We are involved in too much right now.

May 05, 2018

We are involved in too much right now.

I'm still trying to play catch-up on this blog. Blogs really aren't that popular anymore but I figure that one day my kids will be grateful that I kept this family journal. I am really far behind on making my blog books. I just printed out 2012 last month. I'd like to get the rest of them printed off soon but I think I'll have to do one a month to keep the cost down. Anyway, I've been writing less and taking more pictures. I think sharing pictures is easier than sharing thoughts and feelings but I've decided that since this blog isn't frequented too often, it's okay to write a little bit again.

The last few months have been growing months for me. Every new state we move to we spend the first year being sick. We haven't been as sick as I had expected but we have had a few colds and fevers and other things that have really worn me down. I had an awful cold a few months ago that lasted for a long time and now this current one is a doozy. Last week the kids each took turns having fevers and then Felicity got a cold on top of her fever and passed the cold on to half of us. It's been a yucky two weeks.

I've mentioned before but somehow this time in Florida has been a much busier place for us. When we first moved here we had doctors appointments for the kids for random things as well as dermatology appointments every few weeks for warts and molescum. Thankfully, we got the molescum taken care of but now Piper has this gigantic, painful wart on her hand and Will has another wart to get checked out too. Isaac has moles that are being watched every six months because he has a few suspicious moles. They aren't growing as far as I can tell so I think it's fine but we have been watching them for a year. Anyway, we are becoming regulars at the dermatologist. I'm not sure why we have so many wart issues now. Warts are gross.

The boys are about halfway through their braces treatment so we have check ups about once a month for that. Eli gets his spacers off in two weeks and he is so excited about being done with the spacers. This is just the first round of braces so we have a long road ahead with braces still.

This year we also added some outside school activities. I'm conflicted about it. I really love the classes they are taking (Will takes Science once a week and they take a homeschool Art/P.E class at the community center) and they have made some great friends. I think it's good for them to have another adult be their teacher from time to time and I think it's good for them to be around other kids their age. It just makes more for me to have to schedule around and drive back and forth to. I think we will continue the Art/P.E. classes but I'm on the fence about the Science. Will loves it and I love the teacher but it is 20 minutes away and the carpooling situation hasn't really been working very well for us this year. Next year Isaac wants to take the class as well so I'll be paying $30 a week for the two boys to take the two hour class.

Preschool has been a wonderful thing for Piper this year. I honestly have all positives to say about it besides the driving. It's not too far away, just ten minutes, but again, it's something else to have to schedule around and it makes the week tricky to figure out drop-off/pick-up while trying to get the other kids started on school. I just feel like I'm driving places all day long instead of focused here at home and I don't like that.

Piper and Eli started taking Art from a girl in the ward. It's one hour a week. Piper loves to draw and a few of her father's blessings recently have talked about helping her develop her talents early so we decided that art is something she loves so we should get her in lessons.

Finally, this year we decided to keep the boys in basketball. We were doing a homeschool basketball class weekly but I felt like we had too much happening in the day so we decided to do the Monday night class. It's a little more competitive and challenging. We really like the coach and I feel like the boys are learning way more than they were the previous years. Eli wanted to do upwards with his friend again so we were taking him to basketball 20 minutes away in the other direction on Tuesday evening and then on games on Saturday and then taking the other two boys to basketball on Monday nights. When Upwards ended, Eli started basketball like the other two but his was earlier so Mike would get home from work, change clothes and then take Eli to basketball. I'd feed the kids and bathe Felicity and then take the other two to basketball and bring Eli home. I'd do the bedtime routine with the younger kids and then Mike would come home around 9 with the other two boys, and finally, he'd eat his dinner. We debated if we should keep doing it because we would keep forgetting to do Family Home Evening on Sunday and it was taking a large chunk of our Monday nights but we felt like it was good for the kids to have more social interaction and to be getting exercise and learning a skill. Plus, it makes Isaac have serious anxiety every Monday before the class, and while it sounds mean, from all the counseling we have done, I really feel like doing the things that scare you, helps your anxiety. It's been hard for him but every week he gets super anxious and we talk about how much courage it takes to do what scares you and how anxiety encourages you NOT to do the things you want to do. So he goes and every single week he comes back happy and grateful to have gone. And then it starts again the following week! So, I feel like it's had some positives. The session ended this week won't start again until the Fall. I have some time to decide if it is worth fitting into our week or not. If we choose to do it, I will have to figure out a better way to keep Family Home Evening going and I'll have to do it on my own because Mike won't be here to help take kids.

I haven't mentioned that yet.

One of the things that has been challenging for me these past few months is that Mike volunteered for a deployment. The last time he volunteered it got cancelled but I think this one is going to stick. So, Mike will be gone this coming fall and I'll have to manage all this on my own. I am really trying to figure out what is most important for us to participate in and know what to let go of.

I guess all this is a long way to say that I have felt too busy and stressed lately. I hate being over scheduled. Hate it. I honestly never thought I'd be the mom who would be driving her kids all over the place and it's funny because all they do is church, basketball, and art besides the classes they take for homeschool during the week but it feels like too much for me. Right now, Mike is the Young Men's President so he takes care of the Wednesday night activities but when he leaves I'll have to do that too and I already just feel like I spend my day in the car.

I've thought and prayed about what I should do with Piper for school next year. I really like my kids to have some public school experience. I know that makes me a weird homeschool mom but I think it's a really positive thing for kids to have other adults outside of Mom and Dad to have to obey and learn to respect. I've seen many homeschool kids who are too comfortable with adults in a negative way and do not give the respect to adults they ought to. I know they can get some of that from church classes but I think it's still positive for them to have other opportunities as well to be taught by other adults. I also think that going to school allows them opportunities to learn how to socialize. I know that some people might argue that the socializing kids are getting from school these days isn't really the positive kind. I agree to some extent but that is a whole different post for a different day--there is too much to write about all of that. There are other ways to get socialization and I honestly think my kids are very normal, happy, friendly kids who are doing well in this area. That said, because we homeschool, I feel like I have to find other ways for them to interact with kids their own age and that means doing other activities. It's stressful for me. I feel like I am trying to manage all their school and then all their activities and appointments and it's a lot. But, I deviate. Back to Piper. I think if Mike were going to be here, I'd send Piper to school for a few years to practice more making friends, learning how to be in a class environment with another teacher, learning how to take her turn raising hands and answering questions, learning how to work with other kids, practicing being away from me (she is rather timid around other people), etc. Mike won't be here though and it's been stressful for me this year to take her to school and field trips and attend her class parties, etc. as well as be home to help the boys with all their stuff. I think this coming year has to be all or nothing. I think it has to be all the kids at home or all the kids at school. So, I'm worried about homeschooling her (I've never had a kid that young homeschool) and I hope that it will be positive for her and that it's the right choice for her.

This is why I don't write anymore...I just word vomit.