Tuesday #3- Balanced Band

I don't know about you...but I really think I am not alone in my "need to" this week! I REALLY need to balance my life! I know it is something we all struggle with, and I am no different. Finding that balance between being a wife, mother, sister, daughter, friend...and between family, church, "work", and time for myself...what an incredible thing that would be! So, I have made cute little routine books for my kids...in hopes that them having a regular routine in pictures (since all can't read yet) would help them keep the important everyday tasks in mind. I am hoping that this way I can spend less time reminding them what they should be doing...and more time playing with them! We shall see??!!


One of my accomplishments is my clarinet. I played in band all of Middle School and High School. But even greater than that accomplishment is the fact that I bought and paid for my clarinet myself. All of the money came from the savings I had from my newspaper route. I paid for all repairs, all reeds, and all books I needed. My parents were willing to pay for these things, but not able to at the time. So, if I wanted to have my clarinet and play in band I had to pay for it. And WOW...what a sense of pride in what I had done it gave me. It nearly broke my heart to sell that same clarinet to pay for bills after college, but I sold it to my aunt for my cousin to play...and knowing it was going to someone who would take care of it meant a LOT to me. But this wasn't the end...I got out of that financial rut, saved up my money again and bought myself a wood clarinet shortly after I met Jim, and before we were even dating. Again it felt so WONDERFUL to have saved up for something that I cared about so deeply, to have sacrificed and saved so that I could purchase it myself. This is a feeling I want to pass on to my children, this is a lesson I want them to learn while they are young...but that is an accomplishment hopefully in our future!!