Breathe

Oh blog, how I have missed you...I am hoping that I can actually find time to write on a more regular basis now that I am finally starting to feel like I can breathe again! That there actually is a light at the end of the tunnel... I am not even sure how to begin to explain the sheer chaos, hectic schedule, pure exhaustion, daily grind feel that life quickly took on after adding our second child. Two small children less than two years apart, two full-time working parents with too many irons in the fire and I felt like our family was on the fast track to disaster. With increasing pressure from all areas of life, I felt like I couldn't keep all the balls in the air and still come out sane in the end. So, after much contemplation and discussion, we decided it would be best for our family if the work ball got set down or at least reduced in size, allowing for better juggling of the rest of them. It was hard to let go and move on from a job I enjoyed, but now that I am finally part-time, I have no doubt that it was the best decision we could have made. I am taking more time with our children; on a basic level, removing the pressure to be out of the house at a certain time every morning, but also on an involvement level. I have signed up to chaperone all of the summer field trips at our daycare (something that wouldn't have been feasible if I was still working FT). I am so excited to build these additional memories with our kids. I am also using some of that extra time to keep our life organized (well...at this point, I am still in the stages of getting it back to state of organization after years of neglect :). Basic things like grocery shopping, preparing meals and cleaning the house are slowly becoming more manageable and allowing the time that we actually do have together as a family to be spent on just that: Family time! Time to observe our kids being kids, time to play with our kids, time to talk and hang out together. Time that before would have been spent on all those other things, not allowing for that togetherness. I don't know if I can adequately describe just haow much I am looking forward to not only spending more quality time with my family, but tackling that ever growing list of things to do! Yes, I am finally beginning to breathe again...