Weekend Wrap Up

Are we sick of soccer pictures yet?  

Ahhh, too bad!!

Tink is on fire this year.  She cracks me up.  

I remember when I had a three year old, two year old, and six month old. Plus CB.  Having so many children at home with me all day, three of whom were not in school and the oldest who was not involved in any extra-curricular activities, our evenings and weekends were our own.  

It was amazing but hectic having so many small children in my care for those years.  One was always crying, needing a diaper change, falling down the stairs, having a melt down, needing to be carried, or needing to be dressed, fed, or entertained while the other was running in an opposite direction.  It was mayhem, I won't lie.  Sleepless nights, three in diapers, lots of neediness and no family nearby to help out or extra finances to allow the indulgence of regular babysitters.  I seldom had a break with Dr. Fabulous's long work hours and I dragged all three with me everywhere from the grocery store to the gyno and everyplace in between.  

I am totally past that point now - past the point of the physical demands of motherhood and the constant supervision.  Kids can dress themselves, wipe their own butts, and Pink can take her own shower and cut her own food. It's still super crazy around here, just a different kind of crazy.

Though my days open up with all 4 in school (for at least part of the day), the evenings and weekends no longer belong to the grown-ups.  They are filled with the kids activities - sports, birthday parties, brownies, CCD, lessons, play dates, and homework.  I am less of a sleepless milk machine who wipes butts and chases toddling children and more of a chauffeur, cheerleader, teacher, and social planner.  The two phases of life are like apples and oranges and the only means of comparison is that they are both as rewarding as they are exhausting.  

Obligations are juggled, time is strategically moved like pieces on a chess board and so many considerations need to be weighed - what's best for the girls, what's best for the marriage, what's best for our mental health, what's best for our extended family.  All I can do is focus on balancing it all the best I can and breathing it in while it's here because pretty soon it will be different again.    

I'm looking forward to next weekend which should be a little less crazy than the weekends have been so far this fall.  I'm also looking forward to FALL.... where in blazes is it?  Here in Jersey we continue to have weather in the high 70s.  I'm ready for my Chai Pumpkin Latte, jeans with boots, and a fire in our fireplace in the evening.  Let's go already!

Maybe next week we'll get a little more crispness in the air... then, of course I'll complain that it's too cold.

This post is going no where fast, so I'm going to end here with a Happy Monday!