And Here We Go...

Can our lovely Christmas vacation really be over?? We have had two, really wonderful weeks together as a family. Eric has only had to work two days out of the last 14 and so we have had a lot of fun enjoying the holidays, watching movies, going to movies, eating out, going shopping, sleeping in late, getting little projects done around the house and playing with the kids. It has been the perfect vacation and now...it's back to reality...and reality looks, well, really, really BUSY!! Can't we just throw a blanket over our heads instead?

Unfortunately, no - reality must be dealt with. Let me tell you exactly what it looks like. On Tuesday I start my long-term substitute teaching job for a friend of mine who is starting her maternity leave early (bedrest). This means that I will have to get up early to exercise, get the girls and I ready for school, teach all day, run home, throw some laundry in, run back out the door, take Kelcie to swim team practice (mon-thurs), do my homework while she's practicing, run back home, get some dinner on the table and either (a) clean-up and collapse into bed or (b) run back out to a Girl's Camp meeting, Young Women's or Book Club. Eric will soon start teaching his night classes on Mon, Tues & Wed nights so he will be crazy busy too. Somewhere in there, I also need to keep my house clean, do the laundry, cook, help the girls with homework, love and nuture their divine spirits, go grocery shopping, finish my last two classes for my Master's Degree, attend my Weight Watchers meetings, go to Erika's soccer games, take Hailey to art class and keep training for that Half-Marathon Relay coming up in March. Now you see why Eric and I have considered throwing a blanket over our heads and not coming out until April! :)

However, please know that I am not complaining - not at all! The scriptures tell us that we should be anxiously engaged in a good cause so I am grateful that I get to be involved with so many things that are good and constructive. I don't regret adding so much to my schedule - Eric and I are very thoughtful about the things we choose to spend our time doing - and the things we choose to have our children spend their time (aka, our time) doing. And some things don't last forever - I'll be done with my long-term sub by April and I'll be finished with my classes by March 15th so the super-craziness will be short-lived. And when you look at the Big Picture - in 10 years, we won't have anyone left at home to run around so we will embrace the "busy-ness" going on right now - because before we know it, it will be way too quiet!