Getting other stuff done

I have a friend ask me how I get things done around the house while homeschooling the kids.  I get that question a lot because not only do I have four kids (two of whom homeschool, one goes to preschool and one is a wild-man toddler) but I also work full-time.

I'll be the first to tell you, if you drop by my house I'll probably have to clean a path to the front door and move laundry off the sofa for you to be able to sit down somewhere.  My house is rarely neat these days.  We LIVE in our house.  And some days, it is a disaster.  Some days it's not.  I'd love to have a spotless house all the time, but that's not going to happen.  (a) I have six people living in a house that was meant for three, at the most, based on storage space alone.  (b) My children are at home 24/7 - well, except for the few hours Bitsy is at preschool and while she's at school, we're at the library. (c) I work full-time in addition to my responsibilities at home.  Thankfully I have a husband who is willing to help around the house - but he knows that we are in a season of life where it's needed.  We have a home management schedule that helps us with our housework duties, and also assigns the girls their jobs.  I've "snipped" it (may I just throw in here...I love, love, loooove the "snipping" tool in Windows 7. I love a lot about Windows 7 - mainly that it's not Windows Vista...but I digress).  In order to get the whole thing pictured, you're getting it in two pieces.  Here is the top half (click on it to see it in a better/readable size):

And here is the bottom half:

This whole process is thanks to my dear friend, Kim M., who has written a book (yet to be published) on the hows and whys we do something like a home management schedule.  And my schedule is much more detailed than many of my friends' who were in the same study with Kim.  Yes, I'm just a little OCD.  I know that "light fixtures and ceiling fans" are on the "seasonal" part of the schedule yet the dining room light fixture gets done the first week of every month.  That's because the hurricanes for it get put in the dishwasher (that little tidbit came from the housekeeper I had when I was pregnant with Harrison - had to have help then, too sick to function - love her for showing me that).  Despite initially changing the kids' sheets every other week (2nd paragraph in this post), I've gone back to changing them weekly. That's the way it was when I was growing up. That's the way it's "supposed" to be. Your mileage may vary. :)

Most of my working hours are spent at home.  I can do laundry and run the dishwasher while I'm working - though most of the time, that's all done anyway because I do most of my work in the late afternoon until late night (I'd much rather work 12 - 8 or 4 - midnight).  My kids do school at the kitchen table.  This allows me to clean the kitchen, iron, and pick up the family room while they are doing school - I'm just a few steps away.  Once Annie starts preschool - we'll be at the library several days a week.  And the number of days we're at the library is directly proportional to the amount of housework that needs to be done. Less housework pressing on me = more days at the library.  Library days also mean office work and house work get flip-flopped with office work happening early in the day (library WiFi) and housework happening later.

How do I "get it all done"?  I don't.  I do what I can and learn to live with what I can't. Is it always easy? No. Does it create conflict in my own life? Yep. You bet.  But, it is what it is and I have to learn to live with it and be content.  Ah...that's really not easy!!