Slow Paced Living

I've blogged before about the need I felt to slow things down in our daily life. To spend more quality time with the kids as opposed to quantity, to be more intentional as a wife, mother and a friend. To focus on what truly mattered in life.

A few months ago our daily life was as fast paced as you could get. We had something every single day of the week. Our week looked like this

Monday-Mom and me group
Tuesday-Military Wife Group bible study
Wednesday-Gianna had school and we had small group at night
Thursday-Mops
Fri-A playdate of some kind

And while that doesn't seem like much throw in nap times, errands, working out, cooking, cleaning, etc, etc and it was no wander I was started to feel exhausted and overwhelmed. I spent the whole day running around from event, to activity to place and then cramming all the household chores I didn't get done during the day into the hours after the kids went to bed that I knew something had to change.So I made the point of looking at our schedule and cutting some stuff out. The only activity I kept in my schedule was Mops(Moms of Preschoolers)

And a month later I am loving our laid back lifestyle. I am for the most part always caught up on chores, and if not I don't mind spending a day doing it all during nap time or in the early morning because I know that I have the whole rest of the day to be with the kids. I have reconnect with a lot of my close friends and the playdates that I set up are play dates with them and their kids. I learned that while mommy groups are nice, I don't need 50 woman and their kids to go to the zoo with me and mine. Now I plan those things with my good friends who have kiddos the same age as mine.

I feel less stressed, more calm, and I feel like a better mommy. I love having the mornings to wake up, relax and play with the kids, make a nice healthy breakfast and lounge around, going on walks or playing outside. Not having to get them up, get myself and them dressed and then rush them out the door for our first activity.

The kids and I have resumed going to story time at the library which we love and story time is usually followed by a picnic and walk at the park. I've noticed the kids seem happier with our slower lifestyle and love playing at home and having more one on one time with me. Naps are more routine and organized and I limit my errand running to once a week.

I do struggle with finding enough things to do during the day and some days hate not having at least one thing to go to but then I invite friends over for a playdate or go to the park and it all works out. These are the moments with my kids that I want to make the most of. In a few short years they will be in school and I will have all the time in the world to go to small group and bible study and hang out with my friends having adult time. And while I still do all those things, I just limit them. Finding a balance is what needed to happen and I feel like I am finally finding mine. No more complaining about lack of me time, or of how there is so much to get done. Now I don't stress if we have a busy weekend and the cleaning has to wait until Monday and I don't beat myself up if I use nap time to take a nap myself. It is amazing how much more calm, centered and focused I have become since making some changes in our daily life. I even found that the more unstructured you are a routine begins to present itself. And at the end of the day I am just enjoying time with my kids and being present in their lives