How do you all do it?

[love_reading]

I know most of the parents here are full time, part time working. My wonders of the wonder is how do you all manage your work, kids,hw and their extra classes and the practice of those extra classes(piano, dance, chess etc) and things at home(cooking,packing, cleaning)
I work full time and gone from home from 7 to 5...Evening while I am back form work, I pick kids(age 7 and 5) and go home. My kids hardly do any extra classes(expect a few)...I am very new here and when I was going through most of the threads I find parents and kids doing so much stuff and wonder where you get time...
When do you cook, get things ready for the next day?? after those extra classes when do you get time to make sure kids practice it along with their regular school home work..reading a loud to them for about 15 min or more the least??
Don't your kids rebel...I add one extra stuff, my kids complaint they don't get time to play (which they do most of the time)
At what time, do your kids go to sleep and get up in the morning?? Do they cry if you wake them?? My younger one always cries asking us to allow her to sleep for few extra mins....She even takes a short nap in the afternoon at school.

I have tried many things to get them motivated, like stickers, points..taking them to their favourite play area etc..Almost everything is very good within week's time...later even if I ask them, they tell they are not interested going to that place or buying that toy.

With great difficult I make them to sit for their music practice, they start off with one or other reason on each other and keep fighting about it. Most of the time is wasted only to convince them, and by the end they feel like they have done their practice for long time(which is nothing when the time taken off for calming them down)

Hence I just stopped them in few extra classes as it was more pressure for me. My DS was going to chess classes but never wanted to practise..(what is the use of sending to classes when they are not interested to practice?) Its now only 2 extra classes(music and soccer)soccer would be done soon by mid Nov.
Any suggestions as how to handle and motivate them basically...and make sure they practice them. Any other help is most welcome...

Sorry if this post doesn't fit here. I just couldn't go back and refer to each thread...instead thought of putting all my concerns here.

[Rosie_0801]

One problem people reading here have is with merging everyone else and everything they do into one person, which they then compare themselves with. Don't do that!

I can't manage everything and I'm at home with two small kids, only one of whom is school age, so I don't know how the mums who also work and have lots of kids manage. I know for sure they are not doing *everything* though. No one can do *everything.*

[Mergath]

I wouldn't be able to manage a full-time job, homeschooling, cooking, and cleaning.  At least, not at a level that I'd be happy with.  And I only have one kid!  I've only seen a handful of people here that do that, and most of them seem to have outside help.  I think it's much more common around here for the parent who does all the stuff at home to work part-time.  

 

My kid is five as well, and if she was actually crying because she was so tired, I'd find a way to cut back her schedule to allow for more sleep.  Sleep isn't something young kids should have to sacrifice.

[ThatHomeschoolDad]

It sounds like you have the accelerator all the way to the floor, but maybe you can find solace in letting up on the gas a bit.  Is the music practice for the 5 & 7 year old?   Would it be possible to wait a year or more for lessons?  I couldn't tell whether the practice was happening at the same time or separately, but separately would definitely be preferable at that age.

 

How I get stuff done is not alone -- I wouldn't be HSing if I didn't have major spousal backup.  I may be the teacher, but DW is certainly the Director of Curriculum, Research, and Social Planning.  You didn't mention any such help on your side, but is that possible?

 

As for my house....it's a wreck, and will remain so until DD goes to college.  Then it will be painted...and too quiet.

[sunnyday]

I know most of the parents here are full time, part time working.

 

For starters, I would check your assumptions. How do you know this?

[boscopup]

I know most of the parents here are full time, part time working.

 

I'd guess that most here are stay-at-home-moms, not working outside the home at all. A large number may also work part-time in some capacity, but I wouldn't say "most". A smaller number work full-time. I have no clue how they do it. I doubt I could without going insane. :lol:

 

I will say this... When my oldest was in school, he didn't enjoy outside activities. He was TIRED from being at school all day, having to focus and not play (even though the work he was doing there was very easy for him - he was coasting and still had to focus). I kept things very minimal at that age. When he started homeschooling (I'm not working a paid job at all), I was able to have him do a little more. I still keep it fairly minimal though. He does hockey, and he did Cub Scouts up until this year (our troop dissolved and will likely become that new type of scouting troop, so that would start in January, I think). Frankly, hockey by itself is plenty, IMO. My younger kids have had zero activities, with the exception of some figure skating classes on Saturday morning (which didn't interfere with school at all). My middle son is on a hockey team this year. He'll be 7 in a few days. That is definitely all he can manage, and he's not in school all day. He's playing most of the day (I keep his school work VERY short). If he were in school, I wouldn't have him doing an outside activity. It would just be too much for him.

 

Anyway, remember that no mom "does it all". Each one has to sacrifice something. Some sacrifice an outside job. Some sacrifice homecooked meals every day. Some sacrifice a clean house. Some sacrifice all 3 of those. :lol: Other sacrifices may include outside activities. There is no such thing as Super Mom. You just have to do the best you can, and set priorities. Your priorities may be different from other families' priorities, based on your circumstances (eg, a single mom most likely can't sacrifice an outside job - putting food on the table and a roof over the kids' heads takes priority). You just have to look at what you think is most important at this point in time, and make sure that gets done. Be realistic. Also, involve the kids in housework and such. They're both old enough to be useful.

 

When I was young, my mom had me do Saturday activities and piano lessons (but only for a while). That was it. I didn't go all over town on weekday evenings. I went home, did my homework, and went outside to play with neighborhood kids. Saturday was when we did outside activities, not school nights.

 

[Pen]

I know most of the parents here are full time, part time working. My wonders of the wonder is how do you all manage your work, kids,hw and their extra classes and the practice of those extra classes(piano, dance, chess etc) and things at home(cooking,packing, cleaning)

 

Most people do not do all that.

 

I work full time and gone from home from 7 to 5...Evening while I am back form work, I pick kids(age 7 and 5) and go home. My kids hardly do any extra classes(expect a few)...I am very new here and when I was going through most of the threads I find parents and kids doing so much stuff and wonder where you get time...

When do you cook, get things ready for the next day?? after those extra classes when do you get time to make sure kids practice it along with their regular school home work..reading a loud to them for about 15 min or more the least??

 

I prioritize things like sleep and good meals.  I find homeschool is easier than brick and mortar school was, because though a lot of time is spent on the schooling, there is time for living.  Even so, my son only does one extracurricular activity per semester.

Don't your kids rebel...I add one extra stuff, my kids complaint they don't get time to play (which they do most of the time)

At what time, do your kids go to sleep and get up in the morning??

 

When in B&M school this was awful for us too, especially in winter.  As homeschoolers his bedtime has gone gradually from 7PM to 9PM (at age 11), he gets up when he is ready to do so, usually around 6:30 AM in summer, but moving later as the days get shorter in fall and winter.  No alarm clock as homeschoolers, so getting up is due to sunlight, dog needing to go out, noise from outside or me, etc.  He has taken a fencing class from which we do not get home till after 9PM however and on those nights he obviously goes to bed later, but the next day is usually a problem.

 

Do they cry if you wake them?? My younger one always cries asking us to allow her to sleep for few extra mins....She even takes a short nap in the afternoon at school.

 

She needs more sleep.  I would put that first.  That is when they grow, repair, and when their brains get to form a lot of important connections.

 

I have tried many things to get them motivated, like stickers, points..taking them to their favourite play area etc..Almost everything is very good within week's time...later even if I ask them, they tell they are not interested going to that place or buying that toy.

 

With great difficult I make them to sit for their music practice, they start off with one or other reason on each other and keep fighting about it. Most of the time is wasted only to convince them, and by the end they feel like they have done their practice for long time(which is nothing when the time taken off for calming them down)

 

Hence I just stopped them in few extra classes as it was more pressure for me. My DS was going to chess classes but never wanted to practise..(what is the use of sending to classes when they are not interested to practice?) Its now only 2 extra classes(music and soccer)soccer would be done soon by mid Nov.

Any suggestions as how to handle and motivate them basically...and make sure they practice them. Any other help is most welcome...

Sorry if this post doesn't fit here. I just couldn't go back and refer to each thread...instead thought of putting all my concerns here.

 

 

Less is more.

 

The books Simplicity Parenting and/or The Hurried Child might be of help to you.   And to them.

 

Sleep!

 

Play!

 

 

 

 

 

 

[sewingmama]

Well I am a full time stay at home mum. My kids don't go to any outside classes except one homeschool group meeting every two weeks. My house is still a mess although I clean it regularly, last night the kids had boxed mac and cheese for dinner and went to bed at 10 pm because they were watching the X Factor final LOL.

 

The weeds are growing in my yard, I never make the beds...laundry and dishes are about the only thing that are always done around here.

 

If I was working 7-5 there is no way I would be homeschooling and I would be eating out every night.

 

If your house is clean, your kids are going to activities while you work full time you are doing better then me LOL.

 

Oh and yes my kids rebel. If they rebel though I usually take it as a sign that we are doing too much and I try to lessen the load.

[Mergath]

Well I am a full time stay at home mum. My kids don't go to any outside classes except one homeschool group meeting every two weeks. My house is still a mess although I clean it regularly, last night the kids had boxed mac and cheese for dinner and went to bed at 10 pm because they were watching the X Factor final LOL.

 

The weeds are growing in my yard, I never make the beds...laundry and dishes are about the only thing that are always done around here.

 

If I was working 7-5 there is no way I would be homeschooling and I would be eating out every night.

 

If your house is clean, your kids are going to activities while you work full time you are doing better then me LOL.

 

Oh and yes my kids rebel. If they rebel though I usually take it as a sign that we are doing too much and I try to lessen the load.

 

I'm a SAHM too, and right now my living room looks like some kind of book volcano exploded in the middle of it.  One of the cats is angrily trying to make a bed out of the Monopoly Jr. instructions that are sitting on her chair.  I'm eating a single-serving chocolate cake that I made in the microwave and trying to ignore everything outside my happy cake bubble. 

 

If by "do it all" one means that I can both ignore the death-glares from my cat and leap over messes without breaking an ankle, then yes, yes I can do it all. :D

[Chris in VA]

OP, you are aware this is a homeschooling board, right? And the most common model is spouse works, other spouse homeschools? 

There ARE people here who work full-time and homeschool, and there are single parents here who work and homeschool. But the most common model is someone is home full time. 

[redsquirrel]

I think the majority of homeschooling families have one parent at home full time. I can't imagine how you would teach such small children, ages 7 and 5, if you weren't with them during the day. If you are gone from 7am to 5pm, then you are missing the time of day that would be most productive for them. They are just too tired before and after you are at work.

 

Homeschooling is my full time job. I easily spend 40 hours a week on just that.  DH and split household chores etc just as if I were working outside the home. My time with the kids is just that, time teaching them and providing childcare and parenting. I am not also expected to manage the home alone.

 

So, my answer to how I do it all, is that I don't. But, I can only do all that I do because it is my full time commitment.

[CrunchyGirl]

Here's my honesty for the day:

 

I own my own company. With 20 employees and growing fast it's a constant roller coaster. DH works for me. It's hard. How do we do it all? Badly. But in reality there's very little choice. I have one kid highly accelerated and another with a medical issue it would be very difficult to get proper accommodation for (and she appears to be well on her way to be just as accelerated). Our kids are ill suited for public or private school. Many days I wish it wasn't that way. I feel very stuck most days.

[Koerarmoca]

It's all a balancing act. I have 4 (3 are school aged) I also have 1 daycare baby and my home Biz. I also have older children though who can help out with meals and cleaning. I don't have my daycare baby on weekends so we do more school on the weekends and my husband only works 4 days a week Fri-Mon. so it works out good for us. I could not successfully homeschool and work a full time job outside of the home. I do however have to help out as my husbands income isn't enough for the lavish lifestyle I have grown accustom too (please read the sarcasm in that lol) 

 

Also, my kids go to a full day co-op once a week and my husband is also off on that day so he tends to the babies and I tend to the home. AND I have a love affair with my crock pot ;)

[coffeegal]

I know most of the parents here are full time, part time working. My wonders of the wonder is how do you all manage your work, kids,hw and their extra classes and the practice of those extra classes(piano, dance, chess etc) and things at home(cooking,packing, cleaning)
I work full time and gone from home from 7 to 5...Evening while I am back form work, I pick kids(age 7 and 5) and go home. My kids hardly do any extra classes(expect a few)...I am very new here and when I was going through most of the threads I find parents and kids doing so much stuff and wonder where you get time...

Most homeschoolers I know don't work full-time, although I do know a few who do. I work part-time. No one does it all.

 

When do you cook, get things ready for the next day?? I use a crock-pot and organize my school in the summer. All 36 weeks of papers have been printed and filed. I also trained my older 4 children to plan their week themselves, so I can focus on tutoring, grading, and feedback. My homeschool is planned to be as open and go as possible. Even my planner has science supplies listed by week. I carry the planner everywhere, so when I'm at the store I can double-check for science supplies for the week. Pencils and other school supplies are color coded, each child has their own crate, and communal books have a specific spot. When the kids start school, they grab their crates and are ready to go for the day.

 

after those extra classes when do you get time to make sure kids practice it along with their regular school home work..reading a loud to them for about 15 min or more the least?? We rarely do an extra class. I focus on providing social opportunities instead.

 

Don't your kids rebel...I add one extra stuff, my kids complaint they don't get time to play (which they do most of the time)
At what time, do your kids go to sleep and get up in the morning?? We're an early to bed, early to rise family. My preschoolers' bedtime routine begins at 6pm.

 

Do they cry if you wake them?? No. I rarely wake them up.
I have tried many things to get them motivated, like stickers, points..taking them to their favourite play area etc..Almost everything is very good within week's time...later even if I ask them, they tell they are not interested going to that place or buying that toy.

With great difficult I make them to sit for their music practice, they start off with one or other reason on each other and keep fighting about it. Most of the time is wasted only to convince them, and by the end they feel like they have done their practice for long time(which is nothing when the time taken off for calming them down)
I pick my battles and realize I'll never keep up with the Jones'. We do what's right for us and maintaining family relationships first and foremost. Then we worry about the extras.

 

Hence I just stopped them in few extra classes as it was more pressure for me. My DS was going to chess classes but never wanted to practise..(what is the use of sending to classes when they are not interested to practice?) Its now only 2 extra classes(music and soccer)soccer would be done soon by mid Nov.
Any suggestions as how to handle and motivate them basically...and make sure they practice them. Any other help is most welcome...

Sorry if this post doesn't fit here. I just couldn't go back and refer to each thread...instead thought of putting all my concerns here.

Our big extras start in high school. At this age the kids take responsibility for their own classes. My job is relegated to pick-up and drop-off as needed. If music is important to you, make it part of school.

 

One motivating factor I have with my K-8 crowd is the computer. Computer time begins when the child finishes Phonics Pathways. School work completed to my satisfaction earns the child 45 minutes of computer time. Extra jobs can earn extra computer time as well. The children love time on the computer. ;) 

 

[AK_Mom4]

DD12 is  busy.  She takes an hour-long band class at the local middle school every day, plus plays in an extra jazz band there 3 days a week.  She has piano lessons and saxophone lessons, practices softball 3 evenings a week and (if we ever get snow!) will be skiing two evenings plus on the weekend.   She has about 90 minutes a day instrument practice.  And THEN we start adding in her school work - another 5 hours most days.

 

But she will tell you straight out - she has an easier schedule than her friends in public school.  Yes, she gets up early because she wants to do the band class, but she doesn't spend her day sitting in class rooms.  DD12 has lots of down time during the day while she reads science or history. 

 

But this is what her day looks like as a 7th GRADER.  When she was a 7yo, she slept until 8:30 or 9, had a few hours of school work mixed in with lots of goofing off and spent hours and hours playing in the back yard.  She had piano lessons once a week and 15 minutes of practice each day.

 

As for how we do it - well, I work from home part-time so I'm managing the household (for the most part anyway, DH does the cooking).  I work in the morning on the computer while the kids are doing their school work.  I'm the chauffeur, organizing manager and locator of lost items. We did the hectic public-school schedule with my older two - all day at school then evening activities - and it was really hard.  Everyone was always tired and waiting to rest up on the weekends.  I don't miss those days at all!

[PentecostalMom]

We don't.  Like others have said we choose what we want.  I want my dc to be kids.  To have time to play with each other.  To not have to be socialized by anyone other than their siblings.  We have homeschool park day once per week.  Church twice on Sunday and once on Wednesday.  Friday is our errand/shopping/whatever else needs to be done day.  We school four days per week pretty much year round.  My kids sleep until they wake up most days.  I love my life....

[Guest Wings2fly]

I am a SAHM and I struggle to get it all done.  Something is always lacking.  I may focus on housecleaning, but have convenience meals.  I switch to focus on homemade meals, and the house becomes a wreck.  We go about every 2 weeks to a homeschool group.  I do not wake my children.  They go to bed at 9 pm and sleep 10 - 12 hours.  I sometimes feel guilty that I cannot do it all, but forums like this and hs books and blogs help me realize that no one can do it all.

[SKL]

Were you meaning to post this on the afterschooling board?

 

I'm currently an afterschooler rather than a homeschooler.  I'm also a single mom, if that matters.  I work full-time, but I almost always work at home, so I can do little domestic things here and there, and a little exercise, on my coffee / lunch / bathroom breaks.  I keep most of the house reasonable that way (most of the time), but I usually leave the kids' play area messy, so they have easy access to their toys / projects.  The kids' schedule is too busy, through no fault of theirs, to have them spend much time on housework.  Oh, and I have maids come monthly to do the floors, dusting, and bathrooms.  (I also hire someone to do lawn mowing and snow removal.)

 

My kids go to aftercare until about 6pm.  The girls do their daily free reading and some other schoolwork in aftercare.  Their piano teacher comes to the school during aftercare once a week.  They change into their gym clothes (if it's a gym day) and then they have free play (indoor/outdoor) / socialization / TV time for the remainder of aftercare time.

 

We usually don't come right home after school, but have physical activities and eat on the fly.  In the car, I do some drilling and they do some reading.  Back home, we do math, go over / correct homework, maybe do some challenge reading or test study, maybe practice piano, do therapy, and whatever else there is time for.  We don't watch TV.

 

On Saturdays I have a nanny and on Sundays I have my sister come.  Both of them drive the kids around for activities and get them to do some book learning as well as fun stuff.  My sister also cooks a big dinner and puts up leftovers for a couple of future meals.  This means I hardly ever have to cook.  Sometimes my sister also works with my kids on Wednesday evenings while I work.

 

My kids don't complain much, because we've always had a busy schedule.  They fit free play in here and there.  Sleep-wise, we do have some late nights, but we're getting much better about that.

 

What are your kids doing during aftercare?  If they are having a good time for those hours, then that may be comparable to the time other kids would be spending playing at home or in the neighborhood.  As for the outside lessons, are there any that could be done at aftercare or moved to the weekend?  Would they be more attentive if you taught them yourself for a while?

[My3girls]

I work full time from home, and my dh works out of town Mon-Fri. Dd11 schools in my office, and I help her between phone calls. The youngers I school on my lunch break and after work. My house is barely picked up most of the time, and only clean when we have company. Monday thru Thursday I don't cook. We have left overs, fast food, or convenience meals. Right now, our only extracurriculars are sports which meet 3x a week and Girl Scouts which meets 3x a month. If I worked full time outside of the house, I wouldn't be able to homeschool.

 

I tried after schooling with my kids when they were in public school, but it seemed like they never got the chance to just be kids and play so we quit. When things got bad enough at school, and we felt we had no other option, we pulled them out to homeschool. We weren't sure if I could manage working and teaching, because it really is two full time jobs plus being a mom and wife which sometimes is a third. So far we are surviving, but some days are definitely better than others. We opted for a 4 day week year round to take some pressure out of the schedule. We typically put in an extra 1/2 day on Friday to try to catch up where we need to, though. We were schooling some on Sundays but have cut that to just our nature walk or field trip, now. Since I do all the family errands and business on Saturdays, plus visiting with family and friends, Sunday has turned into my down day. I NEED it!

[ThatHomeschoolDad]

There are just about a gazillion combinations if you look hard.  True, I'm home while DW teaches public school.  As a band director, she does not have papers to grade at night, but the trade off is looooooong days with after school rehearsals.  I'm working 3 nights a week and all day Sat.  We know another teacher's family in which the dad is a NYC bus driver on the night shift, and somehow they HS during the in-between hours.  In fact, there's a yahoo group (not terribly busy) called EWH -- educators who homeschool -- full of university professors and public/private school teachers who seem to also be the primary HSer.  THAT, I have no idea how it's done, but it is.

[love_reading]

Thanks to each one of you...

It is good to know there are people sailing in the same boat. Maybe I was feeling low  and most of the time it happens such that when your are low, things make you feel so bad or irresponsible etc...

I am very much better (after reading all ur messages) and I had stopped my son from taking few extra classes only because I didn't want him to pressurised and had decided let them be KIDS...
Something went wrong and I was in chaos... Thanks for all your support and sharing your lifestyle and I am glad :)

[2_girls_mommy]

We do a lot.  I do work part time but I do it while I homeschool.  For the last few years I have taken in babysitting kids.  Currently I have one preschool child (a niece) 3 days a week.  In the past we have also had toddlers or a baby around.  I do a week of out of the house work part time twice a year.  I schedule that in, knowing I will be doing a lot of work and that the kids will be doing less with me that week.  Dh helps a lot more on those weeks too, adjusting his schedule.

 

We do have a lot out of the house.  But most of it is before 5:00.  I don't cook a lot.  We don't eat out a lot either.  We have sandwiches when we need to.  Dh cooks big batches of something a couple of days a week for leftovers.  I do the same, though not as often.  When I do make weeknight dinners, they are usually quickies.  We out one time, sometimes two times a week.  I like the crockpot. My kids eat raw fruits and veggies.  I like my microwave and toaster oven.  I am not a chef :)

 

I take a bag full of our school wherever we go.  While one is dance class for 2 hrs the others and I hit the library and then the playground.  While one is gymnastics and the other is working quietly on her work I grade tests and plan for the week.  I cut coupons and plan my Sun. afternoon shopping trip during their Fri. night Robotics meeting.  If I don't do it there, it doesn't get done.

 

As for the house, thank goodness for dh.  We work together.  Whatever isn't done during the day, he comes in and helps with at night. Hsing is not just extra work for me, it is for him as well.  We are a team in this.  I couldn't do it without his support and literally with his hands on help around the house daily.

 

With the outside classes, one thing to remember is that for a lot of us we utilize them as part of the curriculum.  They are not necessarily extra curriculars.  One of my dds is on a FLL Robotics team currently.  That team is a lot of work.  She does programming the robots there.  They are researching natural disasters and the communities that they affect and how.  They are working on an invention.  They are writing a song and making an infomercial and a music video.  We are doing field trips related to the research.  That is her science class until this is over in a few weeks. Many skills are being practiced in an interesting way. I am not making her keep up with a totally unrelated science text with a lot of hands on work at home, because she is doing that already.  She is following along w/our science at home.  I am requiring less work with it than I will when her competition is over. 

 

We pick outside classes that are useful, not extra most of the time.  If they are an extra (say we discover an artist is giving free lessons at the library this month and it has nothing to do with our art studies at home) then we may take advantage of that and we may decide that is enough to glean what they glean while there and not make them do any practicing of it at home.  Or we might decide that is our art for the month and go further into it at home, abandoning what we were working on for a bit until we are done with that class.   We don't try to do it all and more. 

 

As for music we had to give up our piano lessons and practice.  It just wasn't fitting into our schedule.  We had a couple of good years of lessons and  practicing.  I have other things in our schedule/curriculum now that are of higher priority to me. Other families will feel differently and in my place might give up something like scouts before the piano lessons.  I chose what was of a higher priority to my family.  Now my one dd who enjoyed it the most picks it up and practices it when she wants to, with no pressure.  The other is happy to forget it and is happier just learning about music for now, not making it.

[LucyStoner]

I do it all by admitting that I can't do it all and have it all at the same time. I get help and cut corners and I don't feel guilty. And if I do start to feel a bit guilty, I kick myself in the butt. Literally.

[lea_lpz]

Most homeschool moms (and dads) I know in real life do not work outside the home. I go to school part time, taking 2 classes a semester. Most moms are quite impressed that I manage that. I have no real choice. I go to school partly to supplement out income with the financial aid, and because I will need to work part time for our family to make ends meat or else I would likely stay home and not finish school or plan to work. Ok. A big part of me is type A and would want to finish because I enjoy learning and am so damn close to being done! After this semester I need only 9 units to graduate. But ultimately, I find it extremely challenging to balance my school, homeschool, household responsibilities, my children's extra curriculars and family time. I feel stressed and the first thought when I am stressed out is usually I wish I didn't have class or homework to do.

 

As far as extra curriculars we are doing 2 afternoon activities a week and 1 morning homeschool riding lesson a week. I can't really imagine adding more than that and not pushing me and dc over the edge. I volunteer with both afternoon activities but the morning lesson is 3 hours drop off so I take advantage and go to a cafe and do homework, return emails and make phone calls, organize my planner / calendar, etc.

 

My dh helps out. He helps do chores in the evenings, makes trips after work to the store, helps cook dinner or does it himself, helps clean the house 1x a week and takes the kids to do stuff so I can study or run arrends for a morning a afternoon at least 1x over the weekend. He understands that me homeschooling, going to school part time and having the kids do extra curricular activities means I can't handle the household management on my own.

 

It is still stressful.

 

I do what I can and try to let go of what I can not.

[austen]

I also work part time from home. I work in the evenings, when I'm not homeschooling.

Most of our curriculum is open-and-go. I used to plan everything myself, but I don't have time for that now.

My dh also helps a lot, doing chores on the weekends, overseeing my kids' doing chores, and dishes in the evenings.

I mostly make the same simple meals over and over again, and use the crockpot at least once a week.

We don't socialize a lot. I try to limit my kids' activities to 1 or 2 outside classes. Didn't do so well with that last month--and it nearly killed me.

I don't watch TV, only the occasional movie on Netflix.

Sometimes I feel sorry for myself or pine for the times when I was "just" a stay-at-home mom,

but there are good things about working. I like contributing to the family, keeping my mind sharp, and having something that's separate from being a mom.

I think dh and the kids help out more since I work.

 

[swellmomma]

Well I am super woman of course...that's how.

I work 2 p/t jobs equalling the hours of 1 f/t one, if I was not a single parent I would not be choosing to work while homeschoolin.  The kids are in lots of things.  As for how I do it all.  Lots of caffiene, sheer will power, giving up on sleep often and a willingness to let the cleaning go if I need to.  I don't like it but there are times when something has to give.  I will not quit working now that I have started again, I need the income.  I will not stop teaching the kids, they need their educations though I no longer use quite so many teacher intensive programs and our school days are shortening meaning we are not following WTM completely.  I will not cut out their activities, because I will not penalize them for the choices I made to work when I do and homeschool them.  I will not stop preparing meals because they deserve good food.  And I will not get rid of pets because they are part of the family.  So that leaves the housework.  I am hoping to get into a flylady type routine, but first I have to dig myself out of the chaos I created by getting behind when I started working in the first place.

There are only so many hours in the day and I choose to spend mine this way. Other families find other priorities. For some it will be school and housework, and perhaps their dh does the cooking.  perhaps their kids are of the age and ability to do a large peice of the cleaning allowing them to focus on something else.  It comes done to what the priorities are for your family and how you will work within the 24 hour day you are given.  You simply can't do everything 100% all the time.  You maybe able to do everything to an adequate amount but if there is something that you feel that being adequate is not good enough than you have to devote more time and energy to it and let something else slip further.

Then again you could just become superwoman like me....just watch out for those rising cortisol levels....they'll kill ya.

[FriedClams]

If I had to work full time, and my kids were young, I would not have them in any extra activities. I'd focus on dinner together with a candle lit and soft music (and who cares what the food it!), bath time, and then a snugly book and consistent bed time. We'd use Saturday for fun and catch up, and Sunday for worship and rest.

 

There's a season when kids need more outside of the home - but I don't see that there's any need before about age 10-11.

[beishan]

I work full time. I am afterschooler and only have one kid. I feel my hand is really tight already. Learning instructment is hard work as he needs to practice to make progress. Therefore, I delay the instructment class till he turns 6 but still a hard work for me to oversee his practice. He picks the difficult one - violin - to start so I have learn with him. I told our teacher that I want the progress to be slow because I do not have 1 hour per day for him to practice. We mostly do 10-20 minutes the most but try to make up more during weekend when we have more time. My son is very good at routine. Once I set it up, he can take it all right.

 

Another time consuming activity we have is Chinese which is my mother language. Language learning needs constantly practice as well. Don't even mention that he now needs to learn to write the characters. He needs to do his Chinese homework everyday. I try to break down the weekly 6 pages homework into daily piece so he gets refreshness daily without spending too much time on finishing the hw. He spends about 15 minutes a day to finish those daily Chinese works. I ask him if he can do it in aftercare but he refuses because no one in aftercare is doing extra work. I told him if he chooses to do it at home, then his play time at home will be reduced in order to finish the work and he agrees. So far this works well. He has been doing his daily Chinese work without complaining.

[KrissiK]

I don't do it all. I don't work for pay, we homeschool, but homeschooling can be (if the kids cooperate) very time efficient. My kids do have quite a bit of free time, if they choose, like my second son, to do his seat work at 6:30am when he gets up. They have no homework to do in the evenings. I have five kids, but they only do one sport per season. We don't do anything else, really. Well, Awana. We're busy enough, and things do get sacrificed. My house is a wreck most of the time. I would like to exercise, but I can't fit that in. I feel busy and overwhelmed most of the time, but I think most of that is because my kids are high maintenance and I'm an introvert, so just living with them wears me out.

[chelsmm]

My two are still little (6 and 8), and this is only our first year of homeschooling.  I work per diem, which works out to be every other weekend, night shift.  My kids are in Judo twice a week, they just finished soccer (one weekend game each and one practice/ week), Brownies (once a month and I'm a leader), and cub scouts (2-4 times a month).  I would love to add Spanish, piano, and swimming, but I can't seem to figure out when to add it in!  We school pretty lightly though-  Math and Reading are daily.  Everything else is added in when we have time and when we want.  DS has speech at 1pm once a week, and we do a half day once a week for a standing get together with our dear friends.  So on those days we need to be done with school by noon really.  Sometimes we will school a bit during dinner or after if the kids are up for it, but that's when we do the less schooly more fun stuff.   Math and reading take about 2 hours total for the two kids, but that's really not straight through.  That's with breaks.  :)

We do go on a field trip probably weekly as well. 

 

My house has never been messier.  My top priorities are school, outdoor time, and home cooked healthful meals.  I can't compromise on food- but I do keep it simple. I am only cooking for myself and the two kids (dh isn't home all day or evening), and the kids don't care what we eat. Most days dd makes lunch for herself and her brother.  That helps a lot.  I stay up after the kids are asleep to fold laundry, prepare for the next day of school and prep meals sometimes, and tidy up.  I'm in bed most nights by 10.  I have absolutely no time to myself, but for now I'm ok with that. 

 

My garden was completely on it's own this year. In the past I have spent lots of time caring for it.  I haven't exercised consistently in ages, which I really want to change, I just can't seem to figure out how to fit it in.

 

I absolutely don't wake my kids up regularly.  If we have a special trip planned, perhaps.  But for school, no way.  DS wakes at 6am anyways, so he plays quietly while we sleep.  DD has been sleeping until almost 9am since we started home schooling.  I'm so happy that she's finally getting the sleep she needs.  I use to have to wake her for school.  She was upset, cranky, and miserable pretty much all the time.  This is one of the perks of home schooling, imo! 

 

So, no, I most certainly don't do it all.  I have had to decide what my priorities are and let go of the rest.