Sunday, March 17, 2013

the gift of an ordinary moment

in my head, i'm quite the domestic goddess around the house, an organized martha stewart, if you will, and a healthy version of paula deen in the kitchen.  like i said, in my head.  my head doesn't always play out in real life.  life is messy.  i've mentioned that a time or twenty.

truthfully, i try.  but i tire of spinning so many plates.  a few of them, self-inflicted, i'm sure.  so much to do, so little of me to go around.  that's where i stand in this season of motherhood.  chances are, you know where i'm coming from.

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a friend of mine asked my soon-to-be-thirteen-year-old (excuse me whilst i have an i'm-not-ready-for-my-girls-to-grow-up-tantrum) what we did over spring break.  my sweet girl told my friend that we cleaned.  and did schoolwork.

nice.

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laughing, i walked up and reminded her that we only had theater and schoolwork this past week.  evenings were completely free for playtime since all dance classes & piano/voice was cancelled.

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maybe we could take more breaks if we were not involved in theater, dance lessons, competition, piano/voice lessons, music guild, etc.  but the girls really don't want to give up any of their passions; therefore, some schoolwork must be seized during hours our public school friends might be on break.

i'm so glad mama is here to remind them how much fun they get to have each week. ;)

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oh, i kid.  when asked, the girls will tell you that they love us.
and we have fun. 

sometimes, when distracted with my many spinning plates, i need a gentle nudge...
to just breath
and take in the moment.
i'm sharing one of those tissue-inducing nudges with you here...


after wiping my teary eyes, mama closed up shop.  reading could wait till the afternoon on this particular day.  

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making a spontaneously-fun moment would come first.  they grow up so quickly.

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getting our studies in is certainly important.
absolutely.
but not more important than appreciating life with those we love. 

to prove how dedicated i was, i even left the nikon at home.
this was truly about quality time, not quality of pix.
sometimes, the iphone captures the best moments.

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(we called this our tree in the trail. ;)

may you and your family collect more fun-filled memories,
and guilt-free-parenting-plate-spinning.
because... well... life happens.
yo.

16 comments:

  1. I completely understand the moment you are in....I am in that moment myself. We just took a week in TN to recharge. I really did not realize how thin I was spreading myself. I should be rested for the upcoming week but after a 13 hour ride home yesterday, and a busy day today coupled with the beginnings of what I fear may be a nasty cold. From what I can see on your blog and on instagram, even though you are out and about a lot, your family is full of love and support and nurturing. That will get you through the tough busy seasons of motherhood!

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    1. Your week looked amazing, Jessica. You are such a cool mom... And encouraging bloggy friend. xoxo

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  2. Amen and amen. I tend to forget that those moments are so much more important than the book work.

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    1. Same here, my friend. I need those reminders to occasionally let me know it's okay to take in the moment & not to worry about the next thing. ;)

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  3. WE've actually taken a year off from activities and it's been great. I've missed it some, but the opportunities to just "be" have been awesome. And we've been able to do more with our weekends with no games, meets, etc. We'll see what happens next fall but for now ahhhhh....

    Okay did I miss a post where you announced your new kitty? As I was reading I caught sight of him on the side there and wondered, who's Romeo?

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    1. Oh, that almost sounds heavenly! Oh, yes... We need to officially announce our newest addition, yes? ;)

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  4. I was NOT in a good place to watch that video... this mamma is struggling with my last one turning double digits... I cried today speaking with Dave. I need to remember to not just be sad for all that is gone but to remember to savor that moments still coming... it is hard this job of MOM. :0(

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    1. Carrie, I'm so sorry... And completely understand right where you're coming from. Our littles won't stay little, but embracing what's to come... I think that might be the key to our sanity, yes?

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  5. yes. I liked how she said it is not the end of the story but just a chapter. :0(

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    1. bitter-sweet. i always get teary looking at pictures of my girls as littles. not because they had a rough childhood, but because i wish i could have held them little... for just a little longer.

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  6. Such an important reminder :) I love when you find time to blog.

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    1. Thank you so much, Theresa. Honestly, I miss it. ;)

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  7. I agree - love it when you find time to blog. Your girlies are so cute & you have such a fun way with words :)

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  8. It does go by fast, and sometimes it's nice to step back and just enjoy. :)

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  9. Very well said...sometimes its nice to just capture the moments in our memories instead of our cameras...those are cherished moments in life...this is the exact thing I have been thinking about this week...thank you for sharing!

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