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‘Tis the time of year for moms to be stressed-out, over-scheduled and yes, a little bit cranky! As I find myself dashing through my days with never enough time to check everything off my “to-do” list, my kids are the ones that bring me back to earth a bit. Sometimes I’m just snapped back to reality when I’m needed as a referee for one of my kid’s frequent squabbles, but more importantly, it’s realizing that there is good stuff I’m missing out on while I’m going through life at warp speed.
Appreciate what you have– After three years of putting it off, we finally got rid of our atrocious gold carpeting and coughed up for a newer, cleaner and softer version. When the kids came home from school, they squealed with delight, lay down on the carpet and started making “snow angels”. My daughter was so happy that she insisted on sleeping on the floor in her sleeping bag that night so she could truly appreciate the comfy, new addition to our home.
Speaking the truth – As we get older, we seem to find it necessary to sugar coat the truth or at least ignore the obvious. Kids don’t share that same filter and seem to always speak their mind for better or for worse. While my family was recently staying in a hotel during construction to our home, the kids and I walked into the main lobby during happy hour and one of the male guests starting chatting me up. As we were walking back to our room, my son said, “Mom, do you know that guy?”
I said, “No…he was just being friendly."
Dylan responded with, “I don’t think so Mom….he thought you were the sexy!”
Oh geez….
Finding beauty in the mundane– Sometimes we adults forget that even life’s most plain offerings can be beautiful. For example, the only rocks in my mind I think of as having beauty are expensive, shiny and in a nice piece of jewelry. My kids on the other had are absolutely obsessed and fascinated with rocks and minerals these days. They will come up to me holding a “normal” gray rock and say, “Can you see the silver sparkles in it? Isn’t it AMAZING?!”
Or their creative minds ask, “Maybe this is a geode and if I crack it open I will find a beautiful gem!”
I have to think that if adults looked a little deeper at some of life’s “ordinary stones,” we too might see the sparkle inside.
Be yourself – This past weekend, we amazingly didn’t have any sports to run off to and my kids stayed in their pajamas until noon. I, of course, had already gone for a run, walked the dogs, done laundry, tidied up the house and showered by that time. But seriously…what was the rush? As I watched my kids while they created a LEGO world in their pajamas that were mismatched and a few sizes too small, their bed-head hair and free spirits, I realized that I had missed the boat.
In the midst of this crazy holiday season that is upon us, I think tonight I might just throw on my old pjs, make snow angels on the carpet with my kids and enjoy a enjoy a nice glass of wine. White wine, of course - - I wouldn’t want to spill on the new carpet! |
