Do you ever feel like if you blink, a month will go by? I blinked and now it’s the end of April. Granted being very sick this month didn’t help. Days flew by as I daily melted into the couch and a 15 minute run to the grocery store caused me to need to take another nap.

Now that I’m on the mends, I realize in one month — school is out. How did my daughter’s first year of middle school fly by so fast? Time just doesn’t slow down.

Each summer, my daughter and I come up with a plan. Some days the plan works, other days it’s a bit faulty. Working from home has its difficulties at times as my office door is usually open but does not display a sign, “Don’t interrupt me, I’m busy.” Nevertheless, I wouldn’t trade it for the world. I just need to keep my priorities straight.

When it comes down to it, I’m a mom first before I am an employee. My responsibility is first with nurturing, teaching, and raising my daughter. Working for my employer is secondary.

When my daughter was born, never were my thoughts, “Great, now she can tag along through life while I do my thing.” Instead, my convictions circled around how to be the parent God intended me to be.

There are days, I have to remind myself of that. Days when work demands turn a relentless squeaky wheel. Days when chauffeur duties and errands consume my time. Time flies …

My daughter and I sat down this week compiling a list of things we’d like to do this summer, how we’d like to spend our time, activities we’d like to do. I’m not sure how and when the working hours in each day will play out, but those details are secondary.

After working eighteen years in the legal field, I’m grateful for the opportunity to work from home now. It’s been two years since I made that decision. It meant giving up much, but in reality … I was only trading for something better.

This summer we’ll be making memories, learning new things, and building our relationship. That is my priority.

Take time for your children. Show them they top your list!

We need time to dream, time to remember,

and time to reach the infinite. Time to be. — Gladys Taber

“Calgon, take me away!” Remember that commercial? A woman at home surrounded in chaos, belts out her cries for relief. Suddenly, she’s relaxing in an endless bubble bath in solitude.

How incredible that would be to have relaxation and solitude from just four magical words. Unfortunatley, that isn’t reality. I tried it this morning … nothing happened.

Worries abound. Stress consumes. Deadlines nag. Kids get sick. And solitude evaporates quicker than bath bubbles.

The best bet for getting in that type of relaxation is running a bath in the middle of the night, or locking ourselves in the bathroom when everyone is still awake. Granted, the kids pounding on the door asking what’s for dinner would interrupt the rejuvenation we’re looking for.

My daughter bought me a bathtub pillow last year for Mother’s Day. I regretfully admit I’ve used it only a small handful of times. But my intention would have been to wear it out before the next holiday …

How does a mom replenish?

A few nights ago, my daughter was coughing relentlessly, my husband was snoring, and the dog made noises as he dreamt. Who was awake? Me. I attempted to give my daughter more cough medicine, but she was sound asleep. I rolled my husband over, but it only temporarily helped. The dog … well apparently his dream couldn’t be interrupted either. I desperately needed sleep, but that wasn’t looking too promising.

So I decided to replenish another way … I grabbed a book and my book lamp, and crawled under the covers like a child pretending to go to sleep. I engrossed myself into the storyline and characters and the noises surrounding me faded in the distance. Suddenly I was in Finland with the characters experiencing their adventures with excitement as they did.

Bubbles didn’t overflow the bed that night, but renewal spilled all over.

If we go on empty too long, our patience and understanding disappear along with the bath bubbles. So let’s get creative moms — revive yourself where you can!

I’m not a procrastinator or a slob. I like order and I’m organized too. But one thing I can’t stand … HOUSEWORK! It should be labeled in the dictionary as part of the foul language department.

We’re remodeling our daughter’s room and so our home is in a bit of disarray. As I walked past her temporary bedroom overtaking the family room, I sighed. Then I read my quote for the day this morning …

Housework, when done correctly, can kill you. – Anonymous

I agree!! Hands-and-knees floor scrubbing should be outlawed. Stickiness that seems to find its home on cupboards above the stove should be banned. Hang-up clothes should know how to be self-sufficient.

As I twirled in my mental vetoing of housework this morning, I found a few more sayings to toss in my bandwagon.

Beware! This home protected by killer dust bunnies!

Dusting Test in progress. Do not disturb samples.

I’m not going to vacuum ’til Sears makes one you can ride on!

My house was perfectly clean last week. Sorry you missed it!

Show me a house that’s excruciatingly clean, and I’ll show you an older, female relative about to visit it.

Do you ever find that when unexpected company shows up, your house looks like a tornado hit it? How many times do you walk into someone’s home and they quickly say, “Sorry my house is such a mess.“ I usually reply with, “You haven’t seen mine.” It seems to be something we’re concerned with, yet does it really matter? I mean really, does our IQ dwindle by the quantity of dust bunnies in our home?

I’m not advocating filthy, germ-infected homes. The 3-second rule would be a little more of a problem then. I’m talking about self-worth. Who we are, regardless of killer dust bunnies. We are wonderfully made, regardless if company shows up when the laundry is unfolded piled on the couch, chair, floor, and anywhere else 3-weeks worth of laundry can go. We are to show love and acceptance to one another, regardless if they are neat freaks or pack rats. We are God’s creations and He doesn’t make junk! And most importantly, God doesn’t base his acceptance of us on our housecleaning abilities. Whew!

So it’s okay to have a cleaning-free day. Go ahead … relax, read a book, go for a walk, or take extra time with the kids today. One thing is for sure — housework will be there tomorrow!