Fair and Balanced Parenting

We are too busy, and there is not enough time to spend with the beautiful little people in my life.  This week we are adding swimming to the agenda which means we now have something extracurricular going on every night of the week (except Friday because that would be completely insane).  I swore it would never be like this, but here we are with double gymnastics, swimming and church youth activities.  There is not enough down time.

Even when we are home it feels nearly impossible to spend individual quality time with each girl. There are always plenty of house chores and laundry to be done.  There is also the matter of fact that we have an impish toddler running around who requires constant supervision and who doesn't cooperate when the big girls set up an intricate board game on the floor.  (Even now as I type, there is the risk that she could, at any moment, scurry over here and press the power button on my computer.)  Yesterday, after she had helped with a dozen chores and been a complete angel, Sophie came in to find me rocking a grumpy, sleep-fighting Lili.  She held up a hand drawn sign printed on green construction paper which said, "Can you please play with me Mom??"

How I wanted to just drop everything and scoop that snaggle-toothed little girl up into my arms, but I knew if I plopped Lili into her crib at that moment, she'd scream for an hour and be a complete bear for the rest of the evening.  Junk.  Twenty minutes later I had to take Emma to her gymnastics class, figure out what was for dinner and  pull all of the "pinks and reds" out of the dryer.

This is my new Mommy-Challenge.  As the days race past me like Trevor Bayne at the Daytona 500, I struggle to find time to spend with each of my girls individually. They are constantly growing and changing, and right now, they want me.  It will not always be the case that they so desperately want to spend time with their mama, so I need to take advantage of this window.  I need to figure out some way to spend quality time with all three of them independently.  This is no easy task, and I am open to any advice or suggestions you other yummy mummies out there might have.

Right now I am feeling that my Sophie is especially in need of some Mommy-time, so I am planning to take her out to breakfast sometime this weekend, just the two of us.  She will order the "little farmer's breakfast," and we will draw and color and chat and maybe even play a card game.  Quality time for Emma comes almost nightly when we curl up with a good book.  (Currently it's The Witches by Roald Dahl.)  Emma also likes to chat and talk and discuss.  If given the chance, Emma also appreciates opportunities to communicate, converse and verbalize.  No big whoop.  Don't get verklempt.  Of course Lili and I already get plenty of quality time making our favorite animal sounds, exchanging kisses, playing "I'm Gonna Get You", sharing snacks and reading her current favorite book Sometimes I Like to Curl Up in a Ball, an incredibly charming story about the daily adventures of an adorable wombat, highly recommended for the one year old in your life.  So there you go.

I continue to search for that loophole in the space-time-continuum which will allow me to have a few more hours in the day.  Until then I will just have to be a bit more proactive in seeking out little bits of time to spend with the little people who matter who matter most to me.  (That crazy snaggle-toothed face won't hang around forever, you know.  In a year she will be a completely different girl.  Breakfast date, here we come!  That's a mighty fine place to start.)