22 February 2012

Daily Holidays

Ever since I have had my two kids I have become much more aware of time. I think I can pretty much divide my time into 2 categories: the time I spend with my kids and the time I spend without my kids. Either of them I find precious in their own ways. It took me months to work out how to enjoy both of them to the maximum.

When I am with my kids I love playing with them, taking them to exciting places, teaching them about little things in life and simply spending quality time with them. We read books, sing songs, look at a little beetle who came flying through our window, go to the zoo, ride our bikes and enjoy homemade cookies. Sometimes I get side tracked and I do things I should be doing when I have time to myself only. It doesn't take long for me to realize when I am not in the right 'time zone' because the chaos in our home doubles within seconds. Sometimes it's not always possible to wait until Minna and Finn are in bed and I do have to squeeze in chores in order to get dinner on the table or a washing machine done before midnight. I can tell pretty quickly though that the kids know when mommy is not quite there for them and sometimes they get frustrated and so do I. I do try and make up for it straight away and they don't seem to hold it against me for very long : )

Our first sled ride this winter

When I get time to myself my mind automatically runs through pages of to-do-lists. Some have been around for so long I can hardly read them anymore. Others are constant and it's often tough trying to keep up to date with them all. My family and friends know that they are most likely not going to get an reply on their SMS until 11pm, which is often one of the last things I do before I go to bed. Within our little family I am often the one who organizes the majority of things like holidays/family outings, new winter tires, doctors appointments, paying the bills, sending birthday letters, arranging babysitters, making sure we don't run out of important things like toilet paper or milk, buying new shoes for the kids, making dinner dates with friends, car check ups and emptying the letter box, checking the fridge for out of date and moldy things, mountains of washing ... . I know it's never ending and I need to remind myself that there will always be more to do and organize and check and if I don't take time off and S.T.O.P.  I won't ever be able to have quality time with myself or my husband and friends.
My favorite view in the whole wide world

So I make sure I have a DAILY HOLIDAY. A few moments just for myself. I stop and have a Latte in a quite little cafe, I enjoy a candle-light dinner in the bath tubby myself, I snuggle up in bed and read a few pages in my book, I sit on our balcony in the sunshine with my eyes closed. I simply stop and breath and live in that very moment. It's so relaxing and I cannot do without anymore. When the day comes to an end and I have not been on a little holiday yet, I can tell!

What's your Daily Holiday? I would love to hear about your journeys : )

Enjoy it!

XO Janie



2 comments:

  1. Ja, dass kenne ich nur zu gut und etwas Zeit für sich alleine oder für Dinge die man machen möchte sollten immer sein. Auch wenn es an machen Tagen nur kurz ist, aber dann legt man sich abends ins Bett und nimmt sich dort Zeit zum kuscheln oder zum entspannten Träumen :-). Du bist eine großartige Mama und Sis und ich staune, wie du alles schaffst und gerne begleite oder google ich Dinge für dich, damit du australische Passbilder bekommst ;-). Ich knutsch und drück dich ganz fest an mein Herz. <3 deine Sis

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  2. Nice post! I don't have a daily holiday, but when I need a small "holiday" among the chaos that a day can bring, I lie on the ground, on my back with my legs up on a wall - I turn on my meditation app, which plays soft music or relaxing sounds. I set the timer for 10 minutes and meditate. No thoughts allowed. Just breathing. It's my perfect getaway :)

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