Sometimes, I wonder how it is all supposed to fit in while still trying to eat dinner at a normal hour and getting Julia to bed by 8:30 or so. I don't think my kids are over scheduled. Emily has work and Girl Scouts (STUCO when her schedule allows which is not often), Katie has Girl Scouts and basketball, and Julia has dance and Girl Scouts (basketball is not looking like something she will be sticking with but that remains to be seen).
I just went through the February calendar to "plug in" swimming with Julia where we could fit it in. On the weeks that Ryun works the late shift it will be all but impossible. Even on the weeks where he is early the only time would be right after school (which is when I usually start cooking) and even then we can't go Tuesdays or Wednesdays. I have my meetings on Tuesday and she has dance on Wednesday which means she does homework right after school because she doesn't get home until just after 8. Let's not even talk about the amount of homework she gets. She has Spelling and/or ELA as well as Math nightly. In addition she has to read for 25 minutes then answer a question in her reading journal AND spend 15-20 minutes practicing multiplication and division. Really? This is third grade (thank you Common Core and standardized testing).
Emily would also like to use the Y but that will be on weekends only because of her work schedule. She doesn't get home until 6PM or so. Starting next week with the new semester starting at MHS she will have three classes (ELA, History and Spanish) in which she will have homework. She had an "easy semester" for the first half of the year which involved little to no homework. Basically, she will be coming home, eating dinner and doing homework. If she has any free time after that, it will be too late in the evening to visit the Y. Katie, for the most part, should be able to join Julia and I when we go.
I have all but given up on the idea of the five of us sitting down and eating together during the week. The weekend is much easier in that respect but otherwise it would take an act of God, or us sitting down at 9PM on some nights which is past Julia's bedtime and pretty close to Ryun's, especially if he is working early (4:30AM wake up). Nevermind eating together...if I am going to the Y after school, and shuffling kids to and fro, when the heck am I going to cook it? I am a big fan of the crock pot but even that gets old sometimes.
So how on earth do people do this? Especially single parents who also work (I am in awe of you by the way). Being at home during the day is nice in some respects but it really has little to no benefit on the other end of the day when all of the craziness starts. I don't even know how it will all come together when I do get a job, unless my some miracle I find one that is part time, flexible and/or work from home.
What tips and tricks do you have for managing it all?
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