The truth is, I don't post often because we don't have these adventures. My family doesn't have one single day a week that's just us all day. My husband, who works tirelessly for our family, and for whom I am very grateful, works Monday through Friday at one job where he is gone at least 11 hours a day, and sometimes longer if traffic is backed up. On the weekends, he usually works all day on Saturday, and after church on Sunday, if he's not working at his weekend job, he just wants to rest because he's been going, going, gone the other 6 days of the week.
I can really understand this, because sometimes I really want a break from my life too. I homeschool our 3 children (I know it's my choice.), and I also watch my sister's children during the week while she works noon to 7:30 or so. Most days, I love, love, love my life. It's often hectic, but I enjoy being surrounded by these kids every day and ironically, sometimes the thing that keeps me up at night is the worry that I'm not spending enough time reading with them, talking or playing or coloring with them, and getting to know them individually. I read about parents (and I have family members) who take their kids on dates every month. I rarely take my girls out just by themselves; my girls don't have daddy-daughter dates. There just isn't the time, and it fills me with incredible guilt and feelings of inadequacy as a parent.
Today, my husband took the day off from his weekend job (in fact, they gave him Sunday off as well), but he asked for the day off so he could help his mom and dad with some stuff at their house today. No matter, because I committed to help my girls with their Girl Scout Cookies booth sales (you know, where theyaccost you ask you to buy a $4 box of cookies as you're leaving the store) and I'll be gone from 12-2, and again from 3:30-5:30 today.
Every Sunday, we have church. It's only 9-12, but by the time we get home and have lunch, the day is half gone. I teach music to the children at church, and it isn't something I can just not show up to do, and finding a substitute is fairly difficult. On Tuesday night, while I was at church helping with the 8-11 girls' activity group, I saw a friend who wasn't there last Sunday. I said, "Hey! I missed seeing you guys last week at church!" He responded, "Well, we just needed to have some family time, so we headed down to Portland for the day."
Today, my husband took the day off from his weekend job (in fact, they gave him Sunday off as well), but he asked for the day off so he could help his mom and dad with some stuff at their house today. No matter, because I committed to help my girls with their Girl Scout Cookies booth sales (you know, where they
Every Sunday, we have church. It's only 9-12, but by the time we get home and have lunch, the day is half gone. I teach music to the children at church, and it isn't something I can just not show up to do, and finding a substitute is fairly difficult. On Tuesday night, while I was at church helping with the 8-11 girls' activity group, I saw a friend who wasn't there last Sunday. I said, "Hey! I missed seeing you guys last week at church!" He responded, "Well, we just needed to have some family time, so we headed down to Portland for the day."
This has had me thinking that I need a family day. I can't even remember the last time our family of 5 decided to leave it all behind for one whole day and just be together somewhere. I have two sisters that I know are really good at making time for their families to be together. One of them took her kids last Sunday up to the Seattle Aquarium and the Children's Museum. They were gone for the whole day, and had a blast together. And I know my other sister and her husband regularly take their kids to do really fun stuff on his days off. Maybe that's the problem. We have no days off. Even many of the weekday evenings are taken up with other commitments.
I found a blog written by another homeschooling mom telling about their family's decision to sell most of their possessions, move into a 5th wheel, and spend a few years traveling around the country staying in RV parks. The thought of doing something like that is exhilarating, until I think about everything and every one we would have to leave behind, and how all of us (even the people we leave behind) would have to rearrange our lives and adapt to a new normal.
Either way, I think I need a new normal (albeit not as "new" as moving into a 5th wheel! although it's still an attractive idea to me). Today I feel bogged down, stifled, obligated, and in need of a breath of fresh air and maybe just one day of adventure with my husband and kids without worrying that we're inconveniencing someone else.
Okay, rant over.
I found a blog written by another homeschooling mom telling about their family's decision to sell most of their possessions, move into a 5th wheel, and spend a few years traveling around the country staying in RV parks. The thought of doing something like that is exhilarating, until I think about everything and every one we would have to leave behind, and how all of us (even the people we leave behind) would have to rearrange our lives and adapt to a new normal.
Either way, I think I need a new normal (albeit not as "new" as moving into a 5th wheel! although it's still an attractive idea to me). Today I feel bogged down, stifled, obligated, and in need of a breath of fresh air and maybe just one day of adventure with my husband and kids without worrying that we're inconveniencing someone else.
Okay, rant over.
