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!