“The little things? The little moments? They aren’t little.” – Jon Kabat-Zinn
With mother’s day just been and gone, it does make me reflect on all that being a mother means to me. With my eldest now being six, I have had seven Mother’s Days so far (the first when he was only a few months old). And things have changed a lot since then. From his messy little face after attempting to eat a bowl full of spaghetti as a on year old, to now watching him learn to ride his bike without stabilisers, he has changed so much (obviously), but so have I.
I have always been pretty chilled out about being a parent, in my opinion anyway. But I was much more neurotic when I had a newborn. Maybe that is a pretty normal thing, as we haven’t got a clue what we are doing? But either way, things change over time, even if the time does seem to fly by.
In-between the tedium of everyday life are so many joyful moments that are pretty easy to miss if we’re not looking for them.
There are so many wonder-filled experiences that we can have as parents and as families. From a picnic at the park to just enjoying an after-school snack together. Simply spending time together as a family can be one of the best things that we can do for our children, as it creates some amazing memories. For my children to look back at the happy times that we were altogether is what I would want them to have memories of, not of a nagging mother that insists on things being all tidy.
I think that having a blog and social media has helped me to be able to enjoy the everyday moments much more, as I have to look for the joyful moments to share. While they may be pretty everyday and simple, I have been discovering quite quickly that seeing my normal, everyday life through a camera or my iPhone, has made me more aware of the small and simple things, but the amazing moments that matter most in life.
Just as I hope my children will look back on those kinds of moments when they grow up, I know that it is something that I need to look back on too. Not on how much of a shouty mum I have been, but that we spent time together, and laughed and ate cookies.
What are the small and simple moments that you love in your life? It would be great to hear what you think.
*This post is an entry for BritMums #OreoCookieQuest, sponsored by Oreo. Oreo is celebrating The Great Oreo Cookie Quest promotion on-packs now, which means anyone can pick up a pack and have a chance to win awesome prizes, including a once-in-a-lifetime trip to California and the Googleplex!
Great to see your Oreo inspired fun! Commenting for myself and on behalf of BritMums and thanking you for taking part
I agree, my blog has helped me appreciate the every day moments too. My eldest is obsessed with Oreo’s (hubby too lol) x