It takes a village ...

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So I think the saying goes "It takes a village to raise a child".

Well, this week it has taken a village to enable one woman to write one essay.  Which isn't finished.  Almost.  I think.  Maybe.  Can you sense my lack of confidence?

Anyway my 'village' has been my kind husband taking a day off work.  My in-laws coming for a day and running mega craft/painting activities.  My patient father-in-law untangling the kites which have been sitting in the shed for 18 months.  And my mother entertaining the children with her made up stories yesterday.  I'm so grateful for all the help and I don't think the kids have suffered too much - I've been at home the whole time.

I'm doing two full on subjects this semester.  It's the biggest load I've ever taken on and it means that for 12 weeks all I think about is getting uni work done.  But the rest of life doesn't slow down.  And I find it so, so hard to say no.  Using uni as an excuse feels like an indulgence.  Studying by distance means that the boundaries are not easy to define - not like actually attending lectures at uni.

Internally I struggle during these times.  Being a mum and doing anything extra makes our life more pressured.  I certainly feel that my family's life would be more straightforward if I just did the housework and school pick-ups etc.  And I will always be slow to take on extras if they compromise my availability for my kids.  But the kids seem fine - they are quite interested in how my uni work is going.  My oldest child often asks people, "Did you know that my mum is becoming a librarian - on the internet?".  Sounds like I'm buying a dodgy degree off the internet or something!!

So I press on ... constantly juggling.

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