Activity Overload

I am feeling a bit frazzled because this fall is turning out to be busier than I anticipated. 

Everyone has school and homework.

Our youngest has soccer and piano. Soccer is twice a week – a game and a “skills night”. Piano lesson is once a week but requires daily practice (and she wants a parent sitting next to her and helping while she is practicing).

Our older daughter has piano and gymnastics. Same deal with the piano – a weekly lesson plus daily practice. Gymnastics is once a week. Unfortunately, the first gymnastics practice was a total disappointment – too easy. The gym is not bulging on moving her to a higher level. 

I need to figure out a new plan for her – either gymnastics at a different gym (there may be a few options nearby but research is needed) or maybe something else entirely (she would love rock climbing, but the closest place is 30 min away). 

Our son may be totally overloaded this fall. He has weekly violin lessons (and needs to practice every day), he auditioned for and got into a local youth orchestra (weekly 1.5 h rehearsals and daily practice), he has soccer once a week. He also decided to join the school cross country team. Most of his friends are doing it and I think it is great for him, but now he has practices after school until 5 pm 4 days a week. He also wants to join an engineering club and the school strings club. Those haven’t started yet, but, honestly, I am not sure how he will be able to fit it all in. Oh, and he is also getting ready for his Bar Mitzvah – so there are weekly lessons and daily practice. I worry it’s all too much… (It would have been way too much for me when I was that age… At least cross country should be done in late October and then, hopefully, he can have a bit of breathing room).