Those who homeschool only one are just like those who homeschool many children... our schedules may be easier to put together, our duties might be lessened in some ways, but we have the same problems and challenges that those with more than one underfoot. I come today to share my Achilles' heel.

My living conditions aren't exactly normal to begin with. We live in a 121 year old farm house on a half an acre in town, less than a 10 min. drive from downtown Fort Worth. The house needs major work. We live upstairs with a living room, make-shift kitchen, a bedroom (which my 18 year old son & my mother share), and a bathroom. All total, it probably is about 600 sq. ft. My husband and I sleep downstairs, but that's the only use our bedroom has down there. There are boarded-up windows downstairs and it's not really "liveable" in any normal sense. Things are changing--my husband is demolishing the porch to replace it, as it was getting to the point of collapse. We're also about to embark upon the uncharted waters of building an addition for my mom to live in, and that will necessitate some renovation and remodeling of the downstairs.  but I'm not sure how much will change to "liveable" space down there. We've only lived here 16 years!

Now, having only one child to teach for the last 13 of those 16 years has allowed me to stay on top of housework fairly well. But all three of us are packrats and pile makers. I'm an organizer at heart, but do much better with other people's space & stuff, rather than my own. About 3½ years ago I had a bout of depression that I've been slowly climbing out from the last year or so. Things have gotten ugly around my house--a pathway in the living room, dust bunnies that I call Dust Rhinos, piles of stuff in boxes, and just piles of stuff (papers, books, etc.) on the floor. Everything had been held relatively at bay before the depression, but it all took over when I was not able to keep it under control.

I've reintroduced myself to FlyLady and am trying to start where I am, with baby steps. I found my "Regular Schedule" that I had last updated in 2003 and have revamped it so that after I get the clutter under control, I can start to implement it (or adapt it with FlyLady Zones and such). Today is a new day and I'm going to do my best at "shining my kitchen sink" every night before bedtime. (Even though it's a large, plastic utility tub-style sink that is in my bathroom--makeshift kitchen doesn't have running water in it).

But that's where it's easy to assume that someone with only one child has their house totally under control. They have fewer children to teach and train. Homeschooling doesn't take all day, especially if you only have one student, so of course, she has her house in order. She has all the time in the world to get her chores done, teach her child, take care of dinner & her husband, run errands, and possibly even be available for neighbors' child-care-in-a-pinch. Right?

That's like assuming that someone with 5 children has their house all in order because they have so many helpers. Their older children are not only trained to cover more chores but also occupy the younger children while mom does what the older ones cannot. I'm sure that helps, but if mom has tendancies toward being a packrat, was never taught really taught how to clean and care for a home; well, it just won't matter how many children she has or doesn't have. I'm sure that there are some homeschool moms with one child that do have it all together; just like there are homeschool moms with more children that do not have housework as their Achilles' heel. We're all different and yet, we're all the same. We each have places where we need work.

So challenge yourself this week. Face your Achilles' heel and start making baby steps in conquering it. And remember the homeschool mom down the street may not have the same problem you're facing down, but she's most likely got something she has to work on, too.

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