Where do the days go?

It's that time of year, spring concert time. The orchestra concert is this weekend, the quartet performs, our family will be playing an ensemble number as well. Everything else is in high gear. The school's March Break provided a brief reprieve, but it's full-on again now. Right now I should be doing math with somebody, but something has to give. I've got a cough and laryngitis and I'm not sleeping very well. It's either give up math or my sanity.

Today I slept until 8, got up and did some leftover kitchen cleanup from last night. Got Erin up, made her a lunch. Drove her to school. It being an even-numbered day (March 32nd) I did not go for a run. Instead I sat with a coffee and did my morning internet work, checking the message boards I administer, posting an update on one of the non-profit websites I manage, checking in with our SelfDesign homeschool program. Then I got Fiona and Sophie up and helped them get breakfast and get themselves organized for violin lessons.

Then it was off to violin lessons for the rest of the morning. Home at lunch time. Made some lunch and London Fogs all 'round. Steam-cleaned the carpet in the basement. Started making supper. Worked on some desktop publishing, making a poster and handbills for the orchestra concert. Helped Noah with his viola practicing. Picked Erin up from school. Printed off the posters and handbills, cut them to size. Went off to the basement to do my afternoon viola teaching. Then finished making supper, served it, got everyone organized for orchestra rehearsal. Drove to rehearsal in time to set up the room (move all the tables, set up the chairs and stands). Ran the rehearsal. Cleaned up. Got home just before 9. Cleaned up a bit from supper until my feet got too tired. Sat down here. Wrote this post.

Normally this would be math time (9:45 pm), but the younger girls like me to read to them for at least an hour before bed, and I have to be up by 6:45 in order to have time for a run before work, so I'm taking this 15 minutes and that's all. I really want to be in bed by 11:30 in the hope that I can actually sleep tonight. But I can't remember the last time I did math with Noah and Sophie. It's been at least a week -- and they really would rather we did it every day. I feel badly.

I really think I've made some good progress ensuring that I don't get over-committed. But there are these months in the spring that produce unfortunate conjunctions between various parts of my life -- work, board meetings, kids' activities, musical performances, web work, taxes, housework ....

With luck I will now be able to rally the kids to help finish the kitchen cleaning.