Time to breathe

I need time to breathe.  Catch my breath.  Time to do nothing at all and everything at once.  I need a wife.  I need a whole other me to do the things that I can't keep up with. 

I had an "ah-ha!!" moment a couple months.  I'm not sure it was quite an "ah-ha" moment so much as it was a "holy $&it" moment.  It has taken me sixteen LONG years to really be able appreciate what my parents did for me when I played softball.  The amount of time and money spent was mind boggling and a little  overwhelming.  I totally took for granted that weekend games meant no other plans could be made.  Driving out of town was an extra gas expense not to mention all the meals that were bought out on the road.  Shirts at each tournament that I had to have.  Admission costs to games and tournaments.  Cleats, gloves, warm-ups, jackets....you name it, I had it.  And I really never remember my parents saying no.  This "sports" thing is time consuming and expensive and we are still signing up for sports that have the word "TOT" in front of it.   We haven't even begun to scratch the surface with regards to time and money.

Lately, time is not my friend.  Every time I look up I feel I have lost an hour I am going to need later on.  This week there was only one day that we didn't have something going on where one of the boys had to be somewhere.  Baseball practice Monday night, basketball practice Tuesday night, gym on Thursday, and another baseball practice Friday night.  My dad has been a life saver because he has taken Matt to a couple of his practices for me. 

During the "ah-ha" moment I had, I remember I was standing at the washing machine making sure all uniforms were in the washer because I needed to make sure they were clean by Saturday when we had double games, and I thought of my mom and how no matter what my uniform was always clean on ready on game day and that she must have never slept to keep up with the constant necessity of things needing to be done for me and everyone else. 

It's Friday night and I just finished four loads of laundry.  Tomorrow we have three games.  Ryan's soccer at 9:30, Matt's basketball at 12:10, and then Matt's baseball at 1:00.  No need to re-read that....that's right, we're double booked.  We'll be changing in the car during the two block drive from the basketball court to the baseball field.  I just finished making sandwiches for tomorrow, packed snacks for the "just in case", filled water bottles for each game, and put all sports bags in the car.  I feel so proud of myself that tonight I am on top of things, organized, well planned out.  However, that peaceful thought only lasts so long because on Monday it will start all over again.

Ready....set....drink!!!---wait, I mean GO!!!!!!