A couple of days ago, a friend (and parent of children who come to The Barn) asked me how I was able to get everything done. She said that she saw my posts on Facebook that showed all of the different classes, projects, and activities that we do and said that I must be really super organized. She said that she didn't know how I did it all. I can say the same thing about her; homeschooling three boys with a toddler in tow. I have no idea how SHE does it all.
She was relieved when I told her my secret: I don't do it all. I have to stay organized and give good face (and photographs) where work is concerned. That's business. But, where home life is concerned, things do fall by the wayside. I am so not perfect. LOL. I'm really a mess.
I told her that I couldn't tell her the last time I vacuumed the living room or our bedroom (but the playroom and "public" areas of our home get a regular sweep/vacuum), that I seldom cooked dinner (even though I do enjoy it when I have the time), hardly ever helped Lily with homework (I'm usually teaching in the afternoon), and that I don't do the laundry (Sweet Baboo does that). My closet and clothes piles make me want to cry, but I can't seem to do anything about them. I wait until I just can't stand it anymore and then clean it up. This happens maybe three or four times a year. My suitcase from our Texas trip in the beginning of January is still sitting on the floor, unpacked.
... and don't even get me started on my office/supply closet nightmare.
I reminded her that I only had one child, whom I had a lot of help with. Lily isn't here 100% of the time. She's at school, with Grandmom, with Grandpa, with Hailey, with her dad- the kid is in high demand! I'd love to have her with me all the time, but that's not the way it is. It's almost like not having a kid at all- even though she is always in my head and heart and I'm ready to drop what I'm doing for her at any moment. Not having a child (let alone four) around makes getting things done astonishingly easier.
As for all of my ideas and lessons, she asked me if I kept notes or something to gather all of them. I have journals (66 of them, as of today) that corral a lot of my ideas, I use Evernote to keep track of things, and I have a lot randomly stored in my brain's hard drive. That said, I procrastinate- a lot. I make a list of the lessons I want the Art Explorers kids to do over the course of the semester, then I fill in the blanks as the lessons come up. I create the newsletters, usually about an hour or two before the first class begins. It all seems very well planned out, and I guess it is, but behind the scenes, it's hardly the picture of calm. Party ideas peculate in my head when people book their date and theme, and I order materials for the events in advance, but sometimes I wait until the last minute and am semi-frantically running to Wal-Mart the day before (or the day of) the event to grab forgotten supplies, balloons, decorations, etc... I've learned that I work well under pressure, and that one way or another, things always work out.
Anyway, while I was flattered by the question/observation, it really illustrated the FB profile phenomena that I think we are all subject to (at least to a certain extent.) Comparison is the thief to joy. The photos and stories that we see and post, most of the time, don't tell the whole story. That's not necessarily a bad thing, but it's something that we always have to remember when we scroll. We are all fighting our own battles and have our own naked, messy truths. Something always has to give.
