Confessions of a Hurried Mama!

I have lived a great deal of my life on the run!  Even as a kid I was involved in something, be it kids youth group, choir/drama at church or school, swim team, dance, etc.  And for every activity I was involved in, I was usually late several times during the duration of that activity.  A lot of the fault was totally on me!  I can still hear my mama and my daddy's voices in my head in those moments!  I would drag my feet, or get started late and everything needed to be just so before I left the house!  Even with my school work, I was a master procrastinator!  If I were to be totally honest with you, I still am!

Now that I'm (slightly) grown up, the circumstances are different, but the end result is still often the same!  I'll wake up late, or I'll think "Oh!  I can do this for just a few more minutes and still have plenty of time to do xxx", and then I end up racing out the door at the very last second...or 5-10 minutes late!  Always.happens!!!  However, I DO have these 3 precious angels in my world and dare I say it...I am looking back at myself 20+ years ago!  One is watching TV and "just want to finish this show!"..."We don't have time!  Get dressed!!!"  OR "I'm working on something, give me just a minute" ..."NO!!  Hurry up!  We're going to be late!"  And my favorite: "I have nothing to wear!!!"  Grrrr!!!  That's when I have a Jekyll and Hyde moment and become a manic, wild eyed, crazy woman.  There goes Mama again, running through the house half dressed, half made up, ranting and raving as I dig through one person's room and find no less than 6 outfit options, chasing another one out of the living so he/she will finally get dressed and prying dog food out of the baby's hands (AGAIN)!  I'm not sure Jesus is proud of these moments!

Today I caught sight of an article someone shared on Facebook that kind of stopped me in my tracks!  I saw myself in SO much of what they author said, and I was embarrassed!  I know I have missed out on some important things, the wonder my kids have seen in things, a few extra moments to HELP one of my kids find a special something to wear and be excited with them, there are too many to count!

I feel challenged!  I need to step back and listen and enjoy the world with my kids more!  Maybe, JUST MAYBE, I need to plan ahead a little bit more (hmmm...I think I smell a time management blog!)!  I don't enjoy being rushed, and you'd think that might just make me work a little harder to not be!  As we are getting ready to start school and dance and soccer and everything else, I want to be able to remember why we chose the homeschooling life...part of which was so that we could enjoy all of the "A HA" moments with our kids, to see the world through their eyes with them...and when I'm rushing, I miss that!  SLOW DOWN is going to be a part of my motto this year!