Homeschool planning....hmmm....well....I could use help with this.  I just finished up my son's year, the first year which I needed to report.  And that year was me, using 3 different planners, and turning in one that was incomplete to the school district!  Luckily, they didn't really notice, so Phew!  I really need a plan for next year, and my homeschooling friends have all asked me with concern in their voices "have you decided how you are going to do it yet?".  Well, no.  I have several ideas in my head, but I haven't settled on one yet, because I haven't!  Now, The Old Schoolhouse has a new e-book planner that looks WONDERFUL!  See THIS link.  They are giving away a copy of it, and I hope I get it!  I'm not the only one hoping though!   

So what did we do for planning?  Well, I started out with a notebook, just a spiral notebook, and wrote down on each page, one page per day, what we did that day.  On the top I wrote Day 1, Day 2, etc, with the actual date in the corner.  That worked for a while, until I got fancy with it, and decided to divide it into what he could do on his own, and what he had to do with mom.  Then I ran into the problem of what to do with the items that he didn't do, because it had become more of what I wanted him to do, rather than a reflection of what he did.  Just a mess!  My mind couldn't handle the unorganized way of it.

Luckily, I guess, I was at the same time also keeping a journal where I was writing down what we did each day.  (what I should have been doing in the notebook)  Maybe I burned out because i was keeping two at once.  Anyways, I abandoned the spiral notebook, and kept going with the journal.  Problem is I would often forget to put anything in the journal for a week, two week, three weeks...  Going back and trying to remember what we did was really no fun.  So, I decided to be honest, and turned it in with chunks missing! 

Ok, so to be honest, I guess I didn't do any planning.  I would like to do planning, but I am not sure how to tackle it!  Hopefully I'll figure something out soon!

I know, I haven't blogged in QUITE a while!  Life has been happening, and I have been procrastinating at living that life.  I have been busy praying that God would give me wisdom, and He has!  LOTS of it!  Now.....the problem is that I need to go and DO it!  Anyone else have that problem?  I am sure I am not the only one, although sometimes it seems that I am! 

It feels like I have spent most of today on the computer.  Yesterday, I actually got a lot done around the house, but everything I did was not the thing that really needed to get done.  I just have a hard time controlling my will.  If I don't want to do something....then I just don't do it.  And God has been talking to me all over the place that I really need to get up and start doing. 

This is my big fear, that I am going to get to the end of something, and be sad, regretful, sorry about how I lived, or didn't live my life.  I fear the Lord's coming, only because I am afraid that I am not done here!  My life feels so unfinished, but I think that is my fault, because I tend to leave so many things undone, or unfinished!  (don't get me wrong though, I would be excited for the Lord to come, but there is part of me that just isn't ready.....and it is probably wrong, but I am just being honest)  It probably shows a love of the world, that I need to overcome.  I am afraid that something will happen to my family, like what happened to Steven Curtis Chapman's family, and I will regret how we spent out time together.  I am afraid that forgoing the before-mentioned events, that I will live to be 70, and wish I had done it all differently!  I dread most of all, standing before the Lord, with my eyes downcast saying "I'm sorry that I didn't do what you wanted me to do, I never realized what treasures you had in store for me!". 

And at the same time I realize that I am not to live my life in fear, but trust in the Lord......and trusting means doing what the Lord calls me to do. 

I feel an urgent call to spend better time with my children, to do more with them, to have a little more structure, not to leave them 'on their own' so much.

I feel an urgent call to do a much better job at loving my hubby, and caring for him than what I do.

I feel an urgent call to be a better steward of my time.....less spent on the computer (I have a confession to make, I am a huge computer game addict....games like Cake Mania...or other Time Management games.  I think the pull is that you are given tasks to complete, and I get such a rush when a task is completed....something that is rather hard to come by in my current season of life).

I feel an urgent call to be a better keeper at home.  Not to keep it perfectly, but I know that I could be doing a much better job than I do now. 

Smaller things that need my attention right now is the end of the schoolyear report that is due in a couple of weeks.  And the quilt pieces that I need to sew together for Monday's class.  The budget that I am working on, and other organizational projects that need my attention.  I also need to start planning out school for when we start back up in a few weeks.  I also need to decide when we will start up, put a plan into place, because there are a few factors in there that could gum up the works a bit.  Namely...church camp (1 week), swim lessons (2 weeks), and hockey camp (1 week). 

I guess these would be my goals right now.  I should just write them out on a piece of paper, and break them down into bite-sized pieces.  One bite at a time...that's how you eat an elephant, right?  Because when I look at that list, I feel fear, even a little dread.  Some of that stuff up there, is stuff that I don't really want to do, and like I said, I am really struggling with that right now.  The way I was raised I guess.  But the Lord can heal and fix anything, right?  And he calls us to trust in Him and to step out in faith. 

So, I guess I'll make my list, and portion out those first few bites.  One thing that is scary is that some of this will require planning, and I always balk at planning.  Planning requires you to make decisions, and I am afraid of decisions.  What if I make a bad decision, or I don't choose the best choice?  But then it is better to fail than not to even try.  And I can always keep at it until I get it right.  Right?

Am I going to stop blogging?  No.  I really do need to limit my time on the computer, but since I hardly ever blog.....I don't see that changing.  I really had a consideration to blog weekly to document our schooling.  I just need to stay away from the activities that waste my time.  I should just give myself an hour to blog on Saturday morning.  That way, I can do my blog, and read the blogs that are most important to me within the time slot I've given myself.

The camera needs its batteries charged, I need to post pictures of my quilt....or the pieces of my quilt.

Blessings

Monique

Oh my!  What a beautiful, beautiful day!  Just absolutely wonderful!  I finally was able to watch a Jane Austen movie.  I love Jane Austen.  But have never ever been able to actually sit through a movie based on her book.  Well, by chance of an unfortunate incident, I finally was able to.  My hubby and oldest were off to a hockey game.  My 6yo was entertained with a computer game, and playing quietly.  My youngest two were cowering in their bedroom, having shattered the baseball light in the big boy's room.   I think the 2yo thought it was an actual ball, and was trying to hit it with the rod from the shade (which he had ripped from the rod, after pulling the curtains down).  The 4yo was hiding under his bed, just because he knew he was in big trouble.  It was a light which was in my hubby's room when he was a kid.  Well, what can you do?  I scolded them, and told them to stay in their room until daddy got home. 

This is why I had a couple of hours of silence with which to watch the movie!  I loved it!  I've been a mom pretty much since these movies came out, so have never been able to sit through one of these movies, or many movies that were not animated or otherwise geared towards children, for that matter!  Loved it, loved it, loved it!  I have a complete works of Jane Austen, and have not been able to find it for a while.  I think it is at my mom's.  I would love to find it and read it again!  The only thing that could have made it better would have been a cup of tea in a pretty cup and saucer!

My house is clean too!  My laundry is almost completely caught up, except for a load of towels, and the dirty clothes hubby and 8yo brought back from their weekend away.  Next week's school is all planned out.  I feel good about where we are going with our schooling.  We actually only have 23 more days to go!  We will be done by May, which was my goal.  But we are still going to continue, because I think it is just a good idea!

My homeschool plans are also pretty much finalized for next year.  Hubby has decided that he wants us to continue with Sonlight.  Even though I would have liked to make up my own curriculum, I do like Sonlight, and I have plans to used the curriculum more this year, instead of having it use me.  I am going to use it as a guide!  I will also be adding a couple of things to it as well. 

Oh, and I found this new blog, isn't it beautiful!  I feel so creative!  I am just dying to make lots and lots of beautiful things!

Well, I'm off!

Monique

I am embarking on a new venture of sorts.  Our oldest son can be rather odd.  I love him to death, but sometimes his behavior can be rather sporadic.  A blog I like to read spoke of a diet which she follows with her son called the Feingold Diet.  I guess I get rather hard on myself and blame his bahavioral issues on myself.  Saying I should be better mother or that I shouldn't let him play video games, or shouldn't have let him watch so much TV when he was littler. 

Yesterday, my hubby came to me and said that he seriously thought we should consider getting medication for our son.  I am really not OK with that.  I really think that there has to be another way.  I think medication is a last resort, when all else has failed. 

My hubby said that he would allow me to try the diet, but without spending any money.  The diet basically calls for avoidance of all preservatives, artificial colors and flavorings.  Which I am fine with.  I like to be more natural!  I don't think God intended for us to put chemicals in our foods.  I am not, however, very good at avoiding convenience foods though, because they save me time.

I prayed and asked God to make this way easy if it was meant to be.  So far, it has not been easy!  Now, granted, this is the first day.  If you join the Feingold Association, they will send you their books, which list which products are acceptable, what you can eat if you go to...say....McDonald's.  But hubby is not for spending any money on this.  We were doing well so far with what I could find that would work, but then ds had an unexpected hockey game, as in it was not on the calendar!  So I was not prepared at all with something for him to take with him to eat for dinner....not that I know what I would have packed anyway.  Grrrr!  So, he will be eating fast food tonight for dinner....and basically, today was a total loss for the diet.

Upon surveying what I have in my pantry, I see that I have a lot of no no foods.  It is very discouraging!  I feel very angry that I cannot seem to get the information that I need!  I cannot believe that God would want us to medicate our son!  But it seems, so far, that he is saying no to the diet.  Of course, I'll just have to keep praying and believing that He will give me an answer to this!  Send some help my way from somewhere!  I also keep praying that He will show me what to do with my son's curriculum for next year.  God just seems to be silent on these things.  I know that I will get an answer, I just have to wait.

Well, I need to tidy up a bit, and maybe do some more online research.

Blessings

Monique

March is probably my least favorite time of the year.  I don't really like January, but I am resigned, because it is winter, and there isn't much to be done about it except settle in. Usually, by this time though, Christmas is over, and the slower pace of January is nice.  February is nice, because January is over, and you've relaxed (technically), and you're ready for some 'excitement'.  So, Valentine's and my hubby's birthday offer a bit of fun.  March....well....March depresses me.  One day is nice, and if you don't get out to enjoy it, you lost it, because the next 5 will be dreary!  It is at the point of the year where I am eager for spring, and the weather teases me, and I tend to feel rather depressed on the gloomy days. 

April is ok, I know that it will rain a lot, April showers bring May flowers, and I know that May is just around the corner. 

May is my favorite month.  My birthday is in May, and flowers really start to grow here in May.  In May I can start to putz around in my garden.  I get outside more.  It is wonderful!

But now it is March.  And it is gray, cold, drizzly, and dreary outside!  I have towels outside on the line, which I forgot to take down, and are soggy with the wet.  Sorry Amy! 

At any rate, I really need to try to get my home in order.  I have been bitten with the spring cleaning bug, and I really want to get my house in ship-shape order in preparation for the nicer days, days that I would rather be outside, instead of inside cleaning!  Last year, I did not get out as much as I would have liked.  When my house is messy, I tend to think that I can't do anything else until it is clean.   

Like I've mentioned before, I've been participating in a Yahoo group called Auntie M's, which is really helping me organize my cleaning.  I still use my box of cards as also previously mentioned. I just know that I need to focus on the kitchen and the laundry first, then go to the other stuff.  The box helps me decide what that other stuff will be.  It helps me to set limits.  I may look at a room and say, I need to scrub the walls, the baseboards, I need to clean the light fixture, polish the furniture, vacuum under the furniture, take this apart and clean it, clean the curtains (and the list goes on and on).  I feel overwhelmed, and do nothing!  I know, some of you can say been there...done that.  My box gives me permission to say, Ok, I am going to clean out the drawers in the bedrooms, and vacuum the floors of the closets, and that will be good enough for today!  Because I know, through the course of the year, I will get to all of the other stuff! 

In other news, hockey is finally winding down, but it will never truly be over.  The three leagues which my son plays in will be ending this month.  Try-outs for next season are next month.  I think that there will be practices of some sort over the summer.  I am hoping life slows down some, but I have a sneaking feeling that it may be even busier.  While hockey will remain at least a once a week venture (my son will be going in for private skating lessons once a week, at least), soccer (once a week) and baseball (twice a week at least), will be starting up.  I see a huge potential for having to be in more than one place at the same time.  The 6yo is going to do soccer, just to clarify that we are not completely insane.

I am the mom that I never wanted to be, and I am learning to deal with it.  I never wanted to be the kind of mom who had to take her kids somewhere different each night, with more than one activity in an evening on some nights.  I always thought that we would stay home more and enjoy it.  That I would have the wisdom to say no, rather than become overburdened.  I wanted my kids to enjoy being home.  I did not like being in a lot of activities when I was a child.  I was more of a homebody.  Still am.  I should have married a homebody.  Nuff said.

Consequently, I am feeling a panic rising up inside of me that cries for order and organization.  I can't help but feel that if I can just get myself organized, everything will be alright!  Be proactive, instead of reactive!  Like in Donna Otto's book!  That is my goal right now.

So, I am going to be looking at better ways to organize our finances, tweeking my master menu plan (which resides in my head, must get it on paper), looking at the possibility of grocery shopping once a month rather than twice to try to simplify things a bit.  I also need to get homeschooling plans in the works for next year.  I have been shopping and thinking for a while.  I think that I really need to take stock of what we've done so far, what I want to do next year, and how we will do it. 

My hubby and I have a huge calendar on the wall of our dining room, an we've done very well at keeping activities written down on it.  The rule generally is, the first person to fill in the date....gets the date.  This has been a tremendous help. 

Well, I need to get going.  I have a few e-mails that I need to fire off, and then I need to get going with my day!

Blessings

Monique