tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2940375117370631601.post8539467617990151812..comments2023-08-29T09:03:19.065-05:00Comments on Just Another Jenny: Worth Doing BadlyJennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13472686909226073213noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2940375117370631601.post-4267180119794906672016-01-26T15:57:20.441-06:002016-01-26T15:57:20.441-06:00I didn't mean to make you cry.
But it is a st...I didn't mean to make you cry.<br /><br />But it is a struggle and will be until I figure it out, at which point I will get Brand New Struggles!<br /><br />That's just life. It's hard to learn new things.Jennyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13472686909226073213noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2940375117370631601.post-16318668776498815352016-01-24T17:35:19.386-06:002016-01-24T17:35:19.386-06:00Oh, Jenny, this post is going to make me cry.
I j...Oh, Jenny, this post is going to make me cry.<br /><br />I just have cooking and organizing and a toddler to look after (and I knew how to cook at least before the toddler came along) and still..."I am struggling in this life I was so desperate to begin."<br /><br />Every day. Every damn day. And I wanted it so much. <br /><br />I don't know what the answer is here but you're not the only one.The Sojournerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04559244806125834569noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2940375117370631601.post-47994330921276692762016-01-20T21:58:31.930-06:002016-01-20T21:58:31.930-06:00Just as an afterthought, I wanted to share somethi...Just as an afterthought, I wanted to share something that a friend of mine who is a priest told me. He came to my house for dinner after not seeing us for many years. Things were cluttered and chaotic (but I did vacuum!). He said, "I can see just by looking around that this is a house where children are homeschooled--and I hope you know I mean that as a compliment!"Elizabethnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2940375117370631601.post-91048186054907597712016-01-20T21:49:24.358-06:002016-01-20T21:49:24.358-06:00I have so much sympathy for this--this is totally ...I have so much sympathy for this--this is totally me as well. And I don't want to be despair-inducing, but I've never worked outside the home since we had children. We have a small, older home. No school room (that's also the dining room) no play room (that's also the living room). My fourth child is just shy of a year old, and gets into everything. Put up a gate, or confine her in any way and she screams! <br /><br />I have brief moments of being on top of housekeeping in one room at a time, but that's it. Once or twice a year, I really work hard at cleaning up when we invite family to come over for a child's birthday party. <br /><br />The days that we really have a great school day, the house is a mess and we have sandwiches for dinner. If we get the house clean, we don't get all of my plans for school done. If I cook a really good dinner, either schoolwork is not finished or everything is a mess. I am slowly learning to be comfortable with my discomfort, because I can't do anything else. Some people can, but they aren't me. <br /><br />But things are always tougher when there's a toddler or an infant. Or both. I had a very brief window before my fourth baby was born where I almost had my act together with the house. No more. <br /><br />Anyway, you're not alone! Elizabethnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2940375117370631601.post-3217689127561498202016-01-20T21:19:32.409-06:002016-01-20T21:19:32.409-06:00Meredith,
I might take you up on that offer altho...Meredith, <br />I might take you up on that offer although I'm not sure what I could have you help with. Honestly just having another adult in the house for a little while would help tremendously. <br /><br />Bearing,<br />Simplifying my expectations is the hardest part. In my mind, all this should have been done by now. I'm making slow and steady process, but I easily lose sight of what I have finished while assessing what I still have to do. <br /><br />Everyone said it would take a full year to get my feet under me at home and I scoffed. Oh man, it's going to take a full year. <br />Jennyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13472686909226073213noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2940375117370631601.post-14684280005476988082016-01-20T18:08:31.364-06:002016-01-20T18:08:31.364-06:00Everything you said is completely sensible.
Kno...Everything you said is completely sensible. <br /><br />Know that whatever people say and whatever they post on social media, few homeschooling parents who have multiple small children are actually able to achieve, overall, a level of perfection comparable to the average level depicted in their posts.<br /><br />Emily's housekeeping post was inspiring and informative in many ways, but I take serious exception to her headings (from her original OSV article) along the lines of "a Catholic home is well-maintained" and "a Catholic home is free of clutter." Why, oh why, must we Catholics constantly universalize our preferences? <br /><br />A Catholic home is a Catholic's home. That is the only descriptor one needs and the only thing one needs to be certain of. Sheesh. And don't tell me that she's just listing the ideal, even the ideal is not universally applicable. Some people enjoy a clutter of sacramentals, after all.<br /><br />Simplify as much as possible. Simplify your expectations. Build a few habits at a time. Make a peaceful orderly place in your home one place at a time. It's okay to go slowly. Repeat to yourself: I have many demands on my time and so I am prioritizing them. Which means that every day, some things are on the bottom of your list, and that means that it is literally an accomplishment to not do those things.<br />bearinghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07953735060133330755noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2940375117370631601.post-79625421803697532872016-01-20T17:55:18.851-06:002016-01-20T17:55:18.851-06:00You are right--you are learning so many things all...You are right--you are learning so many things all at once! Anyone would be overwhelmed. <br /><br />I wish there were something concrete I could do to help relieve some of your pressure. Would it help to do a freezer cooking morning at my house so you could stockpile some meals for days when you want to concentrate elsewhere? Would you like an extra hand getting things sorted out in one of the rooms? I love this kind of stuff so send an SOS message if I can help!<br /><br />MeredithAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com