Dreaming of a Simple Life

I have a friend who posted to her Facebook today that she is going to 'opt out of a whole heck of a lot'.  She is simplifying her life so that she can read more, spend more time with her family and get things done that have been on her list for some time.   I need to ask her how she intends to do this exactly because I'm feeling the need to follow her lead.  I want a simpler life.  I'd settle for more hours in the day.
This week was a week of rushing.  We were rushing out of the house and then rushing back to the house and never finding a moment to breathe.  Home has not been a sanctuary this week.  Instead it has been a place of never ending laundry, toys to pick up, phone calls to make, dirty dishes and dinner that needs to get made.   I want my home to be a place where my family feels relaxed, safe and loved.  An oasis just for us.

 I do know people who have kids and manage to keep their house clean but they work until the wee hours of the morning to accomplish this.  By the way my favorite person who seems able to do this just threw in the dishtowel so to speak and hired herself a housekeeper every other week.  Even those who appear to have it all under control eventually give up!  Who wants to spend every spare minute cleaning.

The older my kids get the messier they get and the less they clean up.  Personally I'd rather clean up the mess then nag my kids to clean it up.  Sometimes they help and sometimes they don't and that is OK with me.  At some point when I think they are too old for me to be going through their stuff I'm just going to use the closed door method.  If their room is messy I will just close the door so I don't have to look at it.  Until then I figure if I'm cleaning then I get to throw stuff away.  Kids are amazing pack rats you know.  Every little piece of paper is precious.

You can't blame my lack of time on the homeschooling either.  I'm pretty sure that most Moms have this complaint. I've read an article today about a women who moved to Brazil with her family just so they could eat dinner together again.  With all the family activities they never were able to be at home at the same time.  They didn't even sound that over scheduled.  My Daughter takes ballet and it is at 5:30 at night.    That means she doesn't get home until 7:00. At least she only has one activity this late.  I can't imagine what it will be like when H starts having classes or sports in the evenings.  I'm going to be living in my car more than I am now.
Twice a week I have a Nanny come to help me out.  Those days are supposed to be the days that I get to do something for myself but they are usually filled with appointments, grocery shopping and other errands.  I fit one yoga class in on Wednesdays but then I rush home to shower and eat so I can pick up my daughter at Earthroots, an all day, outdoor, homeschooling class.  Then I rush home to make dinner.  All with my Nanny at home with H to spare him hours in the car.  I want some me time!  I want time to read books and call my friends.  I want time to work on my sewing. I want time to cook my family a wonderful and healthy meal!  But no, I have to pay some bills and call the vet to set up an appointment for the dogs yearly exam. For dinner I toss some rice in the cooker, steam some broccoli and open a can of beans.

Now if I could come home after running around all day to a clean house and  a nice dinner already prepared I think I'd be fine.  I hired an organizer once and that was magnificent.  I thought today that maybe I could just have her come once a year to give the house a tune up so to speak.  Better yet a personal assistant!   I can dream.

When did life get so busy?  Why is living simply so hard?

Tomorrow is the day we have NOTHING.  No where to go, no errands to run just hanging around the house.  I've promised L that we will pull out the sewing machine and I will help her sew the shirt she is making.  I'm sure H will need a go at it as well.   My goal is to keep the computer shut, focus on the kids in the morning, clean up and then designate an hour in the afternoon as privacy time.  That's what H calls it.  Hopefully I'll get at least 20 minutes.