How Do I Do It All?
I don’t know how often some well meaning friend or acquaintance will say to me, “I don’t know how you do it all!”
How do I write, homeschool three kids- two with special medical needs, one with autism, take care of my home, and cook from scratch for allergies, all while living with chronic illness?
The answer is simple.
I DON’T!!
I don’t “do it all” every day.
Some days, my house is a mess.
Sometimes, I go a week without writing anything.
Sometimes, my kids don’t get the world’s healthiest dinner.
Sometimes I look at my 5 year old and wonder when he last had a bath.
I can’t do it all.
I can’t do everything well all the time.
I pick what’s most important at the moment. Usually, my kids win. But sometimes, the house has to get cleaned and I know that they’ll learn plenty if I send them outside with a magnifying glass and a jar and tell them to look for bugs.
Sometimes, the pain from my autoimmune disorder is just too much and we lay in bed and watch Bill Nye the Science Guy together.
But, I think when I leave this world, my headstone will read, “Mama Tried.”
And that’s really all any of us can do.
I am not perfect.
I drink too much coffee.
Sometimes, I swear.
Sometimes, I yell at my sweet kids.
Sometimes, I forget to call a friend back for a month.
But I’m trying.
And I know that all my mama friends are trying just as hard.
I know that we live in a picture perfect Instagram/Facebook/Twitter world, but let’s be real. My life doesn’t look exactly like my Instagram feed. I don’t take pictures of the pile of dishes that needs to be washed and add a pretty filter and put it on the internet. I don’t blog about when my ten year old acts entitled or my five year old hits his siblings.
Maybe I should, though. Maybe we should all be more honest with one another.
So here I am, telling you honestly: I can’t do everything. I am not Wonder Woman or Super Mom. I have laundry that needs washing and boxes in my garage from when I moved. In March. I have so many projects I want to work on, but I can’t, because there isn’t enough time in a day. And that’s okay.
I’m trying.
If You Take a Homeschool Mom to the Library
If you take a homeschool mom to the library,
she’ll pick out an audiobook for her kids.
When she goes home, she’ll scour the internet for resources to go with the book.
When she finds a really fantastic unit study for only $5.00, she’ll have to get it.
As she looks over the unit study, she will realize how detailed it is.
She’ll wonder if the kids might just need a copy of the book so they can reread it.
You will find her on amazon.com before you know it, downloading a copy of the book she got for free at the library.
“But it’s only $6.99!”
After she downloads the audiobook, she realizes she is out of ink and can not print the unit study.
So she goes to Target, just for some ink, of course.
After she finds the ink, she remembers she needs paper.
She walks to the office supply section to get the paper.
She grabs it, but then she sees file folders.
And of course she needs file folders.
Near the file folders, she sees markers.
The markers are on sale. She can always use markers.
By the time she leaves Target, she’s spent $54.
Her kids LOVE the book and the unit study, so of course she has to plan a corresponding a field trip.
On the field trip, her kids notice the gift shop, filled with educational toys.
She just can’t resist.
Once, home, she realizes that she has to take the audiobook back to the library.
And chances are, if you take a homeschool mom to the library,
she’s going to want an audiobook for her kids.
*Inspired by If You Give a Mouse a Cookie by Laura Numeroff