Busyness and Boundaries, Homework and Housekeeping

Warning: this is a really random post.

Whew...last week felt really busy. Lot of stuff going on during the daytime hours, and lots of stuff going on during the evening hours. I've said before that I enjoy life at a really slow pace, so when we have a week like last week I feel tired and a little out of whack.

Last year, I was the queen of busy. I took on way too much. I knew it, and vowed not to do that to myself again. Ever. For my own sake and for the sake of my family.

So I've been setting some boundaries for myself and sticking to them. I know that I function best when I have 2-3 mornings each week at home with no obligations. For the last several weeks, I've been able to schedule that time and it has been amazing. It's my chance to keep my laundry caught up, my house clean, exercise, have my quiet time, and stay on top of meal management. I try to spend those mornings completely at home, but sometimes exercise and errands require me to venture out.

I've been surprised by my friends' responses when I tell them that I need my time at home instead of meeting for coffee, meetings, etc. All of them have responded positively and told me that I'm smart to set those kind of boundaries (I like it when people tell me I'm smart). I don't know about smart...I just think that I've learned the hard way what I need to function well.

So, even though last week was a busy one, I wasn't completely overwhelmed because I had some time at home and was able to maintain order (and a tiny bit of sanity).

On to homework...

Oh my word at the homework my children are bringing home. 1-2 hours per night. Add dinner, showers, required reading from their teachers (technically more homework), and it makes for some LONG evenings. Tonight they have a cross-country track meet and I'm already worried about how it will all get done. My friend tried to warn me about this last year when her daughter (now in middle school) was overloaded with homework. I had NO idea what we were in for. Will's teacher even told me last week that she assigns homework over the weekend. Ugh.

I love what John wrote about the whole homework issue on his blog. You can read it here.

So, those of you who don't homeschool...do your kids have serious homework??

As for housekeeping, I've got laundry to fold and put away, and my kitchen floor hasn't seen a mop since last week...so I'm off to tackle the remainder of my chores for the day.

I promise that the next time I post, I'll add some photos! I get tired of seeing all the text on this blog too!