Time out mom-style

Life is busy. So very very busy. And I'm using small penny-worth words for a reason ... although I know a few very choice ten dollar descriptive words too. Penny words for the over-exerted brain, that's too tired to come up with something more high end at this point. In order to get everything done in a given day, I need at least 48 hours. 47 in a pinch. And it's at this stage, when I feel as though I'm swimming upstream, that it helps to set a time-out. Not for my boys, but for me.

A sweet, silent, tranquil time-out in a comfortable love-seat.

With the glow of the afternoon sun casting a warm, golden blanket around me.

Snuggled into some scatter cushions, that only I appreciate on the actual couch, as opposed to the my male housemates, who use them all for literal scattering, for building forts and for pillow fights instead.

Reading a beautiful magazine that takes my mind on short inspiring journeys and allows me to slip into a daydream just for a moment.

Bliss.

Breathe.

"MOM"!!!

It lasts all of 5 minutes before I hear someone shouting "MOM" at panic levels of epic proportions. It's actually fantastically comical. They don't need me all day, until the moment I close a door somewhere, with me on my own, placed on the other end of it.

And I try to embrace it, because I know that one day, I'll cry for these days. The days filled with the sounds of boisterous energy, loud sword fights, Legos paving my hallways, super-heroes in action saving the world and the sweet sticky boy hugs and kisses that complete my every day.

Life is good. We're blessed with health, a home, food in our bellies and freedom.

So 5 minutes in my happy place will have to suffice for me to regroup. Quality and not quantity. Total mom-style efficiency.

But let me share some of what my time-out brought me, in the hopes that you'll feel a little inspired too...

It's recognizing which doors lead to nowhere, that proves to be the most time-consuming of the challenges for me. Not wanting to give up, but also not needing to follow the wrong path...

I love this quote attributed to Oprah Winfrey. We're all uniquely different. How dull life would be if we all shone in exactly the same way.

Time is our greatest gift to people. We'll never get back the moments we've wasted. But neither do we regret the moments that are well-lived. Those glorious memories, which we get to re-live whenever we please. There is so precious little time available to experience everything fully. Wouldn't it be an incredible idea to package up time, in a beautifully wrapped box to present to a friend as the ultimate gift? Instead of some hastily acquired trinket that will never be used?

Real. All the way. Without the tears, the laughter would be less precious. They go hand in hand like hot and cold. Sweet and salty. Sun and shade.

My grandmother has always said to me... "as you call into the forest, so it will echo out." I hope I manage to pass along this treasure to my boys.

And so it is time to get back to reality... to love, nurture and cherish the family that makes my house a home. A noisy, chaotic, crazy one... but a loving one nonetheless. I'd have it no other way. Most of the time.

Wishing you an awe-inspiring, uplifting and wondrous day... may you find your 5 minutes of respite to regroup and re-inspire for what lies ahead.

Until next time.

Remember to Create. Enjoy. Repeat.

THREE & ME