quiet moments

It is so hard as a stay-at-home momma to take a minute to just be still and quiet and do nothing.  Usually, if Max is napping I am cleaning the house, cooking, organizing, or something else of that sort.  When I start to sit down and relax I notice the pile of laundry in the corner that needs folding or the sink full of dirty dishes and I can kiss that quiet moment goodbye.  Even when I lay down at night to go to sleep, I tend to make a list in my head of all the things I need to do as I am trying to sleep (if you have ever seen the movie "I Don't Know How She Does It"...I seriously make lists just like Sarah Jessica Parker's character does in that movie!).

So, today Max fell asleep on me when he was having a snuggly moment right around his nap time.  Nick was asleep on the couch after working third shift last night (training the new night shift manager), and the house was completely still and quiet.  Rare, when you live with a rambunctious toddler!  I was sitting in the chair, looking around at the mess of toys and snack leftovers and shoes and clothes that covered our living room floor and it took over my thoughts.  I wanted to go lay Max down in his bed so I could get up and clean that mess! But then, thank goodness, Drew started kicking away and it made me stop.  I am so glad I did.  I decided that I was just going to sit there and soak up the goodness in that moment.  Max draped across my belly and chest, his sweet little face still looking like a baby's (it only looks like that when he is sleeping these days). Drew dancing so that I can feel every little move he makes.  Hubby sleeping peacefully on the couch.  And of course a nice view out the window of the beauty of the fall leaves.  It really was perfect.

I am so thankful for all that we have been blessed with, but I feel like I don't ever just take a minute to soak it up and thank God for all this beauty. As a stay-at-home mom, your job never stops.  You are "at work" 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.  I realized today how important it is to just slow down.  You only have that day for one day, and tomorrow it will be over.  Even though tomorrow is sure to be fun and exciting, we will never get today back.  And when you have a toddler that is learning and changing so much each and every day, each moment is so very precious!  I know I keep saying "soaking it all up" in a lot of blog posts in the past, and this is exactly what I mean.

I am going to make a conscious effort every day to slow down and take in every moment and LOVE it all.

This is how Max insists that Nick sleeps when he comes home from working third shift.  He is always snuggled up to him, rolling cars on his head. Golly, I love these boys!