A Little Bit Crazy

Our lives are so hectic right now and I fear it will only get worse as the kids get older.  We drop off at school 5 mornings a week.  A goes to school three mornings and L goes five full days, so three days a week I have two pick up times.  On the mornings A is not in school, she has either Kindermusik or gymnastics.  One other morning C has Kindermusik.  Next semester, E will also have Kindermusik.  One afternoon after school, L has Kindermusik.  Two evenings a week he has karate.  One evening he has soccer.  And soccer games are on Saturday morning.  In the midst of all of that, we fit in nursing sessions, meals, art projects, play time, learning activities, reading, laundry, cleaning, errands and family life in general.  It is exhausting.

I have been thinking a lot about simplifying.  A few days ago my youngest three and I were walking away from A's preschool after pick up.  A and C spotted a fountain and began to play in it.  As I watched them delight in their exploration I realized how little of this they get.  C and baby E especially are always getting hauled from one place to the next.  I realized that it is time for a priorities check.  Last weekend, my husband and I went out to dinner and had a talk about this.  We discussed what things are important to us as a family, what attributes and values we want our children to have, what priorities we have, etc.  It is an ongoing discussion.  We are developing a mission statement of sorts for our family to help guide our daily decisions and actions.  I hope that going about this parenting gig a bit more thoughtfully will remind us to carve out more time to play and explore at a slower pace.