Mama on the Run

I am running. I've actually stopped running for exercise and now only run around. In circles. All week long. I'm getting so tired and the phrase I used over and over this past week was "running on empty." Here to there, there to here, I've shuffled, hustled been late, and tired.

I've had many a conversation with friends and family to help decipher where all my exhaustion is coming from. All week I've spent trying to figure out if I'm working too much, or feeling too overwhelmed with the kids. Is it an upcoming surgery I'm sleighted for? Or maybe a combination of all of it?

I couldn't wait for the weekend to begin, so I could stop running. And then, on Saturday, I found myself feeling the same way I've felt all week, and to my surprise. So I looked at what I did during the day: I ran. Again. Ran around from here to there, there to here, shuffling, hustling, not being late, but feeling so, so, tired. But the kids didn't have any activities to get to, and neither did I until the evening. So I think I figured it out: It's me.

I put four places to stop at before the fifth, most necessary one. I brought along the baby and the oldest, and we all hustled, which then led to a cranky morning, and early afternoon. In fact, pretty much the whole day, I was cranky. I think I need to spend more time not running around.

So Sunday, I didn't. I went out twice, once to grocery shop...alone. Once to spend time having fun with the family. It was lovely, and I can feel myself starting to de-tense. A little. For now. But in the meantime, I snapped a few shots of what life looked like this Sunday am. It was a beautiful thing to just "be."

How do you balance? Any suggestions?!