Struggling with Time

Whew! I am struggling with time. Our family generally tolerates a fairly high level of activity, so our children have always participated in sports and music and church activities. But this fall we seem to be rushing here and there and I am constantly feeling like I have to "catch up"! Last night as I was tucking in my 10-yr-old, even he said, " I wish we had a day when we just could do NOTHING."

I have been homeschooling a long time. I know better than this. How did we get here?

AGH

One problem is that our homeschool basketball teams just started practicing last week. Amanda plays on a team, Dad coaches another team, and Dad decided that Jason should work out with the middle school team as a developmental player this year ( goes to practices but won't play in games - he's too young ). Volleyball season still has 2 more weeks, so Amanda now has v'ball practices and games AND basketball practices. Jason is playing fall soccer for a few more weeks, so he has practice one evening a week and a game every Saturday, AND basketball on Sat. morning before his soccer game. And hubby has practice with his team on Sat. mornings right now, which will soon move to 2 evenings a week.

Another schedule killer - doctors appointments. We are all pretty healthy, but Amanda has had a persistently sore left foot for 6 months, so we made another visit to the orthopaedist a couple of weeks ago and now she is going to 30 minutes of physical therapy twice a week ( thankfully here in town!) , and today we are driving an hour to an Orthotics office to have her fitted for an insert for her shoes. Monday, the two kids had eye doctor appointments, and Amanda has to go back in 2 weeks for a contact lens check, and I go next week.

Other additions to a full schedule:

We decided that it was time for Jason to start music lessons - that is extremely important to me, and especially for this kid, who can get obsessive about sports! So we added a piano lesson once a week, which he is enjoying very much!

I signed on to teach a writing/book making class at the homeschool bookstore/resource center once a week. It brings in some needed money to help pay those bills ( 2 in college!). I enjoy it, and Jason is in my class and is getting the benefit of learning something that I might not take the time to teach him without the accountability of a class - but it takes a couple of hours out of my week to plan and prepare, plus the actual 90 minute class.

I teach Rhetoric-level ( high school, for you non-TOGgers ) literature and writing in our Year 2 TOG Co-op. Again, I enjoy it, but it is challenging and takes several hours to read the assignments and plan the 2 hour class time every week.

Amanda was in 2 classes that met once a week, in addition to the Co-op. But we decided this week to drop one, not just because of the time, but also because she was struggling with the pace of the class and the amount of work required each week. We decided that we would just do that class at home ( with DAD ) and take it a bit slower and more laid back - one of the great benefits of homeschooling !

Jason goes to a friend's house for science once a week - takes it off my plate and he loves the regular play time with his best buddy. Amanda has choir once a week - again, that is her music, and she loves it. I create our homeschool support group newsletter on the computer each month - several hours of work. I go twice a month to the bookstore to help mentor other homeschool moms. I am trying to bake bread each week, plus I cook all the meals ( occasionally I pass that off to Amanda ) and do the laundry and try to keep the place somewhat presentable and basically clean - a sore spot, but let's not go there now.

Last year I taught art here once a week, with a couple of boys for J, and then a couple of girls for A. I can't figure out where to fit that in our week right now, which is making J very unhappy.

We are struggling getting school work done. Something has got to give.

Okay, I've vented. I'm sure some of you are shaking your heads and tsk tsking.... "Just STOP", you are saying. eliminate, simplify, slow down...

I'm just not sure where or how...

But something is going to give.