Overscheduled?

I have been getting headaches.  I knew what caused them...stress.  Now you might be asking (as my husband does) "what does she have to be stressed about? She is home all day!"  And I was asking myself that question too.  Then I FINALLY realized that I get anxious and stressed when we are over-scheduled.  We are a busy family. & I need down time - preferably by myself.  With this crazy family, it's few and far between though! I feel like MY time is out of my control.  I am moving through the kids routines day in and day out.

 I am blessed that we are able to provide fun adventures and moments for our kids - but it takes a lot of time and a lot of planning.  Within a 6 week period, we are out of town 4 of the weekends.  And these "little trips" (to California or camping locally) we aren't even counting as real vacations, of which there are 3 this year.  B and I were looking at things we might cut out.  But while we could, we didn't want to!  We really love everything that we do and while the preparation for things like camping take a lot, once we are there, we never regret it and actually love getting away from technology and just being still as a family.

So what's a girl to do?  I do what I do when I don't know what to do!  I prayed on it.  Then just today I was reading a post from a blog that I am going to start using as ideas for devotionals for my girls each week and the subject was about TIME. 

she said...

...we can not claim even a single minute of time as our own.

If we can keep this in mind, if we will truly take hold of this truth, we will come to terms with the “interruptions” of motherhood. When we’re tempted to resent the “demands” on “our” time, when our plans are sidetracked by the needs of others, when we’re almost asleep and the baby wakes up again, we can remind ourselves — if God has brought it to pass, then it is part of His plan. And if it is part of His plan, then it is how we, His servants, should joyfully invest His time.

I guess I should have listened to my Mom better - she used to tell me ALL THE TIME that it's about attitude  :o)  It's not MY time to have anyway.  I will still cherish that hour when the kids are in bed and B is at the gym and I have time to myself - BUT the other 23 hours of the day where I am the one making sure that everyone is where they need to be with the stuff they need to have, I will do it with a more loving heart and know that by doing so, I am sserving HIM!!!!!