30 days of intentionality

I saw this idea recently...30 Day Challenge... that challenged you to spend 30 minutes of INTENTIONAL play time with your kid(s) each day.  At first I thought...well I spend all day with my kids...but to be intentionally engaged with them is different.  It's for the month of June but you could surely do it any time.

It's become harder to spend one on one intentional time with Mateo since his baby brother was born.  To be honest, babies can be a drag.   Two year olds are much more fun.  Babies are cute and sweet and precious...but they just can't "do" much.  SO yesterday, when we had a little bit of time in the afternoon when Alex was sleeping (praise Jesus...this teething baby is not liking the sleep lately).... we grabbed a snack and went and ate it in Mateo's new "fort".  Then we spent the next 30-40 minutes swinging the afternoon away.  Underdogs galore.  And one good thing about being pint-sized is that I get to swing, too, haha.   Then, alas, baby brother wakes up and we sadly have to come in. 

What will you do today to intentionally play with your kids?

As a SAHM it's not hard to occasionally (or often) see your precious kiddos as an inconvenience and focus on the things you need to get done...but being intentional and building play time into your "To Do List" is a fun relief....one that will be a treasure in heaven.  I find I spend a lot of time playing with Mateo (can you spend too much time playing?)  I would much rather play than do chores and stuff at home...but it's a crafted balance to spend time with him (and Alex) while also encouraging him to have independent play time while I cook dinner, nurse baby brother, etc.  Since we don't have a TV in the living room he comes up with some pretty interesting games and ways to play.  Most recently he likes me to go to his "work" which is his room. When asked what he does at work, sometimes he answers "I play basketball" or "I cook food" (He has a bball hoop and a mini kitchen in his room).  But whatever it is he does at work on any given day, he is always working "very hard" just like Daddy.

Matthew 6:19-20 (NIV)

¹⁹ “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. ²⁰ But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.