When Simple Plans Turn Complicated

How do our simple plans turn into a campaign for large complicated strategies of enjoyment? This weekend was supposed to be easy. I had learned my mistake from years in the past. We would do 1 maybe 2 things and keep things uncomplicated. I was purposely not going to commit to going to 4 different places this year. I expressed thanks for invitations but explained that we were keeping our weekend light for the sake of our younger children. (I wasn't going to tell everybody that it was I who did not want to deal with the complaining, whiny, over-stimulated littles.) Then somehow like always it all went downhill. It started out as attending a church's Family Fun Fest where my kids go to classes. Then we signed up for the school's Harvest Festival. After all, we could not miss that. We go every year and the kids love it. On another day my oldest expressed interest in attending another church's Harvest Festival on the preceding night. That did not seem too bad and we did not having anything else planned that day. (Ha!! I forgot about the baking I committed to and a pick-up of food for my MIL and our normal extra chores since it was a weekend) Then while driving home one day we finally saw our Community Centers Sign for their event which we have been wondering when it was going to happen. We have attended a few times in the past and enjoy it. Then my best friend invited us to her church's Harvest Festival and now somehow before I knew it I committed to not 1 or 2 events for the weekend but 7. Yes, 7 events and they somehow all snuck up on me so I still thought until today we were only doing 2 or 3 things not 7! Unfortunately, this does not include our regular weekend activities either. Once again, I will be dealing with a complaining, whiny, over-stimulated brood. I am beginning to realize the way to avoid this is not just saying no to the random invitations that we receive but using the calendar we have. This way when I glance at it right before saying yes to one more thing it will be a visual reminder of the plans we have already made. Someday soon I will be the perfect organized wife/mom. Okay, everybody can stop laughing now! :)