Wednesday, March 17, 2010

hi my name is kristi




remember me? yeah, i haven't been here in a while. i think about it a lot, and it's not like there aren't a million things in my life that i could write about on a daily basis. in fact, my sister and i were on the phone one day, and she bursted out, "there is always something going on at your house. you always have these hilarious, exciting stories to tell. and it's so boring around here." (she has a 2 yo who is as quiet as she is...)

so yes, it's pretty much always a 3-ring circus around here. or a 7-ring if you count the adults and dog too. and i am finding it increasingly difficult to keep all the rings going at once. like trying to hula-hoop with all those hoops on at once--a few around my neck, a couple around my waist, and a few around my knees. can you imagine? ok, good, then you get what it's like right now. after all, this blog isn't called "being kristi bennett" for nothing.

aedan started little league a few weeks ago. we had no idea--NO IDEA--how involved it would be. and here's the thing: i am not even that involved with it. rick pretty much takes care of that--goes to practices, even some games, without me.




lest you think i'm just lounging on the couch sipping cocktails while he's out being an amazing dad, though, i must tell you that we have entered the world of girl scouts in a big way. we've been selling cookies every weekend for the past 3 weekends i think (it's all a blur, i tell you--see why i haven't written here? i am sounding like a crazy person.).


i am so proud of her: she stands at the grocery store, hocking those yummy, tasty, tempting treats, yelling, "get your girl scout cookies! only $3.50 a box!" in a sing-song voice like you hear at a baseball game from the dudes selling hot dogs. it's awesome to watch her do this. it's also exhausting. at one point last weekend while we were at the cookie booth, she sat down and said, "mom, i am just really worn out. can i take a break from selling cookies?"


and this is why i haven't been writing. i feel like we have entered this world that i have always sworn i didn't want to be in. you know, the rush-my-kids-all-around-and-push-them-to-be-in-every-club-and-sport-and-excel-to-the-nth-degree kind of mom. the "soccer mom," if you will, except instead it's little league and girl scouts (oh, and tennis once a week after school, too). and i don't know how to balance everything. my friend yesterday told me that she had this moment when she was feeling really busy and then she felt thrilled about tackling everything and getting it all done. i just looked at her and said, "that must be a personality thing, because i haven't had that 'thrilled' feeling even once!"

the thing is, i want my kids to be in extracurricular activities. to have those special opportunities that are hopefully going to make them extremely well-rounded adults someday. but i have been watching them come home night after night, completely exhausted yet so wound up they can't fall asleep (even without sugar!), and it makes me wonder if we are making the right decision to let them do these things. the three of them have already been sick once since this all started a few weeks ago, and it looks like the baby is already sick again. because of course he's affected by it all too, even though he isn't actively participating.


i told rick last weekend that i didn't even feel like taking pictures or writing anything down because i don't feel creative at all. and right now, i'm not overworked, i'm pretty content (aside from the scheduling thing) generally speaking, so i'm not sure what's going on. maybe i just need to take a class, or go on vacation, or read a good book (by the way, the one i finished not too long ago--star craving mad--is fantastic and you should read it).

anyone else relating right now? was john donne really right in that no man is an island? i really hope so...

4 comments:

Kellie said...

Personally, I think you need a vacation to Boston :)

Be patient with yourself. It may take you a little while to find your "sea legs" in this new stage of life but I have no doubt that you will.

Sara the sister said...

Thx for the shout-out & I'm going to leap out on that proverbial limb & say that your high energy personality would lead you to a very active household no matter how many kids you had @ home or if they were like Jackson (who was literally screaming in excitement @ all the kids on the playground this AM - seriously???). So enjoy your weekend away & can't wait to vaca w/ you cocktail in hand somewhere in the DFW area in a couple months. :) Love you! And, yes, I'm taking notes.

SaraM said...

I understand how you feel (too busy)... I've been trying to figure out a balance this year because life just got too wild. And now, we're home a lot of weekends and weeknights. The kids are actually getting bored:) But they're playing outside and doing all the stuff kids should do. Only you (and Rick) can figure out the balance for your family--and then forget what craziness everyone else is up to:)

Amy said...

I think what you are feeling is totally natural. I believe that we all go through stages like this and then eventually adjust and then sort of repeat the process with different factors. Does that even make sense? But you are not alone!

On a side note, I haven't had a single Girl Scout cookie this year! I was waiting until we moved to get some. I just checked the website to see where to find them here. The season has ended here! What?! I am so bummed. I wish I could show up and buy some from G.