Pass?

Well the general consensus is that now is not my time to be on these committees.  Pretty much I have "sucker" written on my forehead.

Seriously, just last week I  put in my notice that I would not be returning to my Publicity Team Leader position next year. And probably within days I was sent the e-mail about starting a Mom's group with my parish. When Hubby heard about my e-mail he just laughed.  "Maybe God is testing you to make sure you stay with your New Year's Resolution of just saying no."  He asked if I had committed to it in a prior conversation. The answer is no(ish). I remember being told about it. I remember having a conversation about adding my two cents, but I don't remember being flat asked to help with the groundwork.  I'm sure that I gave some general answer of, "yeah, yeah, sure, sure. I can tell you how we currently organize my MOPS group." I'm sure that answer sealed my fate of being on the ground floor. *sigh*

However, I have not committed to it and I will find a way to say, "Not right now." I just haven't done it yet. So not a complete fail...but not a pass either.  A friend wrote that failing at saying no is what makes me the sucker. Yup, pretty much. Another also said for every one I say no to 10 more will pop up. Yes, very true. Just because I say no in this season of my life, does not mean that I will always say no or that good opportunities will pass me by.  Good to remember. Oh, and I already have 4 gifts. Yes, they are my most precious gifts.

So I have to keep all of that in mind.

Oh by the way...I just asked if I can volunteer in my son's kindergarten classroom.  Doh! But I have always wanted to do this since I've been a stay at home mom.  Fortunately, there isn't any pressure to do so and the teacher is kind of "whatever" about it in a good way. He did ask how I would have the time as he looked pointedly at my two other children.  I think it was his nice way of saying, "Don't worry about it, we're good. But if you can do it, yes, we'll use you." I just want to do it at least once while he's in kindergarten :)

Thanks for all the input. You all are the best!

Is This a Test?

I'm feeling a little bit like Jonah right now. I am asked to be on leadership/planning/organizing teams on a regular basis. I either have "sucker" written on my forehead or this is really where God wants me to be.  I'm not sure which. But nonetheless I keep trying to run from decline these invitations but they seem to seek me out.

I decided last year after I had agreed to be the volunteer coordinator for our Church's Bible camp that I would not volunteer for anything while I was pregnant or nursing a baby.  Of course in that time I also agreed to be the Publicity Team Leader for our MOPS group.  Since then I have also been asked to teach/coordinate a Biblio Bebe Class while the teachers were on Maternity leave, consider being a co-Flipper representative (Swim team), and now just the other day I was sent an e-mail about being part of a planning committee for a new Mom's group starting at my parish. ARGHGHGHGHGHGH!!!!!

I said no to the Biblio Bebe Class. With Hubby leaving next month for about 3 weeks I just didn't think that I would have the energy to plan a bilingual lesson twice a week every week for 8 weeks.  I didn't outright decline being the Flipper rep, but gave my reservations up front.  As for the new Mom's group at our parish, I totally would love to be a part of that, especially since it would be at and through our Church, but I don't want to be on the ground floor of that. Now right now anyway. Again with Hubby working late for the next few weeks and being gone next month, I won't have a lot of free time and what free time I have I want to be able to spend it with my Hubby when he is home. So, no thank you.

So what do you think? Sucker or God's calling? I'm leaning towards sucker...but here's food for thought:

  Exodus 35:10

“All who are skilled among you are to come and make everything the Lord has commanded.” (NIV)

Sane(r) Saturday

So I told you about my frenzied Friday a couple of weeks ago. I have to follow up and say that the next day was better.  It was still busy, but Hubby and I had found our rhythm and did a better juggling act.

The morning started off with Hubby, Boogie, and Buggy going to the Church for the monthly church cleaning. Mr. Bananas and I met them a little later. I picked up where Hubby left off. He took Boogie to his last t-ball game and I stayed at the church with Buggy and Mr. B. Afterwards the littles and I went to the t-ball field. We missed the game, but still met Hubby and Boogs.  Hubby took the boys home and I stayed back a few minutes with Bug to chat with some friends. She and I headed home and I got her ready for her recital by curling her hair.

We made it to the recital and for a two year old, I thought she did pretty well. I was able to get her dressed and ready to go. I did not have to walk her on stage, instead she followed directions and did what she was supposed to do.  Poor thing was exhausted and I caught her yawning through her tap piece.  But she looked beautiful and did a great job. The only snafu of the day was that I forgot my camera. Fortunately, my next door neighbor was at the recital because her girls were also performing. She graciously took pictures for me and sent them to me. Whew! Crisis averted.

We came home and indulged in Greek food for dinner and my parents came over to spend some time with the kids. While the day was incredibly busy and we were on the move constantly, juggling was a lot easier.  It could be that I had fallen asleep at 8:30 the night before. Maybe it was because my husband was available to give me a hand. Or maybe the kids were just more compliant. For whatever reason, it was pretty much smooth sailing, despite forgetting my camera for the recital.

Since then t-ball and dance have finished for the season. I'm taking a breather until Boogs starts swim team tomorrow and then off we go again!

Shy Buggy before her first performance

I think she's a little nervous here.

Buggy with Baby Stinky for Brahm's Lullaby

My favorite picture of the day.

Juggling Act

I'm up before the crack of dawn because we gotta get movin' today.  So much to do with little ones.  The morning will start of with a 9am T-ball game for my son.  My hubby will take him to the game while I get the little one up, fed, and dressed for the day. If there is any time before we leave the house, I will try to straighten it because I won't have time before the sitter comes to watch the kids so that Hubby and I can go out for our date night.

The Bug and I will go to the field where my hubby and I will do the hand off for swim lessons. He will take The Bug to swim lessons and I will stay and finish out the T-ball game with my son.  After it's done, he and I will go to the swim center where I will change my clothes to get ready for a bridal shower that I am attending this afternoon.  Then I will hand off my son to my husband after the little one's swim lessons, and then I'm rolling out for a bridal shower that's scheduled to be 4 1/2 hours long and that I'll still be late for because even with all the juggling, we can't do that hand-off any earlier because of the time of my Buggy's swim lesson.  Whew! That's a lot of juggling in a short amount of time. I will be on the road by the time my husband wrangles the kids and gets them home. I'll get home maybe 30 minutes before the babysitter arrives, in which time I will greet my family and then continue to organize the house so that she doesn't think that we live in a pit.

I feel like I'm running on empty. My husband was gone most of last week for a business trip. He's home and I feel like we haven't had 2 seconds to spend together due to trying to organize our plans for the weekend.  I'm still recuperating from not having him home for a week. I'm sleep-deprived and exhausted. He's still trying to get over his jet lag and get back in the rhythm of being home. Date night will be a relief and purposefully scheduled so that we can have some time together.  It's the time between now and date night that's going to be a juggling act.

Welcome Sports Fans!

I think I have just entered the point of no return.  Last week I looked at our schedule and half the week looked like this:

Wednesday: Son's Swim Lesson
Thursday:  Son's 1st T-Ball Practice
Friday: Son's Final Soccer Class for the Season...maybe until Fall
Saturday: Daughter's Swim Lesson

Crazy!  I also just signed up my daughter for soccer lessons starting next month. Yes, my daughter is 17 months old, but I think she would love it! I scheduled it for Tuesday mornings when my son is in school. I drop him off, take her to soccer, come back and pick him up...I might be able to squeeze in a stop at Starbuck's in between :)

Our Spring schedule will like this:
Tuesday: Daughter Soccer Lesson
Thursday: Son's T-ball practice
Saturday: Son's T-ball games

My son started doing activities when my mom babysat him while I worked full-time. It was a way for them to get out of the house and keep busy since he didn't have a peer group. I started him in soccer when he was 18 months old because the kids in our playgroup were doing it and it would be the only time we would see them since I was working full-time (at the time).  Now that he's almost 4 a whole world has opened up for him. Not only can he do soccer, he is eligible for T-ball in the Spring, and Swim Team in the Summer.

I also realized last week, that I have to be at all of these events. It's not like I can drop him off (yet) and say, "See ya, have fun, Honey." I have to be there...for everything.  My time is no longer my time....

I was going to sign up my daughter for dance classes, but after I posted it on FB some months back, a friend replied about how fun it is until they sucker you into buying the expensive costumes (that they'll wear once!) for the recitals. So I held off on dance lessons and plus there was no way that I was going to spring for a babysitter for my son so that I could my daughter to expensive dance lessons that include expensive costumes. We'll just have to wait for classes to be at a better time or for my son to be old enough to stay home by himself...we've got time.

So here we are, looking at our Sports calendar for the season. I realize that this is the beginning and it just gets busier from here. I also realize that we can stop at any time, right? Technically, yes...but are really going to? Probably not, so Welcome Sports Fans!

Busy Weeks Ahead

I was looking over my calendar because we were invited to another March birthday and I was trying to schedule a time that I can see my friend's new baby. In looking at the calendar I realized that I have no free days!  When did my week become as busy or busier than my weekends?

As a general rule of thumb I try to limit our family to one thing a weekend. I do this to save our sanity or otherwise we would start the week exhausted. I got the idea from one of my brothers-in-law (BIL) who was tired of being on the go every weekend. However, we have a huge family and usually we have at least one event a month to celebrate with them. Sometimes more.  Last year I think we made it to Baltimore 6 weeks in a row for a family event. It would have been 7 but we finally had to say to one of them.

I have started scheduling my son's soccer classes for the week so that we would have our Saturdays free or maybe I should say free-er because almost no Saturdays are ever free.  I recently scheduled swim classes for the kids in preparation for summer.  Unfortunately I could not schedule the kids on the same day and had to settle for two different days.  My son is scheduled for 5:30 Wednesday nights and my daughter for 10:25 Saturday mornings. It's only for 6 weeks and through the Rec. Department.  I knew that Wednesdays would be a little tricky with my daughter being 16 months old and me not wanting to spring for a babysitter every week. My gracious parents have agreed to watch her for 1 1/2 to 2 hours every week until my husband can pick her up.

So here is my schedule for next week (But I'm starting with Saturday, the beginning of my weekend!)  This does not include my son going to preschool, going to the gym to work-out, or the multiple errands I have to run (especially to get all the gifts needed for those March birthdays!!!).

Saturday--husband hair cut, daughter swim class, birthday party (I had to cancel otherwise it would be crazy busy!)

Sunday--Church, church meeting for me, birthday party for my son's best friend.

Monday--Birthday party for son's preschool friend

Tuesday--LOST (does this count? My husband and I shuffle the kids off to bed a little more quickly so that we can have date night on the couch watching LOST. I don't schedule anything else on Tues. nights for this very reason).

Wednesday--Son's Swim Class

Thursday--Tot Swap with a friend (gotta get a babysitter)

Friday--Family Soup and Stations at our Church

Saturday--Clean the Church, daughter's swim class, birthday party for our Goddaughter

Sunday--Church, date luncheon???? (we're also trying to fit in a date night once a month, though this one might not work for us. Unfortunately it's the only date available, not including the Wedding we're attending at the end of the month...does going to a wedding constitute a date night if the kids are not there?)

So there it is in a nutshell. We have an activity scheduled everyday and the following week is starting to look the same!  I have started getting up earlier every morning so that I have time for a morning devotional and blogging. It gives me a few minutes before the kids get up and I feel like I'm on the go. Speaking of which, my son and daughter have woken up 30 minutes earlier than usual, so here I go again!