I’m a busy mom, raising a busy family, in a very busy world. My husband and I both work while we raise two young children. When we’re not busy working we still manage to find some time to attend events for our children, exercise, volunteer, grocery shop, shop for clothing and other necessities, travel to spend time with extended family, maintain our home, and prepare meals for our family. We even make time to have a social life with friends and even sneak away for an occasional date night.
We are VERY BUSY! My on-going, ever evolving to-do list probably doesn’t look much different from any other mom. Believe it or not, this isn’t even me complaining or looking for sympathy due to my overly full calendar.
Take this from one busy mom to another, I sympathize with your busy schedule but I try to never use my being busy as an excuse for missing important events or not being able to complete previously made obligations and commitments. Believe me I get it, but we are all busy and try to make the most of the time we are given in each day. Making priorities for our time can be difficult, and finding balance is important and certainly something all moms struggle with. But never once do I feel too busy to find time for the truly important things.
I’ve realized that busyness is a state of mind. We all make time for what’s important to us and our families. Despite our busy schedules, my family makes time for all things that we find really important. Trust me, there are many weeks I’d love to just stay home from birthday parties, family gatherings and volunteer commitments, but we don’t — even on occasions when we probably really should (something I’m still working on). I’m never too busy to volunteer for an event at my children’s school, watch a close friend or relative celebrate a milestone in their lives, or chat on the phone with an old friend I haven’t talked to in years.
Balancing life, work, kids and other obligations is the most important job that I have right now and for that reason, I’ve become pretty skilled at the art of balancing time and obligations. There are occasions when I find myself having to decline invitations or say no to commitments, which is hard but necessary when life gets in the way. But I’d much rather say no than fail to keep a promise to my children or be unable to keep a commitment.
My husband and I frequently divide and conquer activities with our children so no one misses an activity that they value. I’d love to do everything together as a family, but at this stage of our lives it just isn’t a reality. Two kids, two parents, two places; somehow we manage to get it all done. Keeping our schedule running smoothly, getting my to-do list accomplished, and still finding some “me” time frequently requires early mornings, late nights and some careful planning; but I’m never “too busy” to commit to events and activities that are important. If you find your life is “too busy” I encourage you to find balance, say no occasionally, enlist help, or find strategies to help you with time management. One day I know our lives will move at a slower pace, but for now I recognize that we all have busy schedules and I’m never too busy for what matters most.
