Where has the time gone?  Don’t you feel like that is a question you are always asking yourself?  Is it really almost November?

The answer is ‘yes’!  Time is flying by while we watch these children grow up.  It seems like my tween just started the soccer season and the LAST game is this Saturday!  Soccer season is going to be over.  It will soon be Thanksgiving…Christmas and then…2011!

As the time goes by and seasons change, life also continues to change.  We have spent the last few months living at the soccer fields in the evenings and on Saturday’s.  Now what?  Will we choose to start up other activities or take some time off to be home and together as a family.  Like most things, this has snuck up on me!!

I feel like I am always evaluating the quality of my family’s life.  Does my daughter need to start gymnastics or does she need more time at home with family?  Should I give my son a chance at playing Lacrosse (like fellow blogger Kelly Gump does with her tweens) or should I stick to basketball for him?

Raising children often requires LOTS of decision making.  I am at that point right now where I need to make those decisions for my kids.  I will keep you posted on what we do…until then, we will see you on the soccer field!!

How do you make decisions on how your tween spends his time?

The photo is one of my things I like to do for myself, make cards, organize gatherings and be creative!!

Time = life; therefore, waste your time and waste  your life, or master your time and master your life

Alan Laiken

Time management is something I think we mothers struggle with.  There are so many things that need to be done in a day.  There are so many people and places that need our time.  It is definitely a process of progression in life.

Last year, I home schooled my tween.  Time management was essential for me to accomplish the things that I needed to.  The problem for me was that there really wasn’t time for me to do anything else besides take care of my three children and teach my tween.

This year, I am experiencing a whole new lifestyle and more extra time than I have had in a very long time.  I think the things I learned last year as a home school mother helped me to get a clearer picture on the importance of time.

We are all very different in how we use our time.  We have the basic things we need to do;  go to work, cook meals, clean our homes, have time with our spouse, tend to bills and other responsibilities we have outside the home.  There are lots of hats to juggle.

Since we are women, we also need to take care of ourselves, get exercise and have time to ponder and pray.

I also see a great importance in having a little fun.  What makes us really happy?  For some it might be a hot bath, time to craft, blog or be with friends.  Those things are important…if they personally bring you happiness.

For this Mother, I have made a little cleaning schedule for myself to more fully utilize my time:

Monday – mopping and ironing

Tuesday – deep cleaning the bathrooms

Wednesday – dusting, polishing appliances

Thursday- Vacuuming and wiping down the van

Friday – blogging time

I have also made it a point to go to bed earlier and exercise daily.  Finally, taking time whenever I can to meditate and pray are going to be one of the things I want to work on!!

This year is a whole new world for me and I am most definitely enjoying it!!

How do you spend any free time?

These past couple weeks have been full of lots of transition for most Mothers.  With kids going back to school and starting activities, summer has been kissed goodbye and a new schedule has begun.

There is also the change of the weather that I am so excited for.  For our family, this is our last year here in Jacksonville and that means the beginning of many changes.  First off, we are starting all that needs to be done to sell our home.

We have had our family garden here and made the big step of filling it in this weekend.  My husband dug all the remaining plants and weeds up and filled it in with sod.  All those memories, work and so much more…have been covered up and only saved in pictures and memories.

Here are a few other changes and transitions that are going on in the life of this Mother;

-  Two kids in school and only one at home….huge change!!

-  Soccer schedules and evenings spent at the soccer field with kids.

- Saturdays full of soccer games.

-  Packing early morning lunches and having time to exercise again.

-  Making a schedule so I am sure to use my time wisely and enjoy every minute I have here at home with my baby.

-  Menu planning so we can have dinner between soccer practices and activities and try to keep it family time.

I love change and that is always the one thing in life that is CONSTANT!  I am ready for this change of schedule, change of pace and all the fun memories and experiences it will bring.

What are some of the changes that have come for you with the start of school?

Woo-hoo!  We made it through the first week of school.  My tween is happy, thriving and loving it!

I was a home school Mom this past year.  Sending my tween back to school was a big deal.  He high fived me on the way out the door and there was no looking back.  I absolutely adore his teacher…she works these kids hard and I love that!!

I love every minute of being with my tween, but I also noticed that my stress level has decreased quite a bit.  I can actually think straight and even more, accomplish a few more things in a day.

I have been teaching my tween for a year now and every spare moment of my day was dedicated to school.  I feel like I need to re-invent myself in a way.  All those things that slipped through the cracks this past year can be patched up.  I even made a little cleaning schedule for myself to keep up on my home work.

The old days of scheduling school, have been replaced by getting the kids to and from school, getting some exercise and keeping up on the home and duties of Motherhood.

I still have one little one left at home and we have had fun together.  I have so much time to dedicate to her, read to her, play with her and laugh with her.  Heck, I’m even having play group in my backyard this week…..crazy!!

Although I miss the days of schooling my tween, I have learned what works for me and what doesn’t.  I have learned how I function best in being the Mom that I want to be.

Here is to a new year and lots of new experiences and adventures…wish me luck!!

I have officially been a mom for almost eight years.  I have been busy being pregnant, birthing babies, changing diapers and raising kids.  I am not complaining…I love every minute of staying home with my kids.  But there is one truth we all share as mothers.  It is really hard to take time for ourselves.

I recently shared a conversation with a mom I admire beyond words.  She was telling me how her only time to workout was after her kids went to bed.  My jaw dropped at her dedication and work ethic.  By the end of the day I am usually pretty worthless. 

This is something I feel we all struggle with, keeping up our homes, raising happy kids, keeping up with the bills, homework assignments and oh, I almost forgot…taking time to take care of ourselves.

This is an area where I have failed.  I often feel exhausted, frustrated and unable to get the exercise and personal study time accomplished each day.  I feel like I can’t continue to put myself last.  I need to somehow make a change to get my exercise and quiet time each day. 

My children are getting older and I feel like I finally am at a point where I can join a gym.  There is a small amount of guilt I feel inside by putting my kids in the daycare area.  When I start to feel this guilt, I remind myself how important it is for me to take care of myself so that I have the energy each day to keep up with them.  I also remind myself that I want to be healthy and strong to be here for them for as long as I can.  Here is to a summer of health and excercise for mom!!

**I took this picture while I was in Utah of a girl biking…it inspired me!

How do you take time for yourself while keeping up with all the responsibilities of motherhood?