As I cuddle my two little boys to sleep, with one toddler leg splayed across my chest and another tiny little hand in my hand, I'm reminded to hold on to these moments, because they are going way too quickly. In my day-to-day life, it's really easy for me to get caught up in all the things I'd like to change, instead of focusing on what's perfect right in front of me.
I've been thinking about what I'd like to do for Mother's Day this year, and instead of asking my husband and kids for the usual Mother's Day luxuries like sleeping in until 7am, peeing in privacy, and an uninterrupted shower, I'll be requesting something from myself this year. I'm asking myself for two things, in order to help me appreciate all the little perfect moments with my family.
First, I'd like to forget about my long to-do list for the day. Sometimes I feel so overwhelmed with the list in my head of things to do, that I don't get anything checked off that list. On Mother's Day, I plan to forget about the laundry that needs to be washed, forget about the phone calls that need to be made, forget about the mile-long list, and just enjoy whatever it is that I'm doing. I'm giving myself permission to get nothing done for one day. Don't get me wrong, I have lots of days where nothing gets done - but on Mother's Day, I'm doing away with the guilt that comes with not doing anything!
Second, I'm asking myself to unplug for the entire day. On Mother's Day, from the time I get up in the morning (when I sleep in until 7am!) until the time I go to bed, I'm not going to look at my phone or computer. This will be difficult for me to do (I don't think I've done it in years unless I was camping), but I'm hoping it will help me slow down and be able to concentrate on what's going on around me. As mothers, we have a great superpower - being able to multitask. It's almost essential to be able to multitask when you have four young kids. But I sometimes find myself feeling pulled in too many directions and unable to fully enjoy one thing at a time. By unplugging, I'm hoping to give myself a little more time in my day to enjoy everything and everyone around me.
I hope that as I put my kids to sleep on Mother's Day, I can look back at the day and think about all the fun (and even not-so-fun) moments with my family and smile, instead of thinking about all the things I didn't get done and all the moments I may have missed.
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