Friday, June 3, 2011

Be Wholly Where You Are

That's another saying I've popped on the fridge.

It's where I want to be...

it's where I need to be.

I am doing too many things at a time...trying to be too many people at a time...and not really being great at any of those things as a result. Which is (sorta) fine, unless we're talking about being a mama to my my brood.

They are growing fast, and they are changing SO quickly. Just yesterday I watched Ella walk into school, that little pony tail just swinging away from side to side, and I  thought, "that almost 2nd grader used to be my almost 2yr old."


I hear myself saying, "hold on a sec...wait a minute...maybe later...go play downstairs...I'll play after I finish this" way to often lately. They need my time, my full attention.

I need to be wholly where I'm at...in my home...with my kiddos. It's where I belong. All the other busyness of life can wait.

I'm not chasing some big career, and I'm not looking for the next big thing - my next adventure starts when my 6 little alarms go off in the morning :).

I want to be wholly in the role that God has chosen for me.

I to often am folding laundry while listening to them practice spelling words, cleaning the kitchen while they sit at the table and color, and making to-do list after to-do list in my head while they grow like weeds.

Sometimes us moms have to do 100 things at a time, but I'm making it to much of a habit.

I'm going to try my best to give them my full attention instead of half, sit and read with them even if we're in the middle of the laundry room, and close my laptop even when I want to hang out in blog land.

(I often have a really hard time doing that last one)

But the truth is, blogging can wait, my google reader will still be there, my iphone won't abandon me if I don't answer that email, and facebook and twitter will move on even if they don't know that I'm standing in the check out lane at Target...or that Cinderella just got flushed down the toilet...or that an entire load of laundry is now blue due to an unfortunate encounter with a marker.

(although the Cinderella in the toilet situation was kinda worth sharing :))

I need to play playdoh when we're playing playdoh, play hide and seek when we're playing hide and seek, and tell funny stories when we're telling funny stories...

and really listen to them...

and be wholly there.


So tonight, I am going to take my favorite Ella on the planet shopping for a new dress and to get our nails done before her little birthday party on Saturday (her bday is on Sunday).

No checking my phone or going over the details of the busy weekend in my head, I just want to soak up all the sweetness of my 7yr old.

I'm going to be wholly there, wholly her mama - it's where I'm supposed to be. 

I can't wait :).

Hope you all have a great weekend!

9 comments:

Jen said...

Kate,
O, I needed this post...this reminder. So, thank you.
I have spent most this evening(been spending many lately) mulling over where/when/why crazy seems to constantly meet our path here lately. ;) and I have realized before, but can always be reminded..
That its so easy to get frustrated but it's ALWAYS when something besides the kid that is needing something is 1st on my list. If I could just always remember. Kids 1st, then everything else. Ya know?
Anyhow, good success.
We can do this, with His help.

jenny said...

This was beautiful, Kate! The moments are so fleeting with our kids.....it takes commitment to bask in the beauty of each second and soak up the blessing He gives us in being present with our kids. Enjoy your night with Ella!

wonderchris said...

Have a great time with your favorite Ella. <3

If there is a pause in your blog I will just imagine you in the checkout line at Target or playing with with your fabulous 6!!

Have a great weekend - and Happy Birthday, Ella!!!

The Skinny Turtle said...

Oh my word, Ella is so gorgeous!!!! What a happy, sunny face she has!

Also, I *love love love* the name Ella. I want to have a little girl just so I can name her Ella. =) It means "bright light or bright torch" and I always think of that meaning being a light for Jesus. =)

This was an awesome post, and one I think every mom can agree with and take to heart.

Have a super duper time with Ella and Happy Birthday on Sunday, Ella!!!!

*Katy* said...

She look SO much like you! I'm glad you're going to get some alone time with her tonight-enjoy it :)

(BTW, completely unrelated, but I just saw the sidebar where Lincoln has been added and I absolutely love how you put BRAND NEW!!! in instead of his age...it made me smile!)

victoria said...

I had to comment about Cinderella in the toilet! My house is the opposite of yours, 3 boys then a girl so I have been expecting for her things to have things like that happen! Just wait to see the havoc that Lincoln will do to his sisters' things!

Oh and this post was very well written and just what I needed after a morning of prepping for the last day of first grade! I am now stocked with Model magic, a kid sewing book, 5 word find books and current issues of kids SI, kids Nat. Geographic and Phineas and Ferb magazine...that should hold them for about Monday!

Laurel said...

GREAT post!

They do grow up ... much too quickly. But, oh how I treasure the memories of my years with "just" my 6 big kids ... when they were all young ... when I could focus solely on them.

Too soon ... I had teens to add the the young ones. And, when we had 6 teens all doing the teen-thing together, all of the littles seemed to get lost in the shuffle.

Now that my 6 Big Kids are grown and gone, I am trying to re-focus on the young ones ... get down and play more ... forget about the to-do list more.

Enjoy your time with Ella. Just yesterday I was thinking about getting a pedicure with my eldest ... before her wedding next month. Oh my. How time flies ...

Blessings,

Laurel

Marisa said...

I'm so guilty of this. It's hard to quiet the thoughts of "I should be doing x,y,z". But I don't want to look back one day and only have regret. Thanks for the reminder!

susan said...

what you say is true.... I wish wholeheartedly that I could re-do with my sweet sixteen year old..... and with all my others too of course..... but especially her as it's just not long until she will be gone :(

these days we have with our children are just wonderful..... wonderful.... xx