When all is quiet in the house and I have some time to myself I often find myself thinking back to the moments I spent with our girls and how present I was in that moment. So when I saw this picture about kids just wanting to live life next to us, it really struck a chord with me. 

I think one of the things I struggle with lately is how present am I in each moment I spend with my girls. It’s a little different with our 3 month old because she’s still at that age where her needs are met just by getting fed and changed. That’s very much not the same for our almost 3 1/2 year old, Celeste.  

There are moments where I am 100% focused on what Celeste is telling me or what we are playing. And as much as I hate to say it, but many of you can probably relate, often times I am not all there. It’s so easy to get distracted by other things and people. Unfortunately we aren’t living in a secure little cocoon. There are always interruptions, and some of them quite healthy…trying to converse with my husband, needing to tend to the baby, chasing after our dog…then there’s the day to day survival necessities like cooking and yes cleaning because really it’s one thing to not worry about picking up the mess and another to live piggish like. 

And all in between that and making sure that my daughter doesn’t feel ignored, there’s also making sure I tend to myself and that I don’t ignore some of the healthy things I need in order to be a more happy and present-in-the-moment mom. 

It’s why I blog and why the fact I haven’t been able to blog in over a week had me feeling a little out of sorts, almost anxious. Writing and sharing has become a big part of what helps keep me centered. And it’s hard to find that balance sometimes because more often than not it does feel like a teeter totter. And although at first I thought of it like when one side is up that side is getting more than the other, in reality both sides are getting equal the fun and time, just in different ways. 

That’s the balance I want to always keep in mind. That I can’t do it all and expect to stay steady, rather it’s more a wave of up and down and making sure that I’m not only living along side my family, but also living alongside myself.