Sensory Overload

My head is swirling like the Tie Dye print above. I have so much I want to do and have to do, but I feel like I am swimming and not moving forward. I hope I don't end up drowning.

While the kids do not have homework packets to complete like prior years, they are responsible for their daily minutes of reading, math, journal writing, and spelling practice. Which means, because it is new and they are still young and learning, Mom needs to step in and get the ball rolling. This self-accountability for the student's learning will be great as they continue to grow, but getting started is a challenge for the three of us.

I do not want to be the hawk that says, "Read. Did ya read? How many minutes did you read? Can you share what you read with me?" Or the "Math. What do you want to study today? Math facts? Math based computer game? Come on, we gotta do your minutes." Blah, blah, blah. As one friend said to me, "If I, their mother, tell them to do their reading or math, they think it is a chore and fight me. But when they did packets assigned by the teacher, they just jumped up and did it."

So, aside from figuring out our routine for the assigned home minutes, I have an endless list of equally important other want-to's and have-to's ... and ... my head is listening to my daughter practice the piano, while my son is yelling Tae Kwon Do Kihap's while practicing his kicks, while my husband is listening to a college football game on a higher mode than normal (to get over the said other noises in my house), while my dog is barking at a critter in the woods, while my front doorbell just rang from a neighborhood friend who wants to play, while looking at my To Do List and wondering Where shall I start?

I think I don't have much of a choice; that Potatoe Salad is in need of fixing as our neighborhood End Of Summer BBQ will be taking place in one hour. I hope my head swirling will chill out so that I can enjoy the friends on the block ... and I'll just start over tomorrow.