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Really, I'm serious!!!!!!! School, Impeccably natural cleaning product cleaned house, super cool homemade clothes, Gourmet homecooked food, Well behaved super smart children a loving supportive husband. Beautiful school room all the creativity and time to lapbook and unit studies and super crafts and co ops and dance lessons and sports teams......Really?

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Really, I'm serious!!!!!!! School, Impeccably natural cleaning product cleaned house, super cool homemade clothes, Gourmet homecooked food, Well behaved super smart children a loving supportive husband. Beautiful school room all the creativity and time to lapbook and unit studies and super crafts and co ops and dance lessons and sports teams......Really?

 

Not at all! People's blogs and posts and photos may make it seems that way, but no one really manages all of those things, all the time, successfully. I've had friends and playgroup moms shake their heads in amazement over how neat my school stuff is, how clean my house is, how together I am etc. I want to fall off my chair and laugh, because it's all an illusion. Don't feel bad. Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain!

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Really, I'm serious!!!!!!! School, Impeccably natural cleaning product cleaned house, super cool homemade clothes, Gourmet homecooked food, Well behaved super smart children a loving supportive husband. Beautiful school room all the creativity and time to lapbook and unit studies and super crafts and co ops and dance lessons and sports teams......Really?

 

I don't think any of us do all of that all at once. Sometimes I cook a ton and my house is a mess. Sometimes we are involved in sports and the cooking goes by the wayside.

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I started to give you fun and quick answer about this and then realized that the more thoughtful question is how do we stop comparing ourselves to each other? When will we accept that the giftings and calls on our lives are uniquely individual? As God speaks into your heart the needs of your children and shows you the road that you are equipping them to travel, please know it won't look like anyone elses', and it will often feel imperfect and uncertain. That is so we will continually come back to the One who sets our paths straight. You may never cook gourmet meals, keep an impeccable house, raise the next nuclear genius, or ..........(plug in your expectation/comparison/perfect ideal here). But you have been uniquely created to minister into the lives of your children. Go forth boldly, unshaken in that truth.

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Really? My answer is - lower standards. :) Okay. Honestly. I work too, and I can not be everything to everyone. I am either good at homemaking or good at teaching. I really don't have the time or energy to do both. So, if my homeschooling is going well, my bathrooms could use a scrub and so could the kitchen floor. If the horizontal surfaces in my house are uncluttered and recently scrubbed, you can bet my kid is slacking on math and French. If we're in cool art classes, I'm not making dinner that night.

 

I've tried to quit even trying to balance. I just focus on what is most important and give that my attention. At some point, my floor needs to be mopped more than my kids need to do hands-on science.

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Really, I'm serious!!!!!!! School, Impeccably natural cleaning product cleaned house, super cool homemade clothes, Gourmet homecooked food, Well behaved super smart children a loving supportive husband. Beautiful school room all the creativity and time to lapbook and unit studies and super crafts and co ops and dance lessons and sports teams......Really?

I am who I am. I am not someone else. I have the care of two of the most wonderful, but at times exaughting children on planet earth. I am the personal attendent to our oldest ds meaning I spend 2 1/2 hrs first thing in the morning and 1 hr last thing at night helping him. We follow the Specific Carb diet that allows for no convience, premade/bought meals. We have 3 dogs that constantly need something. (MOM! Wishbone is throwing up in the kennel!:001_huh:Why is it no one else can crawl into that kennel and pull him out, taking him outside!) My dh is sweet but has never been good at helping with cooking, housework, laundry, putting the kids to bed, etc.

I used to try to be that person but I am not. I am who I am. We do LA and Math without fail 5 days a week. Most days we get in Bible also. We do the rest 3-4 days a week.

We are just now talking of enrolling our two into a self defense class. That is our first outside activity aside from going to church and will be the only one. I don't handle being gone all the time. at. all.....

We do a craft or something in that area once in a while but not on a regular basis. My kids love playing in the snow, riding their bikes, playing in the back yard pool(not all in the same day or season;)). They play together and entertain themselves very well.

I not only am who I am but I simply can't be those other people. The amazing thing is I no longer want to be. We have found what is right for us and even though it changes a bit as time goes on it is what works for us.

Be who you are. Find out what is right for you and your family and be comfortable with it. I had to accept that I wasn't depriving my dc from anything that really mattered. If those things are important then do them but not because 'everyone else does'.

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I started to give you fun and quick answer about this and then realized that the more thoughtful question is how do we stop comparing ourselves to each other? When will we accept that the giftings and calls on our lives are uniquely individual? As God speaks into your heart the needs of your children and shows you the road that you are equipping them to travel, please know it won't look like anyone elses', and it will often feel imperfect and uncertain. That is so we will continually come back to the One who sets our paths straight. You may never cook gourmet meals, keep an impeccable house, raise the next nuclear genius, or ..........(plug in your expectation/comparison/perfect ideal here). But you have been uniquely created to minister into the lives of your children. Go forth boldly, unshaken in that truth.

 

You are an awesome motivator and I'm so profoundly greatful for your response!!!!

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I am enjoying the responses so far and am looking forward to hearing more (whether they are from women who can "do it all" or whether they are leaning more towards the same responses that have already been posted).

 

Ahh. There is a season for everything. When the dc are little you spend more time with schooling, at some point you want them to become more independent so you go in the kitchen and cook or somewhere else to clean, crochet, knit, make quilts - sometimes 15 minutes at a time until dc can do more and more without you. At then one fine day you wake up and dc are in college and you brew together your homemade deodorant and cleaning supplies, learn new recipes, exercise according to the latest research of what is beneficial and perhaps get a part-time job...:001_smile:

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I have found that I can manage about 2 things at once. Right now those 2 things take care of baby/toddlers and homeschooling. That's it. House does not stay tidy. Meals are generally edible, but not fancy or delicious. Most of the time we have clean clothing and clean dishes.

 

If I get distracted by something - like consignment sale season, gardening season, learn to play the harp season, or determine to finish a book a week season (ha! that's been a joke unless I can count Go, Dog, Go!) - my Two Things suffer.

 

I am quite sure that I could accomplish more, and do things better, if I revamped my priorities and did not allow myself to become distracted. Like now. ;)

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School: We're only doing ABC's and colors, so that's not much of a challenge. Yet.

Impeccably natural cleaning product: Check

cleaned house: Er, not so much. Sort of?

super cool homemade clothes: God no. We buy from thrift stores. Better for the environment. I tried to sew a shirt by hand once and even the cat wouldn't touch it.

Gourmet homecooked food: Check. We're all good at something. ;)

Well behaved super smart children: I love dd, but to this one, I'd have to say... not so much.

a loving supportive husband: Nope. Thinking of upgrading.

Beautiful school room: Um, does the kitchen floor count? It's even clean sometimes.

all the creativity and time to lapbook and unit studies and super crafts: I knitted a scarf once.

and co ops and dance lessons and sports teams: Once a week toddler class. Check.

 

Carefully chosen pictures on Facebook that make it look like I can do all of the above and still have time to, you know, play around on Facebook? Check and check.

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Some people manage some of these things some of the time. No one manages all of them all of the time. You are hearing what people are doing -- not what they're not doing.

 

Put it this way. My concentration is on school and the kids' activities. That's what I usually get done. I struggle to keep on top of my housework (by "on top of" I mean the absolute bare-minimum -- tons of clutter, but clean dishes, clothes, and sometimes floors and bathroom). We ordered out or went out for dinner half the time last week because I was too busy to cook. We often go out to eat because I'm too busy to cook. The only reason any sewing/crafty stuff gets done is because it relaxes me. My kids hardly ever have playdates anymore because between school, their activities, and what little cleaning I manage to do each day we normally don't have time.

 

If you feel imperfect or inadequate, we all are. I get down on myself too after reading all the amazing things other people do, but when I finish beating myself up I stop and wonder what they're not accomplishing to get these amazing things done. It's all give-and-take, and totally a matter of prioritizing the to-do list in your life.

 

:grouphug: We've all been there. We've all felt these things.

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[quote=mom4him;1521067

I not only am who I am but I simply can't be those other people. The amazing thing is I no longer want to be. We have found what is right for us and even though it changes a bit as time goes on it is what works for us.

Be who you are. Find out what is right for you and your family and be comfortable with it. I had to accept that I wasn't depriving my dc from anything that really mattered. If those things are important then do them but not because 'everyone else does'.

 

So true so very true! Thanks you so much for your truthful and honest answer! Thank you for your encouragement!!

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Not at all! People's blogs and posts and photos may make it seems that way, but no one really manages all of those things, all the time, successfully. I've had friends and playgroup moms shake their heads in amazement over how neat my school stuff is, how clean my house is, how together I am etc. I want to fall off my chair and laugh, because it's all an illusion. Don't feel bad. Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain!

Yeah, that ^^^

 

I mentioned to a friend that, while I seriously love her blog, I don't visit it when I'm having a hard day because I feel so inferior. She explained that she blogs about the positive things so that when she has a bad day she can look back and be reminded that there are good days! :lol:

 

I guess some of it is merely a case of the grass being greener. (I get very surprised when I occasionally find out that somebody admires me and what I do.)

 

Perhaps I should give everybody a helping hand by starting a blog that chronicles the days when I can't find the laundry floor, the times when the kids get baked beans and yoghurt for dinner because no meals have been planned, and my disastrous attempts at knitting and sewing.

 

I find things tend to go up and down in a cycle where, when one thing is cruising, something else is suffering. If I manage to get the house looking great, the laundry up to date and lots of healthy meals cooked, then I've probably been neglecting the kids a little. If I'm achieving everything I hoped with homeschooling and extracurriculars, chances are I haven't spoken to an adult friend in a week. If we've been having lots of fun socially, catching up with friends and family and doing lots of excursion, more than likely the house looks like ground zero. I don't think I have ever felt totally on top of things in all areas at once.

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Carefully chosen pictures on Facebook that make it look like I can do all of the above and still have time to, you know, play around on Facebook?

 

It's easy to look good on paper. Have you ever checked fabulous blogs of people you really know? And you know their life isn't really like what they portray on the blog. I mean, it's nice to put your best face forward, but to also remember that's only part of the story.

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Really? My answer is - lower standards. :) Okay. Honestly. I work too, and I can not be everything to everyone. I am either good at homemaking or good at teaching. I really don't have the time or energy to do both. So, if my homeschooling is going well, my bathrooms could use a scrub and so could the kitchen floor. If the horizontal surfaces in my house are uncluttered and recently scrubbed, you can bet my kid is slacking on math and French. If we're in cool art classes, I'm not making dinner that night.

 

I've tried to quit even trying to balance. I just focus on what is most important and give that my attention. At some point, my floor needs to be mopped more than my kids need to do hands-on science.

Oh Karen I love this post!
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School: We're only doing ABC's and colors, so that's not much of a challenge. Yet.

Impeccably natural cleaning product: Check

cleaned house: Er, not so much. Sort of?

super cool homemade clothes: God no. We buy from thrift stores. Better for the environment. I tried to sew a shirt by hand once and even the cat wouldn't touch it.

Gourmet homecooked food: Check. We're all good at something. ;)

Well behaved super smart children: I love dd, but to this one, I'd have to say... not so much.

a loving supportive husband: Nope. Thinking of upgrading.

Beautiful school room: Um, does the kitchen floor count? It's even clean sometimes.

all the creativity and time to lapbook and unit studies and super crafts: I knitted a scarf once.

and co ops and dance lessons and sports teams: Once a week toddler class. Check.

 

Carefully chosen pictures on Facebook that make it look like I can do all of the above and still have time to, you know, play around on Facebook? Check and check.

Love it! I am loving this thread!
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I don't think anyone has all that. I have a few items on that list, but if I tried to get some of the other ones on there, I would lose the ones I already have.

 

You have to stop reading blogs (or boards or magazines or whatever) if they make you frustrated. They are not reality! Just like if you come over for dinner on Saturday, that is NOT how my house looks on a Tesday afternoon. :tongue_smilie: Nor is the way I (or my dc) look when I show up for church the way I look at 6:00 a.m. We put a certain face on for the world.

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None of us does all of that, all of the time. Trust me. I am (mostly) on top of homeschooling (though I've been at it for seven years now, it takes practice). I am a full-time student. I'd rather play with my kids than wash laundry. I'd rather have tuna sandwiches for supper and play Sorry with the family than cook involved meals every night. So...I do what I like to do. Sometimes I do what I have to do (like laundry). But mostly I just do what I can.

 

My house will be tidy when it's just hubby and I. I'm trying not to fuss over all of the little stuff right now. Just let it go, man. Just let it go! ; )

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I think that I suffer from a severe form of perfection-itist....If I can't do it perfectly then I don't do it...I really am starting to understand that that's not the best example to set for my girls..I know that it just shows them that learning from failure is not important or that trying your best is not worth it! But Believe me I'm starting to see the error of my ways...I know I can't do it all...or at the least that if i did it all it wouldn't all be done well. I really just want to be the kind of Mom my girls can learn from the right stuff to do more than the what not to do stuff.... But having said all that I think that all the advice and honesty in this thread has been and will be so very helpful!!!! So thanks ladies!! And Keep it coming!:001_smile:

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You mean we're supposed to feed everyone?

 

LOL, just kidding. Sorta. Glad I'm married to the Schwan's man :D

 

As to the other items on the list--I go through seasons. Right now I'm focusing on keeping everything clean because we are trying to sell our place. The one thing that really puts a wrench in my day, but I don't think I can dump altogether, is exercise.

 

Ugh.

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School?

Sure. My kids are one and nearly three. School here means the older one does an art project of some kind (painting, playdough, drawing,) we play counting games with blocks and whack on an Auslan dvd. Unless I'm a completely sleep deprived zombie who hates everyone. Then I sit on here all day and growl if anyone comes near me. That happens often enough that I'm going to boast that I make my own play dough. I know other people do, but I bet they don't make it out of peanut butter and corn starch. (I have very practical children. If it's not edible, there is no point bothering.)

 

Impeccably natural cleaning product?

Do you know how much easier it is to buy vinegar and bicarb than to keep track of toilet ducks, window cleaners and other things that live in the laundry aisle of the supermarket. Plus they smell bad. Artificial fragrances, :ack2:

 

Cleaned house?

Y'know. There is a sort of sliding scale there. We hit a 9 twice a year, when the real estate agent comes to inspect the place. We hit an 8 at Christmas time when my family come around. We hit a 10 only when we are moving out... I'm good with 7, but if people deprive me of sleep, we'll be down to a 3 by the end of the first week, and one by the end of the next. With two tots and a husband who is only now starting to learn to clean up after himself (never mind anyone else) we've spent a lot of time on one over the past three years.

 

Super cool homemade clothes?

Nah, they are usually hundreds of years out of date, are never hemmed properly and I have managed to make both a size 10 and a size 20 dress from the same measurements. I know you guys use different sizing, so the former fit me when I was 17 and the latter fit a 9 month pregnant belly with room for another month and a half at least!

I am working on this. I aim to have super cool eventually :D

 

 

Gourmet homecooked food?

Not unless dh feels like cooking gourmet, and he's more of a stir fry or curry guy. He will oblige me every week or so :) I haven't cooked in yonks. I imagine I'll be able to start again when the kids have finally weaned. The kids won't let me get anything done at that time of day, and if I was to cook earlier, that's all I would get done. Dh is happy to cook if that gets him out of cleaning.

 

Well behaved super smart children?

Oh. Sure. When they are in good moods!

 

A loving supportive husband?

Yeah, well. We're working on this love languages thing. "I love you so much, Rosie!" "That's great, Dear. Would you go and take those potato peelings out of the sink?" Marriage is tricky business ;)

 

Beautiful school room?

Ha ha ha. If the lounge room floor is picked up, can I have half a point?

 

All the creativity and time to:

Lapbook?

Insanity. I'm not good at finishing touches. Why would I want to do a craft that is comprised only of finishing touches?

 

Unit studies?

You mean one's I'm going to make myself? You'll be able to count those one hand.

 

Super crafts?

I'm willing to put effort into handicrafts, but I have a personal loathing for diorama construction.

 

 

Co ops?

We don't really have them.

 

Dance lessons?

Only as part of our SCA stuff.

 

Sports teams?

Not now. Not ever.

 

 

Moral to the story: Don't judge a person by their advice. I'm able to give advice people are happy to receive on days that would "make St Francis of Assisi kick babies." We aren't always able to put our theories into practice...

 

Rosie

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Hon, you need to read more of my posts. My life is a circus of mishaps and misadventures. Murphy (of Murphy's Law) lives at my house. The only way that anything I do turns out right is by the grace of God. Lord knows I try but let's just say I am challenged in just about every possible way. I am hoping to get better with age. :tongue_smilie:

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I just want to say that I'm glad I'm not the only one. :tongue_smilie:

 

We've had a great two weeks of homeschooling (so far). I've been very pleased with myself that the dishes are done, and the laundry pile has been kept relatively low. BUT, you could build a new dog out of the dust/hair bunnies that are scattered around the house, the kitchen floor has had something sticky in the corner that I've been meaning to mop for over a week, and the dog has needed a bath for several days (hence the dust/hair bunnies). I was helping my son clean his room yesterday, and we found chicken bones under his bed :001_huh:. My office desk is piled high with homeschool books and junk mail...and I just cleaned it yesterday!

 

And somehow, even when I think I've done a fair job of washing everyone's clothes, I ALWAYS miss that one item that DH needs to wear to work. How does that happen when the washing machine is running practically 24 hours a day? How does my 4 yr old never have clean socks? Where do they go? Why are there never any clean towels? You'd think we were a part of a family swim team or something.

 

Sometimes I think the entire family is plotting against me. :lol:

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Really, I'm serious!!!!!!! School, Impeccably natural cleaning product cleaned house, super cool homemade clothes, Gourmet homecooked food, Well behaved super smart children a loving supportive husband. Beautiful school room all the creativity and time to lapbook and unit studies and super crafts and co ops and dance lessons and sports teams......Really?

 

I don't know whose house you've been hanging out at but it certainly wasn't mine! ;) :D

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I think that I suffer from a severe form of perfection-itist....If I can't do it perfectly then I don't do it...I really am starting to understand that that's not the best example to set for my girls..I know that it just shows them that learning from failure is not important or that trying your best is not worth it! But Believe me I'm starting to see the error of my ways...I know I can't do it all...or at the least that if i did it all it wouldn't all be done well. I really just want to be the kind of Mom my girls can learn from the right stuff to do more than the what not to do stuff.... But having said all that I think that all the advice and honesty in this thread has been and will be so very helpful!!!! So thanks ladies!! And Keep it coming!:001_smile:

 

You have to get over it. Really. :001_smile: If you homeschool from a perfectionist place you will end up with little big-eyed freaked-out dc. You see them sometimes at homeschool events. They are scared to participate, because mom will flip if they do it wrong. They are scheduled day and night and don't know how to entertain themselves for two seconds by themselves; so they either sit and stare at the wall, or they run around like crazy people with the newfound freedom. :001_huh:

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You have to get over it. Really. :001_smile: If you homeschool from a perfectionist place you will end up with little big-eyed freaked-out dc. You see them sometimes at homeschool events. They are scared to participate, because mom will flip if they do it wrong. They are scheduled day and night and don't know how to entertain themselves for two seconds by themselves; so they either sit and stare at the wall, or they run around like crazy people with the newfound freedom. :001_huh:

My Babies have maybe too much time.....you should just see the things they do with tinker toys it's kinda amazing!!! I really think i'm just too hard on myself....but I understand what your saying!!!:tongue_smilie:

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I used to be one of those people. I'd bust my rear to make sure the house was always "company ready," the meals were homemade, that dd's clothing was made by me, that dd was taken to lessons, dh's uniforms were ironed, etc., etc., etc.

 

Then I got sick. I'm not dying or anything and my illness is manageable. But before we found out what it was things started falling by the wayside. It has been 4 years. Dh has yet come around in his way of thinking and now we battle it out a couple times a month because he can't see the illness now that I'm on medication. And to add to that school takes dd more than 30 minutes a day now - up to about 5 hours.

 

Be thankful that you don't do it all and that your family does not expect you to do it all. Otherwise, it may come back to bite you in the a$$ like it did me.

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You will have to figure out your own priorities. Mine are God, Loving up on my hubby, Loving up on the kiddos, school, cleaning and laundry, cooking, and farm-work. I can generally get those basics done. Everything else, I carefully schedule and decide if we can get the most important things done. We've not always done gymnastics, piano, 4-H etc. but now that my kids are older and I am not getting up various times during the night to nurse a baby, I have the energy to do extras. If I didn't have the energy to get the basics done, I wouldn't do the rest.

 

(By cleaning, I mean enough to keep the sanitation dept. from being called. My house is mostly clean if you don't look too close, but seldom tidy. )

 

And there are always those weeks, when even some of the basics fall by the wayside. Cleaning and laundry are the first to take a hit. Followed by farm-work and schoolwork. Cooking and loving the hubby.....well, if my guy is "well-loved" and has a full belly, he can tolerate a whole lot of insanity!

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I leave the crumbs from breakfast (and lunch) on the floor to make time for afternoon projects.

 

I declare an afternoon of free play so long as no one kills another to make time to fix a nice dinner (and in multiples of 3, so I can freeze 2....thus reducing the chaos a tiny bit)

 

I leave the dirty dishes in the sink to make time to read fantastic stories in the evening.

 

I have a DISASTER AREA for a home by Wednesday night....we survive until Friday afternoon when I turn into the cleaning machine....and then I try to shew everyone out of the house so it stays that way until Monday Morning.

 

Oh - and 3 days ago I threw away my latest sewing project b/c I had to stop in the middle....and in the process the kids got crumbs and food all over it.:glare: (see top of post:lol:)

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Really, I'm serious!!!!!!! School, Impeccably natural cleaning product cleaned house, super cool homemade clothes, Gourmet homecooked food, Well behaved super smart children a loving supportive husband. Beautiful school room all the creativity and time to lapbook and unit studies and super crafts and co ops and dance lessons and sports teams......Really?

 

All of the things in your post have been mentioned here, but not all by the same person.

That is not to say that there aren't amazingly organized and talented parents here, but you are not seeing an accurate picture of the strengths and weaknesses of WTM posters.

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I know what you mean...I feel like sometimes that I am not being or doing enough ever! I think our society/media shoves this down our throats constantly with the unrealistic images that they show us on TV, magazines etc. I think it is honestly so unachievable but yet we as women keep trying to do it all and not break a nail, forget to shave our legs and scrapbook, journal every moment of our kids' lives!! Honestly, I think this must be a woman thing but it doesn't cross my husband's mind ever! He does what he can do and at the end of the day, he's okay with that!

I do what I can do and try to simply enjoy life with my husband and two boys and the dogs! I try to remind myself that at the end of the day those things that didn't get donewill not really cause a major crisis. Pick and choose your battles as they say and I feel like it is sometimes truly a battle to remind ourselves to be good to ourselves and compare ourselves to the women around us! The women that I admire are ones that openly admit to saying "I am only one person and I can only be so much and do so much! I am who I am!"

As far as cleaning house, craft projects and all the things that take away my time from laughing over a great movie, playing wiffle ball with kids, and husband...well, when my kids are grown and off on their own life's journey, my days will be way tooo long and I will need all those projects to fill the hours. My mom and dad are retired and their house is spotless...quiet, everything in order and in its place. I wouldn't trade places or dirty toilets to be in their shoes. I honestly love where I am right now on this ride in life!!! Glad to know there are others out there that keep it real!

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Yeah, let's not forget that not only are we supposed to do all of these things to perfection, but we're supposed to look like supermodels while doing it. But without taking more than five minutes to do our hair and makeup, and without actually having to diet, because good mothers don't diet in front of their kids.

 

*rolls eyes*

 

Seriously, I think that any woman who can actually do all this stuff has to be a sociopath. With tapeworms.

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If you want to see the real thing in action with a bunch of little ones, take a look at this video I uploaded on my YouTube channel. It's the one of the children and I doing our "morning meeting".

 

http://www.youtube.com/asmartstart

 

It's a regular mad house, and pretty funny if you notice the children goofing off while I'm just trying to keep my cool and get the day planned out. And, as you will see, I'm a frazzled frizzy haired mess, but we get it done. That's the story of my life right now, and I'm sure it's the story of most of our lives, especially with little ones. :willy_nilly:

 

I plan to upload more *realistic* videos as I get them made. I intend them to be helpful to anyone who uses the K12 curriculum, or who just wants to see what it's like to school from home. I also use them to communicate with our WAVA teacher.

 

Take care, and just do your best at what you have been given. You can't do it all, so just pick the most important things for this stage in the game, and get a system down to do those things successfully. ;)

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Hmm... if that's the standard, then I fall exceedingly short.

School - "I don't care if you don't like school. THe law says you have to be educated and you're going to be educated whether you like it or not!"

 

Housework- "Yeah, honey, there's clean underwear in the dryer"!

 

Meals - two words "crock" "pot"

 

This is my life!:001_smile:

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School: Yep. Sometimes more high school, sometimes more eled. Most days my 7yo is bored.

Natural cleaning products- uh, we use salt to scrub the bathrooms when I forget to buy cleanser

Gourmet homecooked food. Homecooked & edible. Some days there's even enough to fill my bottomless pit of a teenage boy and dh who works out.

Well behaved kids: generally in public. I still have a couple of kids that continue to act like untrained apes at home.

Super smart: a couple of them really are. That's a whole nuther set of challenges.

Loving, supportive dh: Yep. Also demanding with high standards and ideals.

Beautiful school room: living room, dining room, family room, bathroom of a leased house with little furniture and no decorations. Our home is gutted. So, beautiful...um, no.

creativity: Used up with first 2 dd's . My littlest doesn't even know what glitter is. No lap books, unit studies here. I couldn't even finish Right Start B, even though I LOVED it. Too hands on and teacher intensive.

Lessons, clubs, sports: None. We do one co-op. I run it and teach most classes. That way my need for control and getting through the material gets met.

Clean House: Yeah, my house IS clean these days. I'm owing that to the fire that destroyed 90% of what we own.-LOL. It's easy to keep "things" picked up when there aren't many "things." Actually, I'm kinda likin' it.

Cyber world: I love having a blog. I actually get to say out loud all of the responses, thoughts, etc that I have to say to certain people in my life that think we're lunatics. I pick the successes. They have a need to read, so I'm filling them full of what we do well. They have become MUCH more supportive.

 

You forgot to put down that we make everyone happy and fulfill all of their needs. My kids call me PaxRoMomma!!

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In my home, there is not enough time to do it all. Something (usually THINGS) always has to give, whether it be perfect tidiness, cleanliness, school 100% done, time with the girls, a smiling face when DH comes home, a perfect dinner, (I don't sew...), enrichment trips to the museum, etc. I just have to prioritize.

 

When I come across the family that seemingly has it all together 100% of the time, I remember that in reality, I only am seeing them part of the time. You never know what any other family's REALITY is. I'm sure that family you are trying to emulate is letting SOMETHING give somewhere, and it isn't always pretty...

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It truly is "The Impossible Dream." I tend to be sporatic in my interests. For instance, last year I did the 52 books in 52 week challenge, but quit grinding my wheat berries and making homemade bread because I just couldn't seem to find the time. So, this year I gave up the book challenge because I read tons anyway. But putting myself on a schedule really stressed me for some reason. I was that girl in school that did every homework problem and never misbehaves, so I find it hard to limit myself.

 

Because of that, I try to give myself permission to not obtain my goals. I would love to make every meal from scratch, but I thank God KFC was there tonight after we got stalled by a wreck. I just learned that life will go on and my spontaneous behavior methods are just that - mine!!

 

Also, as a home educator, I like to experiment somewhat with learning. At the heart of my belief is the fact that learning is always going on no matter if textbooks are involved or not. My dc's may watch more TV and DVDs some periods of the year than others, but that is just necessary for me to have the extra time I need for jobs I do from the home. Like this time of the year, I am completing tax returns. So, the dcs are not getting as much one on one time with me but they are still learning.

 

Since I go in spurts, my dcs often do this as well. We just cycle through life, one thing at a time. If we want to try something new, we try it out. Overall, it doesn't hurt us but helps us stay focused.

 

So, what you see is not usually what is actual. After all, when I see a friend and they ask how I am doing, I certainly don't try to explain. I just reply, "I'm great. How about you?" I think human nature is for us to show others the best. But then again, if I would have known the real truth, I might have missed the dance of home education!!

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School - that has been number one in my life for the past 11 years. So much so that I regularly get accused of caring more about that than anything else. It's not a compliment. My older teen is finally starting to realize that everything I've said over the years has only been intended to save him trouble and help him out, however, so perhaps there is finally light at the end of the tunnel.....

 

Impeccably natural cleaning product cleaned house - I have started trying to switch over to this because I have auto-immune problems that are starting to escalate now that I'm getting older and I would not like to die soon, if possible. My children both also have auto-immune symptoms, so I would like to spare them difficulty as they get older, if possible. But as for *using* those products regularly enough to produce a "clean" house, BWAAAAAHHHHAAAAAAHHHAAAAAAAA!!!!!!

 

Super cool homemade clothes - Nope.

 

Gourmet homecooked food - homecooked, yes. Gourmet? Ha! I'd like to claim that title, but I regularly get ridiculed for my food which is not, evidently, up to restaurant standards.....

 

Well behaved super smart children - Nope.

 

A loving supportive husband - no bashing on the boards, LOL.....

 

Beautiful school room - Well, I *do* like it, LOL, but if you could see the mounds and stacks and piles of books, especially at this time of the year as I move from current year's books to next year's books, you would die laughing.....

 

All the creativity and time to lapbook and unit studies - Never done the latter; only tried the former a couple of times this year, for the first time, using materials already created by others.

 

Super crafts - Nope; hands OFF.

 

And co ops - Started multiple groups, burned by all..... lots of time and effort sucked right out of me....

 

And dance lessons - Nope.

 

And sports teams - My boys do those, and it keeps me out until 8 or 9 many nights. Another reason my house is never clean......

 

As others have said, a lot of us might do quite a few of these things occasionally over the years. But most of us do not do all these things, or even most of these things, on a regular, weekly basis.

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School: Just finished our very first year. I think we've gotten organized enough to have this be our priority.

Natural cleaning products- I buy cleaning stuff from Whole Foods. It's not vinegar, but is it natural enough?

Super cool homemade clothes - Lol, I'm a computer geek, that's the last thing on my mind!

Gourmet homecooked food. Sigh, I wish... We try our best to eat healthy and vegetarian at least.

Well behaved kids: Check! Just have a 5 year old dd though, I'm assuming future ones might not be so perfect.

Super smart: Bright, not sure if I'd call her "super smart"

Loving, supportive dh: Check!

Beautiful school room: Working on it... I love our school rooms so far.

Creativity: Kinda, wish I had more!

Lessons, clubs, sports: Not yet, but hope to sometime this year. A challenge in the mountains when it snows though.

Clean House: Some parts are very organized and clean, while others fall into neglect. I can't think in a messy, unorganized house, so I'm working hard to achieve organization at least.

Cyber world: I do upkeep a blog which I update almost everyday, sometimes 2-4x a day. It's a way to get the camera out and practice, and keep family/friends updated. However, when life is getting too hectic, the first thing to stop are forum reading, like my favorite WTM.

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