Catching up by taking a break

I have been so behind on reviews and mommy duties lately that I haven't spent any time to make a post for myself. I am still behind on about 5 reviews, but I have to share a mommy secret I have found recently that, I believe, may save my sanity.

Whenever I am overwhelmed and overrun by my life--the dishes are overflowing in my kitchen that is only equipped with a dishwasher labeled "mama" <<freeze here while I remember that I have not refilled my daughter's 8th cup of chocolate milk like she asked me before her brother pooped>>

OK where was I?
All over the place?
Sounds like me.

Anyway, I was talking about how overwhelming life can be! I have two small children (almost one and almost 4--love the birthday season in our house almost as much as I despise it) and a husband who works a lot to provide for our family so I can be home with our tiny blessings.

Let's not forget about the two dogs, the crazy cat and any other family relationships I have to foster. With all of that, I spend a lot of my days helping or caring for others. Do you know what though? I wouldn't have it any other way. 

Please read that accurately: I wouldn't have it any other way.
Meaning: I love my life, I love my kids, I love my husband.
I do not love the limited number of hours in a day.
I do not love all the things I have to cram into those few hours.
I do not love cleaning up animal or even human excrement <<yes, we potty training -- and excuse me while I refill aforementioned chocolate milk and find a new shows for my daughter and quickly act out the previous episode of Jake and the Neverland Pirates>>

Resuming with... ummmm .... what I do to distress on days when I feel like the list of things I have to get done are deafening me? Well, I tried a lot of things:

I tried to organize myself better for maximize time efficiency -- but I ended up spending way too much time organizing and getting stressed out when things didn't go as planned.

Let's face it, you can't plan meltdowns or potty accidents or what times your baby is going to need his mommy to hold him every second of the day.

You just can't account for those things, which is why I am always late to E.V.E.R.Y.T.H.I.N.G. Seriously, I am late to the grocery store. How? Talent. Natural talent.

Insert very important tip here: ctrl+z is a mommy blogger lifesaver --and so is my husband who I just called in a panic because I was unsure how to fix my mistake over typing over THIS WHOLE POST! Thank you for bailing me out calmly, love! <<hitting SAVE now>>

OK OK So what is my secret if not any of those things they normally suggest?

I do nothing. Nothing at all.

<<I just had to stop my son from eating the toilet paper so my daughter could use it to wipe while on the toilet. Does any mother think this is what their life will be like?>>

Nothing, you ask? That seems ...  highly unproductive? Don't worry, you are right, it is. Doing nothing gets nothing accomplished. 

And some days, that is what you need more than a clean house -- trust me

Instead of cleaning or stressing or organizing or making phone calls or setting up appointments or balancing our account, I spend time with my kids just enjoying their childhood.

And it is beautiful.

My son whistles, yes whistles, while he plays and I don't know the last time I found something so thoroughly entertaining. 

My daughter has mastered the art of reenacting scenes from her favorite shows, she dances almost all the time and she talks just. like. me. I am both terrified and thrilled at this new development.

My children found the time and ability to play together with minimal catastrophes, while I was busy stressing over the Fruit Loops on the high chair and the water in the bathroom floor.

This morning I took a time out with my daughter while my son napped and my husband was out for his morning run. We put together a puzzle and I was shocked at how smart she is and how I could let my control freak-ness rest while she took her time to figure out where the pieces go.

This is true beauty.
These minutes were so much more productive than cleaning that crazy thing called a kitchen behind her.
Life is made up of moments like this and I am going to soak them all in.

So that's my lesson: take your time figuring out where the pieces go and love every minute of it.