Busy, Busy, Busy

In the fall, I took pride in the fact that my children had plenty of unstructured time in which they could play with friends, toys and each other.  That only lasts for so long.  Each one of my kids is not involved in too many activities, but because of their ages (almost 3, 5, and 7).  They all get to ride along to each event.  Now this is my schedule for the next month - karate for Mason on Monday and Wednesday from 4:15 - 5, swim lessons for all Tuesday and Thursday at 4:30 (girls) and 5:00 (Mason).  Yikes!  

Here's the good news, the kids are all really excited about what they're doing which makes the commitment of both time and money seem worth it.  There is nothing worse than paying for an acivity that becomes a huge struggle every week when a child looses interest.  Also, sometimes it's nice for everyone to know exactly what's going to happen each afternoon and a busy schedule helps everyone enjoy down time even more.  

My busy latte is to not get too busy for a latte every now and then.  If the kids have lots going on, plan your day so that you aren't stressed by 5 in the afternoon about the evening routine.  Take a minute to catch your breath, maybe at the Starbucks drive through that's across the street from karate.