If you come by my house, anytime day or night, you are likely to find several things. You will find dishes in the sink waiting to be done. You will find dust on several surfaces, which will be even more apparent because it has finger prints in it. You will find laundry waiting to be washed, waiting to be folded, or waiting to be put away, or all three. You will find a combination of dirt, hay and probably a few cheerios on the floor. You will find a stack of mail, a stack of magazines, and a stack of receipts. You will find the diaper bag by the door, but its contents will be spilled and scattered. You will almost always find the beds made, with the sheets and blankets lumpy and crooked because they were made by children. You will always find toys. In fact, you'll probably step on them. It's hard to avoid.
And you will find me. In the middle of it all. Enjoying it all. If there is one piece of parenting advice that I've heard more than any other, it is, "Enjoy them." More experienced mothers and grandmothers don't pass on ironing tips or scouring methods. Of all the things they have learned, they encourage me to savor the moments.
So I am. I am not missing this. I play with and enjoy and watch and love my beautiful, precious children every single day. While I know I will miss these days when I am older, I will not look back and wish that I would have sacrificed some other thing to be with them. I am not missing this. I am soaking up every chance for snuggles and stories and sticky smiles and spills. I am breathing every moment of bubbles and babies and blocks and bums. I am wrapped up in working and wrestling and the wonder of it all. I am not missing this.
So when you come to my house, you will be able to see that I missed the corners and the baseboards and the window sills. You will see that I missed the light fixtures and the door casings and the library due date. You will see that I missed some cobwebs and some weeds and maybe even the garbage truck. And when you see all of that, you will see that I am not missing this.
8 comments:
I loved that! Great reminder for me! Thank you, you always have a way of putting things into great perspective.:)
You are such a great mom.
It's taken me a few years to realize that a clean house is not the most important thing in the world. I guess I thought that I was doing a good job as wife and mom if my house always looked put together and if I had a perfect meal each night. I am finally realizing that the house is 2nd and the time I spend with my kids comes first. So I'm gradually learning how to embrace the messes that my kids bring:)
I needed to hear that today, thanks Natasha! You are so great! I admire you in so many ways!
That was beautiful! I am crying right now because I need that reminder every day when I'm getting frustrated with Audrey because she is demanding my attention every minute. But it's not too far down the road when she will want nothing to do with me!
Thank you for your great example.
That is so true! Ihanks for the great reminder!
This is so Kelly-esque, but I love that it's you. I love you and your littles--dirty bums, being called names, stepping on dumptrucks and all. Can't wait for the happiest place on earth!!!
Oh gosh! I am so glad you are back to blogging! I have missed reading your blog. :)
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