Search Results for: blog are you overscheduled

The Importance of Taking Care of Your Home

In my last blog I asked if you were overscheduled. This is important to know because it can affect so many areas of your life, including the keeping of your home. If you have determined that indeed you are overscheduled, then its time to learn what you can do about it. I think the first thing is to really grasp the importance of maintaining a clean, orderly home. Too many people think it’s the last thing you should be concerned with. In fact, I have heard some try to sound like the best mom in the world by making comments … Continue reading →

Are You Overscheduled?

Would you consider yourself to be someone who is overscheduled? So because of that, housework is the last thing on your mind? Some people don’t get enough sleep because of everything they have to accomplish in a day. That is a sign of being overscheduled. Do you drink several cups of coffee a day in order to keep you “alert”? It can actually contribute to having mood swings and cause other health problems. This is a sign of being overscheduled. Do you find it difficult to say no? To turn down opportunities to help someone or to get involved in … Continue reading →

Would You Let Your Teen Run for Governor?

I wouldn’t let my teen run across a busy highway, so I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t okay his bid for public office. Of course, I’m not Jared Christiansen’s mom (a fact I’m sure he is quite happy about), so there’s no telling how far the 17-year-old could go in his quest to be governor of Wisconsin. Though, as a voter in the Badger State, I will have some say in the teen’s future political career. The outgoing high school senior is not even legally eligible to cast a ballot in Wisconsin, yet he is determined to run the state. The … Continue reading →

Overscheduled Kids = Parental Stress

Forget about emotionally scarring your kids by enrolling them in a litany of extra-curricular activities. According to a new study, the endless stream of piano lessons, soccer practices, Cub Scout meetings and ballet recitals, is more stressful on parents than anyone else. Childhood experts at the University of Maryland at College Park maintain that parents of overscheduled kids are the ones who suffer the most emotional stress when it comes to juggling multiple activities. Turns out, most kids are fine being shuttled from sporting event to sporting event and then to music lessons, dance class and oh, don’t forget, school. … Continue reading →

Is Your Preschooler Overscheduled?

This summer I decided to give my car a break. Instead of pulling in and out of karate, basketball, swimming, piano, soccer, gymnastics, art, cooking, and ceramics class parking lots, our family vehicle has been cooling its wheels in a shady garage. Score one for the aging Nissan… and for the aging mom. The preschooler, well, she’s not sharing our joy. Not entirely anyway. After months (make that years) of juggling a less than relaxed routine of classes, activities, playgroups, and kiddie seminars, I figured I’d trade in the overscheduled routine for a more laid back summer schedule; one that … Continue reading →

Advantages of Extended School Days

Would you like your children to attend school for eight hours straight, five days a week? It may sound a bit excessive to some parents. However, there are some school districts that have implemented an extended school day. It turns out that there are several benefits to doing so. Extended school days, which are also called extended learning time, have gained popularity within charter schools. Some charter schools may have a bit more freedom about how long their school day runs than some public schools do. That doesn’t mean it would be impossible for an extended school day to be … Continue reading →

Personal Day from School?

Do kids need to take personal days from school? I was watching “The View” the other day and they were talking about an episode on the sitcom, “The Middle.” The young boy asked his parents if he could take a personal day. Well that sparked a conversation between “The View” ladies about children being overscheduled. Actually, I tend to believe that there are times kids do need to take a personal day. I don’t have any hard-and-fast rules when it comes to this. But if one of my children has been working hard and doing well in school and hasn’t … Continue reading →

Daily Prioritizing

I don’t know if you are like me but there are many days where I feel like I will never be able to accomplish everything I have to do. In fact, there are too many days when that is exactly what happens. I end the day feeling like I have somehow failed because not everything on my mental “to-do” list was done. The problem is that we haven’t learned the importance of putting in place daily priorities. Instead we just take on this and that without considering whether it is doable. Do you feel like your home is oftentimes the … Continue reading →

Setting Measurable Goals with Deadlines

When it comes to housekeeping, having no plan is what usually causes disarray, disorder and uncleanness. Too many of us rely on what we “hope” to get to, what we would “like” to accomplish. But this doesn’t really get us anywhere. I have talked in the past about this but I want to remind you that when it comes to setting goals, they have to be measurable. General goals such as, “I want a clean house” won’t work. You can’t really measure a clean house because your idea of clean and my idea of clean could be completely different. So … Continue reading →

Planning for a New Year

The New Year is upon us and it is time to re-evaluate our homeschools. If you follow the traditional calendar then you have around five to six months left of school. Start the year off right by determining what needs to be changed to make the most of the last part of the school year. As homeschoolers we have the ability to be flexible and cut out what doesn’t work while keeping what does. Homeschoolers need to constantly evaluate the needs of our children and our homeschool. Here are some questions to ask yourself as you come off of winter … Continue reading →