"These kids are driving me nuts!"
You may be surprised to know I have said this several times this week. Maybe 'said' isn't the most descriptive word I could chose.
Shrieked, yelped, bellowed?
I can't put my finger on what did it this week. The boys were less than cooperative out of the gate Monday morning. We still use our reward system where each boy has a cup of 12 stones to start the week. Usually they lose between one and five by Friday. Tuesday, EM had 4 left in his cup. JT wasn't far behind.
I knew going into it that this might be a trouble week for many reasons. JT had to complete the composition portion of his Calvert tests by Wednesday. One was a three paragraph creative writing assignment. The other was his first attempt at a book report. Fun for all! I also knew we were pretty tightly scheduled with activities for the week, so free time would be rare.
But I think I have decided that the biggest contributor to the weeping and gnashing of teeth was me. I have not been getting to bed at a reasonable time for months. When I go to bed late, I am less than motivated to get going in the morning. When I am not motivated, big surprise(!) my kids aren't motivated. Things go downhill quickly from there.
How to solve this problem?
It seems simple enough, "Go to bed earlier, stupid!" Here's the kicker...I don't want to. I want time for me. I need time for me. Often the only time I have is late at night. After the kids are in bed and the chores that get pushed aside all day are finished, I have time for me. I don't know if this problem is worse for homeschooling moms than others. I am sure that moms who go to work all day have the same time crunch. I think they might be more likely to go to bed and skip some of the me time out of necessity. Face it, if you are homeschooling you don't have to do much to pass as 'ready for the day'. Getting up and physically going to work takes a bit more preparation.
So where will I find the balance to serve my kids and my needs which in turn will serve my kids since I won't be driven to insanity?
I'll let you know when I figure it out.
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3 comments:
Wow! I can SO relate to this. My patience is sooooooooo thin when I go to bed late and am tired yet I do it every night even when I promise myself over and over to go to bed early. We need a 12 step program for HS Mommies who need to balance me time with some sleep! Speaking of which, I better get to bed.......
Hang in there! It does get better. Some days, you really wonder, but then you get some great moments, and you just keep going.
Hmmm - if you figure this one out, PLEASE let me know!!! I do the same thing - stay up too late, just want some "me time," and then can't move in the morning ... I don't wanna go to bed! (sounds worse than a kid - LOL) Good night!
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