Tired of juggling home, work, church and community responsibilities? Do you even have a personal life? Do you ever wake up angry because you can’t do it all in the day, and go to bed guilty because you didn’t get it all done?

Join author and speaker Patricia Sprinkle Friday, September 19, for an evening workshop on "Women Who Do Too Much." It runs from 6:45 to 9 p.m. in Sanders Hall at Saint Paul’s United Methodist Church, 1700 N. Meridian Rd., Tallahassee. A $5 contribution will be graciously accepted.

"Children Who Do Too Little" follows on Saturday morning and addresses why kids need to work around the house and how to get them to do it. The seminar, also led by Patricia Sprinkle, is for parents who know children need to learn household skills but don’t know where to begin.

Who should attend? Mothers, fathers, and children 5 and older. Children can be vital participants in the workshop, which is designed to help prepare them for adulthood.

A light breakfast will be served at 8:45 and the workshop will begin at 9 a.m.

For more details about either event, call the church at 385-5146 or contact Rev. Sally Campbell-Evans, pastor for nurturing ministries, at sally@saintpaulsumc.org.

About the author: Patricia Sprinkle is a free-lance writer of fiction and non-fiction, the mother of two and grandmother of two. She has served as a Court Appointed Special Advocate for children in foster care and is active in child-related issues. She has taught these seminars in schools and congregations in a number of U.S. states and in Calgary, Canada.  Her website is www.patriciasprinkle.com.

More about Women Who Do Too Much:

Topics include: Where does all my time go? Does God want me to live at this frantic pace? Where does all my stress come from? What practical steps can I take to alleviate and reduce it? What would I really like to be doing? What would God like for me to be doing? How can I move from where I am to where I would rather be?

This workshop draws on Sprinkle’s book Women Who Do Too Much, which is based on her own experiences and those of other women who have learned to live with less stress and a modicum of leisure.

More about Children Who Do Too Little:

Topics covered include:

1. WHAT skills do children need to learn—and WHY? Skills needed for independent living. Parents assess which skills their own children may not yet know.

2. Why DON’T we teach them household skills? Various reasons (excuses) we give for not teaching our children the skills they need, and differences between parental expectations that can hinder teaching in a household.

3. Why is a FAMILY TEAM important? How do we build one?

4. Why are FAMILY MEETINGS important? What do they look like? What can children learn from family meetings?

5. How do we TEACH A CHILD A SKILL? CAN CLEANING BE FUN? Concrete ways to teach skills and age-appropriate tasks.

6. Do we REWARD or PAY? How do we reduce household hassles and encourage children to accept household responsibilities?

7. The truth about CONSEQUENCES. A look at natural, imposed, and unrelated consequences, and how to use them most effectively.

8. WHAT IS AT STAKE if we don’t teach household skills? You may be surprised!

The workshop is based on Sprinkle’s Children Who Do Too Little, now out in its third edition. It will be available for purchase at the workshop for $12.95.