Family Time on the Home Front

Family time. We get a lot of it around here. During "normal" times (meaning when Dan isn't in the middle of training his staff for the new school year) we spend a lot of time together. We eat breakfast and dinner together almost every day. After dinner and clean up we go for evening walks. On the weekends we try to plan fun things to do, even if that just means a trip to BJ's or Target. We enjoy our time as a family, and are making sure to soak up as much of it as possible before the kids get older and get into school and various activities.

All that family time is one of the reasons it's such a challenge when Dan is working constantly, like he is now. We aren't used to him leaving the house at 7:20 and not returning until long after the rest of us have gone to bed. It's hard on the kids not to see him, and it's hard on me. (And i'm not just saying that because he isn't here to help with dinner/baths/bedtime.)

The good thing about him being away so much these past three weeks is that we appreciate him so much more when we do get to see him. This past Saturday he was off work all day, which is typically unheard of this time of year.

When he first told me he was going to be home, we talked about having a fun family day. We could go here, or there, or here and there. But as it turned out, we stayed home all day. And it was one of the best family days we've ever had!

We ate all our meals together as a family. We hung around in our apartment and played with the kids. While they napped, Dan also napped. (Making up for the late night's of sleep.) We went for a lot of walks. We just enjoyed each other's company.

We proved to ourselves that we don't need to go anywhere and spend a lot of money to have good, wholesome family time. It's the being together that counts. And now we're all refreshed, and ready to tackle a new week of work!

*What are your favorite family activites? Do you prefer to stay home for your family time or leave  the house?

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Sibling Love

Last Friday was a long day alone with the kids. After dinner, I put Joseph under his play-gym, let Stephanie sit on the couch to watch a Baby Einstein video, and curled up in our plush blue armchair with my book. (I like to try and read in front of my kids a little bit each day so that they see how much I love it, and will grow up with an appreciation of books. With all the interruptions, I tend to re-read the same paragraph over and over without really comprehending it, but at least i'm putting on a good front.)

As I sat there not really reading, I watched Stephanie slowly slide off the couch. She sat on the floor for a moment, and then crawled over to baby Joseph. She got up on her knees and watched him quietly. Then she ever so gently laid down next to him under the gym. After a minute or two she reached over and rubbed his belly, gave him a little kiss, then got up and crawled back to the couch.

This entire scenario only lasted a few minutes, but it was the highlight of my week. It perfectly captured the love that exists between brother and sister. My hyper, energetic, and often un-social toddler showed me the peaceful, calm, and loving big sister that exists under the surface. I felt my eyes well up with tears, and my heart swell with pride.  The fact that she did this all on her own, with no prompting or prodding from me made it even more special. 

 All too often my first instinct is to interfere. To say "Be gentle! Be careful!" "Watch his head!"

Or I will try to force their interactions. "Give Joseph a kiss." "Look, Joseph is smiling at you!" These prompts are often met with a resounding "No!" But when she thought my attention was elsewhere, she every so carefully spent a precious moment interacting with her little brother. What a great lesson for me to step back and observe, and let the two of them have their time together without mommy always being in the way. 

I know that there will come a time when the two of them don't always get along. They will fight, as all siblings do. But I hope that there are always these moments of calm between them. The love and support of a sibling is an amazing thing to grow up with, and I am so happy that my children will have each other to lean on through the years.

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Making Time

Some days I am so busy preparing food, serving food, cleaning up food, washing dishes, doing laundry, running errands, changing diapers, etc., etc., etc., that I forget to actually play with my children. Oh, I'll read Stephanie a story while feeding Joseph his bottle, and I've even passed off "standing on a step stool 'helping'  while I wash dishes" as quality time. But some days I truly don't take the chance to sit on the floor and play with her. (Joseph is still so little that I think I get a pass on that for now. We get a lot of quality interaction in during middle of the night feedings.) I know that it's the Christmas season, so i'm busy buying and wrapping gifts, planning Christmas dinner, having gatherings with friends and family, and baking. But that's really not an excuse. I need to make an effort to ensure that my kids know how important they are to me, and to do that I need to take time each day, put everything aside, and play.

The other day I asked Stephanie if she wanted to color with me. Her face lit up, and she shrieked in delight. We spent about 15 minutes at the table together, and you would think she had won the lottery. What a good lesson for me, especially during this time of year. The quality of the time we spend together is more important than any gift could ever be. My New Years resolution starts early this year, and from here on out i'm making an effort to spend more "fun" time each day with my children.

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