Leaving a public building, I reached into my coat pocket looking for gloves to put on Eva Jewel’s hands, and I pulled out several beads from a broken necklace. Next, I extracted one of her hairbows I had misplaced last fall. Then finally, some skittles, which I can only assume have been there since last year because this was my first seasonal wear. The lady behind me could not stop laughing. I turned around, not wanting to miss an opportunity to insert humor, and said, “These are for later, in case she gets hungry.”
Figuring out the logistics of my family is invigorating to me. Kids keep everything moving exponentially. It is no longer the succession of two beds and two lunches that need making, but slapping mayonnaise on sandwiches while tucking in sheets becomes the new sequential order.
My tool belt comes fully loaded with: paper towels, Lysol, Band-Aids, pliers, and duct tape. This way feeding Charlotte coincides with tightening the bolts on Eva’s bike. It is incredible what you can do when you have a plan, a breathable agenda.
When I was younger, I would get lost in chores that my parents asked me to do. They taught me how to write down my duties and then complete them one by one to keep me on track. Now, I make lists and check feats off one by one. But with kids, timetables don’t happen chronologically. The call of “Mommy!” leaves a dishwasher half-emptied and carrots left unchopped.
Growing up, I was involved in many different extracurricular activities. I can remember running track and looking up to see my dad and mom standing by the fence cheering me on! Many times, dad wore the smell of the Sale Barn. There is a distinct livestock smell that adheres to the clothing of ranchers. If you ever smell it, you won’t forget it. Yet, whatever was on his plate for that day could wait.
I never knew the projects that each day presented to him. I only knew he came to watch me run.
I fight the same battles every parent faces. I want to jump on the trampoline too, but if I keep jumping, everyone will eat Spaghetti-O’s for supper, and I don’t like Spaghetti-O’s. Finding the balance through a daily schedule is how we can get the most out of our day. I have gotten good at juggling from one task to the next and back again. It is easy to get sidetracked or let time get away, but diligence gets the laundry put away.
I like to break up my day into thirty-minute increments. My list for each day has staples that do not change; non-negotiable times. My schedule includes work and play. Two little girls want my attention aside from dusting and picking up toys, and the dogs get antsy to run and explore the path back in the woods. I find it crucial that leisure time with the family be a part of my day.
It was Eva’s first field trip; she was ecstatic! She got to ride with all her friends on the big yellow school bus. She asked me many times, “Mommy will you be there when we pull up?” I assured her I would be there. Making certain I was early; I headed off to meet her.
Waiting on Eva’s bus, my mind flooded back to all the field trips my mother attended. She never missed any that I asked her to take part in. Most of the time, she was a driver.
It never dawned on me everything that she had to shelf to be at my field trip. All I knew was, like my dad, it could wait.
I watched Eva’s school bus turn into the parking lot. I hurried out of my car and stood where she could see me as her bus went past. I watched her bus go past, and there she was, plastered to the window waving like crazy! When the kids filed off the bus, I walked over to Eva. She told her friends, “This is my Mommy. Her name is Kristen, but I get to call her Mommy.” My heart melted. It made no difference to her how many pages I wrote in my next book or that I finished trimming back my rose bushes. It could all wait. What mattered to her was that I was there when her bus drove by.
All of the household management templates work perfectly until you implement them into your home. By the same token, without a plan, our homes, families, and children will not function to their full potential. There must be a focus while allowing the day to breathe. There will never be a time management schedule that will survive your family. Be there for what counts.
Stop long enough to jump on the trampoline. And if you must, put the laundry up tomorrow. It can wait.
Welcome Home
I waited patiently for the Lord; He inclined to me, and heard my cry.” Psalms 40:1
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