Solutions, solutions, solutions!
I love a good solution! We've had to make some adjustments lately for our busy family of six. With two Blossoms in college, five jobs between the two of them, other relationships to consider, plus the rest of the family's 4-H, craft show, homestead, and church schedule, we're all on the same team. That's what I keep telling everyone.
We're all on the same team!
~ Sunday nights, we have a big pow-wow about what the week is looking like, and what needs to be done. This helps to relieve the frustration of Daddy walking in and saying, "Grass needs mowed today," and the resulting panicked responses of,
"I have a huge exam today."
"I have a lengthy paper that I'm finishing today!"
"I have to go clean the airBnB today."
"I was already planning on going to ______ today."
Our Sunday night pow-wow helps to gauge everyone's stress level and what kind of expectations we have for each other. It helps those of us who have an easier week to pick up some slack or pitch in and help other family members. It blesses my heart so much when one of the other Blossoms says, "Don't worry about that. I can do that for you," to one of their sisters.
Our Sunday night pow-wow helps the younger Blossoms to be aware of what to expect for the week. Meaning, it won't be a week in the hammock reading. It also helps us nail down open time slots for concentrated family time because...
~ We now schedule family time! During our Sunday night pow-wow, we look at what evenings or afternoons we are all home and available. We block a certain amount of time out on our schedules. It doesn't mean we do anything fancy - hang out in the living room or on the porch and chat, throw a ball in the back yard, listen to each other, line dance in the back yard, or have a pizza night. Because the time is blocked out, sometimes we get to do more - go fishing or go out for ice cream. Either way, the quality time takes TIME. We're prioritizing that time by eliminating the "I wouldn't have scheduled _____ if I had realized you wanted me to be here for family time!"
~ We now have a weekly homestead work list. Saturdays have always been homestead work day here. There are different work schedules to consider and we still try to all be doing homestead work on Saturdays. Some weeks there are just different demands though (like Saturday craft shows for the Younger Blossoms). Since there is a list posted, all Blossoms consult the list and work on the weekly tasks in more convenient time slots. We're perfecting this approach, but this solution is helping us stay on the same page and stay on top of things. Ya gotta stay on top of the demands of farm life. Otherwise, the poop piles just get bigger and grosser.
~ Morning pow-wows after devotions are still very important here. We each talk about what our schedules hold for the day, as well as the imperative tasks to accomplish. This really, really helps to keep everyone in the loop and be understanding of one another. Blossom2 works early mornings two days a week, so we're still figuring out how to keep us all on the same page when she misses that morning's pow-wow. For the most part though, it's still working for us.
~ We invite each other on Google Calendar. When I really don't want the girls to miss their cousin's graduation ceremony or I really need them to be home to watch the Younger Blossoms, I set up an event in my Google Calendar and invite them (and vice versa). It probably seems ridiculous, since we all live in the same house, but it sure helps us all to plan around important things.
~ We had a Fair: What To Work On list on the whiteboard. The Older Blossoms know the drill but the Younger Blossoms were mistakenly thinking that summer meant you do nothing... all day... every day. That's not how we roll here. There's plenty to work on independently, and Mom doesn't have to be looking over your shoulder all the time. I talked through each item when the list was posted. I instructed how to access some of the resources needed to accomplish the tasks and they whittled away at that list. It helps.
As you've noticed, no solution 100% solves a problem, but it helps. That's what we need, tools that help keep our family's relationship a priority and tools that keep us on the same page. We're constantly tweaking these things to work for our family, but the more we communicate, the better daily life can be!
