Fun?

Saturday morning I am up at 7 showering to try and wake myself up for the day ahead. 4 kids have soccer games, 1 is at a sleepover birthday and one has a party to go to later on in the day. Fitz has a show… camp open house, which we are all expected to attend eventually. After I am dressed, I sort through shinpads and cleats, making sure they are all there, and start getting everyone dressed. By 8:30 all are dressed and fed and I begin the rounds. First game is Emma’s, so I load up the van and head over to the field. It’s picture day as well, so we sort that out and get her over with her team. Once she is settled, I leave Margaret there to watch her game and load everyone else back in the van. We zip over to pick Charlie up at his friend’s house and then off to the other field for EJ’s team pictures. Drop EJ and Pipo off there and run back to catch the end of Emma’s game. Grab Emma and Margaret and run back to the other field to catch EJ’s game. Leave at half time to run Emma to a birthday party. Back to the field to catch the end of EJ’s game and get Margaret over for her team pictures. Watch the first half of Margaret’s game, and then run off to pick Emma up from the party. Catch the end of Margaret’s game and send Pipo over for his team picture. Run to the store to quickly grab some snacks and drinks for starving children. Catch the second half of Pipo’s game and then run over to camp to see the end of Fitz’s show. It’s almost 5 now, and we need to pick up the boys’ friend who is sleeping over. Back to the house to start dinner. (Actually Fitz starts dinner so I can throw laundry in) Feed kids and put on a movie. Run to Target with Kaleigh to find new bedding for her room. Home at 9 and I am wiped.

Sunday morning, I am up and showering again at 7. Get the kids all up, fed and dressed as 5 of them have CCD at 8:15. Zip back to the house to clean up a bit and then over to church to pick up the kids and go to 9:30 mass. It is hospitality Sunday, so we are there until 11:30. Run home and get Charlie changed for soccer, and EJ ready for a birthday party. Fitz runs off to another show he is doing with the rest of the kids. I drop Charlie off with his coach and head 3 towns over for EJs party. Off to the store while he is at the party and pick up a few Halloween costumes, and then some groceries. Pick EJ up and head back to town to pick Charlie up from his game. The we are off to Fitz’s show, and to find the rest of the kids. It’s a massive fundraising event for a good friend of ours who’s son was in a terrible car accident. Run around the festival for a couple of hours, and then pack the kids back up to head home. Drop off sleepover friend and back to the house to start dinner. Cook dinner while running kids through showers and helping other kids with homework. By 8:30 everyone is fed, bathed homework done and in bed. And I am ready for it too.

So in the middle of the evening chaos tonight, while I am at the stove cooking dinner, and yelling up the stairs for Charlie to make sure he washes his hair, and EJ is on one side of me asking how to do his math homework and Margaret is on the other side asking about her science home work, Pipo asks me “Is it fun being a mom?” I just stood there for a minute, thinking to myself, “Is this fun? Is this fun???” And really… it is. It’s exhausting and stressful and sometimes (okay a lot of the time) insane… but it is fun, and I wouldn’t change it.