momma mondays: naptime

Whether you have one little one, three, or seven, what do you do during nap time? Do you take that time to rest, exercise, eat, shower, get housework done? I was talking with a friend of mine a few days ago, sharing our thoughts on this. A momma's time is truly not her own. I wake up between 4-5:30 with Z to feed her, go back to sleep for 1-2 hours and am up with the boys for the day. They nap for 1 1/2-2 hours in the early afternoon, but on most days, Z is up at that time and needs to be fed or held or loved on in some way. If they are all sleeping at the same time, the question comes up of what do I do now? Sleep is precious to me, but I also have housework that needs to be done, a shower that would greatly be appreciated by myself and the Hubs. It's no pretty sight coming home to a tired wife still in her pjs, when you can't tell if I just woke up or am dying to get to sleep. I try to plan my day out that most of the chores are done before the boys go down for a nap. Make our bed. Undo last night's dishes from the dishwasher and put them away. Put any breakfast dishes rinsed and in the dishwasher, make sure all the counters are clean. At least one load of laundry is in the washer. Hopefully, if it is a good day, a second load can go in, the first load can be dried and folded. The putting away waits until the evening. So I know by nap time, the kitchen is tidy, laundry is on its way to being done and then I tidy up the boys toys with them before they head for their nap. If all of that is done, and nap time either falls at the same time for the three littles or the boys are down and Z is quiet, then I use this time to try to make phone calls (so I don't have a little boy making animal sounds in one ear and another making car sounds in the other ear), pay bills (so the companies don't get bills with crayon drawing on them as well... Though if I was a worker at one of these companies and received a bill with a drawing by a little one, I think it'd make me smile!), and tidy up anything else that needs to be done. I like the house to look clean by the time the boys wake up from their nap so the second part of the whirlwind day is off to a good start. Usually in the time the boys are napping I also get lunch ready for us and the Hubs if he can make it home. And all in between this time of the boys napping, there are always interruptions to love Zelie when she needs or wants me. Once the boys are up from their nap, that is it and it is go, go, go until bedtime. For all of you mommas of multiple little ones, how you juggle and manage it all? How do you find balance in getting it all done, while showering love on your littles?