Life Organizer

We decided to go ahead and start home school today, two weeks ahead of our local public school. Last year, the kids went to PS for the first 6 weeks before we pulled them out and started HS, and since we wanted to complete the material, we started off behind and stayed that way. We doubled up a lot, especially in the spring, but it was stressful. This year, by starting early, whenever we have a particularly busy week, we can just take the week off. That feels good!
We got off to a good start – I got everyone up at 7 (yeah, MUCH groaning!) – but we were ready to go at 8. Timothy made breakfast, Hannah did dishes, Jonathan did a load of laundry (started one and put up another), I did some picking-up-and-putting-away, everyone’s beds are made, laundry taken to the laundry room, teeth brushed, adult showers, kids faces washed. Teamwork, yeah! Now the kids are reading their history and Mick and I are working. (Yeah, I am working – I’m making phone calls and on hold right this second.)

Do I really waste several hours every day? Or does virtually everything I do take three times as long as I think it will? Or do interruptions take more time than I realize?

I’m going to try to log all of my time today, to see where all those missing minutes and hours go.

7:45 – 8:30 – got up, made breakfast, got kids up, started emptying the DW while sausage cooked, ate, showered, took meds, got kids to feed cats.
8:30 – 9:00 – whole family got flu shots.
9:00 – 12:00 – home school. While all the kids were busy and not needing help, I finished the dishes, started laundry, made my bed, sorted laundry, and blogged. Also worked a jigsaw puzzle with my 6YO.
12 – 12:30 – upgraded WordPress and read email.
12:30 – 1:15 – started second load of laundry, made a sandwich, told the family to make their own, ate lunch, listened to today’s Bible reading.
1:15 – 2:15 – did 3 fifteen minute rounds, kitchen (put stuff up, cleaned the toaster), laundry (put up load#1, started load #3), picking-up (worked in the office), with a short break to chat with my flybuddy Thena.
2:15 – 3:00 – 3 more rounds, cleared/cleaned some more kitchen counter, put up part of load#2 (socks, they take longer!), started load#4, picked up more stuff in the office.
3 – 4:30 – my mom called to see if I wanted anything at the store, then had such a coughing fit that I said I would run her errands instead. DH jumped on that bandwagon and asked me to take his sermon CD to the radio station. So I did that, went to the post office and grocery store for my mom, took her stuff to her, put up my stuff and made a phone call for DH.
4:30-5:15 – 3 more rounds, kitchen, laundry, picking up.
5:30 – 6:30 – fixed and ate dinner, got ready for church.
6:30 – 8:45 – went to church, then WM for special batteries and light bulbs.
8:45 – 11 – read to kids for 30, down time.

Totals for the day:
housecleaning – 3:15
meals (prep and eating) – 1:15
doing stuff with kids/husband – 3:00
me time (not goofing off) – :45
out of the house – 4:15
computer work – :30
down time – 2:00

I know Flylady says “you’re not behind, just jump in where you are”, but I AM BEHIND, and I HATE IT. Some days I get so discouraged, because it seems like I can work my tail off all day long, and barely keep up with that day’s obligations, much less make a dent in the backlog. I’m doing a “15 minute day” today, rotating between kitchen, laundry, papers/email/customer service, and picking up stuff from the floor. I’ve made a dent in the dishes and laundry, but it seems like it ought to be bigger! I know why, it’s because here it is almost 5:00, and I’ve only managed to do 6 rounds of 15 minutes. Where, oh where did all of my minutes go? Hmm, 2 hours were spent on errands. I mixed up some bread dough. Ate breakfast and lunch, not much time prepping either though. Shower, Bible reading. Okay, okay, I played Farmville and Bubblespinner… but I still don’t think my day is accounted for. If I can locate those missing minutes, maybe there is hope!