Need more writing time--housecleaner or someone to hs 9yo 2 mornings/week?

[Acadie]

I applied for a writing grant for 2016, and got it!  Yay!

 

Now I'm realizing I need to change my life in order to have more writing time. If you've tried to clear time for work/creative projects while homeschooling, what helped most? Grant funds can be used to buy writing time, so I can submit mortgage/childcare/housecleaning expenses. 

 

Housecleaner--I was thinking of finding someone to come 2x month. Maybe 1x month if I wanted help homeschooling too.

 

Help homeschooling--dd13 is in school now and loving it, so it's just dd9 at home. The most expensive option would be to hire someone to come to our house a couple mornings a week. Or I could potentially ask a friend if she'd be up for having dd over for a playdate one morning a week, have dh take dd to work one morning a week with her school work, and put money into enrichment classes. (I'd offer to pay my friend and keep it separate from our usual playdate exchange, but that would probably cost less than hiring someone to homeschool.) The friend/dh arrangement might get cancelled more often due to sick kids or work conflicts.

 

I'm confused about what would really help and what might complicate my life further--would it be more of a pain to have someone come in? I'd probably feel like I needed to tidy up more and make sure we had decent lunch food, instead of grilled cheese & veggies again! There are times when I'm working on a deadline and just let things go in the house for a few days…. 

 

I'm also struggling with feeling like I should be able to do it all myself, if I can just get up early and be prepared and schedule everything properly. But I'm at the point where this is looking like an obstacle and a delusion, and what would really help me advance my writing this year is to take some other things off my plate. But there's plenty we need done in the house. It's painful to think of spending $ on things I could do myself when I have the chance to replace the grayish-purple kitchen counters we've had for 13 years! 

 

I suppose what I really want is someone to tell me that investing in more writing time is necessary and most important. And then tell me exactly how to go about doing that :p

 

It also occurs to me that this may be the beginning of my transition to life after home schooling. I'm guessing dd9 might homeschool for another 3 years, and I'm drawn to slowly ramping up my other interests and work commitments. The biggest indicator that I need to outsource something is that when I don't have dedicated writing time I get distracted trying to fit it in while homeschooling, and dd deserves better! When I do have dedicated writing time, I'm able to focus on and enjoy home schooling my girl.

 

Open to any and all ideas!

 

Amy

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited December 17, 2015 by Acadie

[umsami]

Congratulations on your grant! 

 

Of course, you can't do it all...nor should you be expected to....and kudos to you for realizing that.

 

I like the idea of a housecleaner, but I would probably do it more often rather than less...so hopefully you don't feel the need to clean up as much.  I wouldn't worry about lunch either.....grilled cheese and veggies is fine.  PB&J is fine.  All are normal, good lunches.

 

I'd also look for some outside enrichment classes, assuming you could do your writing near by at a library, in the car, whatever....so that you don't lose time driving back and forth.  I would also see what other options may exist in the local homeschooling community.  Is there somebody doing a similar curriculum with a similar aged DC who would be willing to help out?   Another option is that now (where i live at least) is a time where you can sign up for the virtual school either PT or FT to begin in January.  Would having virtual schooling, either FT or PT help?

 

Edited December 17, 2015 by umsami

[Annie G]

Give up the notion that you have to do everything. 

 

With the amount you feel comfortable spending, which option buys you the most writing time?  That's what I'd choose, because that's your goal, not necessarily getting out of cleaning bathrooms or teaching your dd. 

 

Which gives you more bang for your buck?

[happi duck]

Congrats!

 

I'd hate to outsource homeschooling.

 

What would free up the most time for me would be grocery shopping and meal prep...is that a possibility?

[displace]

I have a housecleaning service. The time they save me is about four hours every two weeks. If I paid more they would save me more time, but probably no more than an hour or two.

 

Other things we do: joining a gym with a kid's room or kid classes if you can work for 1-2 hours there while DD9 is occupied, coop classes, maybe alternating play dates/babysitting. I would have to leave the house if I had a babysitter to get things done. Consider more independent school work or computer classes for homeschool.

Edited December 17, 2015 by displace

[Laurel]

You want to maximize the amount of time these potential services would actually save you.

Would you feel the need to run around the house tidying up before the house cleaner? If so, a house cleaner may not actually save you that much time. Also, if you are comfortable letting the housework slide a little bit, it also may not save you that much time. (Though, another thing to think about it your mental space. If you work better in a clean house, then a house cleaner would be invaluable.)

Do you use mostly open and go, do the next thing curricula? Would it be easy to pass off certain assignments/subjects to someone else, or would you have to invest a lot of time into lesson planning/direction? If you could pass off an entire subject (or two) to someone else, either your dh, a tutor or friend, or an outside class, that might work best, if you expected them to do the planning etc, that would free up some mental space as well.

[GinaPagnato]

I think it sounds like you'd do best with a dedicated block of time to work each week. That way you relegate writing time to "work" and parenting/educating/house stuff to all the other times and you won't need to sneak it in here or there.

 

So, let's say you're writing from 8 am - noon Tuesday and Thursday. That 8 hours of work is your *job* during that time. It's unlikely you'd have a house cleaner come that frequently, nor would you yourself spend that much time cleaning.

 

Based on that, I'd hire someone to come in and work with DD for school, or have her out of the house at the friend's house or other classes during your work time.

 

Congratulations!

[fairfarmhand]

For me, I'd pay someone to take my kids in the afternoon. I'd homeschool in the morning (being sure to still schedule some time for "fun" learning so I could created good memories too!) and pay someone to take my kid to lessons, play with her, take her to park days, homeschool field trips, etc.

 

Sort of like a part time nanny for an older kid. I would not trust someone else to do my homeschooling in the way that I'd want it done.

 

So I'd pay someone from 12:30-4:30 to do childcare 4 days a week, and one afternoon, I'd take my dd, allowing dad to pull a shift on Saturdays so I could work 4 hours per day, five days per week.

 

Additionally, I would pay for a weekly maid to clean 1-2 hours a week.

Edited December 17, 2015 by fairfarmhand

[Critterfixer]

Housekeeping. I spend one to two hours a day on house-care tasks. Two hours of writing  per day right there.

[Anne in CA]

Honestly I would probably take the money and get away for a few weekends. I write better with no distractions. I notice that is how Cheryl Strayed finished Wild. She rented a cabin on weekends to get away from her family and pounded it out. I am so jealous of you, in a really good way!

[Bootsie]

I have found that the key is not what buys the most total time but what buys the most productive time.  Can you write at home if other people are in the house?  Can you write away from home?  Can you write when the house isn't tidy and there are chores to do?  Do you need 2 hours a day five days a week?  Or, do you need 5 hours two days a week?  Do you write better in the mornings, afternoons, or evenings?  

[Acadie]

Wow, I'm glad I asked! Your feedback is helping me think about when I'm most productive and what will buy me the most time. 

 

I do love mornings, both for writing and home schooling. Dd9 and I are both most alert then, so I'm thinking 3 weekday mornings home schooling and 2 writing might be a good mix. And weekend getaways definitely make a huge difference, Anne! I've done two in the past year, and both were life changing. I did some writing, but the space and time also helped me redirect things with my family that were all to the good. So I will definitely be looking for when I can get away.

 

Sometimes I can take my laptop anywhere, and sometimes it's easier to have access to books and files at home. And, perhaps unfortunately, when I'm home it does help my thinking if the house is not a total disaster.

 

Thank you thank you!

 

Amy