Silence is Golden

  I love my children.  I love being home with them every day.  I enjoy our morning routine of breakfast, chores, family devotions, and school lessons.  Our mornings are far from perfect, but they are ours. I cherish the time I have with the kids and I pray that these moments will provide fond memories for them when they are grown.
  However, by the time lunch rolls around, I'm usually ready to throw in the towel.  While child-rearing has its blessings and rewards, it can also drain you down to a pile of mush. We parents put our all into our children.  We sing, laugh, and play with them.  We teach and learn from them.  We kiss boo boos and break up fights.  It can take a toll on even the strongest of minds.
  Enter: Quiet Time! Ahhh.... I rather enjoy a few minutes of time alone.  Cuddles and conversations are welcomed activities, but a momma can use a little R&R in her day.  My quiet time usually involves a good, long stare at a wall or a quick (sometimes not so quick) skimming of my Facebook newsfeed. Other times I'll read or journal.  Sleeping is fun, too! Guess what I'm doing during quiet time today? ;)
  Here are our Quiet Time requirements for the kids:  Since all of my children have outgrown their naps, we separate into our own little corners of the house after lunch.
  My 4 and 6 year olds must be in their bedrooms.  They can play quietly (alone) if they'd like, but they must stay put until quiet time is over.  If they fall asleep while reading, that is a bonus! Judging from the silence I hear right now, they are both in la la land. Oh, sweet icing on top of a delicious peaceful cake.
  My 9 and 11 year olds must park it on a couch or sit at the table and do quiet activities like reading, unfinished schoolwork, age appropriate computer games, or drawing.... alone! They are more than welcome to sleep if they'd like, but that is a rare occurrence.
  There is no talking during quiet time.  Silence is golden, remember? ;)  It does a person good to be alone for a bit.  It gives us time to wind down and recharge for some more fun and chaos.
  Our quiet time lasts 1 hour minimum.  After one hour, the older kids are ready to hang out.  Sometimes the littles fall asleep, so we continue keeping the noise down until everyone is awake. (90 minutes strong and still going today! I'll take it!)
  There is resistance from my littles most days.  They "need" to come out of their rooms to go potty twenty times, or to ask when quiet time will be over.  Since I'm such a stickler for time alone, I give them a reminder that they must stay in their rooms. If they come out a second time, other than for a legit potty break, I extend their quiet time.  This has proven to work really well, especially for my youngest, because she is little miss social.  If there is threat to spend time alone longer than necessary, she pipes down and serves her time quietly.
  When quiet time is over, we get back to being social and we're able to do that with much more ease than if we were to throw out quiet time altogether.  I definitely notice when we've skipped over our quiet time. Cranky kids, cranky Mom, cat fights, and meltdowns abound.  No fun! Quiet time for all, I say!

  Do you require quiet/nap times in your home?  How does that work for you?  What advantages do you find in having some time to yourself during the day?  Please share! :)