Our teamwork sets us apart

Ice hockey, basketball, baseball, Cub Scouts, soccer, birthday parties, projects, library classes, after school commitments, working full time, working part time, exercise – these are all part of the bustling life in our household, managed and enjoyed by both my husband and me, and cherished by our boys! While it may sometimes require splitting up to tackle all these activities in a single day, our ultimate aim is to tackle them together, as a united team.

Our goal is to always be together – the five of us, so that we can cheer each other on and we thoroughly enjoy all being together! I like to think that we do a decent job at managing our time although some things in our life are still lacking but at this stage, our most important endeavors are mental health and time together as a family.

Teamwork

Teamwork is a mantra that Will and I live by. We have always been teammates even in elementary school when we were on the same swim team or in high school when we ran cross country together. We started our relationship as friends and it blossomed into love. My best advice for finding a relationship is to find your best friend/teammate. We would not be able to accomplish half of our activities without our combined google calendar to know what is going on or our (semi) go with the flow attitude. Our google calendar is separated by 6 colors for each person plus one color being combined family plans. I am an extremely visual person and need to have the plans for the day/week/month in front of me.I used to be a pen and plan book kind of girl, but Will converted me to the digital side. Here is a sample of our google calendar:

Divide and Conquer

Last summer presented a unique challenge as I trained for the half Ironman while my husband prepared for his first ultra 50-mile marathon. These races both last anywhere from 6-14 hours and require a significant amount of time in regards to training properly. You need to have the stamina to last in a race that long. Despite our teamwork philosophy, we found ourselves dividing and conquering more than ever. There were days when I’d embark on a 3 ½ hour bike ride, only to return home and pass the baton to my husband for childcare duties as he headed out for his long run lasting anywhere from 2-4 hours. Many weekends were spent apart, each focused on our respective training regimes. Yet, the sense of pride and accomplishment we felt at the end of each day made every sacrifice worthwhile. We both successfully completed our races and conquered them as we would have liked to! Looking back, it probably wasn’t the smartest decision to do two huge races a month apart from each other but we made it work!

On a daily basis, we find ourselves splitting up to get the most potential out of the day. Will works 9-5, sometimes later, and I work in person while Charlie is at school and virtually when they all could be home with me. I am extremely lucky to be able to be a stay at home mom and have one on one time with Charlie and be able to do homework with all three of them each night.

Being Outnumbered

The main challenge in our parenting is being outnumbered by our three boys. This leads to one or two being dragged to something that they may not want to be at. While that can be hard, it also encompasses a sense of brotherhood in supporting each other in all of their activities. We are blessed with children who respect each other 95% of the time, although there are plenty of arguments or some occasional whining. The more involved they all get in sports, the harder this will get, but we are taking it one season at a time.

1,000 Hours Outside

For 2024, we are attempting a special challenge that involves a lot of teamwork and planning to make happen. We are tracking our hours and shooting to be outside for 1,000 hours or more from January-December. The hardest part so far is tracking all 5 of our calendars as we are all outside at separate times as well as lots of time together. This tracking changes on the daily. I spend a lot more time at parks with the boys while Will is at work, however, he usually gets more time outside to work out while I will do a workout in our home gym so that someone is still home while the boys are sleeping. We are in good shape thus far being three months in but the summer is where we will rack in the hours being outside for most of the day enjoying time in our backyard.

This challenge is so important to me because there is so much value in just being in nature. When Will ran the 50 miler last October, I was with the kids for 13 hours about an hour and half away from home. My first instinct was to find a library to play at, a pet shop to visit, or a playground to get their energy out at. While we did all three of those things, what they enjoyed the most was playing with sticks in the woods. It was a pleasure to just watch their imaginations blossom into the games that they created with just being in nature!

Kids do not need fancy toys, they just need the outdoors and that leads to so many fun and exciting activities. The benefits of being outdoors are limitless. Number one: the kids sleep so well! They are tired out by the fresh air and the daily movement. Number two: they are being exposed to germs that they may not have in the house leading to healthier immune systems. (Knock on wood) my children get sick very sparingly. We are very fortunate to be able to say that. Number three: they are happy! Watching/listening/playing with them outside is joyful but what comes with that joy is also being a referee. They of course fight and argue but that’s the beauty of having a brother. Being a unified family is a dream come true and I am very lucky to have a partner at my side to make it all happen! Some advice is to try a new park/playground every week, even if you have to drive further than you normally would, go on a hike with the kids, they will go further than you thought possible, or enjoy a nature walk with them around the block!