Oh Winter Break, how I loathe—ahem, love!—thee. Let me count the ways.
One, you arrived so quickly after Thanksgiving break, which only ended twenty-four and a half days ago.
Two, you bring me ample amounts of time to spend with my children and make it too easy for them to invade my bubble morning, noon, and night.
Three, you trick me into thinking bedtime is near when the sky grows dark at five o’clock … when in reality, there are many hours left to endure.
Four, you actually last long enough (2 weeks, baby!) to the point where I’ve gotten kinda used to having my routine thrown off.
Five, you make me appreciate not having to pack lunches every night or rush around every morning.
Six, you force me to slow down and just be present with my kids, even as I fight the urge to check my phone.
Seven, you’ve given me plenty of chances to play board games, take silly selfies, do crafts, play video games, and eat lunch with two of the most important people in my life.
Eight, you help me rethink my priorities and encourage me to make decisions I won’t regret (years from now when the kids are grown).
Nine, you challenge me to be a better parent—one who chooses relationships over rules, routines, and rigidity.
And ten (the reason why I love you the most): You are SO MUCH shorter than summer break. 😉
On a more serious note (haha), I have been mostly enjoying winter break with the munchkins at home. Spending time with them during the day means lots of late nights so I can catch up on work, but it’s all good. They are totally worth it. I’m not saying I always choose wisely or even feel loving and patient all the time (I’m human after all!), but I’m much more mindful of making my relationship with them a priority. It’s not easy or natural for me to do this, which is why I’m SO grateful I recently came across the parenting blog, Untigering.com, and its Facebook group. Every one of Iris’s posts has resonated with me and moved me to reconsider my parenting style. I highly recommend checking it out (especially if you’re needing a sanity saver during winter break).
On another note, for this new year, I’ve decided to adjust my posting schedule on my blog from weekly to bi-weekly. This is mostly to save my sanity as I try to balance my roles as writer, wife, mother, sister, aunt, daughter, and friend. My author career really picked up last year and I’d love to continue to grow that part of me. I’m trying to focus my energy and efforts on doing what is sustainable because, as I’ve come to realize, there is only one of me and only 24 hours in a day. I thank you so much for following along with me on my blogging journey, and I hope you will continue to do so every other week. 🙂 As always, feel free to comment and let me know your thoughts.
I’ll leave you with this powerful song from The Greatest Showman, “This Is Me”, sung by Keala Settle. The heart and raw passion that she sings with will blow you away. I’ve been listening to the soundtrack on repeat ever since I bought it, and the munchkins are even listening and singing along! Now I just have to watch the movie. 😉
How do you remind yourself to value relationships over rules, routines, and rigidity?
