Lately I've been on a quest to simplify... I'm trying to slow down, enjoy little moments more, smell the roses, do less "have to's". This is hard for me...it goes against my nature...I'm pretty type A. ;) I easily find myself feeling guilty if I say "no". I've currently got two jobs going, and I'm a stay-at-home mom. I'm busy. However, I've noticed that when I manage to SLOW down and re-prioritize, it feels good, and my family reacts very positively. I've been scaling back on activities, one sport/season per kid, insisting on family dinners more even if we're slammed with "things to do", and trying my best to de-stress daily life. I don't necessarily believe we should always be running around from one activity to the next, stressed out and missing out on life in the process...especially kids. They should have free time to just "be" and play and, gasp, be bored. My children are happier when we are not "overbooked". I spent about 45 mins this afternoon just pushing my son on the porch swing. We sang songs and just talked and spent quality time together. It was awesome. Later we quietly worked on two puzzles. I'm going to play cards with my older son now. This evening, we will enjoy some family time, dinner together, and then we're going out to a movie with friends. Nothing else. Isn't that enough? This is the good stuff. I don't want to miss it.
