Inspired

Today I was totally inspired by an article I found on Pinterest.  The post is entitled 40 Ways To Be Present in Your Child's Day.

My little June Bug is such a sparkle of sunshine EACH and EVERY day.  I find myself asking her to slow down sometimes because I cannot keep up with her imagination, her inquisitive mind, her excitement, her pure JOY for life!  But, in reality, I'm the one who needs to slow down and focus in on the moment she's taking part in; be part of that moment WITH her.

photo credit: Britta Gillan Photography

Tricia's list of 40 was a catalyst for me to start small and try a few new things within my family that she recommends.  Here's my list of 5 ways I'm going to try and be present in my children's day:

1. (#6) Create a gratitude journal with your kids and add to it throughout the day.
We had a gratitude tree up in our dining room during the month of Thanksgiving, and it was a big hit.  Bug would come up with the most adorable things she was thankful for.  She would remind ME each day that we needed to write the thing we were grateful for on a leaf and tape it to our tree.  I think keeping a journal with her will be really fun for the both of us.  And I think she'll really enjoy drawing pictures of the things she is grateful for.

2. (#7) Put down your smart phone.  Set it aside and pick it up and check it once an hour.I actually started this today and really could tell what a difference it made in my focus.  I didn't check it every hour.  I left it in the car during all of my errands, and only got on my phone to look up a recipe for dinner. (Roasted Califlower.  It was SO yummy!  Bug had seconds and I had thirds!)  I also deleted my Facebook app.  While I love staying connected with my friends and family, I REALLY don't need to stay up to date on a hourly basis.

3. (#11) Ignore the dishes, the laundry, the vacuuming for the first hour of the day and start the day off with your child.
This is a complete shift for me because most days when I wake up I'm thinking of To-Do's.  Get my To-Do's done so THEN I can have free time with the kids.  I think putting the kids first in my day will be a great way to set the tone for my mindset throughout the day.  Good stuff.  Thank you, Tricia.

4. (#2) Make eye contact when your child asks you a question.
I was SO much better about this before Mr. T came along.  I had to make a conscious effort to THEN, but I really need to try harder at this now.  New babies need a lot of attention, but 3 year olds do too :)  I know eye contact makes me feel important and validated.

5. (#19) Soak in your child's stories.  Ask for more details.
My husband is amazing at this.  Such a great example to me.  I find myself at a lack for words when Bug tells me her stories.  They are SO crazy creative, my mind just can't always go there with her.  But I need to at least try.  Last night, instead of reading a book before bed, my husband and Bug helped each other make up a story.  He told me afterwards "We have the coolest, sweetest daughter."  And he's right.  She's pretty rad :)  I might try and make these neat story stones to help exercise my imagination with her.

Originally found on CraftingConnections.

So there's my 5.  Get inspired and check out Tricia's article on thebettermom.com.  What are some things you'd like to try within your family?

Dirty Laundry

My morning went something like this:

1) Woke up by getting thrown up all over, in bed, by Mr. T :)
2) Received the pleasant news that June Bug (completely potty trained & has been doing great at night time too) had had an accident in the night.

"But it's okay, Mom, because I changed my clothes all by myself!  Can I still watch a movie today?" -JB

So all before breakfast I had a nice pile of laundry to tackle.

On top of the three, no make that four, baskets I already have lined up to fold today.

Husband said something kind of funny last night before bed.  It was really late, so I'll cut him some slack for that.  But he came to the AWESOME conclusion that I'd have to do laundry. Every day.  Probably for the rest of my life.  So cool, huh??!

But you know what, that's okay.  Because it's all so worth it.  I love my life.  And it's exactly what I always wanted.  Being called a wife and mom is seriously sweet.

At least I'm learning to become less surprised with the amount of laundry we have to keep up with around here :)

Welcome!

So I've tried to start a blog twice now.  Way back when my husband and I first got married.  Then again when we had our first baby.  It never stuck.  I was doing it for all the wrong reasons.  And trying too hard at it!

It's been almost 4 years since my last attempt, and I've already promised myself that I'll never try again.  This is it.  But my motivation and perspective are completely different this time around.  I have thoughts, ideas, adventures, passions that are all my own and I wanna share!

My children (June Bug- almost 4 and Mr. T- 3 months) are by far my greatest inspiration.  My husband (I still need to come up with a creative name for him) is my best friend and forever man.  I'm so happy to call him mine and go on our crazy life jouney by his side.

So follow along, chime in when you want (lovely comments are appreciated), and let's do this!