i so LOVE LOVE LOVE our featured sponsor post today. i can relate to so much of what hayley is saying.
enjoy her post!
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The push and pull. That everliving tension. The just enough and not too much.
That's motherhood. To me, anyway.
Recently, I enjoyed a day with my mother-in-law, my boys, and their two cousins. We went swimming in the YMCA indoor pool. Well, I should say they went swimming. My sweet mother-in-law brought her bathing suit because her grand-babies had begged her to get in last time we were here. Now, I was feeling a little guilty. Maybe I should be in the pool splashing with them rather than sitting on the deck with the baby snug in his carseat. I looked around and did a quick survey of the mothers in the pool and the mothers on the deck, it seemed to be a pretty even split. The moms of the youngest children seemed most apt to be in rather than out.
This reminded me of Sunday morning last weekend. Cooper, my charmingly unfocused and unhurried middle 3 year old, brought his daddy a bright red pair of Chuck Taylors. "Daddy, will you put these on? Mommy says she doesn't do these sneakers anymore." And, it's true. This particular pair of sneakers takes about 5 minutes to coerce on to his limp and distracted toddler feet. He wiggles while I tie and fusses if it takes too long. In other words, it's far more hassle than it is worth when it's time to head out the door. So, since he is 3 and able to get shoes on by himself--he must do that on weekdays. The Chuck Taylors are reserved for Daddy, who doesn't have to get all 3 boys out the door at once, by himself.
It feels a little bit like I am a killjoy, a lazy mom, or uninvolved. But, the truth of the matter is--I have set up mechanisms that work for our family. These tiny "rules"--or really just realities-- help our day move smoothly and enjoyably. If I know I will be expected to get in the pool each time I take them for free-swim at the Y, the fact is, we will never go to the Y. If I had to get on the red Chuck Taylors, we would never leave the house or at the very least always be late.
I think these are the sacrifices we make as mothers of very young children. They are the things that may make us "less fun", but they certainly keep us sane. Mothering little ones (and many little ones!) is exhausting, daily, and fast-paced. Having small rules or boundaries in your day can make all the difference between frazzled and more patient.
It is important to look at your day and realize what brings you stress, what makes your temperature rise, what makes your blood boil. Try to examine those moments and see how you could make it less fussy. Do you hate breakfast before school? Could you buy single serving yogurts and bananas, and have the kids serve themselves? Does the thought of walking in the parking lot with multiple kids make you crazy? Could you make it a rule that they have to sit in a cart on the way into the grocery store (we did that for a LONG time!). Do you enjoy taking them to the park, but despise packing enough for a two day expedition? Could you go in between meal times and not bring snacks?
The truth is. I don't ever carry snacks with me. You'll never find me with a stocked diaper bag. Our third baby gets a bottle and 2 diapers squished beside him in his carseat. That works for us, and allows me to get out the door with all three boys more days than not.
What little rules do you set for your family?
How do you make your days more manageable in ways that might make other moms gasp?
Hayley Morgan blogs at The Tiny Twig about living a life of more passion and less fuss. She tweets her daily adventures, along with thoughts on motherhood, creativity, faith, and life management @thetinytwig. She recently wrote an eBook called The No Brainer Wardrobe, which helps women get dressed with more confidence and less fuss.
enjoy her post!
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The push and pull. That everliving tension. The just enough and not too much.
That's motherhood. To me, anyway.
Recently, I enjoyed a day with my mother-in-law, my boys, and their two cousins. We went swimming in the YMCA indoor pool. Well, I should say they went swimming. My sweet mother-in-law brought her bathing suit because her grand-babies had begged her to get in last time we were here. Now, I was feeling a little guilty. Maybe I should be in the pool splashing with them rather than sitting on the deck with the baby snug in his carseat. I looked around and did a quick survey of the mothers in the pool and the mothers on the deck, it seemed to be a pretty even split. The moms of the youngest children seemed most apt to be in rather than out.
This reminded me of Sunday morning last weekend. Cooper, my charmingly unfocused and unhurried middle 3 year old, brought his daddy a bright red pair of Chuck Taylors. "Daddy, will you put these on? Mommy says she doesn't do these sneakers anymore." And, it's true. This particular pair of sneakers takes about 5 minutes to coerce on to his limp and distracted toddler feet. He wiggles while I tie and fusses if it takes too long. In other words, it's far more hassle than it is worth when it's time to head out the door. So, since he is 3 and able to get shoes on by himself--he must do that on weekdays. The Chuck Taylors are reserved for Daddy, who doesn't have to get all 3 boys out the door at once, by himself.
It feels a little bit like I am a killjoy, a lazy mom, or uninvolved. But, the truth of the matter is--I have set up mechanisms that work for our family. These tiny "rules"--or really just realities-- help our day move smoothly and enjoyably. If I know I will be expected to get in the pool each time I take them for free-swim at the Y, the fact is, we will never go to the Y. If I had to get on the red Chuck Taylors, we would never leave the house or at the very least always be late.
I think these are the sacrifices we make as mothers of very young children. They are the things that may make us "less fun", but they certainly keep us sane. Mothering little ones (and many little ones!) is exhausting, daily, and fast-paced. Having small rules or boundaries in your day can make all the difference between frazzled and more patient.
It is important to look at your day and realize what brings you stress, what makes your temperature rise, what makes your blood boil. Try to examine those moments and see how you could make it less fussy. Do you hate breakfast before school? Could you buy single serving yogurts and bananas, and have the kids serve themselves? Does the thought of walking in the parking lot with multiple kids make you crazy? Could you make it a rule that they have to sit in a cart on the way into the grocery store (we did that for a LONG time!). Do you enjoy taking them to the park, but despise packing enough for a two day expedition? Could you go in between meal times and not bring snacks?
The truth is. I don't ever carry snacks with me. You'll never find me with a stocked diaper bag. Our third baby gets a bottle and 2 diapers squished beside him in his carseat. That works for us, and allows me to get out the door with all three boys more days than not.
What little rules do you set for your family?
How do you make your days more manageable in ways that might make other moms gasp?
Hayley Morgan blogs at The Tiny Twig about living a life of more passion and less fuss. She tweets her daily adventures, along with thoughts on motherhood, creativity, faith, and life management @thetinytwig. She recently wrote an eBook called The No Brainer Wardrobe, which helps women get dressed with more confidence and less fuss.
