it seems as though our days are so busy lately...not that we go out much. we do try to attend the local festivals and such, & a weekly playgroup.
but i find my self wondering lately...am i missing something??
i get up at 5:30 or 6am and work on knitting, or some other crafting (usually to post in my etsy shop) & enjoy a hot cup of coffee (now that baby sleeps until 7am or so :).
at 6:50am i wake orin up (our 9 yr old) for his shower. and at 7am we begin our lessons...it was his idea to get up early. he said that it is easier to focus without the younger lot up & about (which i thought was a very mature observation).
8am breakfast, chores, walk...then home for more lessons (alternating between orin & aydin). we take a lunch break at noon or so & enjoy some time with papa (though lately he has been sleeping later & we haven't gotten to visit as much).
2pm, papa leaves for work & we have a bit of outside time, then rest time. then our last lesson of the day (handwork, baking, etc).
by then it is nearly 5pm, and the boys play until dinner (6pm). then it's baths, tidy the house & get ready for bed. daily gratitude journal & story, then bed at 9pm.
of course, in between all of this is taking the 2 1/2 yr old potty every two hours, changing baby evyn every 2 hr or so (we use cloth diapers), nursing evyn, getting breakfasts, lunches, & dinners made...starting laundry, putting away dishes, breaking up little spats here & there, getting papa up for this day...etc...
i haven't had a lot of free time lately, but today it worked out that this youngest ones fell asleep just as papa left for work. so, i took the opportunity to check my email & pop in on a few blogs of fellow mamas. i am looking at these gorgeous nature tables, children's playrooms that are just beautifully set up & CLEAN, there are posts about dreams & life...the living of life.
then i look at my own posts...everything is homeschool (or at least a good 80-90%)
i had a mom leave a comment last week about "how do i get it all done?!?" that made me feel good. because honestly right now, my children are my life, and as we are a homeschooling family...homeschool is, in effect, my life as well. we don't do workbooks or a laid out curricula because we follow a waldorf approach.
but still i wonder...is this how life is with 4 children (9, 6, 2 & 6months)??
i wonder if my focus is perhaps skewed, maybe i am missing out on the important things in life. i think that i take the time to listen to the bird's song & to stop & smell the flowers, but do i?? the rest of my day i such a blur that i cannot seem to remember if i did or not...
i would love more "free time" with the boys, just to sit & be...but it just doesn't seem to happen, and i don't necessarily think that it is because i am not letting it. i don't overschedule us with outside lesson & activities, the boys each pick one program/class for the fall & one for the spring, chess club every other friday, and 4-h club once per month.
perhaps it only appears that i am living a busy life because i am so involved in my children's lives...because they are all so young yet?? am i so rapped up in my the "one-thing-after-another" that i don't realize how peaceful our days are for the rest of the family??
which brings me back to my original question...am i missing something??...or is this just how life is when you are a homeschooling family of four??
(your thoughts...please!)
I think we are living parallel lives! I was making the bed the other day thinking the same things. I also wondered about my life in 15 years. What will my children be like? Will they really be better off because I lived for them for all of these years? Will my husband still love me? I let these ideas pass over me, then resolved that I am doing my best, and I can't imagine any other life for myself right now. I think being busy, moving from one activity to another is how every mom feels. Remember how slow childhood was? It was for me. Adulthood is racing by so fast I can hardly catch my breath.
ReplyDeleteAlso, thank you for your homeschooling posts. I find the form drawing stories particularly helpful!
thanks, love...it is always nice to know that there is another kindred spirit out there!
ReplyDeletehow old are your children??
This sense of imbalance must be a common, if unspoken, truth. I have been at home for the last 12 years and sometimes wonder myself if there is more to life (at least mine anyway) than homeschooling. Then I realize that this really is life and that I am free to chooose my path, when many others can't or don't. I choose to constantly learn, to share and to help others, and for me that is enough. Many others yearn for what we have.
ReplyDeleteBTW, just love your blog.
Hi! I've been meaning to post for weeks now (ever since you came back from your computer break!) so that mihgt tell you how life is here! :-) I think it is just a fact of life with young children. We're busy, and I'm sometimes exhausted, ALWAYS feel like I'm not getting everything done that I want to (including just BEING without DOING), but I don't see that there's much more I can drop, you know? I feel happy, though, knowing that all the whats we're busy with are good things- at least we're not wasting time with junk, school busywork, activities that aren't worth it.
ReplyDeleteMy children are 7 and 9. They are in first and third grade. Doing 2 main lessons has been overwhelming... maybe that is why I am feeling this way right now!
ReplyDeleteone of the very important things in life that you seem not to be missing= being such an attentive, loving mother (quite evident from perusing your blog)! i, truthfully, think you are providing such beautiful, rich experiences for your children. and, then, choosing to share it here is very inspiring (the actual material, and the actual posting). you do all this, with all those little people in your life. wow! if you need some "unplanned" being time, maybe plan for it?? seriously. have a day, every other week or so, that is plan-free? thanks for your blog. also, appreciate You!
ReplyDeleteI really enjoy the posts that you put out to the blogosphere.You inspired me to better plan out the Norse block that my daughters and I did since you were so organized about yours.
ReplyDeleteMeeting the needs of a 9, 6, 2, and 6 month old must be a daily challenge. Frankly, I am impressed that you can take care of your kids, share your ideas, and be able to create things by hand - all at the same time.
You are doing many things for individuals who are in very different life places. You still try to add your voice to the larger community and share creative schooling idea.
I'd say you are on the ball and well balanced with meeting all the needs of those who depend on you.
Peace and Blessings,
Trina
momasun@eambarqmail.com