My Internal Clock... And I Don't Mean Biological

It's probably a mom thing, but I have an internal stop watch. At almost any point during my awaking hours I can generally guess (within 30 minutes) the correct time even if I haven't looked at a clock in several hours.

It has taken me a few years to admit this because I think it's pretty odd, and for lack of a better term, dorky. I came to realize this "talent" more than 2 years ago.

In the winter of 2008, Noodle, DH and I would spend the dark and cold evenings after dinner in our TV room/playroom. We didn't (and still don't) have a clock in the room. We just refer to the time on the digital cable guide.

One evening, DH said to me It's probably bath time. That's his way of hinting that the bedtime routine should begin soon. Pretty confident he was a little early, I said I don't think so. It's probably only 6:30. At that time, Noodle was going to bed around 7:30-7:45. We generally started the bedtime routine around 7:00.

He gave me the look that means You wanna to bet on it? Then he said out loud What time do you think it is? I paused for a moment and pondered. Then I blurted out an exact time. I don't remember what I said, but he then clicked on the cable guide and sure enough I hit it on the money! He just looked at me and said You got lucky! So we continued to play the game during different points in the evening and he joined in with his guesses. I was almost perfect that night, and nearly every evening for the next few months during the "Guess the Time Game." DH and I are pretty competitive with each other, so it was very important to him that he beat me. He got frustrated when I won most nights.

But in all seriousness, I am pretty good at managing time because I have this internal clock that guides me. I check the time throughout the day, but I am mindful of how long tasks take, especially the ones that I do each day (serving meals, giving baths, reading books, driving to certain locations, preparing to leave the house with both kids in tow).

(This is the clock in my house that I refer to frequently.)

I was reminded of this "skill" recently when a friend of mine asked me a few questions about my bedtime routine with Noodle and Bean. She is a new mom and was struggling to get a routine and schedule that worked for her and her infant. As I thought about our schedule, particularly the evenings when I fly solo, I was reminded of how I am able to manage my time. Mostly due to the redundancy of things. But, kids can be unpredictable because of meltdowns and Noodle's inevitable bedtime stalling tactic ("I need a drink," "I am hungry," "I need a pair of socks," etc.).

I guess I consider this "internal clock" a blessing. It's helping me get through the day and to places when I am suppose to. But, that doesn't mean we aren't late or out of sync some times.

Does anyone else have an internal stop watch? Can you related at all? I'd love to hear your experiences, too.

Sami