Ever have one of those days when you can’t believe how much you managed to pack in? I have those days often. When I have a day like that I usually go over it in my head at night and think about what might have been okay to wait on. I ask myself, “How I could have done it differently?” Ultimately, at the end of a busy day, I feel pretty accomplished. But knowing when is too much before I set out to do it all has always been a struggle for me.

I recently met a mom in our community who is involved in everything, she has three kids, holds an elected position, is involved in the PTA, volunteers her professional skills in the community, is the President of a non-profit she started, and still managed to seem calm and collected when talking to me. It is not my goal to be involved in a million things but somehow I find, that much like her, I enjoy staying busy and I like being active in my community.

During the next few months, I have more things going on than I can believe. While I like being busy and involved I also don’t like things to seem out of control or be unmanageable. Honestly, some mornings I don’t even know how I get out the door with all three kids and get my daughters to preschool without breaking my neck.

In the midst of an already hefty week, chock full of drop-offs and pick-ups, snack days, errands, room parent meetings, groceries, laundry, housekeeping, etc., I hardly had the time to finish the construction of turning my daughter’s red wagon into an airplane for the Butter & Eggs Day Parade. That’s when it hit me, what am I doing trying to turn the wagon into an airplane in the first place? Ok, maybe I’m excited about the theme this year and the whole family is getting into it. Plus, now I have one wing finished and I like to finish what I’ve started. Oh, man!

In the midst of my normal amount of busy there is Passover coming next week. A lot of people will be gathering at my mother-in-law’s house to sit around the Seder table. I am looking forward to this gathering this year because my children are getting older I am hoping they will start to conceptualize the holiday and act a little better at the Seder table. But as if the coming of a big Jewish holiday isn’t enough, we are going to try and keep Passover this year, which means we will be eliminating all leavened products from our home. I am hoping that my little ones will enjoy PB & J as much on Matzah crackers as much as they do on bread (“Hoping” is the operative word here, full report on this experiment to come).

Let’s just forget about looking at the calendar in May. In May, I will officially blow-up because May on the calendar is already full to the brim, complete with a getaway for my husband and me without the kids smack dab in the middle of the month, a Spring Tea, Mother’s Day, a bridal shower for my sister (that I am throwing), my daughter’s dance recital, etc., etc.  So what do I do looking at my full plate? I think about starting up training for a half marathon on May 22nd.  Seriously?

It is an ongoing struggle for moms; balancing their schedules with those of their children, husbands/partners, and families while trying not to fit too much extra in. It’s something that I will probably experience again and again because it’s who I am. I made the decision to not train right now for a half marathon and instead keep to my running at the gym and outside when I can. But the question of “how do moms manage personal goals and aspirations while balancing the demands of a busy family life?” still comes up for me. Although it isn’t a life shattering decision, there is sadness that I had to make the choice not to do something that I wanted (for now).

I think I will get better at knowing what’s doable and what isn’t, what’s crazy and what’s not, and what can wait and what can’t. Raising kids is a marathon in and of itself, and while I don’t necessarily get the fancy shirt for registering and number for race day, it’s a distance worth running as long as the end goal is a family well taken care of and happy.