With the new school year in full swing and lots of fun events and activities, I have planted myself with a tall glass of iced tea, with lemon please.  And I’ve been thinking how fast time passes.  It seems like in a wink of time my youth escaped me and I am in the full throws of being a wife and a mom and even a GiGi.  I am amazed at how quickly my life has evolved from being about what I wanted to be when I grew up to trying to figure out how to be all grown up with grace, truth, and energy.  My head spins to think about my babies learning to walk and talk and then to realize that they are in high school and college!

I was thinking about that very thing yesterday while running from one place to the next trying to keep up with all of the chaos of this busy family.  I was remembering the days of naps, car seats, and bed time stories and suddenly a thought just fell into my mind…I would play more.  The one thing I would do differently about my children’s toddler and preschool years…I would play.

Life is too short and we take ourselves so seriously.  I would have learned earlier how to cherish moments and be fully in them.

So I decided to just make a short list for all of you young mommas; take them or leave them.

1. Let them play in the rain and jump in the puddles.
2. Laugh at puppies.
3. Take a nap with them.
4. Take a lot of pictures.
5. Listen to them, don’t tune them out.
6. Let them climb a tree.
7. Don’t fight their battles.
8. Lay by them at night.
9. Sing lots of songs.
10. Leave the dishes for a walk in the park.
11. Don’t take them to school before they are ready.
12. On those mornings when milk gets spilled, the washing machine over flows, and you forget to make the brownies… just be late.  The world keeps turning.

As a mom who has spent more of my moments than some of you…take it from me, I don’t regret one time of putting duties aside for memories…but I regret several times I chose not to.

My love,