Busy, Busy Me

I've been one busy "Me" lately. I've had a lot on my plate and it's starting to catch up with me. Once Bailey was born, I went from full time work to part time work with my same employer. Last Summer, my boss talked me into working full time for two months while we went through some employee changes. It was tough being away from my kids, but it helped us financially and it was short term so I chose to do it. Around Christmas time, my boss and I agreed that I would work full time March-June of this year since that is typically our busy season. I was anxious to be away from my kids for 5 days in a row, but again, there was an end in sight so it didn't seem as daunting. Here it is late June and I'm just plain tired. I've been working full time, going to Boot camp three mornings a week, playing soccer weekly, running multiple times a week, keeping our house afloat (with my awesome husbands help), cooking dinners at night, and still being mom at all hours of the day/night. I'm not going to lie, I'm pooped. Would you like an example of my tiredness? Last Friday, I rushed to work to get there early for a meeting. The meeting was on Thursday ... and I attended it. Oh yes, I'm blaming that one on being way too tired.

Besides those occasional "crazy" moments as I call them, I've been getting subtle hints from God over the past two weeks telling me that it's time to "clear off my plate" and slow down. Here are two quotes that I've seen recently:

• Make an investment into your future and get some balance in your life. Say "yes" to what God says "yes" to and "no" to what God says "no" to. - Joyce Meyer
• You make your schedule, and you're the only one who can change it. - Joyce Meyer

The last one really got to me. She's right, I choose my schedule. I say yes and I say no. I fill the schedule (with my husbands help) so there's no one to blame but myself for how busy I've been. I also saw the following article a few months ago, and it really stuck with me.

"Busyness - Even though the apostles were busy doing the work of the kingdom, Jesus recognized their need for rest and made sure they set some quiet time aside to replenish their bodies and souls. What a great lesson for us! When our days are scheduled tightly, we leave no margin for error and any unexpected hindrance is magnified. This creates unnecessary stress and can leave everyone irritable and exhausted. In a culture that glorifies activity, achievement, and 'busyness,' it can be hard to slow down the pace of our lives and the lives of our children. It takes wisdom to prioritize our activities and risk feeling 'left out' of the mainstream. Are there areas where you or your children's lives might be over-scheduled? Make it a priority to provide time for rest and relaxation for everyone in your family including yourself."

That being said, I'm taking a break from a few things in the month of July. Since I can't stop being a mom, and I can't ignore my work, I'm going to take a break from Boot camp. I will still work out and run, but this will allow me more hours of sleep since I go to Boot camp three days a week at 5:30am. Although I will greatly miss the girls that I workout with, I hope that this will restore me to a less sleepy state of life. I realize that with three small kids, I will always be tired, but I don't always have to be exhausted. I will also practice saying no to things that come up and either take time away from my family or that will wear me down in the long run. I vow that July will be "take it easy" month at the Morrison household. Who's with me?!