The Calm Before the Spring

"Play Ball!"

This is usually the signal to start a baseball game, right? Well, in our case, we have baseball games, soccer games ("Gooooooaaal!" no, they don't really do that at my kids' games) and karate equipment ("Hi-YA!" They DO do that.)! Harry and Malcolm are 5 and hence, are starting T-ball this spring! Oh, and they're doing soccer...oh, and Andy's also playing baseball. Karate? That's not going anywhere...no, Lilly still hasn't tested for her black belt so she hasn't quit yet. All four are still chopping, punching and kicking up a storm.

Yes, this is a totally crazy schedule. Yes, we may have to reduce it, but we'll take it one step at a time. This is how our weeks will look this spring: 2-4 baseball games during the week (that's if my twins end up on the same team) and, assuming the same team thing, 2 on Saturdays.

My twins are still young enough that they only play soccer once a week. It's from 8am-9am on Saturdays, so there shouldn't be any conflict with anyone's baseball games.

Karate is still twice a week. We can choose any two days M-F. The blessing here is that Lilly and Andy are in the same class now as are Harry and Malcolm. The two classes are back-to-back and life is GOOD in the karate chaffeur department.

OK, I know you're asking "WHY is she DOING this?!" Well, one reason, the most obvious one, is my kids (especially my boys) I think are the most active beings on the PLANET! Their energy is unprecedented. For example, my son, Andy, will shovel my entire driveway (which is not short)clear of wet, heavy snow and then come in and ask when we can go to the big hill in town and sled for the remainder of the afternoon (or right through dinner and into the evening if I didn't set limits!). Come summer, this shoveling and sledding will be replaced with endless amounts of swimming. These are just some manifestations of their boundless energy.

The only thing I can do with them is get them to exercise. My daughter, being 10, has found pleasure in doing more calm activities lately, but is still very active. My children do sleep well and can wind down, do homework, read/look at books, play with Legos and do puzzles. However, this is MUCH harder to accomplish without at least one hour of running, jumping, climbing, etc. As you can imagine, rainy days are VERY difficult. That doesn't mean that the boys don't go out though. Thank goodness they enjoy getting wet!

Ironically, all of these activities actually help me too. Our family, especially me, does not do well without structure. Even when the weather's nice, when we don't have any plans, my boys find ways to get into fights outside (not just the verbal kind either). I also get much more done around the house if I can plan tasks around things. My husband is a huge help too. He will shuttle around the sport participants and I will stay home with whoever is not participating or vice versa. This way, everyone gets to split up nicely. We do "schedule" downtime as I know the family needs that too, but there just can't be too much of it!

Can it be hectic? Absolutely! The spring is usually the most busy time for us. Since we live in a cold climate, spring is the only time to play town baseball. Andy loves all sports so he does this one in the spring. My twins really enjoy doing soccer and want to stick with it. Since they're only 5 and they haven't tried baseball yet (well, T-ball at their level), we kind of have to bite the bullet and double up this spring. This way, they can each see what they like better and go down to only one next spring.

For now, I am savoring the warmer days and the slow pace of the kids coming home from school and going out to play. Soon, we'll be "going out" to "play"!