I’m sharing this story in partnership with Align. See below for additional disclosure.

*Beep Beep Beep*

The alarm on my phone sounds at least once a day–Usually more like three, reminding me of the appointments on our to-do list.

Homeschool co-op and tumbling on Mondays, piano on Tuesdays, art and cheer on Wednesdays, and a nature/hiking club on Thursdays. Friday remains my one day of semi-sanity and I hope to keep it that way.

I signed my daughter up for her first activity when I was still on maternity leave. We did mommy and me yoga together once a week. I like to think she looked forward to it. But really she was just happy to be anywhere my boobs were. I probably could have saved the monthly premium of that but I was eager to do something together.

Did I do yoga with my son? No.

Next was mommy and me tumbling when she was 2. And soccer when she was 2.5. By this time I was pregnant so running and moving around wasn’t exactly my idea of a good time.

Fast forward to now and she’s been in a dozen activities from ballet and girl scouts to swim and hip hop. My son has done one.—Gymnastics (because it’s included at his twice a week preschool.)

I’m not sure why I felt my first child deserved to be introduced to a variety of activities as a toddler and my second would be fine just hanging out until he’s 4 or 5. Maybe it’s a little unfair that I’ve skipped out on most mommy and me activities with my little guy, but I don’t think it’s anything he’ll take me to therapy over. There’s plenty of time ahead for him to fill up my phone with his own activities.

My daughter enjoys her busy schedule. It’s not like I have to drag her to any of her activities. She loves her art class, she practices for piano at home. She’s forever flipping around in hopes to be a cheerleader some day. And hiking gets us all out and active together.

I always wanted to be involved in a lot as a kid but I often found myself strung between two parents who had different views on how much I should be doing. One said as many as I wanted and the other said one at the most.

I want my children to have the opportunity to participate in as much as they have the time, energy and dedication for. I don’t know how much is too much for a 6-year-old but when my reminder alerts make me want to throw my iPhone out the window, I’ll know mama has reached her limit.

How many activities do your kids participate in?

I didn’t realize this but busy mornings, stress and changes in routine may disrupt your kids’ natural balance of good bacteria. I’ve been reading more about probiotics and a great idea is to offer our kids a daily probiotic like Align Jr. which can help support their digestive health.*

Align Jr. comes from the makers of Align, the #1 Doctor and Gastroenterologist recommended probiotic brand‡ . Align Jr. has no artificial sweeteners and no artificial colors and with continued daily use, helps fortify kids’ digestive systems with a unique healthy bacteria 24/7* with their tasty chewable tablets for kids 6-12.

We’re a busy family often on the go and I love partnering with brands working to help make our busy lives easier. That’s why I partnered with Align on this post.

Align partnered with bloggers, such as me, to get the word out about its great product benefits. As part of this program, I received compensation for my time. Align believes that consumers and bloggers are free to form their own opinions and share them in their own words. Align’s policies align with WOMMA Ethics Code, Federal Trade Commission (FTC) guidelines and social media engagement recommendations.

ǂ Among gastroenterologists and doctors who recommended a brand of probiotic in an AlphaImpactRx 2016 Survey.

Align partnered with bloggers, such as me, to get the word out about its great product benefits. As part of this program, I received compensation for my time. Align believes that consumers and bloggers are free to form their own opinions and share them in their own words. Align’s policies align with WOMMA Ethics Code, Federal Trade Commission (FTC) guidelines and social media engagement recommendations.