the plate has fallen off the table

~80 more products to make
~laundry on the line will need to be rewashed and hung since it is raining
~kids carseats got left on the patio so those will need to be cleaned
~unpack hubby, get suit/shirt to dry cleaners/repack hubby by Tuesday
~bank, gas station, library, post office, pharmacy by Wedneday
~finish homeschool lessons for next week
~work on potty training
~shave cat
~figure out why dishwasher isn't getting stuff clean
~call free clinic for the 1,000th time to try and get blood test results
~pay bills, order new credit reports, put car registration on
~set up online shopping cart, sort file folders for business, send out product mailers
~cut Shea's hair
~figure out when to sleep

It's almost 1am here as I write this and I just finished watching a taped episode of Oprah that aired a few days ago. It was about a mother who forgot that her 2 year old daughter was in the car as she drove to work. Cecilia died of heat stroke that day. I was surprised that the tone of the show was so compassionate towards the mother, and all mothers really, who live in this constant pressure cooker to "be" everything to everyone. Our plates are so full, mine is so full it has fallen off the table.

Between unemployment issues, sick children, a new business, three kids home on summer break, pets gone wild and running an entire household alone I'm just left feeling....overwhelmed. I know I'm not alone, I know a lot of people feel that way. If I could strip away some things and just be still and in the moment with my kids I'd be thrilled to do so. But really, how does a mother just turn herself off?

I took away from the show something I wanted to put out there in blogger-world. Don't do it, don't multi-task to the point of a tragedy. No leaving littles in the tub so you can run and grab the mop or throw a load of clothes in. No leaving them in the car while you run into the store. No letting your 2 year old "play" unsupervised in another room while you work.


Be present.

So your house looks like crap, who cares? So your shirt is wrinkled and you have to rewash the same load of clothes three times. Just being there in the moment makes you a great mom, a great person. Bills will get paid. Floors will get swept. But children will never, ever, ever be what they are right now.

So choose to be there with them.