One week...better but not great!

Well, its been a week since my miniature breakdown, and I've only had one little overwhelmed teary eyed moment. The Gabba and 5HTP do seem to be helping manage the feelings of anxiety. I'm still feeling overwhelmed and like I desperately need to take a break from everything, but I just don't see that happening until the new year possibly? I am considering puling the little kids out of their enrichment classes for the second half of the year after Christmas vacation. just to give us one less thing to have to go and do. I was considering enrolling the kids in a home-school offered swim class instead that way I would feel like they are getting out and doing things but it would only be one afternoon a week for an hour vs. 4 hrs...IDK yet how I feel about that tho, they enjoy their classes SO much! I've also considered the possibility of leaving them at enrichment like other parents do instead of attending classes...but I worry about Matthew. twice this year I have left him for 2 of the 3 classes to go and be in Samantha's class and both times, he was in trouble with the teacher for not paying attention and in trouble for hitting another student (when I asked him he said that the other student punched him, and one pulled on his arm when the teacher wasn't looking, but the teacher saw him hit back, and one kid called him a freak because he was talking to him about some random subject that the child wasn't interested in, and didn't pick up on the fact that when the boy walked away it didn't mean to follow him and keep talking!....lucky that child's father happened to be near by and got on the kids case) and unfortunately Matthew isn't capable of explaining to the teacher what has happened and the teacher isn't really interested anyway, and Matthew hasn't figured out how to remove himself from the trouble makers. I feel like he really needs me there to be a buffer for him until he learns these things, He is in the 2nd-3rd grade block, but socially my guy is probably more near the K-1 block of kids although academically he is above his peers by at least a grade level, so it makes for a complicating situation!

I feel like my house is exploding at the seams as well, we have just outgrown our space! I live in a house that is 1,195 sq ft. 4 bedrooms and 1 3/4 bathrooms. In it I have 3 kids, Rob and I, two dogs, two cats, and Home school materials and space for all 3 kids not to mention all my holiday decorations and the stored clothes for the previous season! Our garage is not attached to the house, not finished, and has a broken garage door and houses my washer/dryer and a bunch of crap that belongs to my father-in-law and a lot of stray cats that use it as a shelter thanks to the broken door....so I can't put anything important in there to store...we are going to purchase a storage shed today from sears to put behind the garage so that I can put all my holiday decorations, and anything else I need to store in there! I am hoping that de-cluttering some more of the house will help me to feel less in chaos.

I'm also considering strongly a money opportunity that has been presented. I have a friend from High school who recently 3 1/2 weeks ago, had a little boy. she also has a 2 year old, and two school age girls 9 & 11. just prior to getting pregnant with her baby she finished LVN school and is planning on going back to work when the baby is 6-8 weeks old. she receives state paid childcare for two of her kids, and is willing to give me $800-900 a month to watch the baby and the two year old during the day. Her new hubby works for a mechanics shop. Mon-Fri 8-5 so I would work Mon-fri 7:30-5:30 with this money, and the money Rob's getting from post 9/11 MGIB we would have ALMOST enough to pay the bills without him working....if he gets disability benefits we would be fine, and he could just focus on going to school. I worry about taking on another responsibility, but if Rob doesn't have to work then he will be more available to help me around the house and with picking up or dropping off kids/attending events since he would only be gone tue/thursday 9-3 for classes and we would BOTH have weekends with our family....its quite tempting, although I worry about my ability to juggle anything else, I really can't see myself turning down the opportunity....we shall see!