playing catch-up

My life is so incredibly busy right now. Ethan and I are back in Raleigh after a 48-hour trip to my parents' house near Wilmington. I've put 500 miles on a brand new set of tires in a matter of four days. In the past week, we've gone to five appointments, two birthday parties, and three play dates. Jeramie was out of town two of those days, so combine that with my trip to Wilmington, and I really haven't had much of a face-to-face conversation with him since Friday night.

It is a stark comparison to a few months ago when I was elated about Ethan's light appointment schedule, but a little sad about his lack of interaction with other children. Not anymore! Appointments and therapies and play dates abound! Don't get me wrong, though. Aside from putting him to bed at night and wondering where the day went, I enjoy it. I love seeing him play with his friends, and I find myself craving the mom-to-mom time I get in the process. His therapists are fantastic, and I especially like the sanity booster that is his Thursday morning therapist!

But. (Isn't there always a "but"?) It's exhausting.

Out of seven days in a week, there is only one day that doesn't typically involve some sort of commitment, and that's Saturday. We also get a break every other Friday afternoon, but that's it. Six out of seven days are reserved for everything from therapies to church activities to Zumba. (Oh, how I've come to love my Monday night booty-shaking sessions!)

I'm surprised I'm even putting together complete sentences at this point. For you parents out there who are juggling crazy busy schedules, I would LOVE to hear some advice! Tell me how you manage the day-to-day of being a parent, but still manage to be a spouse. Tell me how you decide to back down on certain activities. Tell me how you find the motivation to keep your house clean. Tell me anything!

It would also be nice to know that I'm not the only one who stays in my pajamas all day on those coveted, random days when we don't have anything to do.

In the midst of all of the above, and even through my lack of blogging, I managed to receive a bloggy award!

Jen sent it my way, and she's someone who is very near and dear to my heart. She also douses me with a dose of sanity on those Fridays that Ethan and I find ourselves free and ready to play! Her son, Jay, has quickly become one of Ethan's most talked about friends, and I think she's equally fantastic.

And, since it is a "Pay it Forward" award after all, I'm passing it along to a fellow Teaching Fellow, and college friend, Tori. Last fall, she was challenged to think of something to be thankful for for thirty days. She carried the challenge through the month of November, and has since started a blog entitled "A Year of Gratitude". I love reading about all the things she is thankful for, and it encourages me to find the positive in the day-to-day craziness ... thanks, Tori!

That's all I really have for now. I guess it is Wednesday, so I'll be sure to post a few cute pictures to make up for all of my mom-plaining.

You're welcome.