We are back in the grind
of the school year and our family is still working on our daily routine.
We have three kids and
two working parents, so structure and organization are necessary.
Alarm clocks are set, a bulletin board holds a monthly calendar and the words
“responsibility” and “expectations” are said a lot.
Keeping order during the
school year isn’t exactly easy, nor does it make my kids like me very much. I
realize how much I miss Summer Vacation Mom. My kids love Vacation
Mom.
Vacation Mom doesn’t
care if you get dressed at all that day.
Vacation Mom serves
PB&J for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Vacation Mom takes naps
with the kids.
But Real-Life Mom? She
has schedules to keep, chores to finish and meals to plan.
I know that I can’t be
Vacation Mom year-round.
Being late to school has
consequences. Eating “convenience foods” in excess isn’t a healthy lifestyle.
Naps are nice, but not as easy to sneak in with the To-Do list growing longer
each minute.
So while I cannot be
Vacation Mom 365 days a year, I am trying to bring pieces of her back to life
this fall.
I can say “no” to
over-scheduling, so we have more free time as a family.
I can say “yes” to my
kids when they want to stay in pajamas all day on Saturdays.
I can cut myself some
slack on meal planning and just order a pizza.
We can’t live every day
like we are on vacation. But we can bring some of the vacation attitude to our
daily lives. I think we all will be less stressed if we just put on our
flip-flops and order the pizza.
 |
| Ah, Vacation Mom. You are so much more chill. |
