What Was I Thinking???

YIKES!!!!
Realization has just starting to creep into my consciousness. I can't believe it's happening again!!! Even after I promised myself I'd wouldn't let it and really made a concerted effort to hold the line. But it's back!!

The crazed scheduling of a single soccer mom.

Yes, I am just now reaping the rewards / schedules of all those casual "Sure, I can help" comments for the last 6 months and all the kids' sports and activity schedules are starting to be distributed this week. Even though I limit them quite a bit - three kids and one mom make for interesting scheduling to say the least.

I really shouldn't complain! It's not nearly as bad as the last couple years. There were many Saturdays where I had 3 kids playing soccer in 3 different cities all at the same time. Tough choices and balancing acts were common. (I am just so grateful for all my wonderful friends and the support of this amazing community. There is absoutely no way we could do it otherwise.)

Anyway.... This year was going to be different. In June, I was nearly giddy with the potential of Soccer-Free Saturdays! HURRAY!!!!! The amazing joy and rapture that I envisioned in my beautiful rose colored glasses was definitely something to behold. World peace would be declared, bedrooms would be cleaned and all would be right in my world. (Sure do wish I could find those glasses again!)

My oldest is playing on the middle school soccer team. My middle child is playing on a U-12 rec soccer team and my youngest decided he wanted to play peewee football. I envisioned lots of family time on weekends and at least 1 or 2 sports free nights during the week. HAAA!!!! Little did I know that football practice is EVERY night for 2 hours and games on Saturdays. B's soccer team practices 3 nights a week with 1 game weeknight game and a game on Saturday. M's middle school is during the weekday, but that means that I'll miss almost all of her games since I work til 5pm. Guess there are trade offs for everything.

I'm just grumpy because it's the second night in a row that we didn't get home until 8pm and then I had to make dinner and then do the nightly school routine. I hate that rushed feeling and not having that family time at home! My plan had been to pick up the kids at their respective practices and fields and be home at 7pm. But one thing after another thwarted me. Well, hopefully tomorrow night and if not...next week!

I will have to sit down tonight and map out all the schedules on the master family calendar with a copy in my purse calendar and on my work outlook calendar. Then I will figure out all the transportation issues and who can help. Making a plan sure helps save my sanity!!!