Tackle it Tuesday (on Wednesday... hey better late then never!): Gettin' Organized

There are 3 weeks left of school for the boys... that means 3 weeks left of life as I know it... 3 weeks until our homeschooling adventure begins! I am planning to start a modified school day routine for the summer just to get the kids used to "doing school at home" before we start in earnest in September. I am looking forward to filling our days with some fun activities, lots of swimming and some academics... to reinforce what they learned this year, and prepare them for the new material that we will cover. SOOOO... I have a lot to do to get organized. The school room is coming together, my supply box is getting fuller, my brain is swirling with tons of ideas I have been picking up on numerous blogs. I am getting EXCITED!! BUT I am getting nervous as well... I have so many things I keep asking myself like "HOW in the world am I going to get everything done? am I going to remember everything?" I have never been a terribly organised person... I write lists then lose the paper, I start a planner and abandon it a few months (or weeks... okay days later), I can never seem to get the hang of using a planner.. and I have tried them all... pda, Franklin planner, google calendar, mom agenda... my most successful attempt is the wall calendar I have hanging on the wall in the kitchen and I have done a fairly good job at keeping up with that. Anyway, today I was reading this blog and came across the concept of a daily docket... which looks like it just may work for me. I created my own docket based on the one Carisa designed... it is a work in progress but I TACKLED it! I also created a menu planning page and a grocery list as well (I usually scramble around 10 minutes before I have to go to the store to pull some sort of list together and then have to go back to the store 10 times before the next shopping day). Here they are... NOW i just have to use them! I'll report back soon on how they are working for me.

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Keeping it Simple

It is 2am and I am up making paper flower pin wheels for Buttercup's birthday party which is in 12 hours. I am not the most organized person, but I have never been so unprepared for something as I am for this party (well maybe a couple of exams during my party years in university come close) in any case, I have been up tonight making a castle cake, the pinwheels, trying to clean the house, making a list of everything else I still need to do... I feel like any moment I am going to crash and burn... In the midst of all of this it has hit me profoundly that what matters most is that my kids feel loved, and that is not through birthday parties (although they enjoy them) and extravagant gifts, but through time spent with them, time when I am focused on them and what THEY want to do, time when I am not tired and cranky. So... what's not done won't be done, but I will focus my energy tomorrow on enjoying Buttercup's party with her. I will not stress out about what I could have done (super cool party bags, fun and unique party games, an elaborate spread of food) Yes we will have fun but we will be keeping it simple... and Buttercup will still know that she is loved!

Nourishment from the Word

I am studying the book of Hebrews right now and the verse that stood out for me today was in chapter 10 verse 24. "And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds." To spur is to encourage. How am I encouraging those around me towards love and good deeds? That includes my husband, my children, friends, anyone in my circle of influence. How do my actions reflect on the decisions others make... Lord make me more mindful of how I am influencing others.

The Adventure begins...

I am blogging..again! I need a place to put down the thoughts swirling around in my head. I also hope for this blogging journey to connect me with others following similar paths. As I have been reading through blogs (mainly of other homeschoolers) I have learned so much, been encouraged, been inspired, been refreshed, but mainly have come to realize that as humans we aren't all that different... we have the same struggles & basic needs. This will be the place I chronicle our journey as we begin this new chapter of our lives. It will be the place I record all that I am learning as a Christian wife, mother, daughter, friend, scrapbooker, teacher, photographer (at least an aspiring one :) crafter and all the other hat's I wear! Let the adventure begin...