The Scheduling Dilemma
I've been thinking about our schedule lately. It's really
pretty crazy, and frankly, I am missing my big girl.
My typical day is this: get up in the morning, feed the family, make lunches, send them out the door, work for three-ish hours, pick up Miss M, bring her home for an hour and a half, pick up Miss N, go to whatever after school activity we have, come home, homework, dinner, baths (if we are lucky) and bed so we can do it all again the next day. Somewhere in all that I need to find time to go to the grocery store, cook meals and care for a very busy baby, all while juggling my business as well. On days Miss M doesn't have school it's a bit less harried, but that will all change. Next year is kindergarten.
I miss the days of preschool a few days a week, playdates
and going to the mall just to play. We haven't been to the children's museum in
ages. My mantra of late has been "There isn't time."
We are over scheduled, but the problem is I don't know what
to do about it. We have piano lessons and swimming lessons and church, so three
evenings out of five are booked. The difficulty is, my kids can't swim. I feel
very strongly that they need to swim. So that's non-negotiable in my mind.
Church is as well. Piano is something I want my children to learn, as it
provides the foundation for music and also a basis for ministry, and besides,
Miss N is actually pretty good at it to this point. So, until they offer it at
the school during school hours, I have no choice but to do it after school.
Miss N never gets the chance to just play. She gets home
from school and activities, then it's homework, piano practice, dinner,
possibly baths and bed. No wonder she'd rather be at school than at home –we
never have any fun around here. She's tired, cranky and the only time I see her
is during the "witching hour" when we are all at our worst. I miss
her.
So what can I realistically cut? Nothing. So, we will plow
through this year with me never seeing my big girl, and hating every minute of
it.
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