Peaceful

Life is super busy. My days are filled with the daily happenings of running a house, and the constant trips to town. We go back and forth for Summer Camps (2 sessions of Martial Arts, Dolphin Day Camp, and 2 different school preps for Cody), Martial Arts, Church and Scouts, Visiting Parents, Play Groups, Play Dates, Summer Movie Fun, and time with friends. And of course we are running all the errands around town while we are there. You know - the grocery shopping, going to the bank, Target, vets, and other random appointments.

--- Isn't it crazy that we actually have to schedule a play date for our kids? I remember just walking over to my friend's houses when I was a kid to play. My parents didn't have to schedule play time for me. And my parents actually felt safe with us kids out on our bikes all day. We just had to be home before dark. I would freak out if my boys were out of sight with no way to get in touch with them. It was just a couple of years ago in our neighborhood that 2 kids were almost kidnapped as the school bus was dropping them off. Man, times have changed. ---

Like I said, life is super busy. But in the midst of all the hussle and bussle, everything is peaceful. Most of the time I have my boys ready and out the door so we can be at playdates on time, or early for our other activities. Note that I didn't say ALL the time. We still have the days when I'm not paying attention to the clock. But it is so nice to be able to take my time driving places because I'm not in a hurry. It's nice to arrive early and not have to rush in with my kids in tow.

Cleaning and chore charts have been made. I don't feel like I have to have everything in my house spotless everyday because I know that everything will have a turn. Just maintaining and sticking to the plan is more than enough to make sure everything is getting done.

This all helps to make life peaceful. But there's more to it than that. We have a very peaceful family life. There isn't a lot of yelling, or fighting, or messes. Our family is on a schedule. The boys get along - most of the time. They go the extra mile to help each other, and Josh and I.

We are now able to have down time in the midst of the craziness scheduled around us. Josh is gone working a lot, but even we have real quailty time together when he's home. We watch our show (House) after the boys go to bed. We blast each other playing Mario Kart with the boys during our lunch break. And then we are able to get in bed at night at a decent hour to read and ... snuggle.

We have balance. We have our physical, mental and spiritual needs being met. I'm not saying we're perfect. There is always room for improvement. And improvement doesn't happen immediately in our house, simply gradually. But life feels oh so good right now. I feel so blessed to be part of a family that really loves and cares for each other. For me, that's what brings the peace in the midst of chaos.