Learning to Roll with the Punches

Although I try to keep this blog focused on practical organizing tips, I appreciate a chance to share what’s happening in my life too. (I know I always enjoy peeking in on the lives of my favorite bloggers.) So I thought I’d take a moment to share all the changes going on around here.

We got a new (to us) bunk bed.

We had our 1st trip to Disneyland!

And made a drastic paint color change in my bedroom.

The biggest change though has been my 5-year-old daughter starting a full-day Pre-K program, at the same time my 3-year-old started half-day preschool. Whew. It has been an adjustment, and honestly it caught me off guard!

But wait, when your kids go to school you are supposed to have more time, right? I am supposed to sit around, eating bon-bons as I lazily fold laundry into neat piles. It is suppose to be easy, like a walk in the park. At least that is what I thought.

Frankly, I’m shocked that taking kids to school can seem like a full-day affair. My oldest goes to school all week long and the younger daughter goes two times a week, but that still means driving to two different schools at different times and working around a third one’s naps and eating schedule (I watch a little 1 yr old kiddo 3 days a week). Welcome to my new stage as a bus-driving mom (complete with the mini-van). And with my younger daughter on her own for three days out of the week, I am learning just how much they entertain each other. With her favorite playmate gone for the day, we’re learning all about one-on-one time.

To keep my sanity, I have to take extra care to stay on top of the household chores, laundry, and meals. I’ve let some cleaning go but sticking to my routines, going for a run, and taking some deep breaths are all helping me relax and get out the door on time.

But let’s keep it real. The girls and I struggled with the new time crunch on our morning routine. There were some frustrating mornings. With all these changes, any extra blogging time was eaten up.  Even getting one post up a week has been a struggle.

Now here is where I say it’s no problem; I set realistic expectations about what I will be able to accomplish and reevaluate my priorities as we adjust to our schedule. I calmly and coolly remove items off my list as I focused on people first and then only mandatory tasks.  All the while realizing there would be some bumps and curves during the process…. Unfortunately that has not been the case. Instead, I questioned my organizing skills, my routines, and my parenting. “This is such a small change, and one that is supposed to give more time; how can I be thrown so off kilter?”

I promise I’m not writing this post just as a way to vent. Instead, I wanted to share because it’s been a reminder for me of the simple truth that’s easy to forget… no one has it all together. I don’t claim to have it all figured out. I am learning each day that I know less and less.

What I do know is whenever you go through a big change; a move, a new job, or even a large house project, it takes time to adjust. And in those moments, as we are hustling and bustling around like Martha, God extends his grace to us. If only we could see that grace clearly in the midst of the challenges, and extend a little to ourselves too.

It has taken about 3 plus weeks to get used to our new schedule. I’ve learned the faster route to school, where to park, the small errands to do in between drop-offs and now our morning routine is flowing again, (except this morning, ha ha). There have been special outings and one-on-one moments with my youngest (who is soaking up every ounce of attention). And I have started to relax enough to practically enjoy my 2 hours of peace twice a week.