"How are you?" "Oh, busy!" "Yeah, us, too!"

I'm always whining about how busy we are. Sometimes it feels like all we do is run, run, run. I think this is a very common theme in modern life, almost to the point of becoming cliche. We complain and complain but do nothing about it.

This winter has been tough. Not weather-wise, but running and sickness-wise. I've felt like the kids and I have been trading germs all winter. With our youngest not sleeping well at night for the past several months, I'm pretty sure that the constant running plus the toll of not having a normal sleep schedule is catching up with my body. Such is modern life, I'm told.

As a homeschooling family I feel a strong pressure to have my kids "in" things. I don't feel like it's a lot, until I start listing it: gymnastics, 4H, Sunday school, Wednesday school, violin lessons, my weekly music teaching that they get dragged along to, home school group activities, and if we're lucky, a play date here and there! Plus commuting two hours to farm in certain seasons.

I know, I know, we're not "that" busy. We aren't driving across the state for wrestling meets, dance competitions, music camps or hockey games. Suck it up, Buttercup. Right?

No (Here you can picture me as Grumpy Cat, the famous contrarian). I'm getting to the point that I realize something has to give, and it has to give in a big way. I was told the other day that "it will only get worse," "it will just get busier as your kids get involved in more activities." But why?

Back up several years, to my later college years. I'm double majoring in Norwegian and Elementary Ed. Trying to squeeze as much value out of my nearly-free state education as I can. My academic advisors approach me, wondering what my plans are come graduation. Students like me are needed in growing cities like Las Vegas and Phoenix once we graduate as teachers. They'll pay for housing. It's a great professional move. Or I could get my master's degree for nearly free, working in the Grand Forks school district under a veteran teacher while gaining experience in the field. It's not an opportunity to turn down. Or, I could get my master's in history or some other field and delve into Scandinavian studies. I could go somewhere. Or I could pursue music further.

"No, I'm going to try to get a job in a one-room school in western North Dakota." I got quite used to being looked at like I had three heads. "But there's no growth potential there! All those little schools are shutting down!", this being before the oil boom. "Don't you want a challenge? A chance for success in your field?" Nah. Instead I found my dream job at age 22.

I left that job for my *real* dream job of being a stay-at-home-mom at 27, this time getting comments of "so....you're gonna stay home for a couple years until your kids go to preschool, right?" and "Wow, you barely got to use your degree. What a waste." Eight years later I gleefully continue to answer "no" to those questions, as well.

Some of my kids' and my most cherished moments (okay, maybe just for me) are our hikes, our times outside just meandering. Today Josie and I made snowballs, just to throw them into the air, or eat them, since the dogs weren't with us! Then we looked at the sky and caught snowflakes on our tongues. "It feels like I'm floating up into the sky," she said. I agreed.

When we get too caught up in our busy-ness, we end up losing these chances at meandering. I'm not okay with that. And I'm finally becoming okay with not being okay with that, if that makes sense.

I'm not sure what we are going to cut out at this point. It won't be church activities, because that's a priority for us that comes above even meandering (gasp!). I also relish times for my kids to be around their friends; not only in a classroom setting or taking turns in an activity, but actively developing friendships and learning the ins and outs of those friendships. Since we don't go to school I do have to be more intentional about this, which is hard to do when we have so many danged activities getting in the way!

But in being intentional, getting down to the nitty-gritty of what is important in our lives, and throwing the rest out to make space to just "be," I feel like we have a good start.