HELP! We are saying goodbye to the nap! (And trying not to cry about it.)

It is with a heavy heart that I come to inform you that my magical "double-nap nap time" is coming to an end. Yes, sadly the door is shutting on the two to three hours of glorious alone time I had every afternoon.

Now, before you break out your tiny violin for me and my sob story, hear me out! My kids have never been great night time sleepers. When one is doing fine the other is crying about monsters and when that resolves someone else is yelling about teeth. I won't name names. But nap time? They nailed it and I took full advantage.

I cleaned. I cooked. I did laundry. I wrote emails. I blogged. I scheduled conference calls. I sometimes snuck in the occasional shower. I warned Kyle never to come home from work before nap time because that was my time to get my stuff together (and pluck the socks off the ceiling fans from the tornados that are our mornings).

But now I am stuck holding on to a tiny little thread that was once my afternoon [sniffle]. Why is this blog post all about me, you ask? Because the boy is 100% fine with this new schedule. He's down to about two naps a week and there have been no meltdowns and no 5 o'clock witching hour. He just happily transitions from play time to dinner to what is now (thankfully) an earlier bedtime.

So my question is this: What do all of you do that have older kids at home that don't nap? Do we feel ok with some daily screen time in order to get things done? I'm talking an hour or so. Any great "play by yourself" toys or activities that you know of? I have to be honest, I'm great at zoo outings and the Children's Museum and taking kids to the park but I am not the sit on the floor and craft and play puzzles all afternoon kind of Mom!

HELP! I would love to hear from you!

This little face is getting really tired of Finding Nemo!