One thing that sucks about my Bunch getting older is that I thought it would get easier, but instead I seem to keep getting busier. Of course, it doesn't help that I recently added another baby to the gang, but still...
Back in the days when my Bunch were both under 3 or so, I was busy attending to what my husband calls Constant Needs - feeding, changing, getting to sleep, and trying to squeak in the occasional educational/developmental activity. Somewhere along the line, I realized that there was absolutely NO WAY I could do anything to keep the house clean while supervising them, so I gave up. Rather than sit around and look at the four walls of my pigsty while my Bunch climbed all over me, I basically left the house for the first half of every day. In my quest to kill time in the morning hours, we did all sorts of fun stuff. We'd wake up in the morning and make some calls to see who was available to play that day. We hung out at friend's houses and the kids played while I downed pots of coffee with other moms. We visited the children's museum, the zoo, the aquarium, the botanical gardens and every park in town on a regular basis. We spent a ton of time just goofing off and killing time until it was time to go home for lunch and the blessed afternoon nap (which is when I raced around doing all that housework).
Now that the oldest of my Bunch is preparing to start kindergarten next year, there is no such thing as "killing time". Morning play dates are a thing of the past. Big Boy is in school 4 mornings a week, Middle Boy 2 mornings, and half of their friends are in school 5 mornings. On the days the Bigs are in school, Baby and I run around like fools tackling the grocery store, Target, doctors appointments, returns, and other errands that are easier with 1 kid in tow than 3. In the afternoons, it's a race to get Baby (and about twice a week, Middle) down for a nap. Big hangs out with me, doing fun and exotic things like pre-prepping that evening's dinner and folding laundry. After naps, it's on to the afternoon's activities - soccer on Monday, choir on Wednesday, playgroup on Thursday and (if we're lucky) a happy hour play date on Friday. Occasionally in this whirlwind of activity, there is a half hour or so where I find myself with just one child, so I frantically try to squeeze in some quality one-on-one time. Just typing our schedule makes me exhausted, never mind living it.
The needs have changed, but they haven't become any less Constant. It's a steady stream of requests to volunteer at school/church/activities, demands for payments for school pictures/soccer cleats/preschool registration fees, invitations to birthday parties/play dates/performances/games, and on and on and on. While it is great fun seeing my little people grow up and become their own people, sometimes I long for the days when life was little bit more simple and the pace was a little bit slower.
Just a peek into the crystal ball for you ladies with really wee Bunches who are climbing the walls at home. Enjoy the relative simplicity of your life while it lasts. It won't be long before the nap trap actually sounds enticing!
That is exactly how I've been feeling lately! We've been trying to figure out the right "balance" of activities, but it is hard - school, church, sports, scouts, things the kids WANT to do, things WE feel they NEED to do. I do miss the time we used to just spend at home - diaper changes, constant stories, naps, etc - it was crazy in a different way.
Posted by: Jenifer | Mar 06, 2009 at 12:24 PM
oh, boo. i keep hoping things will get easier :-/
Posted by: MommyNamedApril | Mar 07, 2009 at 08:16 PM
I've been noticing the same thing lately... all of our time is booked now. I guess it's good to keep busy but it feels a little stressful to not have any down time.
Posted by: Casey | Mar 08, 2009 at 09:53 AM
This is so well written and pretty much my life as well! Thanks for articulating my thoughts for me. I enjoyed reading them...LOL!
Posted by: Kristen | Mar 08, 2009 at 12:31 PM
At least when they go to college we won't have stragglers for too long. Love you blog. Mine are twelve months apart, so this is great info:)
Posted by: AllisonD | Mar 08, 2009 at 04:14 PM