Now that we are finally settled into our new home, now that the baby is a little happier and sleeping better at night, and now that I feel a little less like a zombie, we are finally settling into more of a routine and rhythm in our home and life seems a little more....normal.
I'm baking bread again, cooking good dinners again, and being a more involved mommy. To be honest, lately I've been the kind of mom that just keeps my kids fed, clothed, alive, and "out of my hair" so I can tend to the baby and basic housekeeping tasks. And I've been a grump. My poor girls.
In the last few weeks I've realized that something needs to change. I have begun to have the girls help me make dinner (in fact, Kenadie and Lila made 90% of our green chile casserole the other night!), I have started having them help fold laundry (even though it takes 10 times as long and has forced me to let go of my OCD tendency to have the clothes perfectly folded), and I have begun to have them clean up all their toys and messes before bedtime. It's time consuming and tries my patience to the max, but it has kept them busy, has helped us interact more, and has made for a more loving and attentive mommy. Consequently, the house is not as clean or tidy as I could have it if I did things by myself, so I usually try to do a quick clean-up of our living space once the kids are in bed.
The other night after I put the kids to bed, I quickly did the dishes and then went into the living room to veg on the couch for a little bit. I noticed the messy floor, particularly the many papers all over that Kenadie and Lila had colored on earlier in the day.
This is a picture of our family:
I'm the big one in the middle, Kenadie is on my head for some reason (and wearing a princess crown, of course), Lila is in piggytails to my left, Garrett is the orange guy to the right, and Soren is the baby stick figure below Garrett.
My heart melted.
I really like having a tidy, clean home at the end of a long day,
but in that moment I really cherished the mess all over the house that reminded me that I have tiny people living with me, learning, playing, and coloring pictures of their family.
I get to stay at home and raise these munchkins, help them be creative and make messes, teach them how to clean it up, teach them how to play with and love each other, and just getting to observe the magic and wonder of childhood as I watch them. What a blessed woman I am.
So instead of completing my mad dash to pick up the living room and wipe the finger paint off of the dining table, I just relished in all that precious evidence that I am a mommy.
Who would have thought that a messy home could warm my heart and be one of the best gifts I could have this week of Mother's Day?!
Happiest Mother's Day to all the amazing mommies that I am privileged to know.
May you feel appreciated and loved this weekend,
but most importantly,
may you find joy, love, and appreciation for the great role you possess of being the literal security blanket and life's instruction manual to the tiny people who call you "mommy". :)
Picture brag of my sweethearts:
I'm baking bread again, cooking good dinners again, and being a more involved mommy. To be honest, lately I've been the kind of mom that just keeps my kids fed, clothed, alive, and "out of my hair" so I can tend to the baby and basic housekeeping tasks. And I've been a grump. My poor girls.
In the last few weeks I've realized that something needs to change. I have begun to have the girls help me make dinner (in fact, Kenadie and Lila made 90% of our green chile casserole the other night!), I have started having them help fold laundry (even though it takes 10 times as long and has forced me to let go of my OCD tendency to have the clothes perfectly folded), and I have begun to have them clean up all their toys and messes before bedtime. It's time consuming and tries my patience to the max, but it has kept them busy, has helped us interact more, and has made for a more loving and attentive mommy. Consequently, the house is not as clean or tidy as I could have it if I did things by myself, so I usually try to do a quick clean-up of our living space once the kids are in bed.
The other night after I put the kids to bed, I quickly did the dishes and then went into the living room to veg on the couch for a little bit. I noticed the messy floor, particularly the many papers all over that Kenadie and Lila had colored on earlier in the day.
This is a picture of our family:
My heart melted.
I really like having a tidy, clean home at the end of a long day,
but in that moment I really cherished the mess all over the house that reminded me that I have tiny people living with me, learning, playing, and coloring pictures of their family.I get to stay at home and raise these munchkins, help them be creative and make messes, teach them how to clean it up, teach them how to play with and love each other, and just getting to observe the magic and wonder of childhood as I watch them. What a blessed woman I am.
So instead of completing my mad dash to pick up the living room and wipe the finger paint off of the dining table, I just relished in all that precious evidence that I am a mommy.
Who would have thought that a messy home could warm my heart and be one of the best gifts I could have this week of Mother's Day?!
Happiest Mother's Day to all the amazing mommies that I am privileged to know.
May you feel appreciated and loved this weekend,
but most importantly,
may you find joy, love, and appreciation for the great role you possess of being the literal security blanket and life's instruction manual to the tiny people who call you "mommy". :)
Picture brag of my sweethearts:
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