Science Fair Queen

Hello working mothers!!!! It has been such a long time, please forgive me, but I have truly been mothering while working like never before! So much so, that I have not posted in weeks, however my thoughts have been with the blog and this week I felt called to the blog to express thoughts about this all important balancing act of "mothering while working". This week was filled with "Aha" moments for me. The type of "Aha" that requires rethinking how much can one continue to mother while working. At some point we have to make a decision to do for ourself so that we can truly and effective be the mothers God calls us to be. It is such a duality that sometimes I can't believe I am doing it, despite all that life has thrown at me lately (remember life is happening while we are working, mothering, living, its all how we respond). My goal is always my family first, I never sacrifice beyong reason when it comes to my family. It helps to have a wonderful support system in my husband and children. Each day is a new experience and a trial that I welcome. It forces me to stay in my prefrontal lobes when my limbic system wants to take over and my brain stem wants me to throw a temper tantrum-LOL.

I hope all of you working moms are doing well and are doing even better at mothering while working. Just to give some context to my week: I trained every single day this week in different towns throughout NC including a presentation for a national conference. In addition, I balanced promoting my business (http://www.enterngome.com/) and helping my 3 superstars with their science projects. Talk about exerting some serious brain cells. Can you say "Wore Out"! I am learning to accept that there is no rest until you take your last breath. God willing, my time will be enough to witness the fruits of my seeds.

The payoff came today when the children set-up for the science fair at their school. Although I was restless, listless, irritable, on the brink of collapsing while trying to help get all the last minute details of each project in place before they set-up, I became instantly inspired when I saw a room full of children and their parents engaged with their projects. The little battery life I had left suddenly recieved a jump that lasted til the end of the science fair. For some reason almost half the children including one of mine decided to do volcanoe's. Somewhere there must be a volcano on the brink of erupting because these children exhibited every variation and modality of a volcano that you can imagine. Glow in the dark volcanoes, trash bag/soda bottle volcanos, plaster volcanos, you name it, they had it.

At a time when schools are struggling with parent participation, I bear witness that each and every time you put children on display, the parents will come out and support their children. The science fair judge even gave my husband and I a gold seal sticker for participating. Trust me when I tell you I was not ashamed to ask for one, it was so pretty and shiny, and I felt I deserved one-LOL! I worked so hard this week as I do each day, but the reward is always the children. Today it was not just my children, but all children. Oftentimes, I receive praise for the way I parent and to some it may look easy. Somehow, I manage to put my family first, it doesn't happen perfectly and I have my husband and children to remind me when I am not putting them first.

As mothers who work we have to retrain our brains to making children and family our priority, not our jobs and career. That is the ego at work when we allow decisions which may cause us to neglect our families to arise. There is a theory which holds that you can pick up the pieces from your job but picking up the pieces from failed relationships is much harder and not always worth the risk when it comes to your family. So start saying no to menial job duties, plan to have lunch with your children, pledge to make time to help them with their science fair project (no matter how many children you have), allow them to lead activities and discussions, go to the park, work-out together, play together, plan together, it's the little things. Get off your gadgets and pay attention to your children. It will break your heart to hear "Mommy played with her phone more than she played with me."

It's not easy, but we can do it. With great purpose, intentionality, and consciousness, the possibilities are endless. Put children and family first. This is what must me done in order to inherit the kingdom our children are entitled to : )

Science Fair Superstars

Mothering with great Intentionality,

Donellia