That Tricky Balance

The schedule is always busy these days and balancing that is tricky.  I find myself surrendering it to God and asking for His leading and His wisdom.  After all, our family schedule is not a god to be served, but a tool for us to seize the opportunities He brings our way.  

Lately, Blossom1 has been in full swing of college assignments, work, and Fair Queen duties. And I coordinate many of these events that she's a part of.  Fair Queen guidelines require that she is chaperoned by me or the Rugged Mountain Man at all times, so while she's certainly gained independence at this stage of her life, I'm still ON. 

But what about the other Blossoms? Of course, they've tagged along for a number of events.  Her latest presentations in the local elementary schools just aren't really feasible for my three lovely blond tag-alongs though.  

I've always been a WITH type of parent though, because more is caught than taught.

Holding tightly to our parenting philosophy in this time has taken a bit of creativity.  I'm seeing that parenting teenagers at the same time as elementary and middle school age children necessarily mean I have to choose one age group over the other.  Sometimes the schedule makes it feel like that though.  

Last week, Blossom1 needed to sojourn to a more rural part of our school district.  I rounded up ALL the Blossoms to enjoy the beautiful scenic van ride along the Mighty Susquehanna River.  Then, we dropped them off at a very cool local park, complete with a cell phone and schoolwork.  Blossom2 (who is now FIFTEEN) spearheaded some lovely sunshine time while Blossom1 promoted the Fair to 200 kiddos!  When we were all finished, we gleefully swung by the park, picked up the rest of our contingent and headed to our favorite Goodwill store for a fabulous all-girlie thrifting session.  It was quality time at its finest!  School was accomplished, our souls soaked up the sunshine, and our hearts were happy.  

The younger Blossoms stayed home this morning during Blossom1's two presentations.  When we got home, I dumped out the scraps from our Dress Up A Vegetable activity and let Blossom3 and Blossom4 take a break from bookwork to dress up a cucumber.  It was so simple but their smiles were so big!  My mama heart was happy.

Tomorrow Blossom1 will present to another 200 kiddos.  I'm thinking a good trip to the library for the three younger Blossoms may be in order.  What's better than books and quiet and a little school in a different location?  Ohhhhh, and maybe frosties afterward?  

Maybe balancing parenting so many different age groups and schedules is still doable with a little thought.