Lesson Learned: Never Say Never

You know all those things you said you would never do before you became a parent?  You know, co-sleeping (did it), letting them cry it out (did it), putting them in Crocs (but they’re just so easy!).  I’m doing something now that I swore I would never do, even just a month ago: I’ve over-scheduled my kids.

Here is how our week looks:
Monday:              daughter dancing
Tuesday:              son karate
Wednesday:       FREE DAY!  HOORAY!
Thursday:            son karate
Friday:                  both kids swimming
Saturday:             son karate
Sunday:                Another free day and a big, happy, lazy sigh.

Somewhere in there, we also fit in the shopping, cleaning and the adult activities, such as my yoga practice 2-3 times a week (some weeks are much easier than others).  Luckily, my husband is a runner so he can just strap his sneakers on and go for it whenever there is some free time to be found.

This has been our schedule for the last month and, although I’ve moved to part-time hours at work, I’m now busier than I’ve ever been.  But you know what?  It’s working for us.  My kids look forward to their activities and my son in particular loves knowing that something is scheduled on any given day.  Karate has been so good for him in so many ways (another post about that later!) and I’m happy with the choices we have made.  We all are! 

I’ve thrown my never-do list out the window.  I’ve learned that your situation can (and will) constantly change and you never know what you need to do next to accommodate your family’s needs.  You also never know what will actually work for you until you try it.  Like those damn Crocs…they may be ugly but what kid doesn’t love a slip-on shoe?