Spirit Week and New Parenting Stratagies

This week at the kid's school is Pride week. So they have had fun dressing up on the different days. The one above was "Sports" Day.
"Hippie" Day, which was funny because they had no idea what that was.
And today was "Crazy" Day. I think they were overachievers on this day! Don't you remember how fun the last two weeks of school was!!?? (Um, Deaven's pants up to his chest....can you guess where he got that one?)

A new parenting strategy.......
While reading the Ensign the other day (a church magazine for strengthening families and our relationships with God), I realized that their was one particular paragraph in the magazine that spoke TO ME. I am a multitasking guru. I pride myself in getting this family from beds out the door in 30 minutes flat. I often sit with the kids while they work on their school work and make my shopping list, or write in my journal. I don't even watch TV ever with out working on some other project. Then I read this......

"I also try not to do too much multi-tasking. In our family, I've found that spilled milk is a tragedy only if I have planned a million activities for the day and am trying to serve breakfast while also checking my e-mail and getting laundry started".

This, indirectly, lead me to realize that I AM CONSTANTLY MULTI-TASKING MY CHILDREN. Even my relationships with them. Do I have enough moments where I am just with them??? Not having them do science experiments in the kitchen WHILE I am cooking dinner, or reading to me WHILE I am doing accounting for Izzy's? I need to STOP.

"Occasionally, it seems we're trying so hard to be good examples of diligence, hard work, and service that we forget to bless our children with an example of calm, happy peacefulness".

I don't want my kids to feel like if I am spending time with them, they are keeping me from something else. Like they are burdening me in some way. And I don't want to wait for them to come ask me to play with them. I want them to know that I want to hang out with them. Sometimes I am not the most excited Mom about playing Pokemon or something, but if I initiate more play dates, I can pick fun activities we would both be excited about. In fact, today, I am going to make a list (there goes that personality quirk again) of activities I could do with each of my children that we would both enjoy.

I think it's all about being 100% where you are, when you are there. If I'm doing something with the kids, do it. If I need to work on Izzy's stuff, then do it. But I need to stop trying to do everything at once, which means I'm probably only doing a so-so job at either. I can't do a so-so job at raising my kids. That's just not acceptable.

So here's to 100% to the kids, when it's kid time! Wish me luck!