"To be in your child's memories tomorrow
be in his life today"!
Idaho Falls Summer 2007I have been thinking
about this quote a lot lately as we have had to lose a week of work during the summer without pay and so I have really enjoyed it because I have had Wednesday's off in June and July. Yay!!
As I think back about my childhood I don't really remember specific memories with my mom, except the excitement of her taking us school shopping and to lunch (just her and I) as a special day and making us a yummy cake for our birthdays. It's not that my mom didn't do things for us because she was amazing in all that she did, I just never had a lot of "one on one" with her. I was the oldest of 6 children and I was kind of like the second mom in the family and so my memories are very vague and I wish more than anything I would have had more "one on one" with her so our relationship would be better in my adult life.
(fun summer memories 2009...
swimming, hiking and LOTS of walks)
A couple of weeks ago in church we had a wonderful talk on Balance and keeping things in perspective. Balance is a difficult thing for me and is something that I am learning more and more to do each day. I am actually quite a perfectionist , but at times you wouldn't know it if you looked at how my house looks during the summer! I have found that if my yard is looking great, the inside of my house is suffering and the attention I am giving my children is suffering worse.
(funny thing...Jade went over to our neighbors house and came home and said..."Wow, mom, her house is spotlessly clean"! OOPS...I guess my kids haven't seen my house spotlessly clean since school got out...hopefully, they've had FUN memories instead...wink)
(Kids love it when you give them a listening ear, you let them help you out and you take them for walks and bike rides around your neighborhood together.)
With having time off work I have really wanted to spend the day cleaning and organizing and working in my yard, since the busy-ness of summer has put me very behind (having soccer games twice a week and trying to savor our weekends creating FUN family memories). However,
I soon realized that it is really easy as a mom to let other things occupy your kids time
(TV, friends, video games, books,etc...)
and then one day rolls into the next and you ask your kids about what fun things they remember about the week and sometimes you are not part of the memories!
My parents live in a different state and so to keep my kids writing skills up during the summer I try and have them write their grandparents a letter each week and it is fun to hear the FUN things that the kids remembered about their week when they write their letters.
I love hearing specific things
that they did with either Tracy or I.
It makes me feel like a successful parent!
(making S'mores in our back yard and more hiking/camping)
2009
has been a year of great change for me because I am realizing really quickly how fast my children are growing up and I want to be as much a part of their lives as possible and have them remember fun and specific things that mom and dad did with them!
I think one of my very favorite quotes of all time is the following and I am realizing this more and more as I notice:
dribbles of popsicles and watermelon on my kitchen floor,
piles of laundry in my laundry room that never seem to quite get done,
a nice protective coating of dust on my furniture,
water spots and finger prints on my mirrors/windows, etc...
Some houses try to hide the fact
That children shelter there;
Ours boasts of it quite openly,
The signs are everywhere.
For smears are on the windows,
Little smudges on the door;
I guess I should apologize
For toys strewn on the floor
But I sat down with the children
And we played and we laughed and we read;
And if the doorbell doesn't shine,
Their eyes will shine instead.
For when at times I'm forced to choose
The one job or the other;
I want to be a housewife,
But first I'll be a mother.
Yes, how very easy it is to get carried away with housework and other obligations that we can easily lose perspective of our most important job of being a mom!!
(Ethan LOVES when I bake homemade cookies and likes to be my helper as well)
Finding the right BALANCE
in being a mom/housewife is my challenge that I am dealing with this summer, but, after 7 weeks of summer I am definitely a lot better at this than I was when summer vacation first began.
Progress is a good thing...and I am making progress daily!
about this quote a lot lately as we have had to lose a week of work during the summer without pay and so I have really enjoyed it because I have had Wednesday's off in June and July. Yay!!
As I think back about my childhood I don't really remember specific memories with my mom, except the excitement of her taking us school shopping and to lunch (just her and I) as a special day and making us a yummy cake for our birthdays. It's not that my mom didn't do things for us because she was amazing in all that she did, I just never had a lot of "one on one" with her. I was the oldest of 6 children and I was kind of like the second mom in the family and so my memories are very vague and I wish more than anything I would have had more "one on one" with her so our relationship would be better in my adult life.
(fun summer memories 2009...swimming, hiking and LOTS of walks)
A couple of weeks ago in church we had a wonderful talk on Balance and keeping things in perspective. Balance is a difficult thing for me and is something that I am learning more and more to do each day. I am actually quite a perfectionist , but at times you wouldn't know it if you looked at how my house looks during the summer! I have found that if my yard is looking great, the inside of my house is suffering and the attention I am giving my children is suffering worse.
(funny thing...Jade went over to our neighbors house and came home and said..."Wow, mom, her house is spotlessly clean"! OOPS...I guess my kids haven't seen my house spotlessly clean since school got out...hopefully, they've had FUN memories instead...wink)
(Kids love it when you give them a listening ear, you let them help you out and you take them for walks and bike rides around your neighborhood together.)With having time off work I have really wanted to spend the day cleaning and organizing and working in my yard, since the busy-ness of summer has put me very behind (having soccer games twice a week and trying to savor our weekends creating FUN family memories). However,
I soon realized that it is really easy as a mom to let other things occupy your kids time
(TV, friends, video games, books,etc...)
and then one day rolls into the next and you ask your kids about what fun things they remember about the week and sometimes you are not part of the memories!
My parents live in a different state and so to keep my kids writing skills up during the summer I try and have them write their grandparents a letter each week and it is fun to hear the FUN things that the kids remembered about their week when they write their letters.
I love hearing specific things
that they did with either Tracy or I.
It makes me feel like a successful parent!
(making S'mores in our back yard and more hiking/camping)2009
has been a year of great change for me because I am realizing really quickly how fast my children are growing up and I want to be as much a part of their lives as possible and have them remember fun and specific things that mom and dad did with them!
I think one of my very favorite quotes of all time is the following and I am realizing this more and more as I notice:
dribbles of popsicles and watermelon on my kitchen floor,
piles of laundry in my laundry room that never seem to quite get done,
a nice protective coating of dust on my furniture,
water spots and finger prints on my mirrors/windows, etc...
Some houses try to hide the fact
That children shelter there;
Ours boasts of it quite openly,
The signs are everywhere.
For smears are on the windows,
Little smudges on the door;
I guess I should apologize
For toys strewn on the floor
But I sat down with the children
And we played and we laughed and we read;
And if the doorbell doesn't shine,
Their eyes will shine instead.
For when at times I'm forced to choose
The one job or the other;
I want to be a housewife,
But first I'll be a mother.
Yes, how very easy it is to get carried away with housework and other obligations that we can easily lose perspective of our most important job of being a mom!!
(Ethan LOVES when I bake homemade cookies and likes to be my helper as well)Finding the right BALANCE
in being a mom/housewife is my challenge that I am dealing with this summer, but, after 7 weeks of summer I am definitely a lot better at this than I was when summer vacation first began.
Progress is a good thing...and I am making progress daily!
(before I know it my kids will be back in school and things will be back in order at the level I like them to be, but I know that I will be greatly missing my afternoons of fun with my kids...so even though life's not perfect right now the cherished daily time I get with my kids and hubby is the most important thing in my life!)
I want more than anything
to be in my children's memories tomorrow
so I am making every effort possible to BE
in their lives today!!
I want more than anything
to be in my children's memories tomorrow
so I am making every effort possible to BE
in their lives today!!
*********
(and maybe someday I will have some free time to actually get these quotes cross-stitched and hanging in my house)
The cleaning and scrubbing will wait till tomorrow.
For children grow up, as I've learned to my sorrow.
So quiet down cobwebs. Dust go to sleep.
I'm rocking my baby and babies don't keep.
(and maybe someday I will have some free time to actually get these quotes cross-stitched and hanging in my house)
The cleaning and scrubbing will wait till tomorrow.
For children grow up, as I've learned to my sorrow.
So quiet down cobwebs. Dust go to sleep.
I'm rocking my baby and babies don't keep.
7 comments:
I love your thoughts and those quotes. Why do we think we have to do it all? Why is it so hard to let some things slide, especially for the benefit of our children? Thanks for giving me some food for thought today. :)
OH...I had to smile while reading your post. My daughter had a friend over a couple weeks ago, she is a friend that visits quite often and she said "Wow...your house is really clean". I am horrible at balancing. My house is clean, but barely. So I clearly understand. It's hard to be a working mom, that would truly love to stay home. So I guess I'm asking, how are you finding balance????
Loved the quotes. They make me want to sew up one for you. BUT....we'll see where I get with that.
Thanks for sharing all your great pictures. You do a lot of fun things with your boys. They will always remember and cherish their time with you.
Have a great day.
Sandra
We are twinners! I am also the oldest of 6 kids. It was alot of work for me, as I was the 2nd momma. I babysat forever... ya know?
Good thoughts.. I tryed to let the house go.. and I thought I'd turn into a monster after a whole week of pig sty. I think balance is SOOO important because it effects you and your whole family.
There is a family in my neighborhood that is with their kids everyday doing fun things but then there yard and house are so terrible, the state could get involved. Even though the parents are spending "quality" time with the kids.. The kids don't know how to work at all... and they also get embarrassed and all suffer from low self-esteems. I find it VERY interesting at how much things effect us if we don't balance ALL things.
We turn on music as a family and work together, and play together. My kids all have chores, and we get them finished quickly, and then we play all day.. The key for me is really to stay on top of things. When I let it pile.. then that's when I get overwhelmed.. But with organization, and a quick tidy every morning and night.. it can be easy.
Sorry.. I'm writing a novel.. I SO know what you mean, and I think that BALANCE in all things is one of the most important things we should be striving for! Great thoughts!
PS: That smore is calling my name.. oh wait.. so are those pink cookies... MMMMM.
I love all your quotes! Great Post!
Thank you for this great reminder of these important things. I was just thinking today about the memories I am going to be leaving. It kind of made me sad that most of the summer has been yard work, cleaning, and breaking up fights between them. Which also included some time of mom coming unglued. So thank you for these wonderful thoughts. It realy has helped me today. Maybe we can start building some memories, of a happy mom.
Having a balance is something I wish I would have learned when my oldest son was little. Time goes by so quickly and then they are gone. The great thing for me is the 10 year apart in my boys.. I learned to enjoy each moment with Brady - verses Jason - I just wanted him to grow up fast (sad).
I rocked Brady to bed each night until he was probably 5 years old. I loved putting on soft music and rocking him or singing primary songs to him. He remembers this.
I think I have enjoyed Brady's life and spent more time doing the little things. I love this time of my life sooo much more now that I am wiser and am taking the time to enjoy the journey.
My house and yard get the same way yours does. My yard is great and my house suffers etc. My house hasn't been as clean this summer as it is during school time... I am better at going with the flow. Tooo soon, school will start and winter will be here with dark evenings and tons of homework.
I just can't let one day go by without enjoying this journey... I say it a lot on my blog. Soon he will be gone and I'll have this big house all to myself (yuck). Hopefully Jason will get me a grand baby or two by then *wink.
I really enjoy reading all moments you spend with your family. I can tell they are #1 in your life. You are a fabulous mother.
Great post!!
It is important to not dwell so much on one area that you lose the focus of other areas of your life.
I have always thought people (epecially my people - aka: my family) need to be well rounded and I supposed that is another way of saying "Balance".
I think your kids will remember the experiences that they had with you and Tracy and as a family than if the house was spotless every day of their life.
So glad to see how your family enjoys life together!
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