Welcome to The Mom Project. For the next few weeks, we’ll be launching my book The Mom Project by hosting several mom friends who have tried it out for themselves. They read the book, completed a project from the book with their kids, and wrote all about it. And these are real moms. Busy moms. Unsure-of-themselves moms. Single moms. Special needs moms. Working moms. Stay-at-home moms. They do the hard working of mommyhood every day, and have found fun ways to connect with their kids in the simple activities found in The Mom Project. Read on to hear their experience:
The Project
Go outside. That’s the depth, height, and difficulty level of my activity for The Mom Project. And those two simple words are precisely why I love The Mom Project so much. Why? Because the simple task of spending intentional time with my children – of being present with them – works. It actually works! No extra time, fancy equipment, or expensive outings required. And that really appeals to a busy, budget-aware mom like me.
The Plan
The plan was to go to the local park and do a scavenger hunt. As I drew scavenger hunt maps and started grabbing an extra this and a bonus that to make the experience extra-completely-perfect, I felt my shoulders tightening up. The kids were getting antsy for their lunch and dangerously close to naptime, so I knew I was about to miss my one-and-only window. And as a work-from-home mom, naptime is essential.
I suddenly remembered that the instructions for spending time with my kids were simply: “Go outside.” Go outside. So simple, and yet, as usual, I was trying to over complicate things to the point of discouragement. So we grabbed our less-than-perfect stuff and headed out the door.
Results
We arrived at the small local park armed with our scavenger hunt maps. Once there, we met another family who was eager to join in on the fun. Together, the kids raced around, buckets in hand, searching for various nature items on the list: something purple, something soft, something lovely, etc. After all the items were collected, we huddled in a circle to examine our finds. As I held up each of the spring-fresh discoveries, ranging from flowers to sticks to pinecones, I interjected a few statements about God’s beautiful creation: “Did you know that we can see evidence of God everywhere we look? When we find something LOVELY, it points to its Maker, God.”
It was a fun time. We finished things off by making nature bracelets. I wrapped a strand of packing tape (sticky side out) around each little wrist, and set them off to attach bits of nature to their bracelets. After the excitement of the scavenger hunt, the kids were eager to set back off on the trail in search of more loot. The results were beautiful.
What I Learned
So what did I learn? Turns out, I’m the holdup. I get in my own way. Remember earlier in the day, when I was racing back and forth, packing the perfect items, trying to make the perfect day? Did you catch it? That problem word? Yep, that’s the word… “perfect.” By doing this simple project, I learned that my perfectionistic tendencies trip me up, discourage me, overwhelm me. Friends, I almost canceled the whole trip to the park! I was stressing myself to the max, when all I needed to do was “Go outside.”
My kids just want to spend time with me. The scavenger hunt didn’t need to be sketched in multi-colored markers with 3D relishes. I wasn’t required to do a scavenger hunt AND a treasure hunt AND a nature bracelet AND make a scrapbook of the experience the same day. Through this project, I learned to let less-than-perfect be enough.
This applies to all of life, too. Sometimes it seems as if I live my life waiting for the perfect moment…when all along, the moments are happening right in front of me. I just have to engage.
Extra Tips
If you’re doing this activity with littles, think simple. It doesn’t have to be a Pinterest production. It really can just be a blanket on the ground outside for lunch instead of at the table. After all, who would’ve thought my kids could have fun in the same environment, with the same things they see on a daily basis? (They did.)
Apparently, The Mom Project is all about tweaking my everyday routine, just a tad. It’s about incorporating this purpose, this focus, this worshipful moment into what we’re already doing anyway. It’s about making the everyday mundane special. It really doesn’t take a major schedule overhaul – just focused effort on what’s already going on.
In my perfectionist tendencies, I’d always thought I needed to wait until I could “Martha Stewart” a project with my kids. Turns out, they don’t care what it is or how pretty it is. They just want me to show up. To be there. And to love them well.
It calls to mind our mandate for telling our children about God: “These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.” (Deut. 6:6-9, NIV) When should I be speaking about the saving, transforming power of Christ’s love in my life? When I have time? Nope. I never really will have that “perfect” time. It happens as we go: in the van, when I lay them down for nap, in the drive-thru, in the carline. Not when I finally have time to do it perfectly.
Ready for your chance to win a copy of The Mom Project? To be entered into the drawing, just comment on this post and you’ll be entered to win. *Only US readers are eligible to receive the free book.
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Kelli Pavlovec draws from her experience as a work from home mom to help smart moms get unstuck and find their best self at www.TwoHourMom.com. For a free worksheet on 7 Ways to Pursue Your Life Dreams, Even While You’re a Mom, click here.
I can think of some great outdoor times we’ve shared. 1) We made a big batch of bubbles and then grabbed things like a potato masher, whisk, strawberry basket to blow them through. 2) We’re trying to visit all the parks in our town. 3) Sidewalk chalk! 4) shooting hoops 5) geo-caching!
Thanks for this reminder. I feel better when I’m outside for at least some portion of every day. It doesn’t have to be planned or complicated. Just take a break and get out there.
What a fun activity! I’ll have to try something like that with my kids.
I teared up reading this. I am so tired of my perfectionism ruining my precious years with my littles. I am tired of seeing them as “tasks” instead of “hearts”. I needed this.
AWWW, I am loving all these stories!! i need help to just go outside too!! this book sounds so great!!!
I love this. Although my kids do enjoy the occasional play date or day trip, they really do find a lot of joy in spending time with me, and especially outdoors. Great reminder!
Getting outside and being present with my kids are two of my favorite things. The sense of wonder and delight in Gods creation is magnified when we immerse ourselves in it. Thank you for sharing your experience!
Oh my gosh…I could have written this! So glad to know I’m not the only mom who gets caught up in striving for perfection! Thanks for the great reminder to just “go outside”! Who new it could be so simple 😉 Also, love, love, love the nature bracelet idea. So simple!
LOVE that this will help tweak what is already a natural part of the day! I don’t want an overhaul but I do desire more and yes my perfectionism is just like this!! I want our time to be perfect…racing against nap time then I’m super disappointed when all my prepping is only for one minute of partial excitement and they want to move on to something else. Don’t over think or complicate. Yes.
Wonderful reminder that simple is fine…don’t wait for the perfect circumstances or set up.
Hi Rebecca,
Congratulations you won a copy of the “Mom Project!” Thank you for participating! I will contact you for your mailing address. Enjoy the Mom Project!
Blessings,
Chere Williams
Kathi Lipp Intern
This is great! I have a tendency to get stuck behind screens. I know I need to give my son more of my attention than I do
This is great! Inspired to eat dinner outside as a picnic tonight!
We have a tendency to overcomplicate and overthink – what a great reminder that our children just want us to be with them.