Being a working Mom (yes, especially Moms that are working at home!!) means that I have to prioritize my time, that I can't always be there, available and ready to play and do the most amazing things all the time. I start to feel so guilty because I'm not giving her my undivided attention some days.
Can we be honest here for a second- kids don't need our complete attention all the time. They need to learn how to play on their own, use their imaginations, and not rely on us so much all the time. I need to be okay with not always being in "Mom mode."
I was talking this out with someone the other day and she made such a great point. There are some seasons where we will spend so much time together- in the summer, we will go to the pool multiple times a week, we will get ice cream, and go on adventures, and that is all so great and so fun. But there are also seasons where I need to get work done, and that's okay too. As long as I'm being purposeful about spending some quality time with my family, that's okay. All Emmie needs is a little one-on-one time with me for it to make her day. I don't need to have this 'all or nothing' mentality. If I can spend 15-20 minutes creating with play dough with her, that little block of time is the quality time that she needs for the day. But, those 15 minutes need to be completely focused on her. Put the phone away, turn off the email notifications, and sit and talk and play with her. It's the little moments, where we can be fully present that are going to make the biggest difference.