Fitting In the To-Do List

Homeschooling takes time.
Sometimes, lots of it.

Homeschooling takes your presence.
You, the mom, the teacher, the mentor, the leader, the one running the school day, must be present.

Homeschooling takes resources.
These resources must be found, brought into the home, and used with your children.

Homeschooling takes energy and motion.
You must be involved. Your child(ren) must be engaged. Activity of some sort will occur.

Homeschooling takes space.
You need a place. It really can be anywhere, but it needs to be somewhere.

And, all this stuff that homeschooling takes: the time, presence, resources, energy, motion, and space, all of that requires management. But homeschooling is only one part of life. {Albeit a major part}  There are houses to be cleaned, other children to parent, ministries to serve within, jobs to be completed, and don't forget a garden to tend and grass to cut.

Just how does an average homeschooling family do this homeschooling thing and everything else?

Though I am not sure how everyone else does it,
I can share how we homeschool and do everything else.

We use routines. I abhor schedules. Seriously. I cannot stand a down to the minute schedule. It is just not me. All those time studies I had to do for work, I fudged. Yep, I never looked at the clock - I simply guestimated the time spent on a task. {I know, terrible.}

Our schooling, cleaning, and grocery shopping are all done routinely. With a routine, we aren't locked into a specific time table. It lends itself to a more relaxed atmosphere in our home.

We all work. Everyone contributes to the family. Personally, I cannot do it all.

We live simply. Or, at least we try to live simply. Purging the unnecessary items within our homes and lives is a necessity. For the less you 'need' the less you have to take care of, repair, clean, and store.

We know our priorities, and we live by them. We aren't perfect, and sometimes we choose wrongly. We may not always pick the best, but we try. When we find we have chosen wrong, we admit our failures and make changes.

We laugh together. Life can be hard. Trying to fit everything in is hard. We may work hard, but we balance it with time to relax. We choose to spend time together, just enjoying life.