Life on the Fly

As much as I love Spring--the first yellow daffies dancing around my mailbox, redbuds dotting the spotty wood, warm wind licking up out of the holler--I hate it.  I hate it because it signals schedule crunching and meals on the fly.  We had become quite comfortable with our winter schedule.  Three nights were spoken for on a weekly basis but none were etched in stone.  If we felt like staying home and watching a movie or working on a Science project, we could choose for ourselves with no threat of retaliation.  No consequences.

But today marked the first of the many zillion times the words tennis, track and baseball will be spoken in my house over the next few months.  I signed my middle-schooler out of school early today and flew her to the doctor's for a sports physical; track practice starts Monday.  My Hampshire High offspring came through the door announcing that the tennis meeting was today during school and that practice begins, yep, Monday.  Last year their practices were staggered--oh, please, not again!  And, my husband, who has committed to coaching baseball (until JULY!) will be meeting to discuss the particulars on Sunday night.  I don't know when baseball practice kicks off.  My guess?  Monday.  Our flexible relaxed life is nearly over.  Somehow, we will still make it to Scouts, church and Bible Study.  We will see each other only in the mornings on the way to the bus stop and before bed.  Weekends will be filled with laundry, cleaning, and grocery shopping, until they are filled with tennis, track and baseball. 

Our only hope for sanity lies in preplanning. And shopping for nutritious food items that can be tossed in to a lunch sack, food items that won't be spoiled even after a long day in a muggy locker.  Chores will be divided evenly and satisfactory completion will be mandated.  We will be scheduled to our eyeballs but we will make it work because sanity is the goal, wellness.  Each of us will take responsibility for our family's wellness.  We will pull together, stand shoulder-to-shoulder and deflect the foes of craziness and frustration.  These are great lessons for children to learn:  organization, cooperation, responsibility and loyalty.

Here's what I can do:
1.  Make reasonable chore lists.
2.  Provide healthy snack choices.  http://cspinet.org/nutritionpolicy/healthy_school_snacks.html
3.  Buy everybody water bottles.  I'd really like to buy stainless steel.  NO PLASTIC!
4.  Keep an accurate schedule.  Color code all activities in pencil because they seem to change...alot.
5.  Plan for family time and guard it like a momma bear.  No letting it fall off the radar screen.
6.  Watch my gang for signs of fatigue.  No sport is worth getting sick over.

So, until we resurface in the June or July, check in here often and wing up a prayer for all sporty families!