My theory

I realizing things come in cycles. 

My schedule is not immune to this.

I think there are three crazy periods in every schedule.  Where everything is in a funnel.  It's circling and circling around with lots of space and totally managable...until you get to the bottom of the funnel.  Where everything is spinning so fast and there's very little wiggle room.

I'm at the bottom of a funnel right now. 

But I'll start with the first one that everyone can relate to:

The last few weeks before Christmas.

You know, parties, shopping, cramming everything in before the holidays hit.  Everything you volunteer for has two or three things that need to be taken care of before Dec. 25.  Add to that the things you want to do:  decorate your home, attend Advent services, finish the bible study that you've been slacking on, spend some extra time with your kids, get ahead at work so you can actually take a few days off between holidays, etc.

Recipe for craziness.

Before that one?

Back to school.

The shopping, the preparing, the new schedule, the cramming the stuff you didn't do all summer-because you thought you had all summer to do it, still working, all the meetings for all the committees starting up to make it "the best school year ever."  The kid with the nervous energy.  Oh wait...is that just mine?  Ok.


And the third one...

Right now.

Spring cleaning.  Tax season.  Fitting field trips in before the end of the year.  Signing up for summer activities- finding money for said activities.  Fund raisers, fund raisers, fund raisers.  Meetings for next year.  Holy crazy work schedule, batman.   Finding babysitters for all the meetings (and their busy schedules!).  Classes ending, new classes beginning, outside playdates.  I.E.P's (more on that later).  Fitting everything in before the end of the school year.  Babies being born- baby gifts to make.  The last MOPS craft- and I wanted to go out with a bang.  Husband's work load is picking up combined with more daylight which means less of him at home.  Not to mention that I'm delirious with anticipation about wanting to get into the addition (not anytime soon, friends...but still I'm anticipating it!)

Yes, the crazy cycle ensues.

I'm the kind of person that tends to handle many things and juggle many balls...until I start to feel overwhelmed.  Then I drop them all.  All of them.  I'll shut down and retreat into the recesses of my brain.  This year, though, there's more than just me and my family depending on my juggling skills.

I noticed that when I get crazy busy, my prayer life is the first thing to go.  Well, not this time.  I'm protecting it.  I'm enjoying it.  I'm giving everyday to God before it even happens.

And surprisingly enough, I haven't dropped a ball yet.