Being a stay at home mom without losing your mind tip #4: Laugh first, then get down to business.

I have been so challenged by motherhood that I ventured to ask my mommy friends what some of their best tips and tricks for keeping their sanity while at home with the kids.  You'll start to notice lots of my good friends posting here with their timeless advice!  

Leslie Day is a dear friend and former housemate of mine.  She has two little boys, Jonathan and Ryan and holds down the fort for the family while her husband James serves abroad in the US military. Needless to say, she's got a lot on her plate, and I certainly have learned A LOT from her.  The following comes as no surprise from a soul who has one of the best laughs and smiles I've ever seen!

Tip #4: Have a sense of humor 


So many of the situations we find ourselves in with our children are actually very funny.  We get frustrated when these "amusing" circumstances block our goals. 
Some examples from my house . . . stretching underpants on the head when (trying to) get dressed for school, singing silly songs while (instead of) eating breakfast, chasing each other with blanket capes around the kitchen island in the midst of dinner preparations.  

I am the first to recognize that there is a time to laugh and be silly and a time to get down to business.  But is there a way we can sustain the joy and also accomplish our purposes?  


Maybe we could laugh, sing along, play chase for just a few moments, then redirect the children's energies to another task (or another room).  This way the children feel like we are part of the fun and yet we can still get the job done (perhaps even more efficiently) after play.  Plus when we decided to let go and join in, the resulting smiles and laughter are good for us mommies too.  



Thanks Leslie.  Kind of like this morning when Josie was feeling particularly holy and decided to anoint her head with oil (i.e. she poured a bottle of baby oil all over her head!  Or like Asher's deciding to cry for an hour before sleeping tonight only to come downstairs and grab a cookie and smear chocolate all over his face, and satisfied, go to sleep.)  Yes, indeed a time to laugh, and to keep moving the kids in the right direction-- even when you are exhausted, even when you don't find the moment particularly funny (remember, you probably will someday).  And I love Jonathan's totally antic filled, toothless grin.  I wonder where that tooth went?  (Did you laugh, then?)