Moments of Sweetness

They are very short lived, those little moments that make you tear up with an unparalleled joy that makes your heart just burst with pride! I had one of those moments last night. As I was putting the kids to bed (they both sleep in Maia's room), Harrison went and got his youth Bible and I found him and Maia laying in her bed and he was reading it to her. I almost wept. So sweet. I just HAD to get a photo of this moment before it was gone. Photo quality is not all that great, but I had to act quickly. Like I said, these moments come and go very quickly!

Pet Torture

Maia and Harrison have been at Church Day camp all week. Tuesday, they came home with little hats they had made for Louie and Max. Surprisingly, the cats were very cooperative while they were being held down to have the hats put on their heads. I didn't get a photo of Max; Maia never got it on his head. Harrison did manage to get the hat, complete with chin strap, on Louie. He looks REAL amused, doesn't he??

The Art of Being Busy

I just read a great article shared with me by a facebook friend. Take a look. I know a bunch of Moms this applies too. I have often wondered how they keep up. They make me feel inferior. They are the Moms that are always involved in something; school, charity, church, sports, friends, dating their husband, being the best mom, soccer mom. Do I really need to continue? On top of all that they bake, cook, clean, sew, do crafts and have an immaculate house to boot. Some of these women are some of my best friends. If you are reading this, you know who you are. Don't take this the wrong way. I do not hold it against you. You amaze me. BUT this article really does get to the heart of the matter.

I work from home running a daycare. I think most people think that because I stay home, oh, excuse me, sit at home all day doing nothing, that I should be able to have a neat and tidy house. That dinner should be ready, clothes and dishes should be washed and put away, etc. I do manage to "manage" all the appointments, but bills sometimes get overlooked in the mix of everything else I have to do. Yes, I am a busy Mom too. But I can promise that I am not trying to compete with other supermoms out there who seem to be able to do it all with grace. Most days, I'm doing good to get a shower and put on decent clothes by dinner time. I am slowly learning how to say "no" when asked to do/participate in/take part of/attend something that I just don't feel compelled to do. Sometimes, it really is because I have other plans, but more than not, it is just because I can't take one more thing on me that is not something that I am not 100% wanting to do. I have had to bow out of Relay for Life events this spring, I have missed parties and other events, church activities and the like that I just am not into whole-hearted. If I can't do it joyfully, I would just rather not do it at all.

I do hear alot of other Moms saying how busy they are. You ask to have lunch with someone (I am not really speaking of any particular incident), just hang out with someone, meet someone for drinks/shopping/a movie, and you get "oh, if I weren't so busy doing X, Y, and Z then I would love too. Sometimes I wonder if we have really moved away from the simple life and are trying to outdo each other as Mothers, like the article states. Everyone is trying to keep up with the next person who seems to have it all together. I can PROMISE you that there are not many people out there trying to keep up with me. I have looked at these women and asked myself how they manage to do and have it all. Do they really really want to be that way? Are they in some sort of competition with the next person? Are they REALLY happy being this way and doing that much?

I would love to hear other thoughts on this, if you are not to busy to drop me a line!