The truth is I never know if I’m making the right choices as a parent…all I really know is that I’m doing the best that I can.

I want my boys to be respectful of the adults in their lives and their time.

I want them to know that while they might not have paid for that toy that are playing with that someone worked hard in order to give it to them.

I want them to respect the value of those toys and take care of them.

I want them to know that there are consequences for their actions.

I want them to know that they are loved no matter what!

I feel like some days I am killing it as a parent that these lessons are really starting to sink in….Then there are days like the last few where it all comes off the rails and that whole consequences thing comes into play. I struggle with this part because how do you know what is the right consequence…

Every year I tell myself it won’t be as crazy busy then I quickly lose control of the calendar! In a way I feel like the kids being in school forces me to make choices and adds a required structure. But in the summer bedtimes are later and the kids can sleep in so I end up piling in as many things as we can fit.

One of the boys plays in a summer soccer league which puts us out of the house two nights a week. Farmer Brad is playing in a softball league so we are out one night a week for that. This late in the summer we add in hockey dry land camps for the other boy around bible school this week and finishing up 4-H projects in time for the fair.

I’m gonna admit it, I mom failed yesterday because it was the first day of bible school and I didn’t realize it until 30 mins after it had started and the kids were still in bed…Needless to say we didn’t make it.

The calendar literally has at least two events per day on it, it’s full! I live by alarms and calendar alerts! But I don’t feel like I can say no to any of it! The kids will only be this age once! And the parents need to fit in that self care time where we can. So once again I will simply say maybe next year will be less crazy!