Taking a break from parenting methods/styles, I’m pulling in the post I wrote earlier today on Larger Families.
I know, how could I possibly have the blues in the summertime, a time of long, sun-filled days, swimming, camping, boating, campfires and leisurely days? Summer is my favorite time of year. The kids are home, the activities are numerous and fun and I get my gardening time in.
Except that none of this is happening, other than the kids being home. So far, this summer vacation has been filled with rain, cool temperatures, doctor’s appointments, dental visits, occasionally listless kids and crazy working hours for me. As a work-from-home freelance writer, I’ve been running at top speed for the past several weeks and it’s starting to catch up with me.
I had all these grandiose plans (OK, so they weren’t exactly grandiose) to have a loose schedule for the five of us, ensuring that we all knew what we were doing when, but I haven’t even had time to think about the schedule, much less make it. In a (possibly semi-misguided) effort to round up more work for the fall when all four of my kids will actually be in school all day, every day, I’ve been running my tail off trying to get clients, assignments, work, etc., as well as working super-hard on my blog. It makes me feel good to be this proactive, but it’s also incredibly time-consuming.
My garden is still completely barren and now it seems like it’s probably too late to plant it. That’s mostly my own fault because I hate the planting part — love everything else, but not that — and so I’ve been putting it off since I’ve been so busy.
My house is not even close to being in the kind of shape it should be most of the time because I’m usually holed up in my office not paying attention to it. (And if you’re under the assumption that I don’t spend any time with my kids, that’s just not the case. They spend a lot of their time in my office with me, often all four of them at once, which is probably a lot of the reason why my work takes much longer than it otherwise would.)
Next week I will be gone on a church-related convention, which will no doubt be a nice breather for me, but I’m going to miss my twins’ 11th birthday while I’m gone, which makes me (and them) sad. By the time I get back home, summer vacation will be 1/3 over!
So, I’m trying to think of my trip as a transition time, of sorts. I’m taking my computer along to squeeze in any work I can, so I’m going to take advantage of the hours on the plane and finally create that loose schedule. Hopefully by the time I get back the weather will finally be conducive to go to the lake and camp out. I’m also going to attempt to get my garden planted this weekend so I can at least get some fruits and vegetables yet this summer.
If I don’t take the reigns here, the summer is going to fly by in the same manner it has been and I’m going to continue in my summertime blues mood, which is not good for anyone. Like everything in life, it’s all about balance, something I need to find ASAP. Time with the kids, time to tend to the house, time for work, time to garden, time to myself…figuring out what fits where is going to be my biggest challenge in the next couple months.
How do you find balance in your life?
Ugh I hate being stuck in a rut like that. It’s hard not to be sometimes. I don’t know how I find balance, I don’t think I’ve found it yet. Always a work in progress.
Just found your blog and can relate to the balance thing. My kids are older but trying to revise my memoir, blog, volunteer with two and possibly 3 different groups, make me feel overwhelmed, sometimes. We haven’t planned a vacation which is also driving me crazy. You’re doing everything you can, just like the rest of us.
Wish I could comment on balance, but as you know, my summer’s going much the same as yours!