Time well Spent

I've been quiet over here.  It started with a conversation with a friend, who encouraged me to try doing a 10 things before 10 o'clock challenge (from a book I think?).  I'm a stay at home Mom.  I love it.  But I don't want to be just at home I want to be GOOD at being at home.  Use my time wisely.  Monitor my onscreen time and use the time to teach and train these little ones, show them what it means to glorify God in all that we do.  Accountability for time wasted is important.  I have been saddened lately at how often i go out with the kids, to the park or a library story time and see Moms so busy texting, missing these moments with their kids that are gone so quickly.

And I judge and then I realize that I do the same, not when i'm out with the kids but when i'm at home.  When I ignore them because i'm online looking for ideas for their bedrooms or I have my nose in a book and get disgruntled when I have to get up and parent.  I fear that it is easy to be at home in body.  Much harder to be home and parent.  And so by doing 10 things before 10 o'clock means that my house is tidy, the kids are feed and changed, beds are made and the floors are mopped (or whatever is on your list of 10). And then we have the whole day.  We paint or do a craft and then we have a snack.  We go for a walk, we read stories.  They have their own time to play and I have a bit of time to read or browse on the computer.  I am trying to be careful with my time and to use it wisely.  And my days have been busy.  Full.  

We have painted and I have used the nap times to work with Kaylin.  Together we are working on letters and numbers and I found some computer games online (Scholastic.com has some good educational ones for 4 year olds).  She thrives on the time that is spent together.  They all do.

And the nap time is quickly used up.  Jacob has developed a love of painting, he is a quantity over quality type of painter.  The more paper he fills the better.  Its hard to keep up with him.  The more I do with the kids the more I realize how much more I can be doing.

And just as the days started getting better, a good pattern to our day established, a routine doctors check-up for Maddie confirmed my suspicions of an ear infection.  And sleep has been sporadic.  And Jacob has decided to un-potty train himself.  And i have cleaned-up up 6 pairs of underwear full of something that no mom wants to clean-up in one day.  And this is day three of doing that.  And Maddie has decided that despite the sleepless nights the days are meant for destruction and she moves fast.

And I've learned that you just have to go with it.  And it is a blessing to be home and a blessing to have friends who encourage you to re-evaluate the time you spend.

And slowly we'll start to get back into the schedule that works so well for us.  

Now does anyone know how I can get this almost 3 year old to re-potty train himself???.......