Reclaiming my time

With three people in the family headed for black belt in May and the other one also having to get to classes, not to mention all the other extra-curriculars, my time is more than ever much in demand. I make lunches (well, all meals really), drive the girls and sometimes their friends to all the places they have to go, stand around at the school while they try out for this or that team, plan and prep for Brownies and Guides, keep the house in some semblance of livability, and get myself to training as well. In my spare time I might go out and get some groceries or run some other terribly important errand. So, it doesn't surprise me that sometimes my head is whirling so much it seems I might have just come out of that spin cycle myself as I hang up all the uniforms to dry.

So this week I began my plan of reclaiming my time. Actually, the first inklings of a plan started last year when I let go of my overprotective mommy-ness enough to let the girls walk home by themselves on those days they came home for lunch. That has worked out really well and so now this week, I've extended it to letting them walk down to the school on their own especially when they have an extra-curricular that starts at 8am. I used to go down with them, stand around chatting with the other parents, inwardly stressing about all the things I needed to do that day. This was last week...

So this week I have reclaimed an hour on two different days. A small step that makes a big difference. For instance, my house is relatively clean for the first time since school started, AND I have finally had some time to post on my blog. I've even had a small amount of time to do nothing, and have felt rejuvenated by it.

Eventually I might let go enough to let them come home at the appropriate time after their after-school curriculars, but not quite yet. I still need to be able to connect with the other parents and just hang out with my friends.