There is something that I love SO much about the slow moments. The slow mornings, the snuggles and cuddles, and finding the joy and just embracing the littlest of things. All to make the little moments feel extraordinary. As a working mom, things can easily feel overwhelming. It can definitely be a challenge to put down all the distractions and the work. To just sit and be present with the people we love the most. Which is why I am so excited to share with you eight ways to connect with your kids throughout the week.

The truth is, you are an incredible mom and your little babies deserve getting you in your prime and in your glory and making sure that that connection is something that is prioritized. The good news is, it doesn’t have to be as hard as you think to connect with your kids during the workweek! 

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How to Live a More Intentional Life and Connect With Your Kids During the Week 

Now, I love sharing all things intentional living. From intentional ways to connect with your spouse during the week, and how to live a more intentional life this month, I truly love sharing strategies to live a more intentional life. To slow things down and focus on being more present in your moments. To find peace and joy and abundance in the calm and the quiet.  

Additionally, I love, LOVE being a mom. I had no idea how much joy motherhood would bring me. It fills my heart in so many ways and brings me so much joy. I feel all these feelings of joy and motherhood through all the chaos and the crazy of life as a working mom. This current season for me is filled with a heart that loves pouring out my passion in the classroom to my students. Followed by coming home and serving my sweet son and my family. Currently, this is where I’m at and it’s filling me up and bringing me JOY. 

Now, I know we all walk different paths and we are called to different things. That is incredible and that is wonderful. Please don’t ever, ever let anyone try to steal your thunder or comparison, or steal your joy because that is a lie. Trust that you are in your path for a reason that you are walking in your purpose. And keep the faith because you got this and you are the best mama for your children.

How to Connect With Your Kids During the Workweek

I am excited to share with you eight ways for you to intentionally connect with your kids during the workweek. Because I get it. No matter what your workday looks like, whether you are staying at home, working from the house, or leaving to go to another office space, there’s so many things that bombard our hearts and our minds. It can be so easy to feel the weight of all the world around us and the chaos that we live in and all the things that have to get done. And those things can distract us from taking time to slow things down and connect with our kids during the workweek. 

Additionally, if you are a little like me, then you are always adding things to your to-do list and feeling like, how in the world can I keep up? The good news is your motherhood does not have to suffer. You can still connect and spend that quality time with your children during the workweek.

What Our Workweek Looks Like 

Quick little share of our current situation. My son goes to daycare five days a week, while I go to a high school to teach. We usually drop him off in the morning on our way to work, and I usually pick him up in the late afternoon, early evening on my way home. Our son is very happy where he is at and loves his friends and teachers. Of course, there is the whole daycare sickness that can definitely take a toll of everyone. But that is where we are at in our current life and situation as a working mom. I completely get all the thoughts that working moms process on the daily. In fact, I have a FREEBIE for those working moms. Feel free to download this completely FREE Daily Affirmations for Working Moms to help encourage you through the week!

Some days are great, while other days are hard and I question what am I doing? And that is okay! Because I’m a human. You’re a human. We go through these thoughts. Some thoughts are easy, some thoughts are incredibly hard, and some thoughts are just plain challenging. What I do know is, I love my son so incredibly much, and I prioritize with all parts of me to figure out ways to intentionally connect with him during the week to fulfill my heart and give me that complete joy. 

 

 

8 Ways to Intentionally Connect with Your Kids During the Work 

I love being a mom. I love being his mom, and to allow us to feel connected and to feel whole. That’s what I hope to provide for you here. So no matter how crazy or non-crazy your day is, I’m here with eight simple ways for you to intentionally connect with your kids during the week.

Now, I know my baby is young and little. You probably are thinking, just wait until this happens. However, I’m not here for the just wait moment. I am truly trying to live and embrace every single day as it is. All right. Now I do only have one child, so for those of multiples, this is me speaking to my one sweet baby. Maybe one day we’ll be there. Then, I can add on to this. But for now, these are thoughts that I have on how to intentionally connect with your kids during the week.

Tip #1 – To Connect with Your Kids During the Week – Quality time in the morning 

The very first way to connect with your kids during the week is to focus on quality time in the morning! I know it’s hard. It’s so incredibly hard because we hit snooze all the time. Then we’re late and quickly trying to put on clothes and make ourselves somewhat decent. All while little one is crawling up your leg . Quickly your morning becomes, “what in the world actually happened? ” The thoughts switch from being in control of your morning to the morning taking control of you. However, it is possible to find quality time and moments within your morning routine. 

Therefore, in order to connect with your kids during the week, slow things down and do not rush your morning routine. Have honest reflections with yourself about how you can practically make this work. Because it is possible. Even on the days where I wake up later than I wanted to and things are a little scattered and crazy, I focus on what can I do to slow this moment down?

Slow Your Mornings Down

Slowing our mornings down usually looks like sitting on the floor in my son’s room after he gets up. Reading a story or two. Snuggling. Soaking up the cuddles. During this time, I don’t have my phone near me. My phone is face down on his nightstand. Shockingly, I’m not looking at the time because I know if I’m looking at the time, I’m thinking, oh my gosh, like we need to leave here at this time. By looking at the time it’s gonna cause stress and anxiety and I don’t want to pour that into my son in the morning.

During our morning routine, I don’t want to focus on time and whether or not we are going to be late. Instead, I choose to trust that we will go downstairs and tag team getting everything in the car and, and heading out the door together as a family. But for that moment, I want to sit and I wanna be still, and I want to treasure that moment and love on my boy and just start both of our days in that way.

Personally, these are the moments that are so incredible. To be fully present, to take my mind away from all the things that have to be done and just be connected with my son. Oh my gosh, it lights me up.

 

 

How to Actually Make This Work 

Now let’s think about how to practically make this work, because the reality is you’re not gonna be able to do this every single morning. Think maybe one or two mornings a week, just slow things down just a bit to be a little bit more present. The key to success here is preparing the night before. Prepare the night before to make this easier on everyone. Think through what you’re wearing the next day. Go ahead and have lunches set up, work bags ready. 

Additionally prep all the daycare bags, school bags and have them where they need to be. Another really important key to success in your morning routine is teamwork! When I’m in my son’s room and nursing and getting him ready, my husband is usually taking the dogs out. Followed by going downstairs to help prep the things. That way when we come downstairs, we’re good and ready to go.

Or if it’s a morning where I really slept late, and snoozed a few alarms. Our situation may look like this. I wake him up, nurse him, and then we switch and I go get ready. It’s definitely a teamwork effort. There are still ways to slow things down in the morning to have that quality time. Experiment by waking up a few minutes earlier and try that out to figure out what is that ideal time for you to wake up. Figure out what is the best time to start your day so that you can focus on you first. In order to make sure all the things are ready, and then have that intentional quality time in the morning before the day gets started. All so you can actually be present and be purposeful in that moment. 

 

#2 – Put your phone down 

The second way to intentionally connect with your kids during the week is to put down your phone. Put your phone down and truly interact and connect. When we get home from school and work and daycare and all the things. Or when we go to the playroom or my son’s room, or when we spend time outside. My phone is not there. Now, I am someone who is often on my phone and using my phone for a lot of things, but for me, this has been so incredibly good.

You might notice, or maybe you haven’t noticed, but I really haven’t been showing up much on Instagram lately. And it’s mainly because when I’m home and in these moments, I’m so focused on being present in the moments and there’s not, I’m not always the best at it, okay? Don’t let me fool you.

This is an intention that I have been trying so hard to prioritize and it has been so incredibly good. So give yourself the freedom to put your phone down and to put it away.  Or maybe set it up and video yourselves playing with each other, or take some photos so you have those moments to look back on. But don’t be holding it and don’t be interacting with it. Instead, turn all that attention and focus and pour it into your sweet children. This is such a great way to connect with your kids during the week!

 

Tip #3 – To Connect with Your Kids During the Week – Have a set playdate 

The third way to focus on connecting with your kids during the workweek and prioritizing intentional moments is to plan specific moments during the week that are your moments together. Have a set playdate that happens weekly. Figure out what that’s gonna look like. And this is really great if you have multiples because then you know ahead of time that hey, this is our specific time to play. Or this is, you know, mama and Macrae’s date. Wherever, whenever you can schedule it. Just know ahead of time when it’s gonna take place and then talk about it and have conversations with your child about it.

Figure out what you guys wanna do. Even when they are still little enough to where they’re not exactly communicating to you what’s going on. Still make a point to have that communication and have that conversation. Set this intention and the standard of this important. This shows how you are going to prioritize your time together. As well as letting your child know you want to know what makes you happy, and how they want to spend that time. Set a playdate with your child and figure out what exactly you are going to do. This is a great way to intentionally connect with your kids during the week. 

 

#4 – Value them

Another really important way to connect with your kids during the week is to value them and value their input. I prioritize so incredibly much making my son and myself do things together. Now he’s obsessed with vacuuming. I don’t know how long this will last, but anytime he sees the vacuum, he jumps, he squeals. Which if you also have littles who love vacuuming, I strongly recommend the kid’s Dyson play vacuum. It looks exactly like the real thing, just in kid’s size. Plus, it actually picks up a little bit of dirt. Anytime, I start to vacuum (actually it is usually Macrae pointing to the vacuum and telling me to vacuum.) He gets his vacuum and joins me! 

Additionally, we love to do laundry together. He loves to start the different laundry button. It is so important for us to do these things together.  Find ways to work together as a team and to actually value their help and, and let them know that you value and respect them. To let them know that you value their input. Ask them questions, even if they’re little and they’re not responding and they’re looking at you like, what? Have conversations and ask them questions. Let them know you value them and their input.

 

Make Things Fun 

Additionally, if you have a bunch of tasks that need to get completed, take the time to do these things together. Try to make those things fun because the reality is there’s a lot of things in life that we have to do that aren’t necessarily fun. But if we can model making the ordinary moments, the ordinary activities, the daily task, making them fun and finding the joy in the ordinary moments, that is a life that I wanna model. That is a life that I wanna live. And that is something I want my son and any future children to see and to learn from.

 

#5 – Embrace spontaneity

The fifth way to connect with your kids throughout the week is to embrace the spontaneity. There is so much freedom and joy that can be found through taking a step out of the norm and embracing spontaneity! Take some moments, find little pockets of time to be spontaneous and have fun. Maybe your goal is one moment during the work week, to be spontaneous. For us, this usually looks like going to the park and having a park playground date one afternoon during the week! We love it and have so much fun! Okay, so embrace spontaneity and find little ways to be spontaneous, to truly connect with your kids.

 

Tip #6 – How to Connect with Your Kids During the Week – Make the little moments and the little things extraordinary

Another really powerful way to connect with your kids throughout the workweek is to make the little moments and the little things extraordinary. Maybe that’s cooking dinner. Or the short window before bath time. Take the small and simple, everyday routines that you do, and focus on embracing the little moments and making life feel extraordinary. Whether that is turning up the music and singing and dancing in the kitchen. Find ways to make every little moment feel big. To feel purposeful and to be present in that moment and to truly feel like things are extraordinary. 

 

 

#7. Specific family time over the weekends 

The seventh way to connect with your kids throughout the workweek is to plan specific family time over the weekends. This is something that is different than time during the work week and makes the moment stand out. Plus, is something fun to look forward to. Think about how you can have specific family time over the weekend. Maybe it’s a family fun day or one activity that you do each weekend and it can be different each week. Just a moment that can stand out and is something to look forward to.

Plan ahead the week before and find something you can do as a family that prioritizes that specific family fun. Something that provides excitement and can be looked forward to throughout the week.  Find little moments that become your moments. Little things that become your things, that you and your family and your kids can do that are constant and consistent and that you can rely on. This is so essential to connecting with your kids during the week. 

 

#8 – Intentional bedtime  

In order to connect with your kids during the week, prioritize spending intentional and quality time during bedtime. This time of the day is so incredibly important! I know, you made it to bedtime and you are just moments away from being able to breathe deep and take that nice moment of quiet and silence to yourself. To finally go to the bathroom for the first time without, you know, having somebody sit on you.

You’re so close to getting there. But don’t rush it. As hard as it is to want to quickly rush that moment. Take a moment to pause. Focus on slowing things down and being intentional and being so incredibly purposeful and present in that moment during bedtime. Whether that’s snuggles, or singing a song. Or praying, reading books, or just playing on the floor in their room. Find time and make it incredibly intentional.

 

Slow Things Down and Have Intentional Time During Bedtime 

If you do this and you focus on that intentional morning time and that intentional time at bedtime, the first thing and the last thing for your little one during the day, is undivided, completely devoted attention from you. And that is exactly what their heart needs. Even if they’re having trouble expressing that deep down, that is a desire they have so deeply. To be noticed, to be seen, to be heard, to be appreciated, to be valued, and you can give that to them, all right here. It will do wonders for not just them, but also you and your heart.

 

You Can Spend Intentional Time and Connect with Your Kids During the Week! 

Listen, you are an incredible mom and you have incredible purpose and meaning over your life, no matter what season of life you are in or whatever road you are on. I believe that it is absolutely possible to find ways to intentionally connect with your kids during the week so you can embrace more of a present, purposeful, and intentional lifestyle. In order to truly live out your best day each and every single day. I hope as you continue to move through this week and as a you approach the weekend and the start of the next week, that you think through how you can add in a little bit of quality time in the morning.

Thinking through and prioritizing putting your phone down and truly interacting and connecting. Have a specific window of time to connect and carve out as a little date with your kid, valuing their help and their input. Embrace spontaneity, make the little moments or the little things feel extraordinary. Additionally, carve out specific family time throughout the week and the weekend that brings the fun and the energy and the purpose back to your heart, and then end all the days with intentional time at night. You got this believing in you, cheering you on every single day and every step of the way. I cannot wait to do this once again with you next week.