How I plan to always connect with my girls

It's the best day of the week to be a mom at Pruning Princesses. Monday Mentor Mom day. This week things are a bit different because, well, I am the mentor mom. Actually I am a MOMtor over at one of my favorite blogs for encouragement, Mothering From Scratch. The subtitle of the blog is "Where Mentoring Moms is Our Main Dish" and the two women who write this blog do not disappoint. The post I wrote is close to my heart. It's about the habit in mothering I am most proud of. The one I never regret and that I would encourage every mom to adopt. 

The steady needs of toddlerhood wore me down some days. By 6 pm, especially on nights my husband couldn't be home, I would practice being patient in ten minute intervals. Bed time could not come soon enough. I wanted to rest from issues: picky eaters, listening to my daughter sob at the sight of shampoo, trying to be consistent with discipline. But our bedtime ritual took extra patience and intentional focus.

Sometimes I envied the moms who tucked their children into bed and walked out of the room. I maintained an elaborate, time-consuming bedtime ritual that took an hour....(read more)