Slow down

Alright, so we are all sick here with the flu. Fevers, coughs, oh, the fun of it all….

And yet, with my stuffy, woozy head, there’s still so much to do around here. Laundry, dishes, you name it, all the boring stuff that I stress about. As the tension built up, and the sick, bored kiddies were constantly calling, ‘Mu-um…’ I took a few minutes on the computer to give myself a break. I had a little read of some blogs I like to go to, one of which is the Down to earth blog. Her post today gave me just the message I needed (or should I say, I interpreted it into the message I needed): slow down. And not just because we’re all sick either, but just because it’s good to.

I have Missy 9 home for the third day in a row, and she’s pretty easy to look after when she’s sick. But Mr 3 and Missy 1 tend to get a bit bored and aimless when they are ill. Mr 3 was extra upset because Missy 9 needed to go to her room for a lie down, and wouldn’t play with him. I really needed to get the dishes done. So dishwashing turned into a nice slow activity. I set the little ones up where they could watch..

Yes, they are filthy, and the house is a mess, but I’m posting the picture anyway to make a real ‘slow down’ stance! I’m not advocating going on strike and letting my kids go feral, I just plan on doing what I have to do at a slower pace and not stressing about it.

Poor little Mr 3 looks sick and miserable, doesn’t he? Aw… Missy 1 just has a standard pose where she does a cheesy grin everytime she sees a camera. Anyway, Mr 3 really enjoyed watching and talking about how we wash dishes, why we wash dishes, and Missy 1 just loved sitting next to her big brother, and later wandered off to do her own thing.

Eventually this all got too much for Mr Water Baby…

And in all his sickliness, had to get into the water to help. He washed dishes, he rinsed, he was a pro! He even crossed that job off my to-do list. Normally, I wouldn’t get all of this done, because the kids are calling me away from it, but when you slow down and let the kids watch, take the time to talk, join in, it doesn’t matter if it took you two hours, you’re happy and the kids are happy. We’re all so relaxed, despite feeling sick, and despite my to-do list still looking very full. And without realising it, the kids are learning vital skills for later life; you know, when they’ll be my personal slaves, haha! No, don’t panic, I jest…

So now I ask you: do you need to slow down too? Ask yourself how you could slow down, even if it’s just one thing in your life? Then feel the bliss.