More on mindful mothering, priorities and interruptions (plus, win a copy of my book!)

Yesterday a friend on Twitter asked-tongue-in-cheek, I believe-whether sleep counts as “having something better to do.”

Goodness, yes. Getting enough of your basic human needs-sleep, food, bathroom breaks, water, showers (heh heh)-are important and vital and make you a better and happier and healthier and more engaged mom.

But so much of what makes us “busy” isn’t as urgent as we tell ourselves. And the more we flex that “living in the moment” muscle the more patient we become, and the easier it becomes to chip away at the stuff that doesn’t matter and focus on what does; and to focus on the things that matter in the right proportions.

After all, email matters to me. But it doesn’t matter enough to make up 75% of my attention…and it’s only too easy to let it, and other “busy” work, take over.

It’s not about sacrificing your own needs or even your own wants to meet every little demand your kids throw your way (because believe me-I know they throw a lot our way, and sometimes, they need to learn to wait too.) It’s about mindfully pursuing the life you want without letting it get hijacked by “busy-ness.”

Taking care of your needs = good. Taking care of business = good. But we also need to make sure our lives are matching our priorities, instead of crowding out our priorities until they start to feel like interruptions.

In other news, my Happiest Mom blog book tour is in full swing, and there are plenty of opportunities to read about the book and possibly enter to win a free copy.

• Review by Sarah at Buttoned Up
• Giveaway and review at Mommy Tries
• 3 reasons frugal moms can be happy moms at Suddenly Frugal
• Q&A about writing & motherhood, plus a book giveaway at Coffees & Commutes
• Roundtable discussion between myself, Katherine at Postpartum Progress and Hollee at The New Perfect about women and happiness at BlogHer
• Enter your photo in Parenting Magazine’s Happiest Mom photo contest for a chance to win a trip to Miami!

Hope you check them out and enter a giveaway or two! Good luck and I’d love to hear what you think of the book-let me know, or leave an Amazon review!

Other helpful posts like this:

Join my book launch team! Living Well on Less with Amy Suardi of Frugal Mama: Podcast Episode 5 Children’s Book Author Sarah Maizes: The Home Hour Show, Episode 36