I know things have been quiet on the blog front and I am sorry it just seems like we are in a real busy season right now. I always want to write....but, I just can't seem to find the time. I will try harder.
I thought I would share a little of what our busy season of fall looks like so 1) I will be able to look back at where we were when my kids were 5 and 2; and 2) you will be able to appreciate the hectic pace of our lives. I think i am a little crazy but I am pondering taking on two more things to add to our schedule right now....more on that later.
Anyway what does a week look like in the house of us. Just as a side note that alot of time Matt is not in town so at times it can get even crazier if he is not here to help.
Monday mornings start out always rushed. The kids and I get up between 7 and 7:30am (Matt gets up at 6:00am sometimes even earlier if he wants to put in some overtime in the morning). We have to be out the door by 8:20am and into the van to drop Alyssa off at the bus stop (We can definately walk to the bus stop but I find it easier to drop her off so that we can run errands right away in the morning.) After Alyssa is on the bus. Lucas and I ususally head off to do the grocery shopping at either Save - On- Foods or Costco. We usually go to Costco every second week and Save On once a week if not more. We also run errands on Monday mornings too. Alyssa gets home at 12:18pm so we are always home and I usually try to have lunch on the table. As once she gets off the bus she is famished and its easiest to just send her right to the table to eat then hear her complain and whine that she is so hungry. Mondays we are home in the afternoon and evening so I usually try to cook a big meal and catch up on laundry and do some housecleaning.
Every second Monday, Lucas has speech therapy so then the grocery shopping gets moved to Tuesday morning.
Tuesday mornings after Alyssa is on the bus, Lucas and I usually head out to do something for him. Whether its a playdate at Cafe O'Play, going to the John Janzen Nature Centre with friends, playing at the Mall gym at Millwoods Towne Centre etc. After nap on Tuesdays (we are in the process of Lucas starting to not want to nap anymore so every few days he decides not to nap and then its EARLY to bed), Alyssa has gymnastics from 4:30-6:00pm. Keeping Lucas entertained at gymnastics is a little hard but he is actually doing better than I expected thanks to snacks, books, cars and the tablet. We usually pick up something for dinner on Tuesday nights as both kids are starving by the time gymnastics is over.
I should note that Alyssa's bedtime is at 7:30pm and Lucas is at 6:45pm if he doesn't nap and 8:00pm if he does nap. So, after gymanstics its straight home to get ready for bed.
Wednesday mornings Lucas and I attend Women In Touch at our church. Lucas plays with the grammies while I co-lead a book study with about 10-15 women in it. I love Wednesday mornings. I get some me time and the support I feel there is amazing. We come home on Wednesdays and in the afternoon I usually have to do some work/prep as I am also on the Women In Touch Executive. Alyssa always has quiet time when its naptime so i can get some stuff done during that time. I also make a big dinner on Wednesday nights as we are all home.
Thursday mornings I usually try to schedule any doctor appointments for myself or for Lucas. He gets his haircut every five weeks at Beaners. Tomorrow I am meeting with an awesome ministry, Pink Wings. This is one of the things that I have been pondering about as I really feel led to get involved with their ministry. At 3:00pm each Thursday my babysitter gets dropped off from school and I go to my Ladies Ministry Meeting (which is different from WIT executive). It starts at 4pm but I find i can usually run one or two errands before the meeting begins. I am usually home by 6:30pm to drive the sitter home. If Matt is home, he drives Emily home. The kids and Matt have leftovers for supper on Thursdays.
Friday mornings are usually spent meeting up with friends, doing any other errands or appointments or sometimes just staying home to try and catch up on laundry and housecleaning etc. Matt curls on Friday nights so he usually stays late at work and just goes to curling from there.
Saturday mornings Alyssa has swimming lessons and then we try to spend time as a family on Saturday afternoons and evenings. Every couple of weeks we have small group on Saturday evenings. Our whole family really enjoys small group and looks forward to when the next one is.
This Saturday is a big crazy as I am helping run a dinner theatre fundraiser at our church to support the one day conference that we are doing in Janurary for the ladies of Evangel and Father's House. So I am getting a sitter, as Matt is out of town, from 1pm until 10pm.
On Sunday mornings we have church and then we try to rest up for the rest of the week. When we have a girls night out they are usually planned on a Sunday evening.
Whew....so that is my week. It is a little crazy but it is working well for us right now. Its the right amount of busy and the right amount of down time.
The other thing that I am pondering and praying about right now is that Alyssa got asked to join Super Girls in gymnastics. Right now she goes 1 1/2 hours a week but if she joined this special, competitive team she would be there twice a week for 2 hours. I'm just not sure if going the competitive route is the right thing for her and for our family. It just seems crazy that I have to make this decision so early in her young life. I'll let you know what we decide. Matt kind of wants her to go into it but I am just not sure.
I am happy to tell you though that even with this busy schedule I am almost all done my christmas shopping. I have one more thing to pick up and then I just have stocking stuffers left. Yeah. I am trying to be prepared as I know once December hits we are going to be busy with Christmas parties and functions.
