Enough Is

Enough

…It Is

Time To

Simplify!

It seems, the more kids you have, the more crazy and complicated things CAN get. 

(AND OF ‘COURSE… the more joy and love and fun you have.) 

Did not want to sound so negative.  ‘Cause, don’t get me wrong… there are MANY MANY joyous, unforgettable, amazing moments in our family.

But what I’m talking about is how you can get yourself caught up in getting your kids involved in too many extracurricular activities and before you know it, the kids are NEVER HOME.  You are driving or sitting and waiting in the car or sitting and waiting at the activity, and before you know it, it is time for dinner when you get home and then time for bed. 

My kids have had a rough schedule to keep up with for awhile now.  Somehow, you justify it all and say how good it is to have your kids in things they are really good at… like gymnastics and break dancing, for instance.  You see them exceeding and progressing and you don’t want to pull them out. 

MY KIDS did NOT want me to pull them out. 

Coaches are praising you after the class and saying how good your kid is and how they want them to move up another level and change from one class a week to two because they are now in a more ADVANCED class. 

You get others saying, “What a good mom, you are, for supporting your kids in so many activities and being “taxi mom” driving them around everywhere. 

And then there’s the thought of what if you pull them out and only put them in activities during the summer… will they ever excel in that activity if they aren’t sticking with it longer than a summer?  Etc, etc, etc. 

It was affecting my family NOT SO MUCH in a positive way.  My kids were more tired, I was pushing them to get their homework done before leaving, or to get it done in the car before getting there.  I was rushing them to get in the car, rushing MYSELF, out the door. 

It was more rushing and pushing then I liked. 

And my kids needed me to step in and slow things down a bit.  Not only were they coming home later than last year, because this new school ends at 3:15 and it takes awhile to get home (so they would get home close to 4), but they also have way more homework than they’ve ever had, now being in a charter school. 

It was TOO MUCH and ENOUGH WAS ENOUGH. 

It got to the point where I was taking the kids to 5 hours of extracurricular activities each week.  And I couldn’t work it so that the kids’ classes were all done at once, but they were all at different times.  Kallie and Isaac had their classes at 4 on Thursdays, and Jaidyn’s at 6 that same day, so from 5 to 6, the kids would be doing homework in the car.  The coach stopped me after Isaac’s class and said how amazed he was at how good Isaac was at gymnastics  (and so was I when watching) and he wanted to advance him into a “2 days a week” harder class, Jaidyn had her 2nd gymnastics class on Saturdays, and Isaacs had his break dancing class on Tuesdays, and then activity days would fall the first and third Tuesdays of the month, so I would be throwing that in with Isaac’s break dancing class, along with the many other things that just fall right into your busy schedule and soon you’re juggling and dropping balls. 

Seriously.  Do you ever get to that point?  Or are you there now? 

… Then simplify your life!

Anyway, life for the kids and I will be a lot easier and simpler, and there will be more relax time, play time, fun time. 

Isaac will be staying in break dancing ‘cause he REALLY REALLY REALLY wants to.  We’ll see how long that works out.  But as for the 4 hours of gymnastics, that was going to turn into 5… no more.  We are done.

I want to start piano lessons for these guys, maybe get a little use out of the piano that sits upstairs collecting dust? 

So goodbye to gymnastics, we loved you while we had you, but we are moving on to easier schedules.  We may see you again in the summers.