MY BOGGY BLOG: find your way through the murk
Notes from the Homefront -- Theresa Jarosz Alberti, writer and mother... http://sapphire.albatross.org
Last night at writing group, A. and I were lamenting the exhausting job of being Taxi Moms. Our two companions are child-free, and so they looked at us with crinkled brows, not understanding why we would sign up our kids for so much stuff that would make our lives so busy. It seems to be the bind of modern parenting. And we probably all say the same thing-- my kids are not signed up for THAT much.
I have three kids. The one thing that they are all participating in is piano lessons, which their father and I have mandated they must take. The kids have complained off and on over the years about practicing, wishing they could quit, but we have told them that quitting piano is not an option, that learning music is as important as learning math, and that studies have shown that learning music actually affects how your brain works. So we have one afternoon a week with our beloved piano teacher. Doesn't sound too bad...
Then DD has had her class at The Children's Theatre. This theatre has won a Tony Award for its education department, and it has been a really wonderful opportunity for her to explore the interest she has had in acting for a long time. The class was a bit intense, 4-5:30 pm Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays. We managed to find someone to carpool with on Mondays, but otherwise it was back and forth, back and forth for me, twice an afternoon. So that really put a spin on the schedule.
Older DS is involved in Lego League at school, Thursday afternoons. Luckily it at school and so he just walks home afterwards.
And on Fridays, younger DS has a gymnastics class at Hamline University. A wonderful class for boys with a male coach who makes it fun. DS has no interest in sports but has a lot of energy and flexibility and agility, so this has been a good fit for him.
So, each kid is involved in 1 activity outside of piano lessons. It doesn't sound like too much, but hey, it all adds up! Toss into the mix the activities of the parents-- therapy sessions, writing group meetings, a writing class, school meetings, and whatever else comes up on the spur of the moment. And that creates quite a chaos all together.
So, I still havene't figured this out. Is this just the way life is right now? What could/should be cut out? I guess right now, it's just making me think about my choices and look at everything with a critical eye. Every decision has a pro and a con, and that all needs to be considered.
Posted by sapphire at November 19, 2004 10:02 AMHey Girl! -I just came across this list - seems appropriate!
The MIL
The key to having more time for yourself -and everything
and everyone you care about- is effective time management.
TRYING TO DO EVERYTHING AT ONCE? Set priorities. Decide on the single most important task to do at any one moment. Create goals for each day on a "to do" list with the most important at the top and going down from there. Do not go on to the second goal until you have completed the first one.
ARE YOU RELUCTANT TO SAY "NO?" Decide what you realistically can do and then say "no" to everything else. To make it easier, write "No" in big letters and put it near the phone. Suggest someone else who could do the job or a time down the road when you might want to say "yes".
DO YOU LET THE TELEPHONE INTERRUPT YOU? Instead of being at the whim of callers, make the phone work for you. Use an answering machine to screen incoming calls. Return calls at your convenience. Have a "telephone hour" when you prefer to receive calls. Learn to say, "I can't talk right now. Could you call me back at 4:00?" Set a time each day to return important calls.
ARE YOU A PROCRASTINATOR? Use the wasted energy you spend putting off a task just getting it done and off your mind for good. You will feel great!