One of the things that can be discouraging about reading mom blogs is the perception that a particular mom has it all together.
I’m no SuperMom, and none such exists. We all make choices as to how we spend our time and other resources. There are some things I don’t do because I just plain suck at it or don’t know how. Other things, I would like to do but it’s just not a priority at this time in my life.
Before anyone looks at my blog, where I talk about homeschooling seven children, and feels inadequate, they should read this. (Also, the folly of envy.)
Here are some things I just don’t do.
- Crafty stuff
I sometimes look at “crafty” websites and Pins think, “Oh that’s sooooo cute, I wish I could make that.” But I get over it real quick. I’ve bought crafty supplies for my girls and did projects with them, but it ends up as a lot of mess and clutter and crappy stuff that gets thrown away the next week. They come up with their own crafts! - Baking
Thankfully, my oldest loves to make homemade bread, pies, and other treats and sometimes the girls throw brownies together. So I leave baking to them. - Cook complicated stuff
Dinner is very simple around here. Before kids, I enjoyed cooking complicated dishes, like Indian food with its 37 spices. Now? Phbbt. Husbands and kids don’t care if dinner is fancy, as long as it’s warm and tasty. - Complicated curriculum
Homeschool is real simple around here. I don’t have time to do unit studies or lapbooks or other curriculum styles that require tons of work beforehand. It’s open and go in these parts. - Weekly deep cleaning
The weekly stuff like vacuuming and mopping get done frequently, and bathrooms are done daily because those are assigned to kids. But deep cleaning tasks such as dusting baseboards, removing cobwebs, windows and walls… we clean those areas about four times a year or before I have a party. We gather up the whole family and get it done in a couple of hours. It works for us. - Extracurricular kid activities
The kids have plenty of interests (oldest is teaching himself piano, another plays guitar etc), but so far we haven’t done extracurricular activities and lessons. Doing so would cost a lot and complicate our schedule more than we wish, and the kids are fine with it so far. - Laundry
Outsourced to the oldest child. - Artsy stuff
I have a friend who is so talented and artsy that I am nearly brought to tears looking at her website. I wish I could be that way, but I’m not. I’m creative in my own way, but I can’t draw, paint, decoupage, sew, knit, or anything else like that. A few of my kids are very artsy, so I throw stuff their way and enjoy seeing what springs from their imagination and fingers. - Photography
5 minutes into my blog and you can tell I suck at taking pictures. I would like to get better at it, but again… priorities.
What kind of stuff do you NOT do?
Unfortunately, I try my hand at just about everything. I don’t know why…maybe I get bored easily! But here’s a few things I don’t do: I don’t clean the windows anymore…YAY ME! Haylei and Hunter have decided that’s their job. I don’t mop weekly. I mop when there are spills…and I don’t have a mop, I use an old towel that has been torn into rags, spraying the floor with my vinegar/water or pinesol/water mixture and using my feet and the rags to clean it as it needs it. I don’t do the cobwebs…period, unless they are hanging on your head when you walk in…you might take it down as you walk in, thanks. I don’t clean my fridge out as often as I should. I read somewhere on one of the mommy bloggers that I follow, that she has a “mother’s helper”…must be nice. I figure that’s how they get everything done.
You know what’s funny Candi? I also get bored easily. I like routine and schedules (flexible) but find that I am more motivated when I have some “project” to look forward to. Like moving, or a new baby, or something big with a deadline. It’s taken me 36 years to figure this out!