Something to work on

I thoroughly enjoyed this past conference. Perhaps the most memorable message for me was this talk by Elder Ballard entitled "Daughters of God". It was exactly what I needed to hear at this time in my life. I think I need to plaster it onto my walls so I read it every day. I'm sure it rang true for many mothers, but it gave me the strength to keep plugging away and to change some things in my life.

One of the quotes that stood out to me was this one:

"I am impressed by countless mothers who have learned how important it is to focus on the things that can only be done in a particular season of life. If a child lives with parents for 18 or 19 years, that span is only one-fourth of a parent’s life. And the most formative time of all, the early years in a child’s life, represents less than one-tenth of a parent’s normal life. It is crucial to focus on our children for the short time we have them with us and to seek, with the help of the Lord, to teach them all we can before they leave our homes. "

That hit me hard. I do believe I have not spent as much time enjoying the time I have with my children, as I have wishing this time would be over faster. It certainly puts things into perspective to think I'll only have my children in my home for 1/4 of my life. This is my season to be a mother and to love and nurture them. So I've determined to enjoy it more; to celebrate the little things and to make sure my children are taught what they need to learn before they are gone.

I also enjoyed this quote:

"Author Anna Quindlen reminds us not to rush past the fleeting moments. She said: 'The biggest mistake I made [as a parent] is the one that most of us make. . . . I did not live in the moment enough. This is particularly clear now that the moment is gone, captured only in photographs. There is one picture of [my three children] sitting in the grass on a quilt in the shadow of the swing set on a summer day, ages six, four, and one. And I wish I could remember what we ate, and what we talked about, and how they sounded, and how they looked when they slept that night. I wish I had not been in such a hurry to get on to the next thing: dinner, bath, book, bed. I wish I had treasured the doing a little more and the getting it done a little less'(Loud and Clear [2004], 10–11)."

This is exactly what I'm like. I live for nap times, then I struggle through the next hours until bedtime. I always seem to be in a hurry to get on to the next thing. I'm sure most moms are. It's tough work, and it seems there isn't nearly enough "me" time in the day. So, I've determined to enjoy "the doing" a little more.


So, in an effort to help me realize there are some good moments in parenthood, here are some things I really enjoy doing with my children:

Reading. Even the same book over and over. It's so nice to have them sit on your lap and soak in a good book

Singing. We love to make up silly songs, or to put silly words in songs. One of our favorites is: "Heeeeeeeeey-ey-ey baby, I wanna know-ow-ow, if you'll be my....chicken (insert other assorted animal here).

Playing outside. It's so nice to let them run free and explore and use their imaginations. I can't wait until it's warm so we can get outside more.

Creating. We love to make cards, color pictures, paint, draw with chalk, or play with play dough. Good times.

Pretending. Parks loves to pretend that I'm a Grandma or a farmer or something. He loves to drive to our house on his bike and say, "Hey Grandma. I'm here."

Dancing. We have good times dancing to crazy music. Here's a little ditty we whipped up a couple weeks ago. I'm not really sure what happened to Maddie's pants:

So I'm determined to enjoy motherhood more. I know it is a divinely appointed role and I'll try a little harder to enjoy my children right now. I love them and I really am blessed to have them in my life.

Remind me of that tomorrow, when I step in one of the numerous puddles Parks made on the living room floor today in an effort to get rid of his water so he could have Gatorade. I love these moments, I love these moments, I love these moments. :)