Why don't the books tell you how it really is?

I am at that point in life where I am trying to learn balance. As a stay at home mother I am able to protect my children from quite a bit. However, trying to fit in rec time for them and myself is where I am finding it difficult to balance.

When we stay home I am only able to get everything done I need to with the assistance of the telly as my baby-setter and missing baths or not doing hair. Everyone tells me this is just a season and it will pass. Then there is the part where I feel like my children need time for socializing, let alone myself.

My socializing seems to consist of church meetings mainly. This isn't a complaint. However I have been attempting to expand my social realm. The effect of this expansion is that my children have difficulties adjusting. With that I myself am feeling a bit overwhelmed. I have dear friends who have told me if I need a change of scenery I am welcome to use them for that purpose. But when do I fit them in too?

So here is my thing. I am trying to fit in Story-time at the Library. Also I have joined a gym for free because I help with others children once a week, thus my children get to interact with other children and have other toys than their own. I have my presidency meeting I look forward to on Fridays, again interaction with other children. Plus I would like to fit in Enrichment for stay at home mom's, the kids play and we visit. All sounds good right?

I want to do all of these things, yet when I get only half of them done, that is all I get done because I am too tired to do anything else, or my children are. I was so excited about the gym thing but am only able to take advantage of it once a week. Not really doing me any good then. Then there is the Enrichment thing, My children have been napping during it the past two weeks. By time they are awake it is time for me to pick up my youngster from school.

When they said there is no rest for the wicked, I really had no idea that I was considered that wicked. Part of this stems from me reading an amazing book series. however when I was young I seem to see me doing many more things at one time and not feeling quite as overwhelmed as I have lately.

Part of this is scheduling things which is another thing I am finding difficult. With older children at home the younger ones don't want to go to bed and miss things. But the following morning we all have a hard time getting ourselves started. When it was just my 2 yr old and I, I was able to bathe her every other day, do her hair everyday and keep up on laundry, dishes and other things, namely projects. How did I do it all? Oh how I admire all of those mothers who have survived this season of their lives! I hope down the road I can be one of those as well. That I have done it with a bit of grace and still have my dignity (or shall I say sanity.)