Mom or Chicken with Head Chopped Off?!

Today I was changing Chase's diaper and out of the blue he started hitting one fist on his other hand and saying, "Rock, paper, scissors." I didn't even know he'd ever heard that before. Hunter said that he learned it from him and Packer - I thought it was pretty cute.

I've been thinking today about how busy I seem to be all the time and what it is that keeps me on the go. I thought I would make a list of the things that I do regularly:

I serve as first counselor in the YW presidency - so Sundays I do some of that. McKay is the one that is mostly busy on Sundays which means I am in charge at home, which doesn't bother me at all. In fact, I am so glad that he is so responsible and diligent in serving in his callings.

Mondays-Fridays - We get up in the mornings. Packer's alarm goes off at 6:30 am and he and Hunter have a list of things that they need to do before they go to school: brush teeth, brush Hair, get dressed, make bed and clean room, say prayers, read scriptures, Packer practices the piano, we have breakfast and read scriptures as a family. McKay takes Packer to school at 8am and I take Hunter to school between 8:30 and 9:00am. I pick Hunter up at 11:45 and then I pick Packer up at 2:30. That is what has to happen every day. What I do in between those times depends on the day.

Monday nights are always a little late because by the time we have dinner and FHE, it is always past the boys bedtime.

Tuesdays, I teach at Gold's at 5:45am. After I drop Hunter off at school, I either take Chase to preschool or I teach it here with a couple other 2 yr olds - very fun! That goes from 9:30-11:30, so right after that is over, I go to pick Hunter up from school. Most Tuesdays I have YW Presidency meeting at noon which goes for and hour or so. After I pick Packer up from school at 2:30/2:45, I take Packer and Hunter to swim lessons at 3:00. We usually don't get out of there until at least 3:45. We rush home to get the boys showered and dressed so that Hunter and Chase can go to the Morgan's home while I teach Jerrica and McKayla piano lessons. I don't do this for pay - I have a really hard time taking money from friends! Instead we trade, she watches our boys once a month or so while McKay and I go to the temple or out on a date. At about 5:30 it is time to think about dinner before McKay gets home. I should have it ready for him when he gets home because every other Tuesday he has High Council Meetings at 7pm - it's nice when dinner is ready so he can eat and get ready without being stressed. Does it usually happen that way? Unfortunately, no, especially since I have been pregnant - I'm exhausted by this point. I think Tuesdays are my craziest days!

Wednesdays I am going to start walking or running with Teresa Berry in the mornings - this will be good so that I have more time during the day to do other things rather than using it to exercise (I try to exercise in some way or other about 2 hours a day - you'd think I would be in better shape and much thinner for how much I like to exercise. I guess right now though I have an excuse - pregnant and all...12 weeks:) After high school gets out, about 3:30, Audrey Jensen comes over so I can help her with math. I love math so much and she is doing basic Algebra right now - am I doing this for her or for me?! Again, as I said before I just don't feel right taking money for helping out a friend, especially when it involves math!! I think the plan is that Audrey will babysit occasionally for us which will be nice - more date nights! Wednesday nights is YW activities at 7pm. Once a month the Mia Maids have their presidency mtg before and we have board mtg after - we also sometimes have YM/YW leader planning mtgs after, so Wed nights can be a little hectic - usually a fun hectic though. I have to admit that it is often hard to leave my family Wed. - but once I am there, we have a great time.

Thursdays I also teach at Gold's at 5:45am. Other than that though, it is my open day. Thursday nights are the night that McKay and I get to spend with the boys and be at home and relax - usually. Fridays aren't too bad either. McKay only works 1/2 day, so I go in to Packer's school to help out the last hour of class. We have been trying to be better about having date nights on Friday nights - sometimes we're so tired by the end of the week, though, that all I want to do is crash at home. Our date nights are usually pretty simple: Last Friday we went to the lawyer's office to sign our wills, then we went to the park to play catch with the Football and the baseball - it was so much fun! Then we got dinner at Cafe Rio which we brought home to eat. It's just fun to spend time with McKay - I really feel like I am the luckiest girl in the world to have found such a fun, easy going, supportive, loving, diligent, good to the core guy!

Saturdays seem to be crazy only because we have so many activities, so it is fun-crazy! Example - going to the BYU FB game last Saturday. McKay works this Saturday and I think I will run home from his office, then I have the General RS Broadcast. Next week we are going to the cabin, the next week we are going to be in Boise, the week after McKay and Hunter are going to be in CA, the next week McKay is working again, the next week is Halloween and I am teaching the Sat. class at Gold's, the next week I am hoping to run a 1/2 marathon in St. George and McKay's grandma is having her 85th birthday party. That is Nov. 7th - we have something every weekend between now and then, plus other things planned for a few weekends after that before Christmas. Like I said, it's fun stuff - but we seem to just keep going.

Now I've listed all the things I have to do, places I have to go to, but on top of all that I do try to keep our house in some kind of order - not as clean as I would like it to be, but is it ever? I know I mentioned it before, but exercise really takes up a chunk of every day - sometimes I wonder if too much, but I hate how I feel if I don't do it - so I do it. Of course, there is always the grocery shopping and errands to run. Right now, I am working with a company to get McKay's office website up and going, I watch other people's children - yesterday Josh Berry came over for a few hours, tomorrow Luke, Will, and Mallory Preston are coming over from 11:15 until 6pm or later. We had the bishop and his family over for FHE and dinner last night. I had a baby shower here and the next day threw Hunter's birthday party for him not too long ago. I am trying to get my VT done - I am doing lunch/play date/VT tomorrow with Julie Morgan and I am also supposed to VT Heidi Walton tomorrow as well (I may have to change that one though.)

Honestly, the list could go on and on. As I am writing this I think this list could come across as complaining or look at the amazing person I am... I am not writing this for anyone else to see - I am more writing this because I often feel like I am busy but don't get anything done. I often feel as a stay at home mom that I really don't do anything - especially when I look around my house and it is a mess. I know I sometimes struggle with who I am and my value as a person, so I am writing this list so that when I am feeling down I can read it and say, "I do try. I may not be able to do everything I want or that other people want me to, but I do what I can and honestly, when I look at this list - I do a lot. That has to count for something." I think the most important thing though is that in the mix of all this crazy mayhem that my boys don't feel like life is always crazy. I have been trying to make life fun when we are in the car, in the stroller while I am running, when I am grocery shopping, etc. I have found that I really enjoy going shopping with just one child at a time. I took Chase the other day and he just wanted to be the big helper and with only him there, I was able to let him and it was fun!! We went through the self-checkout and he scanned more than half of the things we bought. Sure, it took 10x's as long for him to help me do it, but we had such a great time in the process.

Most of the time, I really enjoy being a mom! I am excited that I am going to have another one and a little nervous about what it will do to the flow of things in our family - but really not! I think it will just be amazing and hard and wonderful and crazy and fun!