on being a deliberate mom

Well, if you aren't familiar with the Power of Moms website, here it is:

http://powerofmoms.com/

A gathering place for deliberate moms.  I love that moniker.  Sometimes I don't feel like a deliberate mom, and when that happens, I try to remember to check out the website to see what other deliberate moms are saying and doing.  It's so easy to engage in default mothering.  Lately, too often, when Ellie asks me at bedtime what we're doing the next day (she says, "Mom, will you talk the day?") I don't have a good answer.  Well, at least I don't have a good answer for what she will be doing.  I've had a busy few weeks working on some projects, and Rob has had some work responsibilities that have kept him at the office from way before dawn until way after bedtime.

This means E&M have been left to their own devices - a recipe for grumpiness and frustration for all involved.  On top of it all, I've been potty training Matt, which requires some significant stay-at-home time, making life a little bit boring.  But Ellie's nightly question reminds me that I have chosen motherhood, and I am happy about that choice - and that choice plays out better when we make a plan, even if that plan is as simple as a trip to the library followed by storytime on the sofa.  Except that today during quiet storytime on the sofa, which was basically the first time I'd sat down all day, I was so tired I seriously thought I was going to fall asleep mid-sentence and fall off the sofa.    But, hey, at least we were having some together time.  Tomorrow I'm forgetting about housework and even potty training (at least for a few hours) and we're going to a pool.  Haven't decided whose pool yet, but I know we're going.  We need the sunshine and the sheer delight of swimming around, and it makes my day to watch my kids jumping off the diving board over and over again and laughing.

A few days ago, my regular Power of Moms email update included the good news that Linda and Richard Eyre's new book is on the verge of release.  I've known it was in the works for some time, and I've been looking forward to reading it:  The Entitlement Trap: How to Rescue Your Child with a New Family System of Choosing, Earning, and Ownership

Um, yeah, I totally need that information.  The great news is that right now they're doing a huge giveaway in connection with the release.  Check it out:  http://entitlementtrap.com/giveaway.htm

Platinum prize is a trip to Salt Lake for a Power of Moms retreat?  Now that's another thing I totally need in my life!  Alas, there's no way I can arrange to be in Salt Lake the weekend of the retreat, but maybe someone who reads my blog will enter and win!  I'm crossing my fingers for you!