How to Be a Mother: Lessons Learned from a Dog

"We would do well to slow down a little, focus on the significant, lift up our eyes, and truly see the things that matter most." - President Dieter F. Uchtdorf

Do you ever find yourself bogged down by the never-ending to-do list of your life?

I do.

Laundry, grocery shopping, taking Lucy on walks, putting in time working, cleaning, reading, writing, repeating...

If not careful, life can easily get stuck in an endless time loop of doing the same thing day after day, week after week until suddenly you wonder, "Where did all my time go?" 

Justin and I had deliberated a lot about when the right time was for us to get a dog and when the right time was for us to start having babies. We'd been trying to get pregnant for a few months, but in November 2016 decided that nothing was guaranteed with a baby so we were going to get a dog.

Surprise! We ended up getting to have both! Many people told me how difficult it was going to be having a puppy and a baby at the same time and I'm sure they'll be right, but I have often found myself counting my blessings for the lessons I've learned from being a mom to Lucy, my smart, spunky Golden Retriever before our baby girl arrives. In the 6 months that we've had Lucy, here are some lessons I've learned.

Just look at that smile!

Creating Meaningful Experiences is Most Important

The endless tasks and activities on your to-do list are just that... endless. Whenever I cross off one item, I usually catch myself adding two more to the list. Not very efficient. If I tried to accomplish daily chores before doing anything else, I'd never have time to do anything else.

All of those never-ending tasks can come later, and if there isn't time, well do you really feel bad having missed out on scrubbing the sink... again? What you can't do later is make up for lost time - if you use all of your time to clean instead of have meaningful experiences with your kiddos, then that time with them is just lost. But I guess you'd have a sparkly toilet.

There are such fun, exciting things to do every single day and I want to make sure that my little family doesn't miss out on any of them. After all, those are the things that we'll remember and will strengthen us as a family.

So how did Lucy help? Well Lucy has a lot of energy - always wanting to go for a walk or run, dig holes in the backyard, chase her fluffy bunny around the house, or wrestle with her dad. The adjustment in having to entertain someone else all day was actually really tricky at first (maybe it was just the raging 1st trimester hormones, but it was hard) and I felt like I rarely got anything done. But Lucy taught me that if I put her first and play with her for a bit, then she'll happily wait outside while I get ready. Once I've exercised, done my scripture study, and am dressed for the day, she's ready to go for a walk. She and I walk about a mile (30 min) every morning and when we get home, if she still has energy, we play.

By putting Lucy first, I know I'm taking care of her mental and physical health and that she's happy. It also tires her out so I can knock off some of those dreaded "to-do" list items while she naps.

It's a little silly, but actually makes me really happy to see Lucy having fun and to get her out of the house. She and I have also started going to weekly puppy training and weekly puppy play times at Petco, which Lucy loves.

I know the happiness I feel when Lucy's learning will be the same when baby arrives.

 Hike along Green River

Enjoy the Simple Things in Life

So often it's easy to feel unsatisfied until we've finally saved up enough money for the big family vacation to Disneyland, published the novel we've been working on for +6 years, or whatever other big plan we have for our lives.

As a mom, your time to work on those great (albeit very large) goals is extremely limited... or so I'm told. Much of your time goes into feeding, cleaning, and teaching your baby, helping them until they move out of the house. It's a long-term commitment.

Since moving to Vernal with Lucy, I've split my time three ways: Myself, Lucy, and Hubby. There is absolutely less time for me to work on writing my books, but I've learned the importance of enjoying the simple things in life.

Lucy catching raindrops

We can find joy in the simplest things, like watching the rain or your dog chase the hail that's coming down -- even though it's the end of April when it should be warm. We can find joy in the new bud that sprouts on a plant in the kitchen, or in the fact that our favorite song is playing on the radio (and the dance party in the front room that's likely to ensue). We can find joy in friend that stops by to say hi or the phone call from a family member.

How did Lucy help?  Well, did you watch the video above? She is so happy doing simple things like basking in the sun, blowing bubbles in her water bowl, trying to catch falling raindrops and even chasing a ragged, old towel. I love watching her play and sometimes join in on her simple joys. It's relaxing to look at the simple things of the world and to see the beauty in them. It definitely helps bring more happiness into our home.

How to be a Mother

I'm already figuring it out trial-and-error-style with my first "child" - Lucy. I put Lucy first - most of the time. She and I go on a walk every morning and see the horses, dogs, ducks, birds, and llamas that live around us. She loves to sit and watch the other animals. We go to puppy training weekly, and to puppy playtime every Saturday. We practice tricks and training at home and on nice days, sit out in the front yard so she can watch the cars drive by.  When dad gets off work, we drive to Green River to play in the water or go on hikes to places like Moonshine Arch. A camping adventure is next on the list!

With my baby I plan to do the same thing. For awhile I know it will be all eating, sleeping and pooping, but after that. She and I will go to the park, or on toddling walks through the field near our house or the pond out front. We'll smell the flowers at the Uintah Basin Nursery and look at books at the library. Daddy and I will take her on hikes and camping trips in the area, and a lot of weekend getaways to see her grandma and grandpas in Orem.

When we're at home I'll teach her about Christ and how to paint. We can read stories together and she can help me take Lucy on walks. We'll play house and barbies and every other game in the book and when she and Lucy fall asleep out of exhaustion from the full day of fun...

Then I'll pull out my to-do list.