It’s coming; I can feel it. Once the learning year gets underway, things start moving along at a faster pace. Then the holidays hit, and chaos begins. 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, and 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!”
“Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, he said to [His disciples], ‘Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.’”
~Mark 6:31
📢 Chime In!: How is your currently calendar looking? Is the coming month starting to look overbooked?
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A Homeschool Mom 
I’m usually balancing events against budget. If it passes that first test, then it moves on to the next. It can also be difficult to find co-op events that cater for the wide age range our family has. So far we’re on target with about as much we can carry. That doesn’t mean I’m not flexible. If an event comes up that speaks to us, I’ll shuffle events or scrub events we had’t committed to, but showed an interest in. We’ll look for opportunities, but keep a discerning attitude towards them.
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You bring up an excellent point, and one most of us ladies might gloss over – finances. This is definitely a first test for whether or not an event is a possibility.
As for ‘doing the shuffle’… All the time!
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it is definitely SO important for us to balance our activities. i feel like very often we spread ourselves too thin and that ends up sucking the joy out of everything. Our kids don’t need to be scheduled ALL the time, they need free time and the ability to be flexible.
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Sometimes we can get caught up in ‘wanting to do it all, but I think when we do that we loose the meaning of importance and direction in doing what we do and our calling. We spread ourselves too thin and loose the true meaning of each experience and it’s meaning.
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I hit return too soon. I see my grammatical errors and I apologize for them!
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No worries!
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I’ve been working on saying “No” more often this year. It’s hard for me most of the time. I always feel compelled to apologize and explain why I said “No” and how I’m working on saying “No” more often. Maybe some day I can do it without the guilt?
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