The "Fun" Mom

This week's going pretty well so far. I've not blogged everyday, but I'm working on it! (I'm here now, aren't I? haha)

I've tried to get up early the past two days to spend some quiet time with God, but the boys have woken up with me each morning. I guess that's one downside to all sleeping in the same room. (It's HOT here in Maine, and we only have one window A/C unit, so we're all camping out in the air conditioning in the master bedroom). I'll try again tomorrow to get up before them - I think I'm going to turn the volume on my alarm down. If I hear it, I'll get up, if not, then we'll try again tomorrow at a slightly louder volume!

I'm doing well on the water goal. It helps that it's been so hot here - I'm trying to keep all of us hydrated, so I'm keeping ice water on the kitchen counter in a cooler. Every time I fill up one of the kid's cups, I make myself drink some too. Seems to be working so far!

The biggest goal for me this past week (so far) has been the "Fun" mom goal. I had gotten so busy and so caught up in my "to-do" list over the past few months, that I kind of forgot to enjoy my kids. I felt like I was always telling them "in a minute!" or "When I finish (fill in the blank here)." A little piece of me died every time I did that, but I just couldn't seem to stop myself. With it being summer, I've really wanted to make myself slow down and have FUN with the kids instead of constantly working. I'm happy to say that it's been a success - well, the having fun part. We've gone to state parks, we've gone to the beach, last night we had a Candyland tournament before bed, and tonight we played outside and worked in the garden together. It's been great spending this time enjoying my kids - I'm thoroughly loving every minute we spend together.

It's paid off with their behaviour, for the most part. For example, this past weekend was a holiday (Fourth of July was on Sunday). Since this is our last summer in Maine, I really wanted to cross off a really big item on my "Things I Want to do Before I Die" list: Go see the Boston Pops concert on the 4th of July. I've watched this concert on TV for years - seriously, as long as I can remember. I've always wanted to be there to see the fireworks, and enjoy the music. This year was my last chance, realistically, since we're moving to the other side of the country.

We packed the kids up, and with the help of nearby relatives who let us crash at their place (they live just outside of Boston), we were able to put together a trip that cost barely anything (just food and the train into the city). We left the house at 4:30 am on Sunday, pulled into the parking garage in Boston at 5:30 am, and were in line for the Oval (the area where the concert is located) at 6 am. The Oval didn't open until 9 am - so we had a long wait ahead of us. The boys not only waited in line wonderfully, they were troopers and made it all day until the concert started at 8:30 pm. "Making it all day" means hanging out on our blanket in the middle of the blazing hot sun, because seats were first-come, first-serve, and people have been known to move other people's items if you're not there guarding your spot. The boys - all three of them, ages almost 6, 4, and 18 months - were AMAZING. They made me so proud - I feel like I should go to Confession, I'm that full of pride!!! haha They were wonderfully behaved, and such good sports about it all. I think the fact that I've really tried to spend quality time with them really helped with their behaviour on Sunday: I think they're feeling more appreciated and secure in our relationship. I want to continue that this summer, and I've really got it on my mind in everything that I've been doing.

It's not all roses, though. I'm having a really hard time getting everything done and keeping a balance, now that I'm trying to focus more on quality mom/boys time. I'm behind in my commitments to other things: work (the youth group), school (the boys), the house (keeping it clean for showings). I haven't worked out in who knows how long, because by the time I sit down and get everything else done, I'm ready for bed, and it's almost midnight. I've stepped back from some of my roles with the youth group (on the Diocesan level, not the parish level, for any parishioners reading this!), and with preschool (stepping down off the board after this summer). Those are really the only things that I can "lose' right now: I have to still maintain the house, and the parish level youth group stuff is my part-time job. I can't really step back from everything else. My only solution is to find a way to balance it all.

For those of you out there who also find that you have to balance quality mom stuff with work/other obligations, how do you manage it? What kind of secrets/tips can you share with me, so I don't lose my mind?

Thanks!