The time when less became more

A couple of weeks ago our church started a series titled Less is More, and believe it or no its not about material things, which has me thinking a lot about pruning.

You see, I think society has led us to believe that we always have to be doing something, that our lives need to be full of activities, that we always have to be moving, that our schedules need to be full... and I'm not saying that having activities is bad (in fact, most of these activities are good), but what happens when we stretch ourselves so thin that the only word to describe our lives is stress. Its gotten to the point that even our kids are starting to think that not having some space in their schedule is bad. Our children are the next generation, what will the future look like if they start stressing out now? If they grow up thinking this is normal? 

I'm guilty of over-scheduling; the look of a full page on a weekly planner makes me smile.

I was the mom who always had some activity planned for me and the kids. During the school year, we had something going on almost every day: fun activities for the kids, nature walks, play dates with friends, playground visits, afternoons at the library... something... anything.... nothing bad, just busy, busy, busy. 

However, a few months ago, I decided I would slow down a bit and give myself permission to chill at home while all the kids were in school (about 3 hours a day) and watch some TV or read a book, or just relax on the couch (yes, you read this right, lay on the couch), instead of going to the gym, running errands or doing chores around the house. I decided it was okay to let the house be messy some times and just hang out with the kids. I started learning how to be okay with having nothing planned for our afternoon and just "playing it by ear"... and let me tell you, it was a lot harder than I expected it to be, but so worth it.

I noticed I was less stressed and the kids were less tired (which always equals less tantrums). I became a fun mom (true story), and we had some great times in our small apartment. Moreover, when we did go out, the kids appreciated it even more and were more compliant! 

So you can imagine the affirmation I felt a few weeks ago when we started this series at church (as if the immediate results weren't enough). I love it when you feel led to do something and then get confirmation from God a few months later. 

Now that summer is here and we are on our way to our home school adventure (in the fall), as tempting as it is to try to make it to all the activities and accept every invitation, we are trying to be very strategic about our time. We are making time to hang out with friends, to participate in fun activities hosted by the library or the free movie club for kids, but we are also leaving time open to just hang out at home and have a dance party, to read some books together, to enjoy the pool with and without friends, and its been the best summer so far.

So I urge you, I know there are lots of fun camps in the summer, lots of great activities to participate in, but try to choose wisely and maybe limit the amount of things you and your kids get involved in, and lets think back to how we spent our summers growing up: playing outside until dusk and hanging out with family, relaxing. Lets schedule less and enjoy more.