Let\u2019s start off by first saying, \u201cYOU are amazing!\u201d You were perfectly created in God\u2019s image, and you are his masterpiece. God will equip you with what you need when you feel busy and overwhelmed. And where you feel lack, He will not leave you empty-handed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Life, however, gets B-U-S-Y, and the backpack of burdens gets heavier. The hidden weight many moms carry is a mental load of endless to-do lists, meals and activities, guilt for not doing enough, comparison pressure, no time for herself\u2026all of this. But when you ask her, \u201cHow are you doing,\u201d the typical response is, \u201cI\u2019m fine.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Taking care of children is a full-time job. And if you are working 40-hours a week, Monday through Friday, you come home to the 2nd shift: school pick-ups, sports practices, extra-curricular classes, grocery shopping, making meals, laundry, bath time, bills. REPEAT. Parents can regularly navigate work deadlines, academic trajectories, athletic coaching, and artistic endeavors with clear direction, yet building intentional relationships with their children and spouse amid a busy schedule can feel more haphazard depending on the models you may or may not have had in your origin family. However it looks, the reality is that we all need help.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Parenting involves constantly adjusting to new stages and chapters in home life. When busy, we have to be intentional to grab the moments when we can. Time alone and time with your spouse are rare and precious. How do we be intentional about connecting with the people who matter the most? What does it take to thrive?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Identify Focus on who you are called to be and what you are called to do in the moment. This can change with each season of growth. Identify the people you want to invest in. Prioritize the people who are in your inner circle versus your outer circle of relationships. Schedule it! Evaluate what you need to cut out of your calendar and what you can schedule in.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Intentionality is not about being a perfect parent. In fact, we will likely fail more often than we succeed. However, being intentional about living your priorities can be about using the repair space of connecting with honesty, forgiveness, and grace.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In the midst of BUSY, don\u2019t be too busy to connect with your kids and spouse. A strong connection requires QUALITY and QUANTITY time. What are some ways to create more connection time with your inner circle?<\/p>\n\n\n\n When they are young\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n When they are school-aged\u2026.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When they are teens & emerging adults…<\/p>\n\n\n\n Driving kids from place A to B is a significant part of a busy parent’s life, often consuming hours each week for school and activities. When you view time in the car as opportunity for building connection, you\u2019ll embrace it more instead of fussing about it. Soon they will drive themselves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Now as a grandparent, people will often say to me [Joyce], \u201cYou\u2019re so lucky you are close with your grandchildren!\u201d Actually, I\u2019m not lucky; I\u2019m tired. I put each of my grandchildren on my schedule. Weekend Nana-Bapa nights when grandkids come to sleep over so their parents can have a date-night. Soccer games, horse competitions, choir shows. Monthly family birthday dinners. Music lessons in-person and over FaceTime. Holiday boxes and Christmas stockings. Our annual Disneyland weekend tradition. As a grandparent, I can pick and choose – I don\u2019t attend everything. But it is that intentional time that built connection.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If it is on your heart, it needs to be on your schedule.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Let\u2019s start off by first saying, \u201cYOU are amazing!\u201d You were perfectly created in God\u2019s image, and you are his masterpiece. God will equip you with what you need when you feel busy and overwhelmed. And where you feel lack, He will not leave you empty-handed. Life, however, gets B-U-S-Y, and the backpack of burdens gets heavier. The hidden weight many moms carry is a mental load of endless to-do… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":1431,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9,16,6,34,29,17,10],"tags":[152,135,26,274,22,275,276,27,272,150,273,151,25],"class_list":["post-1430","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-daughters","category-fathers","category-mothers","category-parenting-2","category-preschool","category-relationships","category-sons","tag-busy","tag-freedom","tag-husband","tag-intentionality","tag-parenting","tag-priorities","tag-priority","tag-spouse","tag-survive","tag-surviving","tag-thrive","tag-thriving","tag-wife"],"yoast_head":"\n
Prioritize
Schedule<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nWHEN KIDS ARE BUSY<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\n
\n
\n
LIVE YOUR PRIORITIES<\/h3>\n\n\n\n