Take time to stop and smell the Play-doh

I have started on some resolutions.

One resolution was to change my pattern of staying up late at night for "me time", after the kids go to bed.

In turn, I was waking up tired every day.

Resolution = early to bed/early to rise, is in full swing.

I have always gotten up at 5:30 am on the days I go into work.

Now, I am also getting up at 5:30 am on the days I am home, to fit in a hot yoga class.

This new habit is healing me.

I am learning so many lessons in my 90 sweaty minutes, first thing in the morning.

One lesson is that it is ok to be uncomfortable.

And it is ok for my kids to be uncomfortable.

I have to let Lily and Charlotte take the consequences for their behavior.

 (Love and Logic anyone?)

It is natural (for me and Darin) to want to fix, and stop our children's problems.  We do not want our children to be upset, even if it is due to their own actions.

But taking away the discomfort, doesn't allow them to grow.

Life has struggle.

Why not teach them that they can handle it right now?!

We had a situation this week and I saw Lily grow.

I saw us grow as parents, by not fixing it for her.

A wonderful reward from my new lesson.

I also learned you can stop time.

Today I did.

Resolution #2 clean less/play more.

Charlotte and I had no pressing plans on a day we were snowed in.  Work wasn't calling me.

The house was clean enough.

"Whatever shall we do?", I asked her.

"Play Play-doh" she suggested.

So we did.

 Don't get me wrong.  I often set up the Play-doh  and watch from afar as I switch laundry, do dishes, check my email, call a friend.

I used to use this simple "good mom technique", to buy myself some free time.

Today, I played too, to Charlotte's pure squealing delight.

(how embarassing that this happens so rarely, she reacted with such joy that Mom was going to actually play with her.)

 We made ice cream cones, and spaghetti with meatballs.

And I made her a flower and she put in her hair.

 I am trying to think of ANYTHING I could have done that would have been more important.

I can think of nothing.

I am going to allow a lot more of this in 2012.

I kept thinking..."Charlotte is 3 and we are playing Play-doh together.

I could sit in this moment for the rest of my life".

"But this moment won't be here for the rest of my life"-I says to myself.

"But the moment is here now.  I will take it."

How are you doing on your resolutions, Friends? 

Have you made changes?  Have you been uncomfortable?  Has it been worth it?