THIS is why I homeschool. To spend a GORGEOUS Autumn afternoon at the zoo with all of my kids, with no time constraints, nowhere else to be, and not a care in the world!!
So WHY, does it feel like THIS doesn't happen NEARLY as much as I want it to?!?!
Why does it feel like we are constantly running, always needing to be here or there, never on time, and never having the time to do what we actually want to do?!When I originally started exploring the idea of homeschooling, one of the biggest things that appealed to me was time. If we homeschooled, we wouldn't have to work around school time, we could be on our time - doing things when we wanted to do them - NOT when someone else told us we had to do them! Being a mom of several young kids, I felt like we were always rushing somewhere - rushing to get all the kids ready, rushing to get out the door, rushing to get home to get things done - I didn't want to have to rush anymore!! So why, just over a year into homeschooling, do I feel like we are still always rushing?! Because we have replaced "needing to get to school" with "needing to get to gymnastics" and "needing to get to swimming", and "needing to get to piano lessons".
If you recall, back in the Spring, I talked about NOT wanting to get sucked into the each-of-my-kids-needs-to-be-in-83-different-activities mentality. I have tried to keep activities to a minimum, but somehow we still have stuff scheduled for every afternoon but one, a week! I feel like we are constantly running! My mornings are spent getting everyone fed, getting everyone dressed, getting school done, laundry done, cleaning done, baking/cooking done, lunch served, and then we are running out the door somewhere. I am constantly yelling at the kids to "hurry up, or we are going to be late!" I am afraid that instead of happy, quality-time memories, my children are going to remember me constantly yelling at them, and always in a hurry!!
Something needs to change. Last week, on Tuesday (our ONLY free afternoon!) I decided on a whim to take the kids to the zoo. We did our school in the morning, ate lunch, and headed out. We weren't in a rush, we would get there when we got there. It was a GORGEOUS Autumn afternoon, and the zoo was not at all busy - it was perfect! We spent as much time as we wanted looking at each animal, and we were even there at the perfect time to watch them feed the hippos, and tell us some facts about them! We spent 3.5 hours leisurely wandering around the zoo, and decide to head home when we were all tired.
It was SO nice to be able to do whatever we felt like doing! I want to be able to do that more often. I don't want to always be telling my kids "we don't have time to do that right now". If I wait too long, they will be all grown up, and they won't even want to spend time with me anymore :(
I need to figure out how to simplify our schedule, and re-prioritize our time!
If you recall, back in the Spring, I talked about NOT wanting to get sucked into the each-of-my-kids-needs-to-be-in-83-different-activities mentality. I have tried to keep activities to a minimum, but somehow we still have stuff scheduled for every afternoon but one, a week! I feel like we are constantly running! My mornings are spent getting everyone fed, getting everyone dressed, getting school done, laundry done, cleaning done, baking/cooking done, lunch served, and then we are running out the door somewhere. I am constantly yelling at the kids to "hurry up, or we are going to be late!" I am afraid that instead of happy, quality-time memories, my children are going to remember me constantly yelling at them, and always in a hurry!!
Something needs to change. Last week, on Tuesday (our ONLY free afternoon!) I decided on a whim to take the kids to the zoo. We did our school in the morning, ate lunch, and headed out. We weren't in a rush, we would get there when we got there. It was a GORGEOUS Autumn afternoon, and the zoo was not at all busy - it was perfect! We spent as much time as we wanted looking at each animal, and we were even there at the perfect time to watch them feed the hippos, and tell us some facts about them! We spent 3.5 hours leisurely wandering around the zoo, and decide to head home when we were all tired.
It was SO nice to be able to do whatever we felt like doing! I want to be able to do that more often. I don't want to always be telling my kids "we don't have time to do that right now". If I wait too long, they will be all grown up, and they won't even want to spend time with me anymore :(
I need to figure out how to simplify our schedule, and re-prioritize our time!
2 comments:
I totally understand how you feel. I have lived through those days where it seems like you are yelling all the time and the house seems upside down. This year I have simplified my life and I love it. I am still struggling with the guilt that my kids are not in a million things but I felt really good the other day when my oldest daughter (10) told me "it is so nice to not be so busy so I can get things done". That made the guilt melt away. We have one night a week that we are busy (with activities, with 6 kids every night is busy) and one morning a week that my girls take piano lessons. That's it. I love being available to other people when they need me and just having the family time together in the evenings. Hope things get easier for you!
Thanks Kristy! It's nice to know that I am not the only one trying to simplify, and go AGAINST the trend of having kids in a million activities!! :)
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