I started this week on the struggle bus. I’ve been looking forward to dance and baseball because I love watching my kids do what they love, but this week marked the start of nearly 2 months of straight crazy.

I’m owned by my kids’ activities every single week night between now and the end of October. I definitely need the shirt that says “I can’t, we have baseball (or dance).” And to top it all off, I dropped the ball on night one of children’s activities by showing up at the end of ballet class instead of the beginning. Turns out I saved the time incorrectly in my calendar 2 months ago when we registered. It didn’t go over real well with my little ballerina.

So I’ve been over here this week letting it eat at me. How are we going to get through the next 7 weeks with any level of sanity left to show at the end? No doubt it’ll end in exhaustion for both me and the kids.

But then I remembered something. Yes this is going to be hard for the next 7 weeks and yes it’s okay to acknowledge that and know that it’ll be stressful at times, but these are just small things when all is said and done.

I know that in hindsight I probably won’t even remember the rushing through dinner, homework and showers so we could fit everything in. I won’t remember how I screwed up the first day of dance (unless that one kid never lets me live it down, which is very possible). I won’t remember how I sent my kid to baseball in dirty pants because who has time to wash those things every 2 days. I won’t remember the 3 trips to sporting goods store in 1 week to get all the things I didn’t realize we needed this season and how quickly all those things added up.

Instead I’ll remember that one hit of the season that made my boy feel like a star and put a look of pure joy on his face. I’ll remember the two outs he got in one game that made him want to play short stop forever and ever. I’ll remember leaning forward at my daughter’s recital so nobody saw my tears as I watched my sweet girl dance her heart out and I’ll remember how she watched that recital video over and over again afterwards for weeks.

How absolutely incredible it is that I get to be present for these moments. What a privilege it is to watch them grow.

I kind of feel like the secret to life might just be meeting each struggle with enough gratitude to find and appreciate the beauty hidden in the chaos. Admittedly, that’s sometimes easier said than done, but something I’ve been actively working on for the last 2 years.

See ya in November.