There IS life outside of LuLu! I’m always kind of surprised when it hits me, as it’s easy to get myopic focused on her. The problem is that anything not LuLu-related is often relegated to the back of the stack. Now that we’re trying to get back into the swing of school, I forgot just how many hours out of each day that takes me. Not only are there the 4+ hours of actual instruction, but there are the lesson plans, researching the materials, getting things set up. Just like any other teacher.

But there is still so much to do. Beyond being LuLu’s teacher, I have to be her mom, case manager, therapist (with some assistance), pharmacist...well, you’ve heard it before.

Meanwhile, there are so many other things I want to do. Not leisure things, mind you, although I would love to figure out where those fit into my schedule. But things for ATN, things for our church, things around the house.

So, I have to try to squeeze those the rest of my life into the evenings and weekends around LuLu. And the schedule is tight. This weekend I am facilitating a strategic planning session for a non-profit food bank and health care center. I helped them about 18 months ago, and it’s time for an update. It’s a paying gig, which is icing on the cake, but mostly I enjoy this because the people on this board or so caring and compassionate, and because I believe whole-heartedly in the work they are doing.

But preparing for this session has taken time. I’ve had to refresh my memory on their strategic plan, attend a recent board meeting, discuss the agenda, find icebreaker and team building exercises and prepare a powerpoint review. And I’ll be with them tonight and all day tomorrow. It’s work I’ve had to squeeze into the corners of my schedule, but I’ve enjoyed doing something besides focus on LuLu.

The other “rest” of my life that is cramping my schedule (but definitely not my style) is that Kay has been cast in a major role in the fall drama production at her high school. She has been practicing every night for the last two weeks. She will portray Vesta Poteet in Radio TBS. And she needs costumes. Enter Mom. She needs just the right outfit to make her look like the trailer park denizen and host of the Luna Del Mar radio show that she is! So besides sewing and scouring thrift stores, we have to get a case of hair spray and tease Kay’s hair to new heights.

Then there’s the annual parade and celebration our small town (that has been swallowed by Atlanta suburbs) holds every year. Guess what couple in our church is in charge of mobilizing about 100 volunteers for our float entry and carnival after the parade? Where will we ever find the time?

While each of these activities may add stress to my life, they also add a degree of normalcy and a distraction of the challenges I face daily with LuLu.

But I’ve found that I have to schedule them carefully into my life. For example, I ‘ve told Kay that she has my attention next Saturday and Sunday only (not tomorrow, because I’m working with the food bank board) for costumes and hair for her character. I will be hard-pressed to find other time. Yet, my heart is there, wanting her to have the very best costume possible.

And I cling to the “rest” of my life...the activities that make me feel like I’m part of the rest of the world, a mom in the “normal” sense and part of organizations I believe in. In many ways the hectic schedule creates a sense of belonging and accomplishment sometimes missing from parenting a special needs child.

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