Joyous Memories

Why do minute tasks seem so urgent the moment we decide to play with the kiddos?

The dishes in the sink, that mountain of laundry, the crumby floors...it all seems to call my name when it is time to play; and then, playtime is over and I realize I didn't play with them at all.

They played; I worked.

Don't get me wrong, independent playtime/learning is huge! but at times I come out feeling like I have missed out.

The wood pile is now organized, but I didn't accomplish what I truly wanted to: joyous memories with my littles.

This is especially true during the holidays.

It's so easy to get busy.

We are consumed by the holiday hustle; getting the house perfectly decorated, preparing the big holiday dinners, picking out the best gifts, the list goes on and on...and we forget to take time and make joyous memories.

I try my best to get in at least ten minutes of family playtime (that sounds so cheesy, we’re gonna call it focus group) a day.

It doesn’t happen everyday, but if I can get in three or four a week, I find myself being a lot more joyous and patient around the house.

How do we do Focus Group?

First, NO scrolling during focus group. What I mean is, I put my phone down and don’t pick it back up.

One distraction down, so many more to go.

Second, just ten minutes of undivided attention to the game. The family favorite game is “Castle Ball”...they hide in their playset and I lob dodge balls over top and try to get them inside the “castle”. It never fails, there is the satisfying ‘ping’ of the ball and the most joyful laughter that follows.

Ten minutes of a simple game can really go a long way for building joy. And most of the time, that ten minutes winds up stretching out a bit longer.

This guy (the littlest little),

doesn’t exactly get the games, but loves chasing whatever or whoever is running around, and if the older two are laughing, he usually finds plenty of joy in that.

Lastly, if I must do something around the yard or house, I try my best to include them in the work.

They are just as busy handed as I am, and a simple task like, “Fill up your dump truck with leaves and bring it over there,” will usually do the trick and you can see the accomplishment beaming from their little faces.

This last one is one of the hardest for me.

I’m a bit of a perfectionist and having little hands help on things doesn't always turn out pretty.

But, that’s another reason why I love Katie so much, she is always pushing me to include them in the task where we can, all the while consoling my inner perfectionist.

Decorating the house for Christmas this year had us all a blast.

Sure, we had to go back and redistribute the thirty some ornaments from the bottom two feet of the tree, but hearing the joy in their voices, and seeing the pride in their eyes while bragging to family about getting to decorate the house is so heartwarming and well worth it.

It’s not a fool proof system.

I still fail to follow my own set of rules from time to time (quite a bit really); but for me, the memories of leapfrogging over them and running in circles during tag until they fall on the ground dizzy, are so worth the few minutes of disconnect from the must see and must do’s that are always waiting.