I can keep on top of my work and spend quality time with my children, and the house is a disaster (and that is not an exaggeration). Or I can spend quality time with my kids and keep the house clean, and then spend most of the weekend trying to catch up on my work. Or I can stay caught up on my work, keep the house clean, and the kids watch movies and do whatever else all day long. I can't seem to find the balance between these three extremes, so I just keep rotating between them and getting stressed out.
So I have come up with yet another plan in a long series of attempts to get my life more organized so I can "do it all." But I'm pretty excited about this one. I think it might actually work if I do it right. It is less structured than some other plans I've created, but with more visual aides so the kids can be more involved. There will be a board with a short list of daily tasks to be completed with clothespins that can be moved to indicate when things are done. This will include items like Bible study and picking up at the end of the day. Also, instead of stressing about doing "schoolwork" everyday, I'm going to make it a little more informal and list a task called "exercising our brains." My kids love things like moving clothespins, so I am hopeful that this will help them to help me stay on task everyday.
The other new visual aide will be a chore board. The kids help already with things like cleaning out the dishwasher and putting away clean clothes, but I want to expand their responsibilities. Omar has already set a great example: he recently suggested that he take on the chore of cleaning the bathrooms every weekend, because he knows that is my least favorite chore. So I am going to assign each of the older kids one chore that they can learn to do well and be responsible for every day (Elijah still just gets to be the helper). William is going to learn to sweep, and Joy will learn to vacuum. I know they have the ability to learn these tasks; the challenge will be whether I have the patience to teach them. I am gearing myself up for lots of repetition until they master their new chores, reminding myself that investing time now will pay off later.
In my head, this all works out great, and I know reality is harder, but I think the key is getting the kids more involved. It will teach them more work ethic and responsibility, as well as taking some of the load off of me as they become more independent with their assigned chores. So here we go: a new week, a new plan, and a fresh start. Maybe I don't have to do it all if I rely on my family to help.
