A season of busy-ness

Today is Wednesday. We are barreling at light speed towards the end of another school year. Which means activities are ending and winding down (unless it’s baseball – that that’s another story!) and our schedule is changing. Emma’s 2 reading tutoring after school classes ended last week. The Wednesday night children’s programming at our church ended last week, too. Lara’s dance recital is in a few weeks, and her current gym class ends about the same time. End of school means field trips, end of year parties, school carnival, camp outs, testing, graduation (on so many levels), good-byes and looking towards the long summer. The kids are reacting to the change in schedule as most kids do – just a bit “off.” And bedtimes are a mess – trying to squeeze in all the things we have to do… This time of year always makes me tried, and stressed out. This year is no different, except the reasons are different, more somber.

In our house, it also means illness. Allergies are running rampant. Strep throat, hacking coughs, runny noses, itchy eyes. I have become the queen of medicine dispensing the last few days! Triaminic (day or night?), Zyrtec, antibiotics, cough syrup, inhaler, acetaminophen, ibuprofen, and the list goes on. I am lucky that my kids are all “good” medicine takers – never really fight it. And the girls are old enough to swallow pills now, so that makes life so much easier. But, it’s a lot to keep track of! And they all take different doses of everything, so it’s like a crazy math puzzle with no right answer – just a best guess!

So, I’m tired. I’m stressed out. I’m probably over-medicating my children. And I’m sad. I miss him. So many things I want to share, but can’t. Graduation at my office is Friday night – which means I am party planner extraordinaire for 50 people in 2 days (which reminds me – I need to call the caterer…). 3 more weeks of dance class before recital. Baseball for Emma and Jake is in full swing. The events on my Cozi calendar keep popping up one right after another. And here I am, just trying to keep my head above water. I love my family, and I thrive on being busy, but I’m ready for the end of this season to come.

One thing I am DESPARATELY looking forward to? My “Honeymoon!” My husband is taking me on a trip to a destination unknown (by me) for our honeymoon. We got married 28 days after he proposed in the middle of football recruiting (when I was the assistant to the recruiting coordinator in the Oklahoma State University Cowboy Football office), and there was no time for a trip, then we got pregnant, had an infant had a toddler, had a preschooler or had no money. Here we are five years later, and my hubby has planned this secret trip for me. We leave in 3 weeks. It’s a break we are BOTH looking forward to, for so many reasons!