One of the things I shared in our
Relief Society meeting in January was another "A-ha" moment that I had many years ago, when our first three sons were little.
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| Weston - 5, David - 3, Brad - 4 days old |
Although I thoroughly enjoyed being a stay-at-home mom, there were still plenty of challenges. Here's the evidence in the stress-rash that bothered me for a few months after Brad was born. (I only allowed that picture to be taken because I knew I'd regret it if I didn't have a picture of us together on his blessing day.)
About that time I was reading a book on time management. Although it was geared to a business setting, when I read a description for a secretary the light bulb went off. It's a secretary's job to handle interruptions so her boss can work effectively. All of a sudden I realized that my job description included being interrupted. I chose to stay home so that I would be available to my children, to be there when they needed me, not necessarily just when it was convenient. That change of perspective made interruptions much less disagreeable. It also probably helped the rash to disappear!
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| later that summer, with the monkey at Hogle Zoo |
We also made a plan to minimize the more annoying interruptions. For example, it seemed that whenever I sat down to nurse Brad, David would want a drink. He wasn't big enough to pour his own juice, but he was big enough to open the fridge. So, every morning we'd prepare a supply of pre-filled sippy cups and keep them in the fridge for him. A week after I shared this story in our Relief Society meeting, a friend with a current three-year-old and
two babies told me this piece of advice was a lifesaver for her. Maybe it will help one of you too!
As always, feel free to share something that works for you. What do you do to minimize unnecessary, annoying interruptions?
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