In a Minute...

If my kids had a dollar for every time I told them "hang on," "in a minute," "I can't right now," or "later," their piggy banks would be overflowing.  Today I was wondering how it would be if that was my heavenly Father's response when I called upon Him.  How thankful I am that He hears me and responds immediately.  He always has time for me.  He beckons me to come to Him with everything.  Do I do the same with my kids?  I can't always just drop what I'm doing every time they ask for something, and it wouldn't be productive to beat myself up about that.  There are responsibilities that have to be done.   At the same time, what can I do?  What am I letting distract me from my most precious gifts?  God has given these little guys to me to care for, train up and watch over.

Lately I've been planning many school time activities for JZ and JM.  Some days we will sit at the table for hours with the various projects I've planned.  Other days they lose interest after 30 minutes or so.  I've had a lot of fun making different matching games, puzzles, mazes, etc. for JZ and a lot of sensory type bins and toys for JM.  Yesterday as we were engaging in chatter, hand deep in an art project it hit me that it doesn't matter if my 2 and 4 year old are practicing letters, shapes, numbers, etc.  They are young and have many years ahead of them to formally learn.  What matters is that I am here sitting with them talking, laughing and giving them my undivided attention.

A few days ago I had a conversation with a group of friends about a blog many of us follow.  Some of the moms said reading the blog made them feel inadequate, because they don't do all the crafty, messy projects the moms from the blog seem to do on a daily basis.  I don't think the measure of a good mom is how many projects you plan for your children.  Whether you curl up together with a book, let your kids finger paint all over the kitchen counters, floor, walls, and beyond, or if you push your kids on the swing at the park, what matters is that you are there for them.

So if I haven't been as good about keeping up with Facebook or answering texts lately, it's because I've been busy.  I've been with my kids.