Anyway, I've been thinking a lot about the pace of our life. One of the things I most enjoy about homeschooling is getting to make choices ourselves about how much to do, rather than having a lot of the decisions made for us (hours/day in school, homework, getting out the door in the morning). And while we live in a "go go go" society, we've talked about not wanting our lives to be full to the brim and rushed like that. So I guess I've been mentally evaluating where we are in this. I've been trying to stay home as much as possible this year because I find that getting everyone ready to go, going, being somewhere, then returning home can be a lot of work and stress. Especially if we're trying to get somewhere on time. Now some of this is our stage of life. We have small children that still need some help getting ready, even if just reminders to use the bathroom before we go. And a baby who needs her diaper changed often and also eats quite often. But I think I make some of the stress myself. If I were a bit more laid back, I wouldn't get stressed because we "need" to get to the library in time for storytime. And probably some of it is my lack of patience. I just don't want to spend that much time getting everyone into the car! So, I like myself a bit more when we just stay home.
Having said that, there are some activities that are important to us. Piano lessons for Z, and eventually for L. Some sort of physical activity like dance or karate. Library trips. And then there are things like doctors/dentist appointments, not to mention the grocery store, bank and other errands. And finally, the "s" word. Yes, socialization. I know it's on everyone's mind. We do also value social opportunities. For now I think we're meeting this need adequately, though I think in the future we'll try to increase it. The kids get to hang out with their friends at church, have group interactions in storytimes and classes, and we try to get together with other homeschoolers here and there. Since we don't know if we'll be leaving the area in the spring, I've been a little cautious in getting involved in co-ops or groups. But we'll definitely be revisiting that idea after we make the big transition back to the real world.
It's quite difficult to find a balance. I think the best way to juggle everything well is to prioritize. And then when it's too much, cut out the lowest priorities. I'm not so good at seeing when it's too much until after the fact. Also, sometimes those lower priorities are hard to let go of. And at the end of the day, I think I need to keep in mind the bare minimum, and feel successful even if we only did that. So I'm thinking that might be: treat them with love, teach them to treat others with love, feed them (?). Ok, I'm still working on it. Those things encompass a lot. And schoolwork is important, but not necessarily at the cost of these other ones, if that makes sense. Ok, that's enough philosophizing for me.
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