Too much on your plate???

Have you ever wondered if you have too much on your plate?  With 3 kids, 1 on the way, a part time job with variable hours, volunteering for CASA, on the board of the MOMS club, and my hands in a hundred other pots, sometimes I feel very stretched thin.  So thin, that by the time my husband walks in the door, I pretty much just shut down, shift over, Dad's turn.  Maybe its because I know that in less than 4 months, I will again be a milk maiden, on call 24 hours a day.  I'm sure that the hormonal imbalance that I'm experiencing is not helping matters either.

Today, I pondered quite a few things:

1. Am I too busy?  I mean, I left the house at 8:30, got home at 4.  What did I do?  Preschool/gym, lunch (not enough time to drive home and back), pharmacy, picked up some bed rails for C, library (to kill 30 min and let the kids stretch their legs), C's well appointment, donation drop off at Goodwill, grocery store for garbage stickers (and other random stuff I picked up along the way).  I also attempted to schedule my van for an appointment, left a message for C's specialist, and took care of a couple of business items while I was out.

2. Is this too much for my kids?  By the time we made it to the grocery store today, C had nodded off in the car.  I hated to get her out, but tonight is garbage night and we have to have those stickers.  The kids all seemed to be exhausted, perhaps due to springing forward, though J and L would never voluntarily take a nap.  They seem to pick on each other the longer we are out which increases my tension and the likelihood that they're going to get in trouble.

3. Milk???  The doctor told me today that C is in the 25th percentile in both height and weight, but 75% for head size.  Smart kid, right?  Well, then he asked about how much milk my kids get.  My response? Not much.  The idea of milk has recently scheeved me out.  Last year, I reduced my consumption of animals and animal products.  I read a lot about milk and the "unnaturalness" of human's drinking cow milk.  It made me think...a lot.  Does my family really need that much milk?  I used to force it upon L and J, but with C, it has really switched from milk to water. And, my girls love water.  The kids rarely ask for milk, and when they do, 25% of the time, I oblige.  The Doctor's argument? For the past 80 years, we've been drinking milk and we have been living longer than we did before then.  Milk is not what's causing the problems of today, its the over consumption of processed foods, namely sugar.  Well, I agree with the last portion of his argument. Going forward, I will make sure my little kids (since L and C are on the tiny size) get a cup of milk a day.

4. Area 2 to simplify is Paper Clutter.  I swear, this Simple Mom knows exactly what I need to focus on.  I have it in my pantry closet, on my counter, in/on my living room table, in my bedside nightstand, and I'm sure other places as well.  This will truly be a difficult thing to tackle, but I am looking forward to organizing that portion of my life.  And, its a perfect time to do it since the bills need paid and the taxes need done.

5. My blog is pretty ugly.  How can I beautify it??  hmmm...I am not very creative and I'm not sure that I want to put personal photos on here.  Is it safe? Just more to ponder.

6. Veggies.  We love them.  We hate them.  How can I make them more interesting for my family?  Besides roasting and steaming, I'm pretty much at a loss.  My goal this month is to make at least one new veggie dish a week to tickle the palettes of both young and old.  Let's see what I come up with.

7.  Is giving back to the community as a CASA volunteer taking away from my own kids?  I know its not much, but twice a month, I have to arrange for childcare for my own children so that I can be there to support another child.  Yes, this other child is in the system and needs support, that's why I signed up to do this, but am I putting too much of a strain on my kids or my friends and family by doing this? I certainly hope not because I made a commit to this girl and I don't want to be added to the list of people that have abandoned or let her down.

8. We don't have to do everything. I just came to this realization, after 3 years of being a stay at home mom, I've realized this, again.  It seems that every now and then, this dawns on me.  It reverberated with me again today, not that I could have chosen not to do any one of the items on our agenda, but because it drew to attention the fact that my whole week is scheduled.  On top of preschool/gym, we have something to do each day. Tuesday: board meeting. Wednesday: Ob appt, CASA mtg, school board mtg.  Thursday: CASA court hearing, St. Pat's party. Friday: birthday party, library, learning about maple syrup making.  Yes, this week is an abnormality, but do we really need to do all of it?!  Probably not.  Just draws some attention to the fact that I should check next week's schedule so as not to overbook my kids.  Though, my kids aren't really the ones with the busy schedules, its me, they just are the unlucky recipients of it. Poor things.

9. I truly am blessed. My husband, though insensitive at times, really is helpful and wonderful when needed.  My kids are really great kids.  Do they drive me crazy? Yes.  Do they often need to settle down and be better listeners?  Yes.  But, they are sweet to other children and are typically well mannered kids.  I am fortunate to be their mother.  Maybe I should repeat that a few times so I will remember it.

Now, to begin to tackle the paper clutter, locate my staff COBRA notification, and clean the kitchen.  Tomorrow, though, I plan on being back in full force with a nutritious and delicious meal for my family.