Super Mom vs Anxiety Mom

March 10th, 2020 - I figure out with a little added effort we could pay off our home mortgage in 8 years. Update life spread sheet.

 March 11th, 2020 - Look into trail ideas for National Parks Trip this summer. Update trip spread sheet.

 March 13th, 2020 - Realization that I don't have a spread sheet for any of the changes about to happen. Flood of emotions. Deep breaths. Panic.

When I said yesterday that I didn't have a plan and it scared me I was being 100% honest. People often see me as "super mom" who is organized and on it. But in truth, that is just high functioning anxiety. Having a plan helps me manage my triggers. I know what to plan for, what will be needed, what my responsibilities are etc. It is a dizzying way to live daily life but it is how I cope. The first time I made a "life" spread sheet I was 18. It didn't go past age 24, because really after 24 what is left but old age LOL, but I had a plan.

Now, in my planning I am not rigged. I can handle change, bumps in the road etc. But, when those do occur guess who has plan B brewing before the dust has even settled - Me. People think I am good in emergency situations or chaos, and I am, but not because I am not freaked the F out. But because I get a plan together and implement it before anyone has even noticed.

So this new life disrupted everything for me …. I have no plan. So I quickly grabbed control of the one thing in my power, our daily schedule. I put it together Friday night, got the girls input on Sunday and Monday we hit the ground running with our 9am-6:30pm new life schedule. See, I wasn't being super mom y'all, I was being anxiety mom. Oh, and guess who also suffer from anxiety of unknown new situation? Yep, both girls. So going from a life with 32.5 hours of school, 4.25 hours of school extracurriculars, and 10.5 hours of dance a week to nothing was overwhelming to them.

With our plan in place this week we have woken up with an alarm each day and followed our daily plan. The result, they get to plan what they are doing during different blocks of time. They know what is coming and look forward to things each day. Then after 6:30pm each day we shower and play games as a family or watch something on TV like a movie or cooking show.

I do not have this homeschooling thing figured out, I do not know what each new week with bring. But I do know that I am in control of each day and can design it as best I can for my families physical and mental health and that is what I am doing.

On a side note - if your kids fight you on a schedule, you know deep in your heart that they need one. So just be the parent. Get their input. And do it.

Here is what life looks like currently for Team Whitaker -


9-10             Academic Time

10-11            Creative Time

11-12            Outdoor Time/Workout

12-12:30      Lunch

12:30-1:30    Academic Time

1:30-2:30     Quiet Time/ Reading

2:30-3:30    Dance Skills

3:30-4:30    Unfinished Work/Free Time

4:30-5:30     Dinner

5:30-6:30     Outdoor Time
Location: Woodbridge, VA 22191, USA

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