Have You Enjoyed Your Kids Today?

Working outside the home is necessary for this mama, but like all working moms, I feel guilt over the time and attention I spend away from my little children.  Since I cannot change the need to work (although MANY stay-home-moms have tried) and truly, I enjoy my work, I need to bring back the balance.  How I do that is by taking time every evening to enjoy my children.  Honestly, I could enjoy my children spending money! I would love to take the kids out to dinner, or a movie, Chuck E. Cheese, or an ice cream outing...I really would love to.   But we are competing to win this financial race and so we are choosing not to spend freely.  Instead, we are finding free, or cheap family fun every night.  This week, we have done the slip-n-slide Sunday, before bed games on Monday, and tonight, a 100-piece puzzle.  The time is precious to me because you can see the pure joy on my kids' faces. They love having "mom-time" and attention.  The dishes can wait until the kids get into bed and so they did.  But now, my bed is calling, my kitchen is clean(ish) and my kids are snug in bed knowing their mom had fun with them tonight (and every night!)