To Play, Or Not To Play

We had such a fun visitor today! I watched my friend Katie's daughter Savannah for a couple of hours, and she was a delight to play with. She and Lauren hit it off right away - being about the same height, I guess they had a lot to discuss. Lauren watched in awe as Savannah walked wherever she wanted to, with no help. I'm betting Savannah is her new hero.

Mia was already down for a nap when Savannah got here, and Lauren took a nap after getting to play for about half an hour, so I got to have Savannah all to myself for quite a while. I put everything else aside to play with someone else's child, and I wondered, why don't I do this with Lauren and Mia? I wander from task to task, playing in small bursts, and trying not to disappoint them with my busy-ness.

There are some days where I wonder if I'm giving my time fully enough to my kids. I am here all day with them, yes, but cooking, cleaning, bill paying, laundry, menu planning, and so on....these things take up so much of my time. And now I've added blogging to the list. I shudder to think of how hard it would be for me to be a mom with a career outside the home.

Should I strive to do those things while the girls are sleeping, and spend all of my day playing and teaching (and should I be doing a better job teaching)? Should I do those household tasks only when they are otherwise occupied? Or should I just do them whenever I get a chance throughout the day, accepting that my daughters will learn to entertain themselves during those times?

I think of motherhood as my vocation, my chosen path. That leaves me to wonder why there is any question of how my priorities should be weighed. Obviously, the kids come first - but how can I reconcile that with a house that's in constant need of straightening and other important parts of life that must be accommodated? On top of those mundane ways in which a household must be run, I know I should be taking time out for prayer and maintaining my relationship with God. How can I incorporate more spiritual upkeep time into my day, while keeping up with normal duties?

The way I've been approaching it is this: an organized day and house will help my children grow while helping me to be the mother I need to be. And most certainly, prayer will give me the strength and peace I need to get through my day. All the while, I'm wondering if I'm really doing all that I could be doing as a wife and mother.