How Many Saturdays Are Left?

I recently read an article in Parents Magazine that stated there are about 940 Saturdays you have with your child before they leave for college, and by the time they are 5 years old 260 of those Saturdays are already gone!

Since I am a stay-at-home-mom I am with my boys almost constantly, but how much of that time is actually quality time? When they were babies it was much easier to give them the quality time that they needed, constant feedings and cuddling were what our days consisted of. As they have gotten older it's been easier to get caught up in chasing and cleaning up after them than making sure our time spent together is meaningful.

What are my sons going to appreciate the most when they are older, that I wiped their nose all throughout allergy season or that we made a "beach" on our driveway.

I only have one more year before my oldest starts kindergarten full time. My goal is to increase the amount of quality time we spend together, before I run out of anymore Saturdays!

Our beach driveway

Quality time activities we will do more of

- Read more stories. This is something we did all the time when they weren't as active. Now that we are on the go so much more the only storytime that is guaranteed is bedtime. 

- Paint with them. My kids LOVE to paint, but I am always so hesitant to let them since we moved into our new house.

- Explore. One of the things my husband is fantastic at, he loves to go on long nature walks with the kids. Since hiking in the woods isn't really my thing, we will explore plants and bugs in our own backyard. Perhaps even take care of some vegetables this summer.

- Talk and listen. Answer all the whys, and make sure to reciprocate with my own :)

- Cuddle up with a fun movie on a rainy day. To heck with the television watching guidelines. Some days just need to be filled with Pixar, popcorn and cuddling.

I am looking forward to all of the quality time still to be had with my kids. Not just so I won't look back and say "I wish I had done.....," but so they can move forward in their lives having had meaningful experiences that they can feel secure in and build from.