Balance

That simple word is a big one. And definitely part of the new motto around our home.

Last month, our lives changed a bit when I accepted a part time job in retail working nights and weekends. I’m typically on the closing shift 4 days per week. The exact days change each week. It’s meant the boys have dinner and bedtime without me those nights. Which, being totally honest, makes me a bit sad at times but I’m also grateful they get one-on-one time regularly now.

In an effort to keep us organized and make sure they easily have good meals, I resigned us up for eMeals meal planning. I also might have literally jumped for joy when I saw Harris Teeter reduced their Express Lane shopping orders to $1.95 for the summer again. I used them a LOT last summer when watching our niece (so worth it to pay $1.95 versus wrangling 2 toddlers in a car cart in the grocery store) and have already used it once since the fee dropped (again, worth $1.95 versus spending my free time walking the aisles of yet another store).

Another organizing technique we’ve added is using shared calendars on our phones. Thank you, Apple iCloud, for making that easy. Trent and I now have a shared “home” calendar we can each access easily to keep track of events we both need to be aware of (such as birthday parties he needs to take our son to when I’m working). I created a second shared calendar appropriately titled “work” where I note my hours. This one I also shared with my parents so they know my new schedule.

It’s been an interesting change. Certainly not where I pictured myself when I started applying for full time positions last fall. But for the moment, I’m enjoying our new life. I’m very blessed to still get to spend my days at home with our son and, on the nights I do work, I know he’s in the best possible care. I think it’s even helped the two of them to get a bit closer. They now get dedicated time each week to special adventures for just the two of them. That makes my heart happy.