Once again it is 3:30 Monday afternoon. I’m tired. I’m frazzled. I feel like the day is gone and I’ve accomplished nothing. This feeling is common on Monday afternoons. I spend from 7 am until 9 am getting kids fed, dressed, and out the door for school. Patches has gymnastics at 9:15 and I usually use that hour for errands. Then I bring him home for an hour. Then we go fetch Gleek from school. Then 30 minutes later I take Gleek to gymnastics. Then I drive straight to Link’s school to pick him up. Then home for 30 minutes. Then I pick up Gleek. Then home for 15 minutes. After picking up Kiki it takes me about 30 minutes to feel settled here at home and mentally ready to do something. Voila! It is now 3:30.
If my only goal for the day was to meet the needs of the kids, this list of things done would be just fine. But Monday comes after Sunday. On Sunday I honor the sabbath and do not work. I don’t usually get businessy things done on Saturday either. This means I have a two day backlog on shipping out books. I feel like I should be getting that done first thing, but I don’t. There is also the inevitable backlog of housework and laundry which occurs after our day of rest. I get up in the morning on Monday and already feel like I’ve fallen behind.
Recognizing this pattern has caused me to make some shifts in our family schedule starting in January. I’ve moved Patches gym lesson to another day. Gleek and Link are both dropping out of gym so that they can take an art class together at their school. I have to volunteer for this class, but it sandwiches nicely between Link’s pick up and Kiki’s pick up. At least this way when I have home time I can just be at home rather than having to run out constantly to drop off or pick up.
I hope it will be enough better that I can finish out the remaining 5 months of school. I look ahead blissfully to the time next fall when Kiki will ride the bus to junior high. Link and Gleek will be dropped off/picked up at the same time. Instead of making 5 trips daily our family will be down to 2 trips, or less if the kids walk home.
I’m pretty sure I’ve mentioned/complained about all of this before. But somehow reminding myself that it won’t last forever helps me to deal with it now.
And it can only get better. My sister has four kids as well, and often feels the same frustrations. However, now that her oldest has his driver’s license, it’s doubly good, because he less frequently needs a ride since he drives himself, and sometimes he is able to help with the rides for the other kids.
Of course, things aren’t perfect for her, and the driving does make her worry sometimes (I love ya, but it’s true,!), but it also helps out. 🙂
And it can only get better. My sister has four kids as well, and often feels the same frustrations. However, now that her oldest has his driver’s license, it’s doubly good, because he less frequently needs a ride since he drives himself, and sometimes he is able to help with the rides for the other kids.
Of course, things aren’t perfect for her, and the driving does make her worry sometimes (I love ya, but it’s true,!), but it also helps out. 🙂
It looks like the issue on Mondays is that you’re not home for a long enough time to get anywhere on the business and other stuff. You’d mentioned in a previous blog that somewhere during the last year, you’d gone from a stay-at-home mom to a work-from-home mom. That sounds like two jobs, and you’re just one person.
A LOT of companies schedule shipping and fulfillment on specific days, at specific times, precisely because they require unbroken blocks of time to do properly, and often are tasks that do not take well to fragmentation.
If your conscience is bothering you about not shipping things out promptly on Monday, then disclose that you may not. Say on the order page “Orders are usually shipped Tuesday through Friday”. That way, the customers know that their order may not be fulfilled on Saturday, or on Monday. If it is, great, if not, you’re not failing to meet expectations or giving bad customer service.
(“If I’m a stay-at-home Mom, why am I always in the car?” <--- one of my all-time favorite quotes from the _Baby Blues_ comic strip?)
It looks like the issue on Mondays is that you’re not home for a long enough time to get anywhere on the business and other stuff. You’d mentioned in a previous blog that somewhere during the last year, you’d gone from a stay-at-home mom to a work-from-home mom. That sounds like two jobs, and you’re just one person.
A LOT of companies schedule shipping and fulfillment on specific days, at specific times, precisely because they require unbroken blocks of time to do properly, and often are tasks that do not take well to fragmentation.
If your conscience is bothering you about not shipping things out promptly on Monday, then disclose that you may not. Say on the order page “Orders are usually shipped Tuesday through Friday”. That way, the customers know that their order may not be fulfilled on Saturday, or on Monday. If it is, great, if not, you’re not failing to meet expectations or giving bad customer service.
(“If I’m a stay-at-home Mom, why am I always in the car?” <--- one of my all-time favorite quotes from the _Baby Blues_ comic strip?)
Differenet Scheduling?
Hi.
Thanks for allowing anonymous comments.
Okay, I don’t remember the exact ages of your kids (I know they’re young), and I don’t know how Orem is built, but I’m assuming they can’t walk home (yet).
Still, it looks (to an outsider) that there are some things you can schedule differently, which might make your life easier.
“Then we go fetch Gleek from school. Then 30 minutes later I take Gleek to gymnastics.” – Why not do something like pick Gleek up from school, bring her gym clothes, talk to her for 30 minutes or so, then drive her to gymnastics. It seems like it will save you a few minutes of driving, and you’ll have a chance to rest and recharge.
Possibly something similar for “Then I pick up Gleek. Then home for 15 minutes. After picking up Kiki ” unless it is a situation where you’d rather drive twice with one kid in the car, then drive once with two kids in the car.
Also, this might seem like a silly question, but have you considered carpooling? Again, it might be impossible, but it seems like it is worth a shot.
As for shipping – telling people that books are shipped out on Tuesday to Friday seems like a good idea.
Yours,
Uri David Akavia
Differenet Scheduling?
Hi.
Thanks for allowing anonymous comments.
Okay, I don’t remember the exact ages of your kids (I know they’re young), and I don’t know how Orem is built, but I’m assuming they can’t walk home (yet).
Still, it looks (to an outsider) that there are some things you can schedule differently, which might make your life easier.
“Then we go fetch Gleek from school. Then 30 minutes later I take Gleek to gymnastics.” – Why not do something like pick Gleek up from school, bring her gym clothes, talk to her for 30 minutes or so, then drive her to gymnastics. It seems like it will save you a few minutes of driving, and you’ll have a chance to rest and recharge.
Possibly something similar for “Then I pick up Gleek. Then home for 15 minutes. After picking up Kiki ” unless it is a situation where you’d rather drive twice with one kid in the car, then drive once with two kids in the car.
Also, this might seem like a silly question, but have you considered carpooling? Again, it might be impossible, but it seems like it is worth a shot.
As for shipping – telling people that books are shipped out on Tuesday to Friday seems like a good idea.
Yours,
Uri David Akavia
It’s true! Of course the added worry can multiply when you factor in the stress of another car to maintain and insure. And I’m a master worrier….
The alternator belt needed to be replaced today…and he needs an oil change and new tires, too. :S
But the logistics do get easier.
It’s true! Of course the added worry can multiply when you factor in the stress of another car to maintain and insure. And I’m a master worrier….
The alternator belt needed to be replaced today…and he needs an oil change and new tires, too. :S
But the logistics do get easier.
Re: Differenet Scheduling?
Those are all good sugguestions. I’ll have to think about them as I’m rearranging the schedule for January. Thanks!
Re: Differenet Scheduling?
Those are all good sugguestions. I’ll have to think about them as I’m rearranging the schedule for January. Thanks!
At our last place I was like you: load everyone up, drive Ross to work, LightningBoy to school, go to PTA or School Community Council Meeting at the school, load up a usually uncooperative SoccerGirl, go Home (then she usually didn’t want to get out of the car), Load up uncooperative Soccergirl, go get son from school, everyone out! at home, load everyone up and go get Ross from work.
Tired and exhausted, we would then wander around the kitchen not finding prepared food popping out magically from plates and so we’d go eat out.
Here. Get everyone up and ready, breakfast and get Ross and LightningBoy out the door (and Ross takes him to school).
TIME!
Get me and SoccerGirl ready for a walk and walk to the school (a block or two) walk home.
TIME! for kids to do homework and play with friends.
(in the summer we can even play at our little neighborhood park!)
Make dinner (that I planned on a piece of paper on the fridge.)
Ross comes home.
Then usually we have some sort of errand that needs doing, so if we don’t need to go out at night we cherish it by vegging out together.
It feels SO much better to NOT be running around in the car all day long.
Time is like furniture.
If you rearrange it, it all feels so much more open and roomy!
Good luck with your schedule rearranging! 🙂
At our last place I was like you: load everyone up, drive Ross to work, LightningBoy to school, go to PTA or School Community Council Meeting at the school, load up a usually uncooperative SoccerGirl, go Home (then she usually didn’t want to get out of the car), Load up uncooperative Soccergirl, go get son from school, everyone out! at home, load everyone up and go get Ross from work.
Tired and exhausted, we would then wander around the kitchen not finding prepared food popping out magically from plates and so we’d go eat out.
Here. Get everyone up and ready, breakfast and get Ross and LightningBoy out the door (and Ross takes him to school).
TIME!
Get me and SoccerGirl ready for a walk and walk to the school (a block or two) walk home.
TIME! for kids to do homework and play with friends.
(in the summer we can even play at our little neighborhood park!)
Make dinner (that I planned on a piece of paper on the fridge.)
Ross comes home.
Then usually we have some sort of errand that needs doing, so if we don’t need to go out at night we cherish it by vegging out together.
It feels SO much better to NOT be running around in the car all day long.
Time is like furniture.
If you rearrange it, it all feels so much more open and roomy!
Good luck with your schedule rearranging! 🙂