I don't know how other people do it. You know the parents who have 5 children, each involved in multiple sports, scouts, piano lessons, who are involved in PTO and so forth, and they have real jobs too. There is only so much busy-ness that I can stand. I have my four (almost five) children, plus two extras everyday before and after school, and I teach only a couple of piano lessons a week. I have a guilty conscience because I don't do the whole PTO thing. I try to help out at the schools (My kids are currently in two separate schools. We will have a few years in the future when we will have kids in four separate schools.) as often as I can. But it isn't much, because I have to find a sitter every time I want to help. I've not been in on the planning / fundraising (other than having my children peddle the over priced junk that they ask us to do from time to time) hastle that PTO must be. Ross does scouts, Lydia does activity day girls & piano, and they all do Tae Kwon Do, which isn't bad because they all go at the same time. I lived through one season of kids on different soccer teams, and I hated it. The thought of driving to all of those practices and games which are never at the same time, and often not even at same location makes me feel crazy. I sometimes have a pang of guilt for not signing the kids up for baseball or soccer, but then I think that a lot of children are just too over scheduled. Plus the mere idea of three different practice / game schedules make me want to scream. I don't know. Anyway, I'm rambling. Some mothers are just tougher than me, I guess.
The reason for this rant is because it's the last week of school. It seems like they cram all kinds of things into that last week. Last night was Mark's kindergarten program, and a band meeting for Lydia at the same time. I called the band leader and got her permission to not attend the meeting, so that we could go to Mark's thing. Today was fun day at Ross & Mark's school, which I helped out at. I stopped by the grocery store, on the way home to pick up some odds and ends and some cookies to send with Lydia tomorrow for an ice cream party at her school, which I am also helping out at. I then spent about 2 1/2 hours cooking dinner for today and tomorrow, and I made muffins for breakfast tomorrow. (Why not just have cereal tomorrow? I admit, it would be easier, but then there would be more dishes to do tomorrow morning. This way, I just have a few milk cups to throw in the sink, and wash off the table, and I'm done. I'm not bothering with plates for muffins.) Tonight is activity day girls at 6:00 and scouts at 7:00, luckily Bruce is taking the kids, I think. Tomorrow looks to annihilate me. I'll have to get up early, get everyone ready to go, including myself & Justice. Load everyone up in the van, and drive Justice to my in-laws (about 20 minutes away) for the day. Then we'll go back to our neck of the woods, drop Lydia off at her school, and proceed to Parkside where I'll sit through 4 hours worth of award assemblies. Next I'm off to Lydia's school to sit through another award assembly, and then to finish the school day off with an ice cream party. The thought of sitting through all of those award assemblies makes me want to poke my eyes out with a hair pin, but the kids love to see their parents at school, and to them this is an important event. Next we pick everyone up from their various schools, drive back to Grammy and Pa's to pick up the J-Bird. Come home in time to meet Blaine's mother and get rid of him, just in time to give a piano lesson, then rush everyone through dinner and a costume change to go to Tae Kwon Do. Then home to get everyone ready for bed, read stories, tuck them in, and fall down dead.
The thing that gets me is that there are parents out there that live like this every single day. I'd die!!
I had to pass on helping out at Lydia's school's fun day, because between yesterday's piano lesson and doctor appt, today's fun day, and tomorrow's gallivanting, I've exhausted my baby-sitters. I also have miss Lydia's recorder concert tomorrow, because it's at the same time as one of those dumb award assemblies. Friday is my brother, Trent's graduation. He is going to state for track, so I'm wickedly hoping he won't be back for graduation, so I won't have to go. Graduations are boring enough without four kids to deal with. I'd be happy to miss it.
1 week ago
12 comments:
AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!
STOP! STOP TALKING! YOU'RE FREAKING ME OUT! AND THIS IS NOT EVEN MY LIFE! (yet.....)
yeesh, you are the example that makes the rest of us content with small families. kudos on not over scheduling your kids though. that really would drive anyone insane i think! i can't figure out how people like that live. hoorah for family time!
Please don't feel obligated to attend everything... Sacrifice is necessary in life. And kids understand that so long as they feel loved at home and your kids do. They know they're loved and protected. Let me echo the kudos for not over scheduling them. I've done lots of babysitting in my day and I've actually seen kids crying over their schedules. I'm talking seven and eight year olds. That's crazy! When do they have time to be kids? The world's gonna over schedule 'em enough later so it's good that you let them enjoy life.
You're a great mom! Please don't let guilt rob your joy in raising those amazing kids.
But it does sound like you're spending tons of time in the car. I think that I need to get those Twilight CDs to ya asap!!!!!!!! :)
Um, yeah... I have ONE child who is involved in NO organized sports and isn't old enough for scouts yet and doesn't even have all the school stuff to worry about... and yes, sometimes I still feel overscheduled and stressed. So don't judge your ability to handle things too harshly.
I will have to remember to NOT over-schedule when my kids get to that age. I thrive on mayhem a little too much, so I could seriously seeing myself trying to do too much.
Amen.
As for the PTO thing, my personal belief is that you don't do much for them until your youngest is in school so you don't have to find a sitter all the time. (And you don't want to burn yourself out before the last one goes to school, anyways.)
see, as the title of my last post said, "i can't be the only one." i do try to help out at home. and i want my kids to play baseball and all the other stuff too. renae does rock. the thing she does that drives me the most nuts is that she complains about herself.
Renae!!! We are in the same boat! I am so happy to have someone else feel the same way I do! This past year I felt like I wasn't being a big enough super mom (momentary lapse of reason)and decided to let myself get nominated for PTO president...dear God!...never again! I wanted to kill myself this year at school. Every PTO event was worse and worse. Today marks the last day of being president and next year I will sit on my butt and do nothing!!
As of Sept. I will have 5 boys under the age of 8...that is my service to the world! They are lucky they get fed and bathed!lol
Colista, you will have 5 children ages 8 and under? I seriously doubt that you will be sitting on your butt doing nothing! And holy cow, you went for PTO president with that crew?!! Holy Honkeroos! You must be either a super hero, or crazy, or maybe a bit of both! BTW, thanks for visiting me!! I always love new commenters!
To everybody, thanks for the hugs! It wasn't all that bad. I lived. I actually did manage to get a window in just the right spot, so that I did get to go to Lydia's conert. So that makes 3 award assemblies, one concert, one ice cream party, one piano lesson, and TKD for me today. I just can't see how people (and a lot of them apparently) do this type of thing every day! You can be sure that I won't be running for PTO president anytime soon! I like Malauna's idea of waiting to be really involved until I get my last one into school. That makes me feel a bit better. I always feel guilty that I don't do more for the schools. But aside from constantly annoying everybody with watching J-Bird, I can't see how I could do it. Oh well.
Thanks for updating us Renae. I was wondering how your day went. You survived! You'll still be in my thoughts and prayers especially as number five arrives. Remember we love you, we love you, we love you... I wish that I were closer so I could babysit and give you some time off. Maybe in the future!
Love ya!!!!!
Graduations are pretty dumb. But Trent gets to skip kis it turns out! Kudos to trent.
Colista I have to say that while I have the utmost respect for you, the idea of you being in charge of PTO is to me HILARIOUS!
I know, totally out of character for me! I need to get some kind of medication for those mood swings!
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