... A Mother's Work Is Never Done

Did you know the most common question I get in my inbox is "How do you do it all?" I'd like to start by answering that question for you: I don't! ;-)

If you knew me personally, and you'd been to my house, you'd know better than to ask this question. Seriously. I'm a mom, just. like. you. I'd like to take a minute and list the things I don't do:

• Dishes. I mean, I do the dishes...sometimes...but mostly we just eat on paper plates. 
• Grocery Shopping. We all know this isn't easy with bunches of kids, and I keep this to a minimum. We make a big trip once a month, leave with 3 carts full of food, and fill in with small trips for milk and produce. 
• Dry My Hair. My poor hair dryer has been neglected for years. Well, I do use it for drying crafts from time to time. 
• Cook. Well, I do cook enough to feed my family, but I don't enjoy it (and I'm not good at it). So we eat a lot of simple one-dish meals like stir fries or casseroles. This also makes for easy clean up (see my statement about dishes). 
• Over Committing  This year I am teaching CCD, but I am not teaching at our homeschool co-op. I will still be helping at the co-op, but not teaching. I'm also not going to be singing in the church choir this year. I really wanted to do these things, and it was hard to admit to myself that I don't have the time, but I need to be honest with myself. 

I'll also go ahead and admit that I really struggle with housekeeping, but I am getting a lot better thanks to Nony the Slob. :-)

I was talking to some other bloggers about how all of us moms and teachers have major scheduling changes at the beginning of the school year, and this is the perfect time to re-assess our schedules.

So we're going to have a 

"Scheduling Link-up" on September 1! 

Putting your schedule down on paper will help you make time for the important things, and it will also help you find time to make adorable Catholic crafts with your kids! ;-)  Hopefully, seeing everyone else's schedules will encourage us, and give us some good ideas.

Now, before we start drawing up intricate systems of exactly what day of the week we are going to shake out the kitchen rugs, we need to consider our vocations as wives and mothers. First things first.

1. God. Are you giving the time you should to God and your relationship with Him? Are you finding time to have a personal prayer life, regardless of the chaos motherhood brings into your life?
2. Husband. Am I being the best wife I can be? The kind of wife that God wants me to be? Am I being selfless and kind? Am I leading my husband to the Lord? Do I have time to grow my love for him?
3. Children. Am I loving them and steering them towards heaven? Are they getting enough 1 on 1 time with me? Am I paying enough attention to them, feeding them nutritionally enough, and giving them everything they need? Wow! Everything? That's an overwhelming responsibility!
4. Everything Else. Ok, now that I've taken care of the big things, when am I going to shake out those kitchen rugs? 

Before I wrap up this post, I'd like to say that a mother's work truly never is done! If you wait for every aspect of your life to be perfect before you find the time to craft with your kids, you'll be waiting forever.

If you have any thoughts to share about schedules before we start mapping them out, you can share them in the comments. Remember to come back here on September 1 to link up your schedules and see everyone else's! :-)


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