I am missing my girls!  School takes up such a huge part of our day, then between friends, homework, etc. we hardly have any time together.  Through all the craziness, the girls have been losing their patience with each other more often.  It just makes me really sad.  So, this week we are doing an experiment in our house.  We are restricting “friend time” to Friday afternoons and Saturdays, reserving weekdays and Sundays for family time.  I am really hoping it will help things feel less rushed/more in control around our house.  I really miss the 5 hour school days we enjoyed at the charter school the girls attended in Arizona.  Even with less hours, the girls were more challenged than they are now with their 7 hour school days.  My sister, Holly, recently made the decision to home-school her children.  I wish I had it in me to be a fabulous home-school parent.  But, I know myself.  I have home-schooled before.  I know that I do need a few hours to myself each day.  I know that I am not as creative or motivated as I would need to be to create the fun, inspiring lessons I want them to experience.  But, I do feel the need to find better balance.  A neighbor was telling me that some public schools will allow partial enrollment.  That would be perfect for me.  I just need to look into the available options.  I need to have my children back.  I need them to spend enough time learning and playing together that they “remember” to cherish their relationships.