Random thoughts from my recent everyday …
Dinner is in the slow cooker, I remembered to put it on this time, thank goodness we won’t be eating takeaway again tonight. When did I last eat? Or drink a cup of hot tea… or just tea of any temperature really?
The cupcakes are cooked for kindy…on a day when the baby has done nothing but catnap. Win! Of course, I am not showered and the four year old is still in her pyjamas, and why yes, it is 3 o’clock. She has most definitely watched too much TV again today, well once I managed to get the DVD player to work that is. Why do these things always go wrong on days when the baby takes more than two hours to settle for a nap? On days when my patience is already wearing thin as my brain synapses continually ping with impatience about all of the other things I need to get done!
I was clearly deluded when I thought that I would have wonderful quiet times to work, while Immy was at school and AJ enjoyed nice, long naps. Instead my everyday is filled with settling and re-settling the baby in one way or another – nursing, rocking, patting, jiggling, bouncing (sometimes all at once), in the sling, in my arms, in her bassinet, in the pram, walking the hallway up and back, up and back, up and back again. This baby of mine, whom I love more than I ever thought possible, says ‘routine schmoutine, mama,’ she is so different to the baby her sister was.
Is it any wonder then that in the moments when I am not rocking or jiggling or bouncing, when she does finally sleep, that I try to do one hundred things at once, at a million miles an hour? Preparing lunch whilst also preparing dinner whilst talking on the phone whilst helping the preschooler into a princess costume. Not that I can ever finish one job before the next one is thrust upon me, like being summoned to help clean up an arty, gluey mess while I am washing dishes… and pumping breast milk.
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Sometimes I wish I could find the STOP button. Just for a momentary pause to catch my breath. I wouldn’t change any of these individual elements of my every day, I just want the peace to enjoy them.
I don’t want to wish away these moments with our baby, even the hard ones, I want to be present and enjoy them, rejoicing in her growth, in the fact that she loves us and needs us, even when the neediness is hard.
I want to feel free to play more with Immy, especially with fulltime school just a whisper away. I will miss her so much.
I want more time for us all together as a family.
I want to parent with patience and purpose.
I want to get off the couch and exercise.
I want to find joy in preparing nutritious food for my family.
I want to live in a home that is welcoming and warm, and organised.
I want to allocate my work time more purposefully so that I can switch off the computer and focus on the other important parts of our lives.
I want to do one thing at a time and be present in that moment.
I want to be living my best life together with my family.
I need more time.
But there are only so many hours in the day. If I want more time then I am going to have to find it myself.
Do you wish you had more time? What would you use it for? Would it make you a better parent or your family life more peaceful and cohesive? Are you living your BEST life together as a family?
I can’t possibly be the only one, can I? I am not talking about creating a perfect, Pinterest-ing life. I know we have a new baby and are in the midst of constant (though minor) renovations of our home. I am talking about creating a life less busy, with less of the juggle, lived with more purpose and intention.
I am hoping that you will join me as through a series of posts I explore this idea of living your best life together as a family. Let’s tackle these issues and questions together, sharing our ideas and inspiration, and celebrating our success (because we WILL have success!) Please leave a comment letting me know that you will join me on this journey. What you would like to find more time for? What will help you and your family to live your BEST life together?
Read more about how I am finding more time for the things I want to do.
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