It’s coming; I can feel it. Once the learning year gets underway, things start moving along at a faster pace. We go from just a few activities a month to activities several times a week. We jump from one event to the next, trying to fill our days with fun and fond memories for our kiddos. In all the planning, sometimes we bite off a little more than we can chew.
One of the dangers in being a parent is over-planning. Now, add homeschooling to the mix and you have one crazy household! Not only are we planning our learning routines, but we are adding in sports events, field trips, visits with friends, play dates, swim days, crafting opportunities, and more. Before you know it our calendar can be overbooked.
Perhaps I’m not the only one to notice this strange phenomena and all the challenges which come with it? Our intentions are well-meaning and our hearts are in the right place, but, next thing you know, the kids are getting cranky and you are all tired of running in high gear. Slowly, but surely, you become overwhelmed.
Might I make a humble suggestion, to myself as well as everyone else? Instead of over-booking our lives with event after event, let’s save time for things which really matter and events which benefit our families the most. Not every opportunity needs to be taken, not every event needs to be attended; we need to learn the fine art of saying, “No!”
Just looking at our current calendar, I can already tell we are starting to hit our limit. Before I bite off more than I can chew, it’s time to start saying, “No!”
Time to Chime In: How is your currently calendar looking? Are the coming months starting to look overbooked?
A Homeschool Mom 
I recently posted about this on my blog! I just started my homeschooling journey,and was feeling very overwhelmed with just balancing teaching the 5 year old, entertaining and teaching the 3 year old, all with a super cranky teething 5 month old. It’s nice to take time to enjoy eachother!
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I do well with saying “no”. I’m trying to rub off on my overachieving wife of whom I am not worthy.
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I’m learning from the best. (laughing) One day I’ll get it down!
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Great Post! Yep I need to say no to some things. I am so tired and cranky right now. I look at everything I need to do and I feel overwhelmed. When I get like this, I stop doing things well. I stop handling stresses with confidence. It’s crazy. I seriously doubt that God intended for me to just survive. God has designed all of us to thrive in the abundance of His fruit. God is our hiding place and He delivers us from our long list of things to do. He calls us to trust in Him and He wants to fill our heart with His love. It’s hard for me to notice how much He is with me when I get too busy. My kids can get too busy too. We overlook the priceless moments that God is providing for us when we are in a rush. My son asked me today in the store if I would spend some time with him smelling the flowers in the floral department. I brushed him quickly pass the flowers and said,”No son we got too much to do and we need to get grocery shopping done now.” As soon as I said this, I realized that I have been to busy to smell the flowers. Thanks for your post – it helps me to remember what really matters.
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I think all of us have those “stop to smell the flowers” moments. What a blessing when we realize our mishaps and change our ways.
Thank you for sharing your thoughts. This is a good reminder to all of us.
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