Pause Life for a Moment: hands on: as we grow

I am so excited about having Jamie of hands on: as we grow guest posting here today.She runs an amazing play blog filled with great ideas, she co-hosts an wonderful link up on Thursdays called It's Playtime,and so much more. I could go on and on about all the things in the blog world she is a part of, but the thing I am most proud of  sharing with your is that she is blogging friend. She inspires me to play and learn with my son.

Pause.

Wait.

Yep, that's it.

A pause.

A break to breathe. Take in. Observe. Relax.

I've found there are four times to pause in life.


And all four have one thing in common.


They're all guaranteed to bring a smile to your face.

A Pause for the Present. When the kids are playing nicely in the toy corner. You're relaxing, watching them. The older one asks the younger one if he can play with that toy and waits for it to be handed to him. These daily occurrences often make me pause and enjoy the current stage my boys are in and appreciate myself for doing something right.

A Pause for the Past. When the youngest takes his first steps. Or your preschooler pedals his trike for the first time. These are moments when I've learned to reflect on the past and see how life has (and still is) changing daily. Remembering moments is priceless.

A Pause for the Future. Taking your preschooler to his first day of school. Or bringing your newborn baby home from the hospital. You can only imagine what's in store for you and your kids. The what ifs and whens of graduation, weddings, and maybe even your own grandkids! A moment to dream of what life is going to bring your way next.

And the last pause in life I've found is called A Pause for Sanity. During which you need to breath and relax and pause for a moment and go through the previous three pauses just to get through the chaos of day to day living with children! When your preschooler is asking the never ending whys and the baby is screaming for who knows what. Pause. Take in the present, past and future. And remember how very precious your kids really are and how very great of a parent you are.

Smile.

Please stop by hands on: as we grow and see the wonderful things Jamie is sharing this week.

This post is linked to Friends I Love.