Once upon a time I was one of those always on top of it kind of people.  I had a day planner with times and places meticulously marked in blue ink.  (Black didn’t show up as well, plus it’s boring.  And I was once told that “you should never use black ink unless you’re writing a sympathy card”.  Which is just crap…but I digress.)

I was absurdly early to most events.  I always allowed 20 minutes for a 10 minute drive.  I made sure I had contemplated every possible scenario for every situation that I’d find myself just so I’d be prepared.

And then came baby #1.  And things didn’t change all that much.  The main difference that I saw was that instead of always being early, I was usually on time…which I actually found to be a plus.

When #2 came along, I was often alone with the kids because of Marshall’s work schedule.  And I’d struggle to make it places on time.  I really stressed about being 3 minutes late.  It bothered me that I was late.

Now, with three kids…I’m happy if I make it to my destination with everyone fully clothed.  Start times are more of a suggestion than anything else.  I no longer have a day planner, but I do have my trusty Blackberry calendar.  And although the details on that calendar are just as meticulous as the ones I used to write in my day planner, I find that I view it a lot differently than I did back then. You would think that I’d be more stressed now, but I’m not.  Having more kids has added many, many things to my calendar and my to-do list, but having kids has also taught me there’s more to life than calendars and to-do lists.  Or at least that’s what I keep telling myself!