Making Space

So you're probably all worried...checking every day and seeing that I haven't posted since the beginning of October...thinking, "Oh man, PM must be simply drowning in to-do lists these days."

Actually, not so much.

I'm really not that busy.

In fact, I'm so not that busy that I've been busy not being busy.

These days I'm busy harvesting the fruits of a labourious few months of saying "no":

"No, I will not be volunteering again at the MCC sale this year."

"No, I will not direct the Christmas pageant again this year."

"No, I will not teach ESL this year."

"No, we do not need to enroll the kids in swimming this semester if they are already involved in an extra-curricular activity each."

It's not easy, saying "no." You hear about it all the time - the guilt that we women feel (is it only women? I feel that it might be...) when we say it, as though by saying it we're admitting we can't do it all.

Know what?

I can.

In fact, I have. (See: single parenting two toddlers while working two jobs. See also: moving to a new country and finding a job/church/friends. Feel free to throw in 8 houses in as many years if you like.)

But I don't want to anymore. And I've decided that that is enough of a reason to hand out a few "no's" this year.

Oh, I'm still doing some great stuff. I'm still doing church small group and praise band. I'm still running (Monster Dash 10 mile race is in 11 days with costumes, whoop!).

But what I'm not doing is overscheduling myself or my family. Until I stopped doing it, I didn't realize how anxious and frustrated I got when the inevitable scheduling conflicts occurred or how depleting it was to go out for a third (or fourth) evening in a row. (Holy nerd alert, Batman!)

Turns out, I'm a total homebody. I kinda knew that already, since my favourite date night = Netflix and some cold Canadian beer. And it's not like I want to do this full-time. But I'm loving coming home, snuggling with my babies, helping with homework, puttering in the kitchen for an hour...even having the option to do a bit of reading before bed.

Best part is that I get to do this four nights a week!

Oh, better get going...it's 8:45 and I have just enough time to go tuck some littlekins in and shower before heading off to bed with tea and a book.

(Yup, I am officially O-L-D. Next stop - drinking plain hot water and sweaters with kleenexes tucked in the sleeves. [Oh wait...I already do that, too.])