Wednesday, August 5, 2009

Works For Me Wednesday

This is my first "Works For Me Wednesday" post. Hopefully, it won't be my last.

In my chosen profession, or rather the one I've fallen into but love it like I chose it, I have the opportunity to meet families of all sizes. Unfortunately, I also meet alot of harried moms and/or dads. Their common thread? They are trying to balance work and/or school and having multiple young children in the home. Many feel guilty about not spending as much time with their children as they think they need to. With each of them, I share what has worked for me with my four little ones (with a try at #5 next year).

Every workday morning, Daddy wakes me up at 5:30. That may be too early for some, but just try waking 30 minutes earlier than you would normally need to. I put on my robe and walk to the couch where I have a few sips from my coffee. I snuggle with Daddy for five to ten minutes. Then I wake the children. I then take turns snuggling each child for about five minutes. I ask them if the slept well, what dreams did they have, what are they looking forward to today? Then I send them off to get dressed and ready for school or camp. Each child gets individual time with me and starts everyday with a long hug and knowing that we love them. This works for my 12 year old all the way to my 3 year old, they know I love them even though I can't spend as much time as I want to with them. We're going for quality here because quantity is something we really don't have much control over.
Hope this works for others like it has here with me and some of my families. Good Luck.