The kids will be participating in "Bible Character Night" during AWANA this Wed. night and I am pleased to report that their costumes are ready to go. They have been completed or acquired! Lovey will debute as an angel. (Complete costume purchased at Joann Fabrics at 50% off.) P'Tater's "Jonah" ensemble is a One of a Kind designed and made with love by Momma. I finished it on Sunday night. A full 3 days early. Go me. 

Last year, they wore dress up clothes and we pulled it together the day of. Since we donated all of their dress up clothes/costumes at the end of the summer in our massive Fling-a-thon, I knew we needed a plan this year. I was determined NOT to wait until the last minute and scramble to pull it all together because that is just a headache waiting to happen.

Ya know, I used to thrive on the adrenalin rush that came from working down to the wire. This came from working in the wedding industry for over a decade. (Weddings are the ultimate time sensitive events. Flowers, cakes, etc. cannot be done too far ahead of time.)

I worked extremely well under pressure. I was an expert in Parkinson's Law: "Work expands so as to fill the time available for its completion."

 This girl could "pull it off" with mere seconds to spare and not break a sweat.

I aimed to be SuperWoman. I was capable... and very busy. I juggled a husband, two babies, a business, a home, and ministry. If a full calendar made one a success, I had arrived.

Now?

Not so much...

These days, I avoid high pressure/stressful situations. I don't have a bunch of projects going at all times. My calendar has lots of blank squares. We take our time. Being in a hurry makes me c-r-a-n-k-y. I don't handle pressure so well anymore.  

What happened to me?

Well, I attribute most of the changes to my current roles and circumstances. I rarely have "major" deadlines. Almost any task in my life can be done within any given day or week. The laundry isn't going anywhere. Nobody's life or reputation is at stake if breakfast is an hour early or late. We can have a spelling test at 10am or 4pm...Who cares? So the morning routine starts at noon...Big Deal... You get the picture. I somehow misplaced that SuperWoman costume.

I am also getting older. My body rebells when I have too much stress in my life.  I can no longer pull an all-nighter. My "full plate" days are over... at least for now. My life is pretty simple and uncomplicated. It is really quite boring, actually.

I guess my kids have a lot to do with it too.  It is my desire to train my children to manage their time efficiently and to be functionally organized. I know that they may have a natural tendency toward tardiness, messiness, or procrastination, but at least I will do my best to teach them by example. (It is likely that Lovey inherited the clutter bug gene from both M and I.) My mother was always prompt, she was born organized and managed her time well. It takes some effort for me to do what came naturally to her... but it can be done! My house is not Better Homes and Gardens ready nor do I iron my husband's work shirts. It is what it is and that is good enough.

I don't want my kids to think it is "normal" to be stressed out, chronically late, or disorganized. Their childhoods have not been filled with lots of activities, sports, or other "extras". I know that is the "norm" in our society, but we have opted out of it. They have one extracurricular activity, such as AWANA, at a time and that is it. We go to the park about once a week to play with other homeschool kids. That's enough for us.

Some might think that we are depriving our kids of great opportunities or not fostering their potential... maybe so, but probably not.  All I know is keeping life low-key keeps Momma sane. I refuse to be driving around in the van all day long, transporting kids from one activity to the next. Weekends are not taken up with multiple soccer games, dance recitals, or whatnot. I have lots of friends who are happy to keep this type of schedule.  It is not for me. I get to sleep in on Saturday mornings. Their Daddy makes them a special breakfast and they cuddle up with him on the couch to watch cartoons. It's a good thing.

So, I guess the costumes were ready days in advance simply because they were a priority. They could be since I don't have a lot of other things competing for my time and energy. I like it that way.

There is no SuperWoman cape in my wardrobe. Just an apron. Haha.

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