I am going to be starting a new blog. One that doesn't make me feel so frantic! Art imitates life and life imitates art. I am tired of being crazy and busy. I am looking for ideas for a blog title that exudes peace, Waldorf homeschooling, art, mothering, family, creativity, music, etc.....along those lines. The best of our world and not the crazy business. Something marketable as I may have found a way for us to combine our home businesses, their potential websites, and my blog into a money making venture. Hummm...........Blossoming Garden, Nature Nest, The Learning Tree,........ideas?
Just a warning: What follows is a prime example of why my title must change from Crazy Busy to Calm Peaceful. If you make it through this blog you will earn my respects, but please don't venture forth into the depths of my list if you are hoping to not disrupt your own calm, peaceful state of being;)
This week I have been losing it! So completely overwhelmed with all I have.
1) Homeschooling- Our break was this week from KinderMoon and I didn't accomplish at all what I needed to in order to reenter our rotation this week. Our home rhythm collapsed with our busy schedules and our children are desperately needing their mother to find her calm and peace. I must get back to fulfilling their schooling needs first and everything else second! After talking with other homeschooling moms I know that this is a normal part of the process and I just have to get back on track.
2) Home- We began moving our office and the kids room around and it is still trashed more than a month later!! There is more work in there than I know what to do with and I still can't find my calendar so I am constantly missing events, birthdays, and other commitments. Teilee has been in gymnastics for 5 weeks and has made 2 of those days. One day she missed due to illness but the other 2 were because I just FORGOT!!
3) Secretarial Job- Still working on September's workload and will probably get October's within the next week. Here is the way I earn money (and need to do this) and I can't manage to get that commitment handled. It is always less than 5 hours a month.
4) Childcare Job- I have an entire system designed to maintain accurate records of when I work and how much I am owed. Have missed a few days and have had to ask the mother of the child I watch for that info. She is a dear friend of mine and I love her child but this is also a business! This is another way I earn money and I am having a hard time record keeping. I am hoping to have a more routine schedule but as of right now it is usually just here and there watching. It has been challenging to fit my kids schedule and homeschooling needs around.
5) Choir- Am thinking of giving this up.....too much on my plate!!! Weekly practices are becoming too much, the childcare situation is stressful, and added performances are added stress. Had a recent performance a few days before the garage sale (mentioned in the next one). This one was at a benefit dinner for my good friend (who the garage sale was also for). This performance was relaxed but of course there are always extra practices and I always get nervous!!
6) Recent Benefit Garage Sale- Recently threw this huge (HUGE) sale a week ago on Sunday (raised lots of money) and am still cleaning up. I am really hoping this is a huge reason why I feel so overwhelmed. Whether it is because the friend I was helping out has moved and I am sad or just that I was sooooooo busy planning, picking up donations, arranging, pricing, sorting, etc.......I am hoping that now that this is over my life will calm down a little. Not to mention that on Sat., the day before the sale, I became ill again and so did Landis. Took Landis to the ER at 2:30 am on Sunday because he was struggling to breath. Took Teilee to a friends house so I could join Daddy and Landis at the hospital. Sent Nick home at 5:00 to start setting up the garage sale only it was snowing so he couldn't start until 6:30. Garage sale started at 8:00. We didn't have any volunteers arrive until around noon that day. We managed but man was the deck stacked against us. Landis gets croup often and we usually can manage with our home remedies but this time it just got out of control. He was really tired the next day but otherwise was feeling great. Mom and Dad were tired too;)
7) Halloween- Had one major costume to make, finished it at 6:00 went Trick or Treating at 7:00 pm on Halloween! Also had Landis' costume to make adjustments to so that it would fit him, but we were lucky enough to borrow it.
8) Extracurricular Activities (needed to keep me sane)- Have had a few get togethers with friends but have also missed quite a few because I was busy!! Keep trying to schedule in one because I desperately need the mother to mother, friend to friend chatting to provide me some emotional peace.
9) Illness- have been sick for something like 6 out of 8 weeks. Had some illness at the end of summer and then it all went downhill after I hosted our kindergarten co-op, KinderMoon, on day one of my two day week. I am still dealing with laryngitis and a sinus infection. I have to work on my diet and exercise and am hoping that will help!
10) Days of the week- We have found ourselves out of the house (morning, afternoons, and many evenings) with commitments Mon, Wed, Thurs, Friday, and often Sat. and Sun. That leaves Tuesdays to cram in all errands, play dates, and any at home time that we need.
11) Life- Garden prep, yard work, fixing house, cars breaking down, money running out, job interviews for Nick, Holiday preparing, gift making, organizing, pumpkin carving, trip taking to the zoo and pumpkin patch, trying to have friends over, singing, discipline issues, cats, dishes, cleaning, starting new woodworking business, volunteering for Raintree Community School, mortgage, taxes, friends b-days, pot lucks, baking, sewing, knitting...........
I think I am tired from reading this and typing this and those are the main points I could think of at 1:00 in the morning. I kinda wanna live in denial about everything that has been on my plate. I am sure it is normal to get overloaded, it is a good reminder to unload and reduce! My life is full of love and laughter and fun and I don't want to give any of that up!!
I am needing a fresh start, a new calm, focused persona and a new blog. I am wanting to breath in the moments and not pant! This has to be my last ever Crazy Busy entry. I will use this blog until I have time to set up a new one but am ready for a change into something that resembles what I strive to have in my life!
My new umberella!
8 comments:
WHEW!!! I have thought about trying to do a blog that I could make into some money. I have a friend who is just getting hers all organized to go. YOU definately need to cut some things out. BUt, that's just my humble opinion. Maybe you could do a once a month music group, then you don't have to give up the music completely.
I think giving up choir would help immensely, particularly because the Christmas season is jammed with performances. Why are you home-schooling the kids? It's your decision, of course, but if you could get the kids out of the house and going to public school you just might have more time to do the other things you need/want to do.
I think there are way too many reasons why I am homeschooling the kids, at least for their early years, to explain in a comment. I would rather (and may need to) drop everything thing else than give this up.
Teilee would be in Kindergarten and Landis would have to be in preschool (which we couldn't afford).
The reality is that having children in school does not actually free up time as you might think it does. Kindergaren is only a few hours a day and the commute to and from wouldn't help me to achieve much else. Also with school there is added homework, extracurricular activities, dealing with unlearning the incorrect parts of their education (Katie once had a teacher who wouldn't believe her that there was legless lizard), helping your child deal with their social interactions (bullies), and school functions. I would have to add all this into my current busy life. I am more free now than I was when Teilee was in preschool for 2 mornings a week. Public School was too much of a time commitment for me.
The actual learning that is achieved at school can be achieved in a lot less time at home. There are no distractions, one teacher to one student, no interruptions and the child can learn at their pace. I also get to teach my child empathy and critical thinking which I am not sure they will receive at our current public schools. They could get lucky. Something they won't get is anxiety and stress. Kindergartners are often in class sizes of 30, are given homework, and have so much curriculum that they are cutting out daily recess and of course all the art and music programs. Young children learn best through art, movement, play, and hands on experience.
Parents are a child's best teacher. I never thought I would be homeschooling, I believe in public education. Our current system has not been around long (approx. 100 years) and I am concerned about its ability at this point and time (especially after the No Child Left Behind Act) to raise emotionally healthy and happy adults. I could and maybe will write a entire blog on why we are doing this but that is a very short explanation!
Choir can go and so could work but I am determined to homeschool at least this year.
Katie,
I left a lot out of my last blog and one of those things is a different once a month music group (the one I wanted you to come to). As you know music is sooo grounding. I don't know how to only have it once a month! I have tried on my own but it sooo helps having other adults to harmonize and sing with. I do need to cut something out, or at least rearrange so things aren't so crazy. I will let you know how it all works out!
I'm tired and worn out from reading your blog! You lead a very full life! :)
Andi- I hope you have recovered from all of the garage sale and other major tasks you undertook in order to help me start my life over. I cannot say thank you enough times. I never knew you were a secretary, and child care? Are you taking care of Shamaiah, or someone else? My goodness. An idea for your blog name: How about "A New Leaf: growing our lives one beautiful moment at a time", or something like that.
I have recovered physically. I miss you a lot Ani. I feel like there was so much more to know as well.
I had been watching Elliot, my friend Keren's son. However, I have had to stop doing that. It was just too much. Even on the weeks where it would be just a few hours it was just too disruptive to my homeschooling rhythm.
Thank you for the blog name suggestion, keep them coming. I love the name of Teilee's blog (creative little). Maybe she can come up with one for me too!
your being sick 6 outta 8 or 9 weeks is a sign...slow down, grrl...i get worried about how you are sick all the time, it seems...you are young and are resting on your laurels...turn over a new leaf...i like that name "new leaf"...but you gotta mean it...i love you.
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