Small Bites

It's not ideal, but better than nothing- many Mondays this fall, I've had a little taste of help at home, in the form of my lovely niece D coming over for a two hour window after school.  She watches all three boys while I get things done around here, the kinds of things I would otherwise let slide, and the kinds of things I must do but usually have to do in a harried, hurried, start-and-stop fashion.  With two straight hours of uninterrupted (well, sometimes a little interrupted, but not as much so as usual) time, I can get a lot done.  So far today I've planned tonight's meal (no mean feat on grocery day) and written a grocery list and meal plan for the week.  Now I still have an hour left, and nothing else I need to do.

Sometimes it's hard for me to remember that it's better to spend a little time on a task, than to let it go undone.  I tend to think that if I can't devote a long stretch of time to one activity, then it isn't worth doing it at all.  This is how I end up with a small rainbow sweater started and set aside for *months*, untouched even though I enjoy knitting and actually *can't* do more than a few minutes at a time without damaging my hands further.  And this is how I find myself going back over my day when Snorzy falls asleep at night and realizing that I didn't read to him once, all day.  I'm pretty sure that never happened with the older two, I always read to them in the little in-between moments in our daily routine.  I don't know where all those moments get to these days, though I have my suspicions (I'm looking at you, Pinterest!)

Those moments add up though, running into each other, combining and solidifying into the fabric that makes up my life thus far.  Those chunky board books read to my bright-eyed boy will become the foundation for a lifetime of literacy for him, and memories of chanting the stories to him will stay with me as he grows up and away.  And those bright eyes are always watching, his and his brothers' too- I want them to see a mama who is (almost) always intentional in how I spend my time.  I reserve the right to sometimes laze in front of the tv or page through pins in search of something pretty or fun to look at.  Most often though, I want to be able to close my eyes at the end of the day with the satisfied feeling of having done all the work that presented itself to me- in teaching my boys, being careful of my relationships, creating beautiful things, and nourishing my family.