So, how do you get it all in balance?

Work, parenthood, marriage, life..... ?

We are rolling along, but there is definitely some stress right now. I am trying to stay on top of increased responsibilities at work without drowning. Eleanor is taking more dance and that puts all of us at the dance studio a little longer each day. Will is having to do all of his own clerical work for his operations managing this football season and that adds stress because he isn't good at the clerical part of the job! :-) Amelia is adjusting fairly well to middle school and is doing much better academically than we had thought possible, but she is a bit moody and we fear that is the beginning of something longer lasting...ahh, the joys of having all girls. Olivia is moody and stressed too. If she would get her room cleaned up and organized like I have been asking her to do for months now, her life would get simpler and more manageable because it would be easy to find things, easy to choose clothes, easy to just relax and "be". Eleanor is feeling the stress of 8th grade and the pressure of taking two courses which will gain her high school credit if she takes the next level next year. I'm thinking that is almost too much stress for her. She is already concerned about GPA for college. While I want her to care about her grades and her progress, the stress levels that she is feeling just aren't normal at the start of 8th grade in my opinion. I've tried to alleviate her stress, but since it always comes to the forefront when we are both tired late at night, I don't think I've done a very good job. Whew!

I'm going to type through a plan and maybe we can follow it (suggestions are good if anyone is reading this besides me!):

1. Supervise Olivia this weekend to get her room cleaned up and organized once and for all.
2. Help Eleanor come up with a plan for more gradual study and preparation--this is somewhat dependent on the teachers and when they assign things too.
3. Institute a daily Bible study and reflection time for all of us to center us spiritually.