Breastfeeding: God-ordained “coffee breaks”

I always joke that since moms don’t get “time off” or to clock out or take coffee breaks, time spent breastfeeding is God’s way of giving us an excuse to slow down.

My problem is that I tend not to slow down; I only sit down.

If it’s during the day I’m feeding Judah while playing with Levi with my free hand.

If Levi is entertaining himself then I’m on my phone, reading emails, making lists, or scrolling through facebook or twitter.

Always multi-tasking.

We moms like to brag about how good we are at this. (Or complain when we aren’t doing so well at it.)

But lately I’ve been craving more margin, more room to breathe.

I’m tired of multi-tasking.

Yes, I know I will never completely escape the vortext of the multi-tasking compulsions that I have as a woman and mom. (And that’s probably a good thing – we really do need them.) But I am looking for little ways I can cut back and be in teh moment.

One of those ways is taking my God-ordained “coffee breaks”.

Instead of grabbing my phone or a piece of paper to write the grocery list while I breastfeed Judah, I’m leaving my hands free to hold my baby. I’m leaving my eyes free to watch him or even close them for a few moments. I’m leaving my mind free to think and pray and wander.

Even though I’m not succeeding at doing this every time I feed Judah, I’m doing it more and more.

Such a small thing. But a big thing in that it really is helping me to pause, breathe, and be.

 

Q for you: What’s one simple way that you build margin into your life?

 

Love,
A

 

Click Clink Five | Five minutes a day, unedited. 

The one about boredom (and how it’s foreign to me)

I can’t remember the last time I was bored.

I never get bored.

It might even be impossible for me to get bored.

I’m one of those types that always has more to do (or that I want to do) than I have time for.

A few weeks ago I was whining to my husband about this. (Actually, I was crying.)

Wht’s wrooooong with me? Why can’t I seem to find more margin in my life?

He told me that even if I had less “to do” I would find more “to do” to fill my time. That’s just who I am. I never will be a sit-around person.

You know what? He’s right.

I’m like htat. a do-er.

A million ideas sdn things and chores and projects and… did I already say ideas? and only 24 hours in teh day.

When he said that to me it didn’t make me mad. It atually helped me to relax a little.

This is just who I am. And as long as I can be who i am without stressing about it (key right tehre, folks) then everything will be just fine. Life will be full and I will be loving it.

But i can’r stress about it. I can’t. THAT will destroy me.

I’m reminding myslef this today as I just finished my dinner at 9:20pm. I’m pretty beat and the only time I’ve sat down today was to feed my baby. (God-ordained rests for mothers of littles, i’m convinced.)

And now the day is over – too tired to “do” anything today.

All I have to show for the day is a husband and two littles who have been fed and diapered adn hugged and played with. (well, i didn’t diaper my husband, thank God.)

And a clean kitchen. yay for hte clean kitchen.

Laundry will just have to wait until tomorrow. There’s always tomorrow.

STOP.

Q for you: What do you do when you get bored? (Do you get bored?)

Love,
A

P.S. Judah was having a hold-me-pretty-much-all-day-long kind of day today. (Must be a phase, he’s had a lot of them lately.) It was tiring, but I eventually just caved, burned my list, and hung out with him. It was fun. Hanging with the littles is always fun.

Click Clink Five is a blog by Adriel Booker. | Five minutes a day, unedited. | 2012 All rights reserved. | Adriel also writes on parenting and motherhood at The Mommyhood Memos.