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Love that thread (weekend warriors) every week because I am glad that I am not the only one working my butt off all weekend!

 

Most of my friends seem to be going to the zoo and out to dinner and doing all sorts of fun relaxing things and I can barely do the projects and chores I need to do to keep my head above water. Is this a homeschooling thing? A poor person thing? (I can't afford to hire out some stuff others can) Also, should I just give into it and say "this is my life" or can I do something to make our weekends relaxing?

 

PS: I DO enjoy some projects and I like to work on stuff when dh is around to help. It just seems NEVER ENDING! Some of my friends even say they are bored on the weekends!:ohmy:

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Don't know about others. This is the first time I've seen the thread (and I love it!).

 

I just approximated how long each chore would take, figured what else was already planned, and came up with available time. Then I decided how many things on my list I could reasonably accomplish; that's all I put on the to-do list.

 

Turns out, I'm doing a "lite" version of cleaning. Sort of what the kids do;) I just don't have the energy. This flu knocked me out.

 

But, I never overschedule. Housework.

 

Are you remodeling?

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Oh man!! I hear ya'!!! For us, it's a homeschooling thing. I don't get a chance during the week to get out and do errands. My friends with kids in ps (or private school) do most of those chores during the week, so their weekends are clear. So, on the weekend, I grocery shop, shop for clothes, pay bills, deep clean house, do yard work, run to the post office, return library books, shop for curriculum (my favorite!!), etc, etc, etc. I absolutely cannot imagine being bored on the weekend!!!! We also just bought a new to us house, so we're trying to make it ours and those projects get put off until the weekend too.

 

And, now of course, it's baseball season. So, dh and the kids are gone most nights. That leaves me home with the baby. It's so much easier if there's a child home with me to help!! LOL Don't they understand I need my computer time???!!!

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thing! Don't underestimate the power of 2 dc under the age of 5 at home...that right there will knock your socks off! I used to be super-efficient, all things in order. But there is no way to do it and homeschool well (that's the homeschool part) without outside help (that's the poor part) and keeping up with life (that's the kids part). What you said about just accept for this season...when I really owned that was when it started to become ok that my to-do list would never be finished.

 

"What doesn't kill us makes us stronger"...Amen

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Don't know about others. This is the first time I've seen the thread (and I love it!).

 

 

 

Are you remodeling?

 

 

Yes, we are sort of remodeling. What I consider a little bit at a time. But anything over regular maintenance is killing us! Also, DH works 2 nights a week and every other Saturday, so our "free" time is limited. I don't want to be a slave to my house, but I have standards!

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For me it's combo of homeschooling/ young baby. On the weekends Bud is not working, so he can manage the kids while I crank out the big projects. I could do things in small increments over the week, but I really like to finish a project once I start. If I have to put it away I may not get it back out again for a while. So I do the big things on the weekends.

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Love that thread (weekend warriors) every week because I am glad that I am not the only one working my butt off all weekend!

 

Most of my friends seem to be going to the zoo and out to dinner and doing all sorts of fun relaxing things and I can barely do the projects and chores I need to do to keep my head above water. Is this a homeschooling thing? A poor person thing? (I can't afford to hire out some stuff others can) Also, should I just give into it and say "this is my life" or can I do something to make our weekends relaxing?

 

PS: I DO enjoy some projects and I like to work on stuff when dh is around to help. It just seems NEVER ENDING! Some of my friends even say they are bored on the weekends!:ohmy:

 

Or, rather, two concerns. The first one is that you work your butt off, would like some downtime, and need suggestions for how to fit that in. But the other, which I felt was implied in your post, seems to be that you're falling into the trap of comparisons. Am I right in reading that?

 

Now, for the never-ending projects. The nice thing about projects is that they'll be there when you get around to them. Provided they aren't safety or health concerns, you can pretty well decide to take a weekend off from working on things. Sure, the grass will be a bit longer, the sorting won't do itself, the dust may fly off the ceiling fans and stick to the window panes... but if you want to do something specific, then the best way to make that happen is to... make it happen. Set aside some time, put aside some money, and when it's time to go, go. For some of us, that means saving longer than for others. Or waiting until the children are a little older. Or just forcing ourselves to say, "Ya know, it's okay to do this now and not wait."

 

What is it that's holding you back from doing something relaxing? Is there something specific you'd like to be doing? Or do you just hear your friends talk and feel like you're missing out on something because that's not your current lifestyle?

 

Which brings me to the second part. Embracing our lifestyles. We're also remodeling. Renovating. Doing something to something every. single. day. It's been like this for two and a half years, and there's honestly no end in sight. We do have five small children, and I, too have standards (although if I'm being perfectly honest, here, they aren't as high as they once were *grin*). I try to keep in mind that this is something we chose and walked into with our eyes wide open, but I also know that due to our choices (and I mean all of them - having children, homeschooling them, one income, going the DIY route, living far enough out that everything would be a commute... you get the picture), we don't get to live the same life as some of our friends (the ones who call up and say, "Hey, we picked up our new bass boat! Want to take it out on the river in the morning?" -- "Hey, there's a concert in town, why don't you get a sitter for the kids and come to it with us?"... or the ones who seem to be out shopping every weekend, getting new things, taking trips, etc.)

 

On the flip side, they don't get to live our life, either. Watching the house come together, being a part of our children's educations in such an integral manner, having "something to do"... one couple, in particular, will come down to work on the property with us anytime they can, and we finally realized after talking with them and watching them, that it's not b/c they feel sorry for us (LOL!) it's b/c they're out of "things to do" and need something to do! Lightbulb moment, there.

 

A few years back, I was feeling a little gypped over not being able to go listen to live musicians, or take off and go to the movies w/ DH on my birthday (even when we were childless, that's the only time we ever went to the theater), or going dancing... but then i realized that I didn't really miss *those things*, I just missed feeling like I was *living* life. I felt like life was happening to me, instead. So, I decided to live intentionally, and that has made a huge difference for me. I embrace that this is what I do, who I am. And if I'm not okay with it, I make adjustments. Sometimes, we sleep in and don't get productive right off the bat because we need a little reprieve. Cartoons with the kids. Cinnamon rolls for Saturday breakfast. Coffee on the porch. OR, we'll get up early and get on it, then call it a day at a certain time and make it a family night - fix supper with the kids, drag out the Snap Circuits, watch a movie with the kids, have dessert "just because". It's not jet-setting excitement, but it does the trick for us, in terms of making the weekend "relaxing and enjoyable". And still being able to get to what we need to get to.

 

Dy

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Yes, we are sort of remodeling. What I consider a little bit at a time. But anything over regular maintenance is killing us! Also, DH works 2 nights a week and every other Saturday, so our "free" time is limited. I don't want to be a slave to my house, but I have standards!

 

It's hard with children that young. You're doing so much on a normal day- just upkeep; adding anything, never mind working on the house, will put you over. And it always seems that little projects take a turn and become more than you bargain for. That sinking feeling? That's normal. :tongue_smilie: As they get bigger, it does get better.

 

 

I love your little picture, with the shopping cart. :)

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