Work Hard to Make a Connection

This holiday weekend, it's been so wonderful to be able to spend tons of time at home. I've spent a good bit of time cooking, cleaning, getting out winter clothes, cleaning out clothes that Flanna's outgrown, and decorating for Christmas. It's all stuff that needs to be done, and it makes me happy to have a few of these projects out of the way now. You know how "doing what needs to be done" makes me happier!

But I've found that amidst all that productivity, I actually have to remind myself to set all the household chores aside for a bit and make a real connection with my family. You know, talk to each other and look in one another's eyes when we talk rather than trying to do 3 things at once while I'm hanging out with them. Once I started paying attention to how often I actually look my hubby and daughter in the eyes during the day, I was shocked to realize how often I multitask while I'm "talking" to them. So, I'm trying to make a point to let myself pause every now and then to really focus on them. It's hard work to juggle life and housework and family relationships, but how often do I take the last for granted and forget to "Work Hard to Make a Connection?"

So, today, Flanna and I had a morning off from housework. We spent some time playing at the park, going to ToysRUs to spend her birthday money, and then we even ate at McDonald's where she could play at their "park." (really, it's more of a hampster maze, but for some reason, she loves it!) It was rejuvenating to pay good attention to one another, to share sweet winks and play chase and collect bouquets of gingko leaves together.

And now, sigh, I must get back to the laundry. But I promise to take a few moments here and there to try to connect.






Who do you need to reconnect with?