails and pretend that I am one of those put-together moms for a few days, have plenty of time for them to dry while checking my email, and maybe even fold the laundry before they wake up. Just as I was applying that last brushstroke and titling my head to admire my handiwork thinking, “Yeah, who needs a nail salon anyway”, I heard the pitter patter of little footsteps. I fanned my hands frantically wishing my manicure would dry a little faster, then I was up to police yet another nap time misdemeanor. Double whammy… the boys made a joint trip to the bathroom. The little guy was stuffing my headbands into his little potty and big brother pooped (on the real potty, thank god.) Goodbye manicure, you were great while you lasted.

I’m not sure who I thought I was when I assumed I could easily transition little brother into big brother’s bedroom in a snap.  I’ve enjoyed a small window of time in their short little lives where they were both napping at the same time  or at least overlapping naps for an hour. Starting to think I shouldn’t have disturbed a good thing… My intentions were good, though. I wanted little brother to be comfortable in his new room before baby arrives because too much change at once = potential disaster. Naptimes the past two weeks have been completely chaotic. Just as little brother is getting used to life on the bottom bunk, the big guy decides he is done with naps and is rebelling…. and taking the little guy under his wing. As I stood at the bathroom door today, with two half-smiling,  doe-eyed boys staring back, waiting curiously for my reaction…. all I could think was, “If only you two knew that half the time I have no clue what I’m supposed to do….except, maybe, that painting my nails during nap time is not such good idea.”

So without thinking, I swooped the little one up and put him back in his crib (manicure officially ruined at this point). I let the big one finish his business, then sent him back to the top bunk, set the timer and told him he couldn’t come downstairs until it beeped. I just needed 10 minutes to myself! At least twenty minutes later I thought to myself that these ten minutes certainly seemed like long ones. I went back upstairs and checked the timer. Oops. I forgot to press ‘start’. The big guy was totally zonked….Hey, maybe I do know what I am doing after all?

Anyway, my original thought for this post was that I would be sharing a wonderful mom-friendly product that I recently purchased.

Exhibit A:

I really want to like this product, but I can’t say that I do. It is easy to apply, dries super fast (like you can buckle a carseat five minutes after applying…hallelujah!), looks extra glossy and professional, it’s currently on sale at CVS, BUT….it cracks within hours if you bang your hands into anything. The anecdote above was me trying to apply regular polish overtop to see if it would last longer, but here we are, back to the drawing board. Suggestions for both fast-drying, long-lasting nail products worth trying and naptime advice are now being accepted.