Yesterday was a nice, slow Saturday over here. We stayed home and played and just did little things around the house like laundry and washing the bedding. It turned in to a sweet, productive day at home!
In the morning after I had lazily sat on the couch and drank my tea while the girls watched a couple of cartoons I knew we had to get up and get going otherwise I was in danger of laying on the couch all day long! (Hello 3rd trimester and restless, uncomfortable nights that make me drag in the mornings!) Anyways, we got up and the girls got dressed and started playing. The first load of laundry was done from the dryer so I dumped it on my bed to start folding but then just stared at it. Ugh. I wasn't feeling it. The couch seemed so much more inviting! I started day dreaming about a Saturday with no responsibilities - napping on the couch, watching an actual adult show or movie, maybe reading a book, maybe eating a bowl of ice cream (oh, hello again 3rd trimester!), but definitely not laundry or parenting.
"Snap out of it!" I told myself. "Put on your big girl, Jesus loving, mommy pants, put away that selfishness and lets get this day going." Do you ever give yourself a little pep talk? haha "A podcast!" I thought. "Yes! That's what I need." The girls were playing nicely, so I decided to listen to a Risen Motherhood podcast while I folded the laundry to get me focused for the day. I picked their episode "Motherhood is Ministry: How to See and Serve your kids." turned it on and started folding. 3 minutes went by and I was feeling more motivated already as I heard some truth to combat my laziness.
And then this cutie pie walked in to my room:
She started asking me questions about what I was listening to and then asked if she could climb up on my bed to sing her favorite song. I was annoyed. My first reaction that this podcast on how to see and serve your kids was being interrupted {by a chance to see and serve one of my kids} was annoyance! *face palm* I begrudgingly let her up on the bed and paused the podcast to listen to her song. When she was finished she dropped down to her knees and asked if she could "help" me fold the laundry. I stared at her sweet face for a second, imagining the extra time her "folding" would mean for me and how I really wanted to listen to the podcast, and then the blessed Holy Spirit poked me.
"Hey Meghan, if you say no to her so you can go back to listening to that podcast... yeah, you'd totally be missing the point. The enemy would LOVE it if you shooed your child away right now under the guise of spiritual nourishment for yourself. You know what would be spiritual nourishment for you? To die to yourself and see your baby and fold clothes with her."
Praise Jesus. So that's what we did. I put my phone away and we chatted while we folded clothes together. And you know what? It was nourishment for me. It was a precious time that I was tempted to avoid for a little peace and quiet and I'm so glad that I didn't! Instead I got to connect with my toddler, who definitely needs some encouraging, heart connecting, one on one time with mommy because so often I spend my days disciplining her strong willed, two year old self! Plus, it did get our day started and after the laundry we spent an hour just playing baby dolls {with big sissy too!} because we didn't have anything else pressing to do or anywhere to be.
The day stayed slow, but it was productive {in more ways than one!} and good and sweet.
And I eventually got to listen to that podcast later during nap time. : )
*I'm not associated in any way but I've been blessed by listening to the Risen Motherhood Podcasts. Most of them are around or under 30 minutes which makes it easy to listen to during naps or doing a certain chore!*
