Balancing Act

Ready? 

Set?

GO!

I think the most challenging thing right now in my motherhood journey is balancing the tendency to want to be in control of my day, my environment, my level of productivity (or how I have been conditioned to measure productivity) with the fact that my 2 1/2 yr-old child wants to simply play with me all day long! I'm realizing it's quite an art: the ability to accomplish necessary tasks each day whether it's grocery shopping, laundry, making dinner, vacuuming floors, etc,. while attending to the little ones: changing diapers, feeding, honoring their need for sleep, all the while keeping some kind of routine or rhythm to the day and not to forget, engaging, teaching, enjoying them. I can't clearly be my 2 1/2 yr-old's playmate every waking moment of her day, neglecting the need to cook for meals for my family (although that's where pizza fits in very nicely) however, I can't also ignore her need for a coloring buddy because I'm too busy washing dishes! It boils down to including her in my everyday tasks, being creative so that she is neither bored nor overly dependent. Today, the only "productive" thing that got checked off the very long "to do" list was washing the van.  Not very high in priority but it met my need to feel accomplished & enjoy the beautiful day while meeting Alizea's need for some fresh air and exercise, teaching her that manual labor is good for the soul and making nap time a very welcomed activity! It left the van with water spots, took about 4 times as long as it should have & left me soaking in freezing cold tap water but you know, it was good enough and it was just plain fun!