surprise snack

Normally we stick to a pretty strict routine. Before I had kids I was an extremely disciplined and scheduled person and while I'm still that girl on the inside, kids have definitely taught me to chill out a bit and take each day as it comes. When I can, I still like to keep my family on some form of a routine. Especially during the school year. Sometimes, though, life is more fun when you take a sudden opportunity to switch up your schedule, deviate from the norm and make a memory you otherwise would not have had. A few weeks ago, we found out at the last minute that the boys' Noni would be in town for a doctor's appointment on a weekday afternoon and my sister-in-law April would be driving her to the city along with my niece, Natalie. Since family we don't get to see very often was going to be only about 20 minutes away we couldn't resist the opportunity to see them. So, after school, we didn't make the boys go straight home to get their homework done and for me to start cooking dinner...instead we drove to the nearest Panera Bread and had cookies and coffee! Well, the boys had cookies and I had coffee! Ha! We weren't there very long and our out of town guests had a long drive home ahead of them but it was a much needed break from life to sit outside, drink coffee and visit for the few minutes we had. Believe me, I still like my routine and I find comfort in knowing ahead of time what each day will hold. But the greatest lesson I've learned over the last 10 years is how to go with the flow. I may not fly by the seat of my pants every single day (or even once a week for that matter...) but when those surprise moments do come up I like throwing routine out the window and letting my kids (and myself) live!