Balance

Apparently, it is trendy these days to pick a word as a theme for the year, instead of making New Year's Resolutions. I don't tend to do things simply because they are trendy, but I also try not to reject good ideas simply because they are trendy, either. So I decided to give this "word of the year" thing a try.

Yes, I know it's March. I did pick my word back in December, but I wanted to mull it over in the solitude of my own mind, first, before going public with it. Gotta be sure I really want to be there before I announce my presence of the trend bandwagon.

But, now it's March, and here I am. I have decided that I really like this "word of the year" thing.

My word for 2015 is "balance". Balance is the one thing I struggle the most with as a mom. Knowing when to be firm, and when to be gentle. When to wash the dishes and when to read a story. When to cook healthy meals and when to have a treat.

I want to be perfect. But I don't think you can be "perfect" at being balanced. Inherent in the concept of balance is finding a middle ground between two extremes. Maybe you could do one of the extremes perfectly, but finding the middle is a continuous process of constantly weighing shifting winds. And when you live in a house with three adorable tornadoes, those winds shift a LOT.

Everything in my life seems to come down to balance these days. Maybe it's just that I'm looking for it, now, because it's my "word", but it really does feel that way. I tried to keep my living room clean for a whole week, recently. And one day, as I was putting the same toy away for the seventh time that day, I threw my arms up and said, "Forget it!" My kids need a clean living room to play. They dance more when they have a clear space to dance in. They fight less when they don't have to trip over things. Toys get more use when they are in the places they belong. But following my kids around and trying to keep it constantly clean was exhausting, inefficient, and pointless. So I'm looking for that balance. How often do I need to put the toys away in order to keep the room clean enough to be a healthy play space? Once a day? A few times a day? Before each meal? I haven't nailed it yet, but I'm getting closer. Balance.

(Yes, I know my kids should be cleaning up after themselves. They are, to a certain extent, but they are still young, and they need help. We're working on it. If I don't give them enough help/direction, they get frustrated and overwhelmed, but if I do it all myself, they start to think they don't have to do it. They do need to see me do it to model the proper methods, but they also need to try things for themselves. Looking for that perfect balance here, too.)

It is almost April, and I am starting to get excited about doing Hour-a-Day April again. And HADA is all about balance. Finding the time to work on long-term goals, while still meeting short-term goals. Finding the time to work on deep-cleaning projects without neglecting the daily upkeep. Balance.

I will put up a more HADA-focused post soon, but I wanted to get a few of these jumbled thoughts about balance out there first, because I will inevitably be seeing the "balance" thread running through everything I do for HADA, and I might start to sound like a broken record. Now you'll know why.