I'm TOO busy!  I just don't have enough hours in the day to do everything well.  Lately, I've been spending more time homeschooling my son, trying to catch up on my grading for work (I teach college classes, mostly online), doing some big grocery shopping to restock the pantry, and I've been PBSing (sending lots of books lately!).  My house has gone to pot!  It's a disaster!  But if I stop and take the time to get it back into shape what has to give in it's place?  I'll probably give my son and my grades a day off on Friday and try to get the house back.  Until then it's a lick and a promise!

So how do you prioritize things at your house?

Edie

Wow, you've got a full plate.  If sending out a lot of books is eating into your education time I'd put your account on hold for a while.  I agree with taking a day off of school.  It's important to me that I be at my best for teaching my son.  We take a least one extra day off a month. You didn't say how old your son is, but can you make restocking the pantry a class project?  Have him help you with inventory, budgeting, shopping.  (I'm assuming your talking about a big trip to the store) 

As far as in my house my son's education gets top priority.  We have a set time for school and I don't answer the phone then, unless its my hubby. Then the house.  There are times when the house is just a mess but we all pitch in and it gets back to normal.  We used to take the first 15 minutes of class to straighten the house.  It's called "health" class.  We also declutter quite frequently.  I think things like toys and clothes breed if they are left alone too long.  We have defined spaces for most everything in our house.  The only thing I have a real challenge with is books (HA!) and I have a wall of bookcases that are full!

HTH

One of the things that helped me amazingly with Keeping my Sanity was Friday Free Day at our house. This is the day that I use to Catch up on all the things that I needed or didn't get done during the week. Depending on how much we have to do My boys call it either Crazy catch up day or Cool fun day. Many fridays are spent working hard on cleaning, school work, and errands. Some fridays are spent out and about for pleasure or in front of a movie/computer relaxing. since we have started this our family has found more and more of the relaxing days happening. as i and my Boys will work harder to do something fun or relaxing on that day.

LAdystyx

I had to put my account on hold for a few months. I used the itme to do a major decluttering. It has helped me to keep up with was needs to be done day to day.  We also homeschool 4 days a week. And when things get too crazy we take a week off.  

Edie, I'm with you...my house is the first to go.  We always eat well and have clean clothes, but that doesn't mean the clothes are folded and put away.  Doesn't mean we always have clean dishes to eat from....we use a lot of paper plates!  :)  But we school and do family things more than anything else.  And I know you all know how that can take up the majority of your time.

I do spend too much time on the computer...but I'm getting better at that. I've made a concious decision to spend less time on here emailing and checking PBS stuff. :)

Our house is always the first to go.  I usually set aside about 45 minutes on Fridays that everyone pitches in to help clean.  Each child  has their own cleaning responsibilities (they are little, but can still pick up toys, books, & clothes) and I work on the grown-up chores right along with them.  It is amazing how much we can get done in such a short amount of time.

Do you have any high school homeschoolers that live nearby?  Maybe you could help them earn a little money as well as a home economics credit by having them come clean for a couple hours each week. 

I am a neat freek. I get up with my husband at 5:30 every morning. I make up the bed when I get out of it. I clean the bathroom after I shower. Then as I leave the bathroom I take all the dirty cloths and put in the washer. I have coffee with my husband and daughter we talk about what we are going to do and have a morning prayer. Then they  leaves for work, by then the cloths are ready to put in the dryer. I pick up any cups, and start the dish washer, its usually full by morning. Then I sweep and mop the den kitch and bath room. By then the cloths are dry I fold them and hang them on the rack in the wash room or fold and put them on the table in the wash room. Then I enjoy a cup of coffee and read my emails and check PBS.

At 9 Am my grandsons alarm goes off and he gets up. Tells me what he wants for Breakfest, and he makes his bed and gets dressed while I make our breakfest. Then we sit down and say the blessing and we eat and talk about what we are going to do in school today.  First thing we do is have a prayer, then say the pledge. Then he does spell time and math time on his computer. While he is doing that I empty the dishwasher and get out what we will have for Dinner and prepar what ever I can. I love to cook in a crock pot so most of my dinners I do ahead.

When JD is done with spell time and Math time. We do our writing lession and our phonics lession. By then its lunch time.

Lunch is easy, I fix enough each night that we have left overs for lunch. I buy those microwave divider plates, at night after dinner I fix two plates. It makes lunch easy.

Then JD gets a hour to go outside and play. I think outside play is important. If its raining he gets to do what ever he wants inside. I take that time to maybe vaccum or do what I am doing now playing on the computer. JD has to put up his dirty dishes, and he has to clean up what ever he mesed up in that hour. You would be surprized how he can mess up. I usually give him 10 minutes to clean his mess up.

Then at 2 its back to school work. We do History, and Science. Then we have a snack and do a art project. School is out at 3:30

Then JD sets the table for Dinner, I prepare what ever else is needed for Dinner. Then JD plays or what ever he wants to do till 5:30 PM . While JD plays I do what I want talk on the phone, PBS, things like that. At 5:30 JD cleans up his play room or the living room or both what ever he messes up and I warm dinner. His Mom and My husband comes home. We all eat. Then his Mom or My husband AND JD clean up the kitchen. I make two plates of left overs for JD and my lunch for the nest day. My husband takes out the garbage. Then the rest of the night my family does what they want to. My daughter puts up the folded cloths and makes JD help. Then just before bed everyone has to pick up the house. We are usually in bed by 10:30

I guess the way we make it is we work together. That give me what I want a clean house, time to teach JD, it leaves our week ends open so each one in the family can  do what we want instead of cleaning, by working together it  makes more time for us at night as a family, and on week ends. The way I do it, it gives me lots of time for me.

Oh there is a little extra work on Fridays, I wash sheets and vacumm the floors real good. Once a month I wash curtians. I usually do that on a Wenesday.

Oh, oh, oh - I found something that works real well for me!!!  I suggest that you all get a great mother-in-law and have them move in with you and then they can do all the cooking, dishes and laundry - it's amazing how much that frees up your time! :-)  Honestly, that is what worked out for us.  My in-laws actually moved in with us from 4 hours away 1 1/2 years ago and she took over the cooking, dishes and laundry (this is for a household with 9 people now).  It has been the biggest blessing I could ever ask for!  Most people look at me like I'm crazy, but it was a gift from God for them and us.  They have their own little apartment kind of area so they have some privacy and so do we.  But this frees me to do school and teach my dance classes and my m-i-l takes Sunday "off" and I cover the meals that day.  So don't discount unconventional situations God may send your way (though it may not be in the form of a wonderful m-i-l :-) 

I have chosen to school year round.  Our state only requires that I record 180 days of school so this gives me the luxury of taking things slow.  I usually do try to do something each day, but if it takes two days to do what others accomplish in 1 I'm still "ok".  We also school on Saturdays and consider all hours open to schooling.  I'm not doing 6 hour days, but if an opportunity to learn something comes up at 9 p.m. we take it. 

My child is very young so it doesn't take much time and we are very relaxed in our schooling so if he learns by playing Legos while I'm cooking dinner I'm fine with that.  Yesterday he made a miniature space station with a  landing light and a ship sized just right to land on the station.  :-)  Today he worked out a theory for solving a problem with a product he wanted to make. His clay toothbrush will survive immersion if it's coated in plastic, but only if the bristles are embedded in the plastic only.  I still don't know why he wants to make a clay toothbrush- but at least he can if he wants to. LOL! 

I would guess that as your DS gets older and the time constraints for teaching him become greater, you will get better at handling it all.  You are learning each day too. KWIM? 

Oh yeah, my mom takes all the kids to her house for an overnight several times a month and comes over to my house to baby sit at least once a week so I can do my shopping solo. ;-)  Brat-----> me

I like the school year round idea.  I have already planned to do some "make up" for the days that I've been too busy to do much school with my son. I'm not teaching any college next semester.  Money will be tighter, but I will have more TIME!   He's only in K which is not a mandatory grade in Illinois, but I still feel bad when I think he's not getting enough attention.  We'll make up for it, and my house will get clean someday!

Edie