Re-Awakening: Being a present and attentive mom

In the busyness of raising 7 children, being a wife, working as a nurse at night, being the secretary for my farm association Board of Directors, and trying to stay sane, some things tend to get put on the back burner for a later time, forgotten, or just plain neglected. Yes, I do have a smart phone, an ipad, a Kindle, and 2 computers. I am not a tech savvy person so when I am working on projects, it takes me a little while to figure out templates and formats etc. I have noticed that I can get a lot more done by checking email when I'm standing in line at the grocery store or as I'm putting my little ones to sleep. I am not one of those that are glued to my phone or Ipad, I don't document every little thing I do on social media, and I do not take my kid to the playground only to sit in the shade and text or have my eyes looking down on my phone. With that said, my daughter made a comment the other day that pierced my heart. "Mommy can you please put your phone down, I wanna tell you something!" She quickly reminded me that I went pass my allotted time that I take care of anything I need to do online: bills, emails responses, Board issues, etc. She doesn't understand deadlines, and why should she at 3 years old. All she wanted to do was engage. Of course I stopped what I was doing and apologized for making her wait so long. I spent the rest of the afternoon disconnected from all electronics. It was fun and refreshing. I have been reminded once again that in the midst of all the craziness around us, I need to make time to quiet my mind, spend time with the ones that will soon grow up and leave out nest. I need to work on being more present in my children's lives, even if it's only to color with them, watch them jump rope, play hide-n-seek with them (although I am way too big to hide anywhere in our tiny overcrowded house), just be with them doing what makes them happy. If you're a mom of many littles who already does this, I applaud you. If you're like me, then I encourage you to be a more intentionally present mom.