Ch ch ch ch changes!

It seems with spring cleaning comes an opportunity to evaluate the clutter in my life as well.

Here is where I am cluttered:
1) Too many chores that others can help with.
2) Too many "to-do's" that don't really need done (after all, who really needs to make yogurt?)
3) Too many people I should have had over for dinner vs. time spent with folks I truly miss and cherish.
4) Too many outside responsibilities on my plate. That's really the big one, and the one that motivates this post.

So here's my news: I've resigned from being a teaching assistant at Mars Hill Graduate School. This is a bitter-sweet choice for me. Bitter, in that, I love being in the academic community and environment, and I love Mars Hill as an institution. Sweet, in that, I do not have the time to grade 2000 pages of graduate level assignments in my "free hours" any more. I've noticed in myself that my resentment over run-on sentences and comma splices has really escalated this term. When I begin to feel violent about incorrect APA formatting, you know I'm not in a good place. :)

So my next fall schedule looks like this: Counseling on Tuesday evenings, maybe add Wednesday evening, and counsel on Saturday mornings for a total of about 10 hours each week.

I've joined a homeschool co-op for the first time as well. This is a really big change for me. After 6 years of homeschooling, this will be the first time I've attended any kind of a support group or co-op. We'll attend on Thursdays from 9 to 3 and do Bible, Science, and History classes. The rest of the week is spent finishing up assignments around those classes, as well as doing our other subjects which will be: Spelling, Grammar, Vocabulary, Handwriting, Math, Latin (for real this time) and dance/piano/swimming, etc.

With Sasha in 6th grade, Lily in 4th, Chloe in 1st, Isaac in kindergarten, and Gabriel in preschool, I feel like I can definitely use the help and the extra time from quitting at Mars Hill.

So, as for other clutter that I am cutting out:
1) expectations that are too low for my children: they CAN be kind and cheerful.
2) expectations that are too high for my husband: he CAN just chill once in a while without me handing him a to-do list.
3) expectations that are too demanding of myself: I CAN do a less than perfect job and still feel adequate.
4) expectations that are too unvoiced for my friends: If I want you and need you in my life, I should really let you know that and not expect you to read my mind.

Happy Spring Cleaning!