Mum's musings | to be here & now

Do you ever have one of those days where all you want to do is stay home, eat crumpets & drink tea? I did something rather unlike my normal self the other day; I relented, ate ALL the crumpets and gave myself some *actual* time off. And, you know what? It was wonderful!

Like many of you parents out there already know,  the list of things to do around the home is never going to be finished and I'm really conscious of the way I almost mentally enslave myself to whatever domestic or work-related goals I have set up for a particular day;  instead of allowing myself to respond with openness to the circumstances each new day brings with it.

Even typing this now conjures feelings I've had recently where I know I've totally failed to be really present with the kids. Those are the moments that are so important, so vital to family life and I'm trying to make small changes in order to create a better work/life balance in general.
At the end of the day, I would rather my kids grow up cherishing happy memories of a peaceful mum who played with them, than a burnt out mama and her empty laundry basket  (that they probably wouldn't even notice anyway!)

I doubt that there is a way to balance it all perfectly but I am SO fortunate to be able to say  I love what I do. I LOVE being a mother. I love being a wife, a blogger, and a professional pillow plumper who dabbles in the odd bit of photography every so often- there's really so much good in life, even with its challenges. 

 I'm learning to recognize by heart (and not just by head) that I am never going to have everything in life sorted, so I might as well quit stressing about the future and let the present tense, the here and now wash over me a bit more.

Ultimately, I'm learning to let go of the small things that won't matter 10 years from now, to simply relish in my children and their absolute need to focus on the present tense. To be here and to be now.