Multi-tasking

I titled this blog entry 'multi-tasking', but then I sat down to think about what it was that I really wanted to write.  I think that maybe I should actually have called it cheating.  I read somewhere that multi-tasking is counter-productive.  Apparently because your focus is split you get less done.  I clearly didn't internalize what I read, hence I still consider myself the master of multi-tasking.  Example you say?  A normal scene around my house is cooking dinner, while helping Maisie with her homework, watching the two little girls and knitting when standing at the kitchen counter.  As a normal mother I often have many 'projects' on the go.  Renovating, knitting a blanket, creating SMARTboard lessons, gardening - you get the picture. 

This afternoon while Cam and I are downstairs trying to build a new room in the basement, Marley wanted to go outside and play.  She had been down with us for quite awhile, so I figured it would be a great idea but who was going to watch her out there?  Cam said he would continue (which in the world of renovating can be a scary thing) and I should go upstairs to watch her.  I sit at the kitchen table where there is a clear view of the backyard.  'Now what?' I think.  Upstairs I go, grab a book that I'm 1/2 way through, and sit back down.  'Hmmm, look how dirty the windows are',  'Yuck the kitchen table is dirty'
Now I get to the part about cheating.  After I put down my book due to guilt and start cleaning, I think to myself how hard I find it, just to sit and watch my kids play.  Don't get me wrong, I love to watch them.  They can crack you up or bring tears to your eyes.  I feel the pressure though to get everything else done.  Hence the multi-tasking title.  But I again got to thinking - am I cheating both myself and my children while I do this?  Should I be giving my attention 100% to them?  Is this just another way I'm messing up their lives forever?  Where does one draw the line between trying to get things done around the house, raising your kids, and enjoying your life to the fullest?  (I haven't even gone back to work yet from maternity and I'm already feeling like this)

Well look at them now because you know that in a few years they'll be screwed up for good.





If you enjoy reading my blog, please consider voting: