Slow Down, Snuggle More, Clean Less: What Mother’s Day Taught Me

Last month my husband and family rocked it out of the park for Mother’s Day.

The weekend included all of my favorite things {not in any order of importance}: naps, snuggles, wine, family time and reading. My husband took the early shift with our two young toddlers, made breakfast and had a great day planned of family time all day. 

You see, we both work full time and hour from home. Our weeks are filled with early mornings, rushing for drop offs, meetings all day, rushing home to pick up girls, dinner, play time, bath, snuggles, bed and repeat.

The weekends are often spent recovering from the hurricane of activity that blows through our house all week. Days of discarded pajamas, random sippy cups on counter tops, loads of laundry still in the washer from Tuesday, piles of mail stacked in the kitchen and shoe piles at each door of the house. Yes, our weeks are survival mode and weekends are clean up, pick up, reset and go again.

Now it is easier now that my girls are two and four. I say easier in retrospect of having a newborn and two year old. Yes, these are easier times!

So when this Mother’s day weekend came, and it was all devoted to family time with little time devoted to pick and clean up, I was so thankful. We went out to dinner with family, and took our time ordering and eating in no rush. I watched my daughter ride her bike back and forth from one neighbor’s driveway to the next, ringing her bike bell over and over again. I didn’t get up and start picking weeds, planting flowers or clean cheerios out of the car. I just watched my daughter ride and cheered her on: “Go, Madeline, go!”

I snuggled during nap time on the couch with my youngest as she fell asleep. Instead of folding clothes while she watched her “calm down show”, I soaked in her sleepy snuggles.

My husband planned our family Mother’s Day trip to a local museum. This was our first time with our girls to a museum. It was awesome to watch them experience things for the first time, ask where the toys were and try to climb the exhibit. Once the exhibit climbing began we made our exit! But, it was a fun part of the city we have never seen and got to experience for the first time as a family.

Being a working mom and seeing playdates on Facebook, I often feel jealous as if I am not getting some of those special times with my girls. Pinterest crafts, museum trips, playdates and lazy mornings are just not part of my family’s daily life.

Now don’t get me wrong, I am confident in my decision to work all up until mom guilt shows up to the party. Yes, the uninvited guest that came along with having my first child, and doubled in measure with the arrival of my second daughter.

My girls are spoiled rotten by their teachers and daycare providers. They are loved beyond measure and get to do great activities at school {like make those awesome Pinterest crafts and handmade gifts with the cutest quotes}. I know they are safe, happy and have great friends at school.

But for me, mom guilt is real and it strikes me. It cuts me to the core and brings its best friend self doubt. Even in my best family times, I wonder, “should this be all the time”? I wonder if my girls are missing out on something while I work.

So what do I do with this amazing weekend of family memories and pile of emotions? I’m choosing to remember the best parts of it, what it taught me. I will cherish the slow moments. I will promise my family to be the mom they honored on Mother’s Day weekend.

They honored me their momma who they love with pictures, snuggles, and homemade questionnaires all about me! They love me for everything I give them: the snuggles, cheers, hugs and fruit snacks.

Right now, my kids are not keeping score on how much I see them. They are seeing my smile and hearing me say, “I love you”. I want to be fully present when I am with them.

What did this year’s Mother’s Day teach me? I will make an effort to squeeze more of that quality family time in each weekend. I will let the laundry pile up a bit more, take time to slow down, snuggle more, and clean less. Why? Because I have many years to get caught up on house stuff. Right now I have girls who want to snuggle, play Barbie and hide and seek. I want to do that with them as long as they will let me.