Soaking or Skimming?

As a busy parent, do you ever feel like you are just skimming over life?  Each day can be so filled-to-the-brim that we just skim along the surface of life getting to each activity, each chore, each meal, each clean-up until the end of the day comes and we lay down exhausted in bed trying to figure out where the day went.

It's like skipping rocks on the surface of the water.  If we get good wrist action, the rock can skip 4, 5, or more times across the water until it sinks.  That's just like us everyday.  If we get a good night sleep, or have so much to do that we have no choice but to keep going, we skip along our to-do list until we "sink" into bed each night.(Or fall asleep on the couch as soon as we sit down!  That happens a lot in our house!)

Wanting to Live in the Moment has helped me to look at my life in a different way.  It's taking a lot of effort to keep my mind on the task at hand and not just push forward in my mental to-do list.  I have such limited opportunities to do anything with my complete attention that I'm always trying to squash too much into those moments.

I want to change that.  I want to try and soak in what I read....not just skim over the words to get to the end.  I want to soak in the moments with my baby and toddler....not just squeeze them into my day filled with cleaning and cooking and taxi service.  I want to give my complete focus to the older kids when they share about their day.  I want to be an encouraging and calming voice to my husband when he comes home after a crazy day of work.

There's so much I need to adjust in my own way of thinking and doing things that it can feel so overwhelming that I just want to give up!

So, for today, I am choosing to just focus on today!  I'm going to embrace being home today and do my best to enjoy my moments with the munchkins and enjoy getting my to do list done as the opportunities present themselves....and it definitely won't be on my time table!

I really need to figure out a way that keeps our home in more order and works for our family.  With two little ones at home all the time, and teenagers that are super busy between school, sports, and working, what I can accomplish has changed a lot.  I haven't adjusted.  I keep waiting for things to change enough that I can go back into my old schedule of home cleaning/organization.  It's not going to happen.  We have entered into a "new normal".  Things won't be "back" to the way they were...so I need to move forward, too.