The One With Five More Minutes

March 2-5, 2018
For the first time in a long time – and for another long time to come, this past weekend was calm.  Not a ton of stuff going on – just a few things to keep us entertained.  And the sun was out, cool, early spring temperatures, and lots of time to just “be.”  It was very relaxing, and very welcomed!

Emma came to Stillwater Friday evening to spend the weekend with us.  She got to town after we had gone out to grab some Chick-fil-A before taking Jake on an adventure with his friends.  She spent the evening playing with Finn – her biggest fan – and signing in to her family’s Netflix account so we could ALL binge our favorite shows on our favorite devices.  She got to surprise Jake by going with dad to pick him up from “Open Gym” at Youth Fitness Zone later in the evening.

Saturday was an easy morning.  Lara drove herself (well, chauffeured me, technically – but I went right back home) to Couch Park for the Pioneer Baseball team’s home opener about 11:00am, and the rest of us joined her for the first pitch at noon.  It was kind of windy, and that kept us pretty cool.  Emma enjoyed talking to friends she saw around the ballpark, and Lara worked from the dugout for the 7 inning game.  Our Pioneers came up ONE RUN short, but it was a beautiful day of sunshine and home opener baseball.

Sunshine and Baseball (Jake was at a friend's birthday party)

The rest of the afternoon was more just resting and relaxing.  Lara left for a couple hours to go walk the 3 mile trail around Boomer Lake with Colby, while the rest of just took advantage of a last day.

Sunday, was much the same.  Catching up, watching TV, playing games.  We went to church at Life.Church at 4:00pm - where I forced them to take a picture!  If they are all 4 in one place, I try to capture it!  I know the days of them being together are getting fewer and farther between!  After church, we took Emma back to Orlando so she could start her week.  And, in the spirit of tradition – and keeping the big family going forward – we had our usual Sunday Night Family Meeting in the car on the way home.  Went over the calendar for next week, checked everyone’s grades, and talked about out highlights of the week gone by.  Prepared for the week to come – even though SOMETHING always changes last minute!

It was Windy.  And Finn is 6.

This laid back, put your feet up weekend reminded me, it’s still going so very fast – even if we have time to enjoy it more.  We weren’t rushing from here to there and eating in the car and hoping everyone got homework and laundry done!  But, we were wishing the weekend away in other ways.  Just waiting for the next thing.  When the next thing is still coming WAY TOO SOON!  And as if the turning of the calendar pages isn’t enough, the song “Five More Minutes” by Scotty McCreedy is on REPEAT on the country radio stations around here.  It has a line that says:

Time rolls by the clock don't stop

I wish I had a few more drops

Of the good stuff, the good times 

Oh but they just keep on flying

Even on slow, lazy weekends like this past one, I still wish I had 5 more minutes.  To hug them.  To soak it all in.  To really LISTEN to that rambling story about friends I don’t really know and inside jokes form class that I’ll never get.  A few more drops of watching them with their brothers.  With each other (I hear you talking in that room after you “go to bed”).  With us.  It is still going WAY too fast!  And this blog is still my feeble attempt to write it all down.  To try and hold on for Five More Minutes…

Family Meeting

sample Cozi calendar

As part of Dream Weaver family tradition, we have a "Family Meeting" every Sunday evening.  Typically, after dinner and before all the kids get ready for bed.  The purpose of the meeting is to maker sure we, as a family, are all on the same page.  Spiritually, academically, socially, financially, and logistically.  My GOLD (True Colors) personality relishes in this meeting.  Looks forward to it.  Plans for it.  LONGS for it.  And is Oh-So, Ever-So grateful for the Cozi calendar app and the special role it plays in each meeting!  The rest of the family likes it, too. Me?  I am empowered by it!  But, alas, it is summer.  And I miss it!  Desperately...

The format of the meeting goes something like this.  Some one hollers at someone else to get the other some ones into the same room.  "NOW!". "Let's go!". "Let's get this started!" "Let's get this over!" (I'll let you pick and choose who says what...) Once the shenanigans of who is touching whom die down and we have Finn occupied with a Kindle, iPhone, or iPod and endless Easter Egg opening You Tube videos, we can get started.  Typically we open with a short praying thanking God for the blessings of the past week.  Then, we ask for each person to tell their favorite part of the past week.  Some weeks, it is remarkably difficult for the kids to come up with ONE thing to share.  Other weeks, we have to cut them off to ensure everyone gets to bed on time!  From there, Dad pulls up Parent Portal to check grades for the oldest 2.  This is an online grading system our schools use.  We can see the current grade for each class, plus what has been graded or what is missing, future assignments, absences, etc.  It is a GREAT tool, and it has helped us help Emma and Lara stay on track.  Jake is jealous and wants to be old enough that his grades are on there.  We still have some years...

After grades, we move to the calendar.  It takes orchestration - and outside help at times - to keep this crew moving forward!  2 working parents, 4 kids. (And get the grandparents in there too since they help out so much!  I feel lost if they leave town and I don 't have on-demand helpers!)  School commitments, work meetings and events, volleyball, track, dance, clubs, baseball, basketball, football, mother's day out!  Not to mention, doctors, dentists, specialists, therapists!  WOAH!  So, it has to be discussed - sometimes just to talk it out and make sure we have all the bases covered!  Mom opens the Cozi calendar and we go day by day for the week talking out each person's commitments, who is taking and or picking up whom, and if the meal planning has been done, what we are having for dinner!  (Sometimes this happens later with just mom and dad!). This is a very helpful thing for our family.  The older ones are mature enough now to be aware of their own commitments, and they can help make sure things are getting done; that they are in the right place at the right time waiting for the right ride.  In just a few short years, they will be added to the pick up and drop off routines as well!  (YAY! And NO!  All at the same time...)

So, it's summer.  There are no grades to monitor.  Days are not as busy (although this month's camp schedule was a BEAST).  Most travel logistics during the day fall to Nana the Wonder Sitter.  Everyone is staying up later, sleeping in longer.  The Meeting has just kind of fallen to the way side for now.  Last Tuesday evening I said to the girls, "Don't forget you have dentist appointments in the morning.  I'll come by to pick you up about 10." Both of their heads spun around.  They had no idea.  *sigh* Dang you "No Family Meeting" time.  (And they even have the Cozi calendar app on their iPods so they could look for themselves...). Britt and I still talk over the week, but the thought of stopping the summer crazies to get them in one place to talk logistics... Well, it's summer.  They are just not interested...

It will come back.  In a few weeks.  For now, I'll just say, "See ya later, Family Meeting.  Until summer ends, when we meet again." In the meantime, I will continue to spoon feed the kids the tidbits of family logistics they need to know at dinner time.  And pray with them at bed time.  And long for more normal days and weeks where Family Meetings can be a part of our lives again.