A Bit of Strategery

Last night, after zzzzzzzz's were floating out of the kids' bedrooms, I ran out to get a movie and some milk.  As I drove past the various stores in the strip mall on my way to the grocery store, a woman casually browsing some sidewalk sale tables caught my attention.  In a glance, the woman brought to my mind a flash of my past self, a former version of myself who could casually shop and browse and linger at whatever hour of the day she so chose, provided that the stores were open.  The suddenness of this memory and the stark contrast of it to my current life had me chuckling. 

Oh, how things change when you have children.  What used to be mindless and carefree and enjoyable and easy now requires downright strategy.  Somehow, this Michael's-bargain-hunting woman brought this to the front of my mind.  Take earlier in the day, for example...

In the car, en route to the outlet mall, with husband and kids in tow for a bit of school clothes shopping (mostly for me, because I tried on my pants from the spring only to find that they don't fit my butt and thighs anymore.  Lovely.): 
Here's the game plan.  I need to go to Banana Republic, the shoe store, and Gap, at the very least.  Gap and Banana Republic are at opposite ends of the mall.  How about if you drop me off at Banana Republic, which is at the front.  Then, you go park near Gap, and while you walk with the kids down to Banana Republic, hopefully, I will be able to get most of what I need done in there.  Then, while I go to the shoe store, you can play on the playground.  And then we will work our way back up to the car, making Gap the last stop.  How does that work?

Sounds like a plan, he says.  I had two snacks packed for the kids.  I had a cooler and a picnic lunch packed so we could stop at a State Park on the way home for some lunch.  Everyone had a drink.  I even had a table cloth, plates, and plasticware.  We were at the huge outlet mall for a grand total of two hours, during which time I purchased two pairs of pants, a skirt, a top, a pair of heels, and some bargains for the kids for next summer.  It takes practically 20 minutes to just walk from one end of the mall to the other, and I tried on all of the clothes and I got some really great deals.  Nothing leisurely or lingering about that.  Strategy.  Multitasking. I felt like I was creating a battle plan.  Timing was everything.  No one would be hungry or thirsty.  We would enjoy the sunshine while simultaneously getting something accomplished.  And we did.  And it was really a wonderful day.

But man, have things changed.  These days, I need a strategy for just about everything:  a strategy for finding time to run (alarm set, running outfit on dresser, coffee on timer, back before kids awake or just having breakfast), a strategy for finding time to shower (if John isn't going to be home, that just means an earlier run, shower while Ev is still asleep, and set Cortlan up with some educational TV), a strategy to grocery shop, and cook, and clean, and soon to get out of the house with all four of us looking sharp at 6:30 AM to get to school on time.  And then a strategy to still find time for that much needed exercise.  Because without it, I would be exhausted.