If you love me and you know it clap your hands *clap clap*

Olivia stood over her activity table, carefully opening and shutting a little door. The table had a pocket in which you could put small treasures and Olivia wasted no time putting her Nuk (pacifier) into the tiny spot and closing the door. She continued to play for another 30 seconds and then revisited this door. She flicked it open, looked inside, and proceeded to get the biggest smile on her face - as if to say "OMG! THAT'S where that went!"

How much do we really watch our kids these days? I don't mean to hawk-eye them and make sure they don't fall off of something steep/narrow/high/etc. I mean the type of "watch" that is meant exclusively for observation.

Our generation of mothers fall into two schools: The Working Mother and the Stay At Home Mother (SAHM). These two classes of women have their own set of challenges. I will write a WHOLE blog entry about the Working Moms and the SAHMs at another time. For now, I want to talk about how both mothers rarely get the option or opportunity to sit and enjoy their children. There is always a list somewhere which needs to be completed and takes priority over quality time with the little one(s).

I say: Fuck the list.

Go ahead - ring my doorbell without calling first. My kitchen will be a mess, my bathroom trashes are full (but no overflowing), the vaccum will have been run inside of the last two weeks, the upstairs playroom will be in dissarray, DO NOT SET FOOT IN MY Master Bedroom (if you please)and there may be laundry still sitting in our dryer from two weeks ago. And you now what? I make NO apologies for it. If you don't like it - you either don't have kids or you aren't my friend. There is no other category. Spending time with Olivia, trying to get her to laugh, kissing her, holding her in my lap while she watches The Freshbeat Band are my BIGGEST priorities. The rest is, frankly, not.

When it's all said and done, I get a total of 5 hours with Olivia during the workweek (not including time driving to and from our daycare providers house). I will spend those five hours the way I want and I do NOT want to be cleaning.

"But Jenn - just do all that stuff after she goes to bed!"

No. She goes to bed at 7pm and now *I* two hours to catch up on "me" time AND "couple time" and I am not willing to spend those 6 hours (or so) a week doing things that don't bring me enjoyment. If you don't like it - well, "go over there".

I posted on Facebook this week that my life BEGAN when Olivia was born. I meant it. I have never been even CLOSE to this happy in my life. So, my friends, enjoy your kids. Put down the smart phone, close down the laptop/iPad, LEAVE WORK AT WORK and be in the moment with your kid as they discover the Nuk they JUST left in the hiding place less than thirty seconds ago. If your child looks up and smiles a big smile - you will miss it if your head is buried in something else and pretty soon... they won't do it anymore.

I, for one, don't want to live in a world where Olivia smiles and I am too wrapped up in something else to see it.

Ok. That made me cry just now.

So come on over and visit - but don't be afraid to step over something.