Forget Mommy Guilt! Small Moments that Matter
30 minutes. Doesn't seem long, right? I finally had to sit down and stop. Just. Stop. I have recently entered the blogging world, which can be all consuming (in a very theraputic good way). BUT, with my new friends, Twitter, Blogfrog, SITS, TMC (so many acronyms, so little time!), I find that I am less devoted to what is going on right in front of me. You know - real life!
So today I committed a solid 30 minutes to purposefully play with my son. Sounds weird, but not when you think of the amount of interuptions that can occur during the usual playtime. I put away my phone, computer, dog and just played with my son.
I would stack the blocks and, like a miniature King Kong, he would demolish them and laugh a devilish laugh that would melt your heart.
He rolled on the floor in laughter, which of course invited me to tickle him and see just how many laughs I could generate from such a little body.
He took his first bubble bath! We have been careful in the bath because of his sensitive skin, but tonight was a special treat. I've never seen such joy and excitement in my life.
I paused several times throughout this half hour and was reminded of how truly blessed I am. When we are present with our children, we experience those subtle nuances that can be missed if you are playing "near" them. Their constant development, the little wheels churning in their brain, the spark in their eyes when that little light bulb goes on.
I know that life brings with it a certain amount of responsibility, but today reminded me of the joy of motherhood. How when you STOP, just for a second, a minute, or a half hour, you experience a world unlike any other and are reminded of why you are lucky to be a mom.
This post is part of Mama Kat's Writer's Workshop
Labels: New Moms, Writer's Workshop
posted by Katie @ 11:03 AM
28 Comments
28 Comments:
There are SO many interruptions throughout the day and this is an excellent reminder!! Good job mama!
Awesome! It is so easy to get distracted; what a gift you gave him by devoting your undivided attention for a period of time that brought you just as much joy!
That is so great that you set aside that 30 minutes. It sounds funny but 30 minutes is such a huge chunk of time. Great job.
Over from Mama Kat's and 31DBBB (since you don't have the URL option on your comments, I'm at www.thefamilytrifecta.com)
Looking forward to some other posts.
I understand how you feel completely! Blogging can be very time-consuming- I try to follow a bit of a schedule, though I've fallen a bit out of it lately. I'm thinking/hoping it will be part of the challenge!
Thanks for visiting my BlogFrog community, hope to see you @http://justanothermomof2.com!
AAaah - Great Post!
I find that struggle as well - I am trying to balance computer time and famiy time. I think I have it figured out with creating a calendar and blocking off time for me to blog and the rest of the time - play with family. Right now my computer time is in the mornings, but I am thinking that late night may be best. I don't know, we'll see.
Thanks for stopping by Peek at My Paper and linking up!
Good Luck with the rest of the challenges.
Brenda
I have been doing exactly this same thing this week and it has brought me so much joy!
Stopping by from SITS! Your comment was above mine. Have a great night!
Great post! This is so so true. It's so important to just stop and enjoy the little moments. Blink and they'll be gone before you know it.
Thanks for all of the comments tonight! I need to figure out how to set up the comment section so it gives me the option to reply below each person, and also get the URL option set up. If you happen to know how to do either, I'd appreciate it!
Until then, I love the suggestions of setting up a schedule/time/calendar for blogging. Running to the computer whenever I get a break is proving to be VERY inefficient!
Loving the 31DBBB Challenge - time to go check out some of your blogs!!
I always tend to do things based on a schedule. Like Emmy's the XBOX is from 12-2, that means she and Matt are playing during that 2 hour stretch so I try to plan my computer time during that time period.
for the 31DBBB I find tackling the next days challenge later at night works out well, the kids are usually quietly busy since they don't want to be forced to bed before I go to bed so they leave me alone. Plus since they stay up late they sleep in late so I'll get an hour or 2 in the morning for computer time. The rest of the time I focus on my 5 yr old daughter Emmy, my 14 year old son just wants to be left alone so he's easy to deal with as long as you leave him alone.
Even though I work from home, finding time to focus on updating my blog is difficult! I can relate to your sense of not having enough hours in the day to spend enjoying the company of the ones you love. Great article!
You are so right about easily being distracted from what is truly important. Blogging is an amazing world, but it can be very time consuming. Then you have the dishes, laundry, cooking, cleaning, etc and the time is filled and you are left wanting more time. Good for you for setting 30 minutes for nondistracted playtime! Have a great night!
Mama Hen
I loved your post. Great way to bring some humor into your blog--and I LOVED the pics that went along with it.
Yesterday I had one of those moments. You are right, blogging is very consuming. VERY. So I made myself shut down the computer and take my daughter outside to splash in her little pool and we had a blast. She is getting very used to having the water in her face. Alot of times I stop when I hear a fun song to dance to and dance with her in the living room.
Blogging is fun and thats why I like to do it. But, I have to remember that I create the experiences my daughter has in her life. What kind of life would she have if I sat in front of the computer all day everyday and she was stuck in the house in front of the TV?
Thanks for the reminder to take the time to enjoy those little moments together with each other as a family :)
http://frugalfreegal.blogspot.com
I am a follower!
Here, here to the challenge taking up so much of my time! I feel like I forgot to be a mom because I was so worried about this discussion or checking out this blog or making sure I post this today...
I truly need to reanalyze for this coming week so that I get back to being a mom and wife first, blogger further down the list.
Sounds like I am not alone in this juggling act! I am going to work on a schedule for next week, as I return to work full time, using all of your suggestions.
Working ahead on the 31DBBB seems to be key - that has been a popular recommendation!
Off to return the comment love to those of you I haven't already visited, and work on Day 5 of the Challenge.
Thanks for being so kind, everyone!
So glad you took advantage of those 30 minutes. Trust me, those moments will be gone before you know it. Thanks for stopping by earlier!
following you on gfc!
Please follow me too ..
http://onecheapcanadianmom.blogspot.com/
Loved this. I do this every evening with my daughter, intentionally play with her until Daddy gets home from work. That's one thing I like to remind my readers of, that the rise to success doesn't have to happen overnight. Taking it slow may not get you where you want to be as soon as you'd like, but at least you can have the freedom of spending quality time with your family... or even yourself! (If you're interested in that particular post, here it is: http://ow.ly/2fqfR)
Distraction is a real problem! And blogging, while a fulfilling creative outlet, takes up so much time. As a working mother to two, I struggle to find the balance.
Thanks for following me, I'm following you, too now!
Thank you again for such wonderful comments. I have enjoyed finding so many new blogs through the comments that you've left.
Hope you'll keep coming back to read more!
It's always good to stop for a while...
Greetings from SITS and Casablanca, Morocco!
BLOGitse
That is a wonderful way to enjoy those precious moments and take time to enjoy the blessings of our children. This is the only time they are small.
Beautiful post!
Thanks for visiting Fashionably Organized from 31DBBB, I appreciate it very much.
I'll tell you I'm a WOHM and remembering to enjoy the moments is hard. I blog, I work, I'm working on this challenge, I'm writing essays for another blog. It's hard to remember to spend time with the kids. Thanks for the reminder.
I love your post....Its really commendable that you took out time and gave undivided attention.
What a great post! I get caught up in everything too and need to slow down and play with my kids more.
Thanks for the reminder!
Melissa
bargainshoppermom.com
It is so difficult to balance it all out! I don't have little ones at home anymore, but I have to challenge myself to put the laptop away at times, when my young adult kids come around, or even when hubby is home. I realized that this evening, he sta at his desk watching news online while I sat u=in my chair blogging, and before I know it, he's off to bed and I realized I'd been at it for more than 3 hours straight!
One thing that does help me remember to get up and take a break is my cute 10 week old beagle puppy! Working on housetraining, so just about every hour, out we go!
My latest post- http://bernicewood.wordpress.com/2010/07/26/bucket-list-saving-for-someday-and-superwoman-not/
Great post! I had a hard time balancing my schedule too when I first started blogging. Now I know my family comes first, blogging after so many other things. I do my blogging late at night after everyone's gone to sleep and all other chores are done.
http://themommydiariesblog.com
Katie,
It's a beautiful post. Life is meant to be lived and children grow up so fast. Even as adults, time in the moment goes by fast.
I do my blogging at night after hubby is asleep. If I do it during the day, time does get away from me. I'm going to be using a timer to set blocks of time for myself. When that timer goes off, I need to get back to real life.
So true! Sometimes I just gotta drop all the electronics and focus on the kiddos. They won't be these carefree, rough and tumble boys forever. Need to embrace the fun now! Thanks for the reminder.
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