Moments like these are some of my favorite–and I want to make room in my life for more.
Do you ever feel like life just goes too fast? That you have all these wonderful intentions for your children, your life, your home, and family when you’re looking down at your brand-new baby, and then next thing you know you’re dancing with your son at a family wedding and, in your bare, blistered feet and his man-sized dress shoes, he’s as tall as you are?
That actually happened to me a couple nights ago, and let me tell you, I have never felt so adult, so overwhelmed by the lightning speed of life, or, frankly, so short.
Life happens whether we notice it going by or not, and sometimes we get so caught up in just surviving from day to day that the things that are really important to us fall by the wayside. When life is flying by amid permission slips and soccer practices and epic diaper disasters and deadlines and dishes, sometimes even the smallest things that are really important to us get put off to another day…and another day…and then, well, another day.
I’d like to start a tradition here at The Happiest Mom of using Mondays to set an intention for the upcoming week. No need to be intimidated: a weekly intention can simply be one thing you want more or less of in your life, something that you’d like to start or stop doing, something that you’d like to think more about or invest more energy in.
Let’s not think of “intention” as a woo-woo New Age word that simply means sprinkling the Universe with good thoughts. The more specific and manageable your intended goal, the more likely you will be able to pull it off even amid your toddler’s teething bouts or mopping that April mud off the kitchen floors. (Again.)
I’m going to recommend following a who-what-why-how model for your intention, because I think it’s important to figure out not just what you want to do, but why, and especially how you’re going to fit it into your life. So, for example, here’s my intention of the week:
- WHO: My whole family
- WHAT: Spend more time outdoors
- WHY: It’s been a chilly spring, and I’ve been “hiding” from the weather by managing to find so many things inside the house needing my attention that I need never venture out. But I feel so much better when I spend time outside, and it’s important to me that my kids run around, get dirty and experience nature up close. I’ve also noticed that our time together outside tends to be better quality, maybe because we are removed from the distractions of screens, etc. Plus, is there anything better than the smell of a child who’s been out in the fresh air for a while? Ahhh.
- HOW: I have realized I need something to do to keep me outside. I like sitting around in a lounge chair sipping lemonade or staring at ladybugs with my two-year-old as much as anyone else, but after a while I get twitchy and need some action. Since I’m a novice landscaper and gardener, I tend to go outside with good intentions, but after wandering around aimlessly for a while I realize I have no idea what I’m doing and then wander back into the more familiar turf of the indoors. I need a plan! Tonight I’m going to come up with a list of easy yard projects I can do to keep busy outside, assign one to each day, and plan a hiking outing for the sunniest day. I’m going easy on myself by shooting for only 30-60 minutes daily, because let’s face it: the weather still isn’t what it should be for the last week of April, and I don’t want to feel like I’m putting myself in work camp for punishment or something.
Your turn! Share your mom intention for the week, either here in my comments or on your own blog (please let us know in the comments, with a link, if you do!) Of course you can do your intention any way you want to, but I’d love to see you follow the same model I used above because I think it helps us really get to the heart of what we’re wanting to do when we explore the “why”-and setting an intention is a lot less useful if we don’t figure out “how” we’re going to pull it off.
I’m so excited to see what you all come up with-and can’t wait for us to all work toward our goals together.
Also: I need help! One of my writerly weak points is coming up with pithy, clever titles. I need suggestions for a name for this weekly tradition! No more than 3-4 words, something easily Tweetable, and something that will look good on a button or badge. If I pick your suggestion, I’ll send you a personalized, signed copy of The Happiest Mom as a thank-you.
great motivation to do more. My son is almost 18 months and I can’t believe how fast that last year just went. He’s not a baby anymore! I do want to be more intentional with him and my husband.
Who: My Whole Family
What: Smile and laugh more
Why: We’re in the middle of moving houses and my husband starts classes again this week. Life is stressful and it’s definitely taking it’s toll right now. Even though life can be stressful many times, I think we still should enjoy it.
How: Have more tickle fights with our son. His laugh and his smile fills my soul with happiness! When the going gets tough, I want to take a break to hold him and laugh with him and play.
Here’s a book I recommend reading too about being intentional that I had to read in my family recreation studies at college.
http://www.amazon.com/Intentional-Family-Simple-Rituals-Strengthen/dp/038073205X
“Mindful Mondays”
How about “Intentional Mondays”?
Okay, that’s all my Mommy brain can contribute right now. Love the idea! Once I get this baby poo off of my shirt, I’ll think about my intention for the week!
Modus operandi / M.O. Mondays (#MoM)? Purposefully changing the way we operate to ensure more happy times
Here’s mine for the week…
Who: Me
What: Create clearer boundaries between family time and work time
Why: My son is two months old, and I am on leave from my job as a teacher until August. However, I also do some freelance work from home which keeps me pretty busy throughout the week. I love this work because it’s intellectually stimulating, it’s in a field I’m passionate about, and it provides us with supplemental income, but I need to remember to let work matters go so that I can make the most of time spent with my husband and our little boy.
Hmmm….yeah, not great at this either. Maybe My Monday Mission? M’s are hard.
Who: Me
What: Think more positively
Why: Reading several great books on the power of positive thinking and I am realizing how negatively I think most of the time about myself, my house, etc. I loved your post about guilt and have realized most of my guilt isn’t really guilt after all. So, I am going to really work at having positive thoughts/words/pictures in my mind this week. I have been doing it for several days and am already noticing a difference. Our minds are amazing!
How: First, pay attention. Second, I am going to write up a few quotes or reminders or something and put them around where I see them to help me remember. I am also going to start my day with thinking about five things I am grateful for to get me in that mindset.
I love this idea, Meagan!
Who: my daughters
What: Ask them questions at bedtime
Why: In the hustle and bustle of the day, the thoughts of my children get swallowed up. What do they think about? What do they want to know? In the rush of life, I don’t take enough time to ask. So this week my intention is to having more “Question Time” before bed.
Feel free to read more about my latest intention in my post, “What Began As A Question,” at: http://www.handsfreemama.com/?p=1283
My title suggestion is for Meagan is: Make It Matter Monday
Thanks for inspiring us moms out here!
What a wonderful idea!
How about “Mapping Out Happiness Mondays”?
“Mommy Monday” or “Intentional Mommy Monday”
This is fun! I’ll try to think of other options!
This is a great idea! I love the idea of being purposeful!
Title suggestions:
Mindful Mondays
The Intentional Mom
The Motivated Mom
The Happiest Hope
I love this idea! It really does take intent to become more purposive in your life. Here’s my shot:
Who: My kids and I
What: Reading together more
Why: I love it and so do they, but we put off reading before bedtime until it’s too late. It seems like we’re always doing something else instead.
How: Turn off the TV or step away from the iPhone. Reading with my kids is a much more fulfilling activity.
what about “Focus Monday”? Yes I know: nothing great but that’s all I can come up with that hasn’t already been mentioned. Or maybe “Motivated Mom Monday”? That one step further than what Renee suggested…
Ok my turn:
# WHO: My whole family
# WHAT: enjoy my family while getting as much done around the house before baby 3 joins our family
# WHY:
1. I have a huge list of things to do (from DIY to sewing, from cleaning to cooking) before baby 3 arrives (12th of june if all is right) and i can’t do it all by any means.
2. We haven’t had any time as a family since last summer except for Sunday afternoon after Church and the children’s nap. My husband is working and studying (it all amounts to far more than full time work monday trough saturday) and he has had to study and catch up on work throughout all the holidays since that time
3. We have a wonderful and very fast-growing 4 year old girl and a active 2 year old boy who is turning from baby to big boy incredibly fast, i want to enjoy them and for them to be able to enjoy their daddy through out that precious 1 week of holidays! Our time just the 4 of us is so precious…
# HOW: I’ll try to plan a balance of useful and not always children friendly activities and fun for all activities every day. Tomorrow will be painting/DIY for all the family and “mamie” (my husband’s mom) and then ice-cream at the park. Wednesday will be visit our future home (we’ve been putting that off for way to long) then play at the park there and come back home (1 hour drive) with a pause to have a fun meal and then my husband needs to work some more in the afternoon… Thursday and Friday are not very clearly planned yet (it all depends on my husband having to work some more or not) but I guess hubby will change the winter tires for the summer ones while the kids play at “grand-maman” (my mom) and I will get as much sewing done as possible and I’ll try to come up with something fun to do in the afternoon, maybe a visit at the zoo…
Ok my plan isn’t perfectly clear yet but at least I’ve got somewhere to begin.
Thanks a lot for helping me make that more clear in my mind and come up with a plan to make it work!
Maybe we should also have an “accountability friday/saturday” to see how we’ve done with our plans, encouraged each other and learn to be better next monday…
Good luck to all of you moms out there!
“Make it Monday” – as in make your intentions for the week.
I love this idea. My intention:
Who: the family
What: family prayer
Why: because it matters and we need to do it more consistently
How: Go to bed earlier, so we all can wake up before the first kid leaves the house and gather for prayer…
How about this b/c our intentions are supposed to be manageable.
“Managing Mondays”
As a mother of four and author of everything from novels to a cookbook, I’ve come to the conclusion that so much of parenting is moments. If you dissect a whole day, it’s too much. The moments are what you need to get down on paper or screen or keep in mind. So I nominate Memorable Moment Mondays. That way, you have the space just to think about small moments that matter.
I am loving these-and you guys are way better than I am at the title thing! I’m pondering several carefully & will give an update in a day or so!
Who: My husband
What: Be more mindful of my husband’s needs
Why: I have been so mindful of spending every second to focus on my 3 month old baby and not missing a minute of enjoying her (I have really been taking your suggestions to heart :), that I have been ignoring my husband. Even worse, I have been very crabby with him lately. He is an amazing husband and father; he certainly doesn’t deserve it
How: Put the baby to bed this week and instead of doing chores around the house, sit down with my husband on the couch and talk to him (a novel idea during the last few weeks!).
How about Purposeful Planning Mondays?
4WHIM – for 4 WH questions intentional Mondays and/or 4 W happy intentional mom – and a whim has a pleasant connotation (to me anyways) – something like if you do it enough it becomes a whim, automatic, which would make me very happy!
I’ve been choosing a weekly resolution to tackle every week for almost 2 years but I LOVE the 4 question approach. LOVE LOVE LOVE
This week’s with your questions:
Who – me
What – start Lent Part Deux (give up wheat, add exercise, daily devotions)
Why: I just finished Lent and found it a rewarding do-able experience. I want to do another 40 day round to get healthier, maybe lose that last 15lbs of baby 3 leftovers, feel good, have more energy and see what good happy changes might arise!
How: set alarm daily for 6 to have 1 or more minutes to read my dieter’s prayer book, getting elliptical TODAY and will exercise for 15 minutes after kids in bed while watching the tube (which I always manage to find time for), and non-wheat groceries and menu plan already completed and ready to go!
Thanks Happiest Mom for being such an inspiration!
Great idea!
Who: Me
What: Take a quick nap each day
Why: I’ve been feeling a bit tired and run down lately. Each night at bedtime, there’s always one more thing I need to do before I can hit the hay, then it’s up in the mornings with the baby, and usually trying to do housework when she naps. I’m not getting the rest I need to feel my best and when I am too tired it affects everything.
How: When the baby takes a nap, I lie down for a while too. If I really don’t feel like I can sleep, I’ll just close my eyes and do some calming breathing. But I suspect that most days that will turn into a much-needed doze!
Love it.
Who: Me and the kids
What: Finish organizing their rooms
Why: I am SO CLOSE to having cute usable kid rooms that have usable closets, a place for the baby to nap, and no boxes piled in a corner. I can’t seem to get over the last hump though.
How: Start with the big part tomorrow morning – moving the under-bed boxes. Then the rest of it will be doable in smaller chunks while I have time this crazy week.
How about “For All: Intents and Purposes”
Who: Me
What: Spend less time giving orders at home
Why: I get so little time with my Tweens that I just can’t bear one more minute of it being full of all the ‘to-do’s that won’t be important when they are gone.
How: Work on a routine that they can live with (and remember) so I’m not constantly reminding them of what needs to be done.
“Weekly Wish” is all I can think of so far.
Who: kids
What: keep the TV off
Why: During screen free week I realized that my kids were better at amusing themselves than I thought. As long as I made sure my son (5yo) played downstairs so that my daughter played with him (20mo), I didn’t even need to turn on the TV to fix dinner. I’d like to keep it off and try harder to have fun set-ups that trigger extended play (like these).
No title suggestions here — it’s a weakness of mine, too. The title is usually the last things I come up with to finish a poem.
Sooo … here’s my intention. I think in a earlier comment I said something about breaking up big projects (or even little ones) into teensy tiny pieces. So I’ll be taking on a teensy tiny piece of a bigger intention this week. Who and what? The Critter making art. Why? Because if given the time and materials, making art is what people do — especially little ones, who haven’t yet been schooled in the false idea that art is something that only *talented* people make. How? Well, this week’s teensy tiny piece is just to look through a couple books on art-making to get some ideas about what sorts of art projects (or whatever) I’d like to do with the Critter. That’s it: just get some ideas. After all, now that it’s spring, we’re spending most of our free time outdoors, anyway!
I love this! What especially strikes a chord with me is choosing ONE thing to do, and making a plan on how to accomplish it. I have a general feeling that I’m not doing a great job with my time home with my kids, that i get too caught up in cleaning and tidying and getting other things done that i neglect them, but I find it so overwhelming to think of new and exciting things to do every day. ONE thing, though, i can do!
WHO: Me
WHAT: Plan and execute an activity for our home days this week (T/R/F)
WHY: See above
HOW: Just went to the simple kids website linked to above (thanks nopinkhere) and love the idea of setting up a pet store for the kids to play in. We will work tomorrow on gathering the things we need, and then play on Thursday and Friday.
Thanks for a wonderful kick in the derriere!
Great idea!
WHO: Me
WHAT: Less computer time and less sugar consumption
WHY: Both are bad for my health and will make me a better mother if I reduce them.
Meagan here are some suggestions for the title:
Manic Vs Mindful Monday!
Panic Vs Peaceful monday!
Manic Panic Vs Mindful Peaceful Monday!
Mom’s Manic Vs Mindful Monday!
Thanks
Star
Mindful Melodious Monday!
Thanks again
Star
what you’ve written is so true. found this blog last week and ive cudnt stop reading since!thank you.
Live More Mindfully Monday
New Mindset Monday
New week,New intention
Mindfullness Monday Mission
who: my son & i
what: not as much technology consuming our day
why: when it isn’t warm outside we tend to have the tv, laptop, etc on more. by this time we have worn out all of our inside activities. nevertheless, i want to revisit those activities and make some new ones if need be. i want to minimize our tech time, have a specific schedule (ex: tv & laptop off at 10 for the day). i think it will allow me to be more present with my son, and we will spend more time together doing activities.
Mark It Down Monday.
My intention for the week is to play/work outside with the children, but with so much rain in the forecast, that’s kind of tough!
It’s not raining at the moment, so I guess we’d better head out!
Monday’s Mission.
Mark it on Monday.
Motivation Monday.
Motivated on Monday.
Mindless Monday . . . oh wait, wrong concept.
Mind Your Mondays!
“We Can Do Better”
“We Can Be Better”
Hmm, I’ve going to have to think about the weekly intention for my family, but it’s a fabulous idea!!
How about Monday Mindset for a title?
FABULOUS IDEA!! I’ll have to think of my Intention for this week… practice this week and then make a plan next week. Hmmmmm….
Title for the tradition… Monday’s Moments
I love this idea. I’m constantly amazed at how fast my life is moving. I’ve been trying to make tame for things and take in every moment. This will add to my actions. I’m going to put this into practice.
Who: My family
What: The house
Why: Because the house gets dirty faster than I clean it and it bothers me. I also am going to have another crawler soon, and I don’t like the idea of him crawling around on dirty floors.
How: I have created a cleaning schedule for myself, and I have enlisted my husband to mark off the things he thinks he can do. This is the first full week of trying to stick to the schedule. I was very happy with my efforts last week, and I want to make it a routine! Routines are good for me.
I love this post and am going to put it in action. My intention is to start blogging about my daughter/family again. I will definitely link to this post as my inspiration. When: today How: just do it! Why: because I’ve been talking about doing it for months now with no excuse why I haven’t.
Thanks!
Great great great ideas, everyone! Breaking our goals down into a weekly intention is so manageable and will make such an impact! The name ideas are great so far. I thought of More of Mommy Mondays (MoMM).
I loved the intention to get outside more because I, too, have been not doing great about that between the weather and the number and ages of daycare kids I take care of. Truth is, though, that everyone’s happier with even just a little bit of fresh air…even if we spend more time putting on shoes than playing outside. That might be my intention for next week (to get out with the kids more frequently) but for this week I decided this was where I’d start with our family:
Who: Our family
What: Planting our garden
Why: I’m no green thumb but I think that we might be a tad behind on getting this done, and we have some free time where we could get this accomplished this weekend. Last year when we planted together with our daughter it was really nice time together outside, and she’s learning to have an appreciation for gardening (I hope) that I never really got. I’m trying, though!
How: We’re having a garage sale Saturday so I know that Friday evening will be spent setting up for that, but after the sale Saturday afternoon we can squeeze in an hour or two to plant. Maybe my fiancee and our daughter can pick up the seeds Friday when I’m setting up for the sale…the shopping portion will be done and she’ll be out of my hair for the set-up.
I love your blog! You give reassurance and motivation and peace so easily! I have been swallowed whole by the goal of creating a more organized and peaceful home over the last few months. But am going to try to embrace your challenge and target my intentions…1st target toward happier living is creating order within our master bedroom (the catchall of EVERYTHING after our recent move)…
http://kachd.blogspot.com/2011/04/new-season-begins-with-new-intention.html
Make it Monday(s)
How about “Mention Your Intention”?
Who: me
What: give my family my undivided attention
Why: because they’re more important than anything
How: I will prime myself to hear it when they call my name and then CEASE AND DESIST the activity I in the middle of. I will then turn and look them in the eye and focus my attention on their request/question/statement.
And now I’m going to find a way to print this comment so that I can post it in front of my face so I don’t FORGET my intention
Or…”Mention::Your::Intention::Mondays”
Who: My littles
What: Be more “in the moment” with them
Why: Things are busy, there are little girls to take care of and play with, the house to keep somewhat orderly, a part-time-ish home business to run, etc. Lately I can feel myself being downright scattered, even when playing with my girls sometimes, without clear focus on anything I’m doing because I’m always thinking of the next thing I need to get to.
How: Create a loose schedule of time to allot to the house and business related things, preferably early in the morning so the remainder of the day can be focused wholly on my girls.
Move It Monday.
I like “Mindful Monday”
This is a great idea Meagan. I like it especially because it does seem manageable, as opposed to sending lofty life goals which I have been known to do.
I’m a bit late to this, but I think for this week it’s letting go of stress at work, and leaving it where it should stay. At work. I have a lot of work to do on this one!
let’s see.. A new intention or goal for the week starting monday.
Mine would be to read more with my Son. So I have him weds – sun, we will read 1-2 books before bed at 7:30 pm and no tv.
A name could be, Moms attempt at making a change… Mondays are no longer sucky, because Monday is the start of a new challenge. Intention powered Monday, keep it simple, since we don’t want to stress ourselves out about it.
Mom:spirational Monday adventure of the week! That’s my title for u! Hope you like it!
Mondays With Motive! LOVE IT.
Normally, Sundays are my “planning” day for the week, but I may just switch it up to Monday. What a nice idea, Meagan.
I thought of to mom:spirational family intention, a feel good adventure to motivate family togetherness and achieving goals.