Constance Marie's Blog: Tick Tock Goes the Clock!

This week, the actress - who lives in California with her fiancé, yoga instructor Kent Katich, and their 16-month-old daughter, Luna Marie - tells PEOPLE Moms & Babies about how the concept of time takes on a completely different meaning once you're a mom!

Constance Marie has been quite prolific with her blogging — so far, we’ve met the family, gone “into the trenches,” learned all about cloth diapers, heard about her fertility fight and learned about how she “greens” her daughter’s world.

This week, the actress — who lives in California with her fiancé, yoga instructor Kent Katich, and their 16-month-old daughter, Luna Marie — tells PEOPLE Moms & Babies about how the concept of time takes on a completely different meaning once you’re a mom!

Mommies! I LOVED your comments about the green nursery blog! As I said, there are many, many things we can do to help our lil’ ones out. Regarding one reader’s comment: Buying secondhand is awesome!! I forgot to include that! There are also great baby resale stores, and of course there is always eBay! If it makes another mommy and baby happy then they should have it.

Before I forget, please check out my new “Easy Greeny Mommy” How to Videos on Youtube. This one is about cloth diapers — a special thanks to Happy Heinys!

Oh! And a secret lil’ thing I like to do to spread the organic word is to purposely walk into a store, find the manager or sales person and ask them point blank if they have any green or organic versions of their products. When the answer is, “Um … Well … No” I say, “Oh! Bummer I really wanted an organic version of (whatever they sell).” It isn’t a lie, I really do! Then I leave.

I know, I know, sounds crazy! But then again, maybe not so much? If stores and vendors know there is a demand for organic products, they will make them. The more they make, the more the cost comes down. Babies will have better products and everybody will be happy. We can all do that and become what I call “easy greeny mommies.”

Moving on…

A little story: When I was pregnant, I tried to join a mommy/baby exercise class. I saw an expectant mom in the class with her older baby and thought, “Oh! That would be fun…” I asked if I could join, and the teacher said, “Sorry, no.” When I asked why, she replied, “Your time is still your own — you can come once the baby is born.” I was shocked! What did she mean, “Your time is still your own?!” I was pissed! Of course my time is my own! What was she talking about?!

Well, NOW I KNOW!

Tick tock, tick tock, tick tock! Ya hear that? That’s my beautiful, precious 16-month-old alarm clock! Yep! Lil’ miss Luna Marie, whom I adore and worship. But I realized — everything I do is around her schedule and desires: How long a conversation on the phone can go, how long my shower will last (and if I can even get one), how much time I can spend on the computer, how many hours I get to sleep and last but so not least, how long it takes to get out of the house!!

Seriously, it is like planning a frickin’ space shuttle launch! So many things to pack too — it’s like we are moving!

She doesn’t do it on purpose, I know. She just doesn’t know that playing with the dirty, germy dog toys outside doesn’t need to take 20 minutes! Or that when she hears that horrid phrase, “Time to change your diaper!” it does not need to be followed by her trying to bang her head on the floor and 10 minutes of crying and squirming! Or that other things need to happen in life.

Honestly, if she knew, she might actually help me out. She’s that kind of baby. But for now, she’s the new cop on the block. Her mission? To police Mommy’s time! She’s the boss. It’s her job to take the time to explore the world, even through head banging. ?

I’ve heard my other friends chime in with, “But you have help!” Yes I do, but if you know anything about me, that so doesn’t matter. When I see her in the morning, I want to stay and she wants me to as well … So I do! Then I am late for work, which I hate. When I am away, I’m always keeping an ear out for a call from Luna Marie’s nanny. I know when she eats, what she eats — she is a vegetarian like me! More on that in another blog — how much she plays, if and when she naps and for how long, if she is having a good day or not. Technically, that’s my job! I can’t help it.

All of this is on my mind constantly. Help or no help, I’m lovingly obsessed with this little baby! I will walk out of whatever meeting I am in if I see the nanny’s face pop up on my phone. I did it just the other day, in a meeting of 12 people. Oy. No worries, she just needed to know where the sunblock was!

Here’s the best part: Even if the nanny is there and I have time to relax, I feel guilty. I should be working! Making the most of my time! When I’m on duty but Luna is napping, I still find myself cleaning, rounding up toys (which takes a ridiculous amount of time!), dealing with computer work, the laundry and — as any mom knows — a BILLION little tiny details that just suck the time away. It’s like a black hole of time.

No joke, I remember forcing myself to sit down and have a cup of tea one time. I started staring at the baby monitor and thought, “I better hurry up and relax — she could wake up at any minute!” Oh boy! What kind of relaxation is that?! I feel like I’m always on high alert.

So you know what? That exercise instructor was SO right! (Of course, I hate that she was.) My time is not my own! But Luna Marie’s my sweet, feisty little girl and I wouldn’t change a thing. Everyone says, “Pay attention and enjoy it” because it goes by so fast. And it IS! My baby was just a little blob what seems like five minutes ago! Tick tock, tick tock, tick tock.

Time? Yep! It is TOTALLY different! I hope you all had a great Father’s Day with your families! ?

— Constance Marie