Think About it Thursday: Never Take Motherhood for Granted

This article by Power of Moms, titled Six Ways to Never Take Motherhood for Granted has inspired this post. The 6 suggestions include:

1. Be present and deliberate
2. Gratitude
3. Perspective
4. Be aware of the rest of the world
5. Balance
6. Reminders

I suggest reading the article. In what ways can you appreciate motherhood in the mundane and the defining moments? We all know that there are a lot of mundane moments; things that just need to be done. I love number one- be present and deliberate. This is something that I have been working on and let me tell you it has made a huge difference in my days and in my children as well.

 A few weeks ago I had taken the girls for a walk and as we approached the grassy hill by the park, my Sage girl wanted to get out of the stroller and roll down it. I had her wait at the top of the hill so I can get to the bottom first so I could take a picture. I don't think there was anything wrong with that. In fact, I will go ahead and give myself credit for letting her roll down the wet, grassy hill in her cute little outfit! However, that night as I looked through the pictures on my phone from the day I was sad. I wished I had put the camera down and rolled down along side her. I promised myself and I promised her sleeping self all cuddled in her bed that night, that next time she wanted to roll down a hill that I would in fact roll down with her. That opportunity presented itself sooner than I had expected and I was thrilled. I rolled down that hill! My husband was with me and as I laid down he told me to wait so he could film me... he was laughing at me and couldn't believe I had rolled down the hill as I clumsily got up from the grass with the world spinning around me. I told him about my promise. It is a promise that has influenced so much more than rolling down the silly hill.

I recently listened to a broadcast about Deliberate Photography it inspired me to take the same approach as rolling down the hill in many other forms. I absolutely love photographing my kids and capturing the mundane moments and I feel it is important, however, I have promised myself and my kids that I will first have fun with them in the moment and then capture. By doing this I have become so much more present and my presence and actions have become so much more deliberate. I am capturing the moment in mind and heart first and the camera second. "Think about what you are doing with your kids in the exact moment you are doing it. What does their smile look like? How does their laugh sound? How happy and full does your heart feel in this moment?"

In what ways can you appreciate motherhood in the mundane and the defining moments?