Staving Off Mommy Guilt Via Advanced Planning

Levi's first baseball practice was last week on what seemed like the coldest day this year. The long sleeves I put on the kids were useless in the face of biting wind. Not the best of times to discover that Casey had cleaned out the trunk of my car for me...taking all the jackets inside. So how come I was still the one feeling guilty about my freezing little ones? Cause I'm the mommy, that's why. But my friend Debbie came to the rescue pulling hoodies out of the back of her van like some kind of supermom, wordlessly reminding me that I need to get our "on the go" stuff organized. Through the winter we stayed home a lot, just venturing out for church and our library's storytime. But now that baseball has started up we'll be running a lot more and running with a baby and a toddler (and a preschooler...and, oh did I mention, a kindergartener?) requires much more stuff. And so I must organize the stuff. Also, organizing the stuff is a handy way to avoid trying to figure out why I feel threatened when other moms appear to have it more together than I do. Cause really, that's a whole other post.
So...what does one need to keep several small children warm or cool (you just know as soon as I remember to put sweatshirts in the car it will be 99 degrees), fed, entertained, safe, clean (enough), and out of (too much) mischief?

• sweatshirts or jacket
• baby wipes and diapers
• a small first aid kit
• a potty seat lined with a diaper in a plastic bag
• paper towels
• extra clothes & underwear for babies and toddlers
• a throw blanket and/or plastic tablecloth for picnics or for sitting on when the ground is wet
• Tylenol & Benedryl ( I might add Valium to this list later)
• plastic bags and baggies
• sunscreen
• a hand broom to knock the sand of the playground set before they get in the car
• drinks and snacks
• toys, paper and crayons or markers (which would hold up better in a hot trunk? Probably markers, huh?)

I have a rubbermaid container in the trunk that usually holds most of this stuff, but I may need to upsize a tad. On the one hand, I like to be a simple mom.

Need a drink? There's the water fountain.

Want a snack? Use your money.

Bored? Go play on the playground.

But my kids are too little for all that simpleness to be very effective. One mom with four kids (one who's yelling "hey, mom, watch this" like every.five.seconds.) is NOT simple and I need to just admit that and move on. So what am I forgetting on this list? What other possible scenarios could I be prepared for?

I hope everyone had a wonderful Easter!

I certainly did. Jack woke us all up very early but as I was grumbling to myself I remembered Mary walking to the garden to prepare Christ's body. I'm sure she wasn't complaining about the early hour - she was on her way to do the only thing she knew to do for her Master. And aren't I doing all of this for Him? So I snuggled with my babies and we read the Resurrection story. What better way to start the day?!
The day wasn't all perfect (um, by any stretch of the imagination), but I did have a wonderful peaceful feeling all day long. Here's hoping I can hold onto it.
Because baseball starts tonight.

Jobs

Being a mom is a big job all by itself. Even just raising one child - feeding them healthy food, seeing that they're educated, involved in appropriate activities, making sure that they grow and develop at the rate they should, all the various appointments involved, making sure they get enough love and attention - well it takes a lot of brainpower. Multiply that by four. And factor in a husband with scheduling issues ( to put it mildly!). Add in homeschooling, church, and trying to run a house. No wonder I'm tired:) It doesn't leave much time for deep thought. Or any thought for that matter, which is why posting here is so random. It isn't that we aren't doing interesting things, I just don't have time to blog about them.
I do seem to have especially a lot on my plate right now...Christian is teething (the first one is through! yeah! please no one remind me how many more to come!). Levi is also having some dental issues so we're finding a dentist. Fun. Can you feel my dread? I hate the dentist. Speaking of Levi, he's finishing up everything I had planned for kindergarten already, but I hate to lose the momentum we finally have going so we're starting on some new stuff. And the kids have started Kids Club at church on Wednesday nights, which is fun, but really messes up our evening routine. And there is red crayon melted on about 1/4 of the clothes we own - any ideas? And I'm trying to rearrange the grocery budget since groceries have gone up right along with gas. The church library I started is still sitting in my garage. And the garden (how can I be behind already?!). Plus Easter!
Okay, I've got to stop there. I'm getting tired just thinking about all that. Actually, I'm going to have to scratch some of that. I just realized as I was typing it out (and that is only a partial list!) just how nuts it is to try to do all that with four little ones. No wonder I haven't been anticipating Easter like I want to. Who's had time to think about it! So I'm off to look at my to do list and see what should be cut and what should be postponed. Then I'm getting out the Easter stuff!