We’ve been having such a great time over the past week. As all of you southerners know, it’s been staying in the 70’s…not that it should come as a huge surprise. Spring always comes a the same time every year! It’s just nice when the warmth actually hangs on instead of having a surprise frost in there! Kevin has had shorter days at work since he’s at a slower phase in construction right now. So, that means more family time. More time to explore. More time to do spring cleaning and spruce things up. Neither one of us love to do outdoor work. I don’t have a green thumb in my body. I even killed a succulent once! I thought that was impossible to do ha!
A couple days ago, we explored more of a park that we’ve only been to a couple times. And there were horse pastures we didn’t even know about! Hallen was in love, now that she’s over her fear of horses…so she says…
When it came a little too close, though, she ran so fast to hide behind me that you wouldn’t have ever thought she was standing on that fence! She was still talking so sweetly to him when she was behind me, though! In her defense, he was a gigantic horse!
It’s almost felt like a little vacation being able to see Kevin during the daylight hours, and having a little more help with the girls. Although, I have been telling him that he’s interrupting my quiet time when the girls are napping. I tell him that he’s not allowed to talk to me ha! I just need complete silence or a TV show talking to me in the background. Is anyone else like that too? Like…I don’t even want to talk to anyone on the phone during nap time! That requires too much thinking and effort that I don’t want to put forth for those couple hours. It’s also the only time I can catch up on editing, writing, and emailing. The rest of the day, I try to not work and stay off my phone as much as possible. I know I’ve been on my phone too much when I hear Hallen say, ” No phonnneeee. No phoneeee. Put down.” And that just hurts my heart. I don’t want to be that mom.
Kevin and I have made a small resolution to just be more present with each other and with the kids. We found ourselves picking up our phones when we didn’t even want to! We want to play with our kids and have fun. Not entertain ourselves with scrolling through pages. We’ll miss moments we won’t ever have the chance to get back. And time is already stealing away moments quicker than I wish it would!
When I take pictures of our little family, I always start tearing up when I stare at them just a moment too long. Yes. I’m a big time crier. Not ashamed. Always have been. I think it was my mom that made me this way. When we grew up, she’d always read a story to us before she drove us to school from Chicken Soup for the Soul. (Do y’all remember those?!) And without fail, she’d be crying by the end of it. These are the types of moments that I want to cherish with my children too! I want to make the time to read a simple soul nourishing story to them, and not be anxious to get back to the world on my phone or the TV. God created too much beauty in our own backyard to be worried or thinking about everyone else’s lives all the time too. When I look on my social media pages, I don’t often envy other people’s lives anymore…I love the life we’ve been blessed with, but it does make me go off on the social media rabbit trail. And you know what I’m talking about. One moment you’re looking at adorable baby shoes, and the next you’re watching videos of cats hula hooping! Then, you look up from your phone, and your house is destroyed by your toddler!
I’m not knocking social media. I LOVE it! I use it for everything I do, and I’ve actually made real friends from it! Some that I would even call my closest friends. I’ve just realized that it’s not something I can be hooked to 24/7 just because I can be. I want to remember the way Hallen talks with the cutest accent right now, and the little coos from Hazel. I want to run around in our backyard with Hallen, and not always be hounding her or my husband for photos. Yes, a lot of my job and hobbies are taking part in the online community, but I’m trying to find that sweet balance of putting my family’s needs first…unless I become a millionaire because of all of this somehow ha! Kidding!
I mean…these are the days, right? We’ll never get these back. I hope you’re cherishing all of this sweet time we’ve been given. So, if you’re constantly connected like I usually am, I just want to challenge you to put your phone in another room for a couple hours one day. Do something you love to do that you don’t usually have time for. Read a book that has actual pages instead of on your Kindle. Go for a walk without snap chatting it. Use your fancy camera instead of the one on your cell. Make your own music instead of listening to your playlist on your phone. Go get dirty! Just because it’s not posted doesn’t mean it didn’t happen. Enjoy your family…whether you have 5 kids or it’s you and your sweet pup! I love being in this family daze. Even when it’s hectic, it just feels right.
Do you have any spring resolutions you’re trying to work on right now? Just because it’s not January 1 doesn’t mean you can’t make a new resolution right now!
These rompers that the girls are wearing will be released this week from Little Lake Threads! Hallen’s Shoes// Hazel’s shoes
Kristina
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