I start every day with good intentions. I aim to be productive, stay on task, get things done. Some days nothing goes right and my to-do list ends up much longer than it started. Sometimes I might want to break down and cry (and sometimes I actually do). That’s when I have to remind myself to keep things in perspective and measure my success in snuggles rather than the mundane and rather unimportant-in-the-scheme-of-things tasks that didn’t get crossed off my list. Take a break, hug your kiddos tight and be thankful for the gifts in your life. The laundry will still be there tomorrow but blink and your kids will be grown.
I wrote a post titled Measuring Success in Snuggles awhile back over on a friend’s blog, WithRootsAndWings, and today I was just thinking of how important spending quality time with my kids really is. Moms tend to be really hard on themselves and take on too much. We put pressure on ourselves to do it all, be everything to everyone. Sometimes we need to take a step back and figure out what’s most important even if it means letting go of other things. I admit, I need constant reminders to do this myself. Fortunately I have a fabulous husband who doesn’t hesitate to remind me to take a break to play with my family even when I resist because there’s work to be done. In the end I’m happy that he insists and somehow the work always ends up getting done. Perhaps it’s because I’m more productive when I’m content.
What about you? How do you measure success? Do you have to remind yourself to put things in perspective when you have a bad day?