I have a desire to become less inept

[sibdoms]

.......and more competent. Please can all you uber organised people tell me how they manage all the hwk, improving activities, and playdates of their offspring. I feel somewhat pathetic as I only have 2 dds, 5 and 7, but am finding it a struggle to fit everything in - music practices with big one,reading, key words etc, with little one - and don't want to drop anything at the moment. Tell me your timetables... I work when they are at school so have to fit in tedious tidying etc as well after school.

anyone?

Sorry SAHM so do all housey thing when dss are at school and preschool. panicking as well as ds2 starts school in Sept so will have both to do words etc. I think it is just having to stick to your guns ie come in from school, one looks at words the other reads to you, swap then do again, or when on is at music the other one get quality time for reading etc. Oh sorry I really don't know, am organised just now, but watch this space!

I have 4 and do stay home...but even so I really have to limit the number of activites the children od each week. My children get quite a lot of homework - my 7 yr old get 30+mins a night and dd 10 gets 45 - 1hr. plus reading, spelling tests etc. In term time they are allowed 1 activity - (happen to be gymnastics and drama) and guides/scouts but thats it. Otherwise I can't make our commitments with out shouting and getting stressed. The house is also MUCH less tidy (not clean) than it used to be!

Encouraging your children to do as many things as possible for themselves without too much intervention from you would be a good start. You will probably have to supervise the music practice, but meanwhile the younger child can be learning her spelling words, or perhaps could be encouraged to read her book independently and talk to you about it later. If it ever feels as if your child's school is loading you with pointless tasks (e.g. books well below your child's level) just ignore them and do what you know is right - don't feel you necessarily have to do exactly what you're told. I only bother checking whether my children know their spellings once a week instead of going over them every day. If the tedious tidying is of your children's mess, get them to tidy more of it themselves. Try to avoid doing more than one improving activity an evening (whoops! I've failed on that one as school chess club and cricket fall on the same day) and try to keep at least one evening free from activities so you have time for playdates, library visits, buying shoes etc.