These days, catching a brief moment to myself is as rare as a Central Pulse win.
During such a moment recently, I committed the ultimate act of decadence and bought a New Idea magazine.
As I sat down to enjoy escaping in the glossy pages before me, I realised that, with Mother's Day looming, the theme for the entire magazine was motherhood.
It dawned on me that I'd be a mother forever, and that this would impact on my leisure/sporting participation significantly.
It made me think about the huge role mothers in sport play as athletes, coaches, managers, administrators, leaders and, last but not least, as mothers.
We've all heard terms like "mother's taxi" and "soccer mums".
Mothers play a major role in servicing sport for others.
The mere act of getting children to and from sporting events requires excellent time management and organisational skills.
There is an art to showing just enough support and encouragement without being overbearing or embarrassing, while massaging bruised egos and knowing enough about the sport to contribute to post-game analysis is a huge balancing act mums (and dads) around New Zealand perform.
As someone who has just started on this motherhood journey, I have all this to look forward to and it is daunting.
Becoming a mother is regarded as one of the most significant identity transformations for women.
Motherhood also carries social expectations regarding what is and is not appropriate behaviour.
The ethic of care that is socially ingrained in many (but not all) women is often magnified as a result of motherhood and the leisure/sporting needs of partners and children are frequently prioritised above their own.
Have times changed?
Are women able to combine their roles as mothers with their identities as individuals entitled to leisure pursuits and sporting endeavours in their own right?
Does the ethic of care still beat strong in women with children or are families sharing the load?
Topical media stories about mothers who have excelled in elite sport are becoming more and more common, which suggests that motherhood is no longer a barrier to sport participation and excellence.
Paula Radcliffe won the New York Marathon nine months after giving birth, and new mother Kim Clijsters' comeback in tennis also boosted her newsworthiness and profile.
At the 2008 Beijing Olympics, 20 of the 286 competitors in the US team and three of the 84 female competitors in the New Zealand team were mothers.
Motherhood no longer signifies the end of sport participation but it isn't easy.
Even post-retirement, juggling motherhood while attending meetings, reading documents and having the time to think about something other than nappy changes, feeding schedules and one-on-one play time is a mission.
Research shows that women with children, who continue to pursue sport as athletes or administrators, have a strong sense of entitlement to pursue sport because it is integral to their self-identity.
That doesn't mean, however, that they are impervious to social expectations.
In a New Zealand study of nine elite athletes and nine sport leaders who were mothers, all of them mentioned feeling guilt.
Managing this guilt was paramount to them being able to continue their sporting aspirations as athletes and leaders, and to do that many of them relied heavily on the support they received from their partners, families, friends and work colleagues.
So, if you're racking your brains about what to get or do on Mother's Day to show your partner/mother that you appreciate her, perhaps you can give them an opportunity to exercise, play sport or pursue some leisure activity.
And mothers out there, ditch the feeling of guilt and don't be a martyr.
Enjoy time to yourself being active and rediscovering that sense of freedom you once took for granted.
