A glimpse of our home season

I remember the B.C. days (before children). In those earlier years of our marriage, dh and I were free from commitments. We had time and freedom and didn't feel the need for schedules and routine. We were free birds who flew by the seat of our pants. We both worked for airlines (he still does) and had air travel at our fingertips. Nothing kept us from jaunting off whenever we decided to.

"Honey, want to check out furniture deals down South? I hear that the prices are great since the manufacturers are there."
Why not?
Off we went to Hickory, NC on our days off, just to look at furniture.

We took cruises pretty frequently as well. I believe I had been on nine ships (B.C.), while dh was one behind (I took my first cruise with a friend and co-worker from my airline as a "girls' trip" after dh took a guys' trip to an airline basketball tournament.)

It isn't that we had tons of cash.
We didn't.
But we did have tons of time and the resources to make the trips affordable (flying benefits, hotel, car rental, and cruise discounts for the travel industry).
We took advantage of those days.

Fast forward 20 years. No more jaunting off whenever we please. No spur-of-the-moment decisions to take a weekend trip to a B&B in the Blue Ridge mountains.
Life dictates the need for routine and scheduling now.
There needs to be an anticipated flow.
Homeschooling dictates this need. Parenting four children demands it. And frankly, I'm not the young jet-setter who can thrive in "freestyle" mode any more. The fact is, I, too, need routine.

Without it, we would all drown in a sea of unscheduledness.

• Mon/Wed/Thur, take two oldest to swim lessons from 530p to 630p


• Tues/Thurs, take 3yo to preschool at 9am, pick up at 12:15pm.


• Every other Wed, bible study at 6:30pm (but first, pick up kids from swimming and drop them off back home with the sitter)


• Thurs, take youngest dd to dance lessons at 6:45pm (which means dh must pick other two children up from swimming)


• Wed through Sun, homeschool my three oldest (which requires me to attend church with them on Sunday, then come home and hit the books. It also requires me to plan activities and partnering of available students with my 3yo so he is contructively engaged)


• Grocery list prep and grocery shopping on Sunday evenings


• work out five days/week (plus walking 3x/week or more)


• Extras: assisting in my 3yo's preschool class for an hour on Tuesdays, attending highschool football games on Friday nights while the weather is still warm enough, nature journaling as a family once a week (goal), homeschool group activities, etc.

Seriously? The dog, cat, and guinea pig (Edgar, the cutest little guy) would probably be begging for their meals if we didn't schedule our days. Yep, they too are on the schedule. And dinner prep and meal time are definitely on the schedule.
We eat between 4:30pm and 4:45pm every day. We have to, or my kids would get a cramp and sink to the bottom of the pool in swim class (at least that's what my dad told me when I was a kid, lol).

We eat mainly whole foods vegetarian meals, which require greater prep time (but are so much healthier too).
I usually chop raw veggies in little blocks of time that I manage during our homeschool day, then place them in the fridge for cooking later.
I always check my schedule the night before, so I can match the right meal to the workload of the coming day. Busy day, easy meal prep. Easy day, more demanding meal prep.
I enlist the help of my children too. They shuck corn, wash and tear romaine lettuce, snap green beans, etc.
It all comes together.
Usually.

It's a crazy busy season of life in our home, but I really do treasure it, knowing that it will pass all too quickly (and already is).
How about you and the home season you're in?

Ecclesiastes 3:1
To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:

Live wise in Him!

~Toni~