Doing Less=Doing More

On my quest to find "all things sweet" I think I got lost in the shuffle. There has been a lot of talk about stay-at-home mothers in the media lately. While I can honestly say I haven't always thought that being a SAH mom was that hard (I mean they do nothing all day, right?) I have since learned that is SO not the case. It is the HARDEST job in the world. 

I have been a mom for just under 2 years now and I had a pretty rocky start. I didn't have any idea what I was doing. I thought that everything would come naturally, that I would just know what to do because I'm a woman. HA. 

While there have been ups and downs in my mothering, I really have tried to do my best. I love to talk with other mothers to get ideas from them. I have read a lot of books about pregnancy, scheduling, involving the dads more, healthy toddler foods, and have recently I've been delving into disciplining books- plus I have a long list of books I still want to read. Jed and I talk a lot about our hopes for our family, about things we've done that we won't do in the future, and have made lists of things to remember to do again. 

I'm not here to brag about how great of a mom I am- actually the contrary. I think recently- even with the things that I try to do, that I have still fallen short. I do spend too much time on things that don't matter. Whether it be checking Pinterest, Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, blogging, talking on the phone, watching TV, reading books, whatever, I am spending my very precious time on things that are not eternal. I have tried to do as much of that as possible in the morning before PK wakes up, during his 2 hour nap, or in the evening. What I have realized is this. 

My mornings are crazy because I'm showering and getting ready for the day, reading my scriptures, or sleeping in. {Heavy on that last one}. The afternoon naps are my time to craft, clean up the house, do laundry, make phone calls etc. The evenings is time with my hubby, as well as making and cleaning up dinner, reading scriptures and saying prayers as a family, putting PK to bed, with a few hours to spare before I finally fall asleep. 

Basically what I am saying is that I have TOO MANY THINGS on my plate- and there are just not enough hours in a day to do them all. And frankly, I don't want to do them all. I want to get down and play cars, and blocks, make messes, go to the park, be crazy and enjoy PK 

while. I. still. can. 

"Mothers who know do less. They permit less of what will not bear good fruit eternally. They allow less media in their homes, less distraction, less activity that draws their children away from their home. Mothers who know are willing to live on less and consume less of the world’s goods in order to spend more time with their children—more time eating together, more time working together, more time reading together, more time talking, laughing, singing, and exemplifying. These mothers choose carefully and do not try to choose it all. Their goal is to prepare a rising generation of children who will take the gospel of Jesus Christ into the entire world. Their goal is to prepare future fathers and mothers who will be builders of the Lord’s kingdom for the next 50 years. That is influence; that is power.source

While I have been having these thoughts and promptings for a long time, I have been too selfish to vocalize them. I have had a few experiences in the past month that have taught me that when we are given promptings to do something- we had better do it. The promptings may only come a few times, and we are expected to listen. If not, we had been warned. 

There is this amazing article going around on Facebook. I'm sure many of you have read it already- but if not- it really is worth the 3 minutes to read it. But you may need some kleenex. 

"Can we remind each other that it is our uniqueness and love that our children long for? It is our voices. Our smiles. Our jiggly tummies. Of course we want to learn, improve, exercise, cook better, make our homes lovelier, and provide beautiful experiences for our children, but at the end of the day, our children don’t want a discouraged, stressed-out mom who is wishing she were someone else." source

There have been so many times {tears are welling up as I'm admitting this to you and to myself} that I have chosen something of less importance over spending time with my son. Times where he has brought a book up to my lap and I have pushed him away so that I could get back to some emails. Times where he brings me his shoes because he so desperately wants to get outside but I really want to finish a show. Even times where he isn't feeling well and instead of letting him come up on my lap and snuggle-- he can't because the lap top is already there. 

I encourage moms especially- but everyone- to look at the 24 hours you are given each day- and really analyze how you are using them. Are there talents you could be improving, people you could be helping, babies to be played with that are being set aside for things that do. not. matter eternally? Let's all take the counsel that we've been given over and over and really try to be our best self. 

Thank you to many of you who have set great examples of this for me. Thank you for being inspiring, for giving advice, and for showing me that it can be done. Let's help each other, mmmkay? 

So if you don't see me around here as often in the future- I haven't gone anywhere. Except for maybe the park :) 

Happy Thursday

XOXO