February 5, 2008 - Long, Busy days...
I normally love winter because it is my time to slow down and enjoy a few hobbies. This winter, I took on some projects of getting organized and uncluttered... and well, I am full to the brim with long, busy days!
I recently purchased Homeschool Tracker Plus. I am pleased with it and am getting rid of some of my paper piles. I am diligent with backing it up on a jump drive, because we've had two computers crash in the last 6 months. (they were older laptops, but still!) This is taking some time to get all the information in, but I am slowly seeing the piles disappear. That is such a relief to me! I have so little storage areas, that having to store paperwork for three kids for all their schooling years... well it was getting to be a burden and so I have begun the process of recording on the computer and putting together portfolios of their schoolwork and reducing it by tons and tossing the rest! (Just like every other mom... if it doesn't fit on the fridge, it's outa here!... well, not quite that drastic, but getting closer!) I am thinking of scanning some of the favorites so we can see them, but just not have to store them!
I really love paper! I have 3 file cabinets by my desk and I had them full to the brim. One had farm /bill records in it. One had unit studies in it and the last one has teaching helps and current year school work filed in it. I recently went through my school file cabinet and reduced it by half. There were unit studies on units I never would have done. I was given alot of materials from teacher friends and I realized I will never to an exclusive study on bats. Not to the point of having bat manuscript paper and bat letter stationary and bat counting papers, etc... So I let go of the bats and a few other units that have sat lonely in my files. I will let someone else have them!
My other large project is the house declutter. I think we finally have the house rearranged to where items may permanently stay for an extended period. No more moving the school room or bedrooms or any of that nonsense. We've hip hopped the house round and round because of daycare needs in the past, then homeschooling 3 kids was messy on the dining room table and now we are down to just 2 in the books and they seem to keep the dining room neater and there is less stuff, just one bookshelf, vs. the two we had to have before. Anyways, we are still debating over the piano issue. Dh wants to get me an electric piano with CD copying capabilities and so much more... found a really nice one for around $700, but we are on a debt-free journey so that is just a wish for now. Our huge piano is just in the way, it is older and it is hardly played. I play from time to time, but where it is (the only place it can be), it can't get played because that's the TV room! (Dh's haven! *grin*) I've set up the house with areas in mind, rather than filling an empty hole along the wall. Each room has purpose and storage of particular items. This works so well! I often wonder why it took me so long to figure this out.
I know the kids were growing and because of that we moved things around... we also added on to the house, so we moved things around... we then didn't like the loft and the high living room ceiling, so we put in a lower ceiling and we moved things around again... round and round and round!
My days are long and busy. I barely have time to keep up, but there is progress each day. I no longer feel frazzled by disorganization. I am tackling the huge piles and they are slowly going away, even if only a half a box at a time. I am having a hard time keeping up with the household duties and am tempted to hand them over to my oldest who is done with high school, but waiting on college until next fall. I could continue the overhaul of the house and complete it before she enters college (yes the house is that bad... actually the bad stuff got moved to the basement, but I have to take care of that mess before spring!).
Today's accomplishments seemed little in the eyes of my husband. I corrected 30 lessons today. I added a couple new files to the bill cabinet. I cleaned out a half of a box upstairs and I cleaned out half of a pile downstairs on the buffet. I also planned out lessons for the next two weeks and logged in some past lessons from old plan books. Dh says I have trouble keeping to one task, LOL. I just did what presented itself to me along the path of my day. Between going up and down the stairs for baby and making supper this evening... well, life happened, but I still accomplished something. I haven't felt that way for a long time... I felt life was passing me by and I was just continuing to get further behind.
I praise God for long busy days! I interacted with my children. I got some things accomplished. I made Dh smile today. And I even got my devotions in. I am slowly feeling peaceful with each passing busy day. That we accomplished something, yet we weren't too busy for family and we weren't too lazy and stuck on the computer all the day, either. Lambing season has started at our home. Our days will be long and busy, but full of life and new beginnings. What a precious time. Each season is full and I love each of them. I have been praying for peace and order in my life and I have read books and been on email lists and nothing really worked. I finally just cried out to God and asked for help and He is leading me to a plan specific for me and it is working. It starts with spending time in God's Word every day. Most of the time it is in the morning before the girls awaken. But if a bad night puts that off until mid morning or late afternoon, that is ok...I don't freak out... I just keep going and know that I will have time with God sometime today. That I think is the source of my peace and each item I tackle with organizing and decluttering, has gone up in prayer and for the first time in years, it is falling into place. My home is feeling homey. I am opening up my home again to visitors and everyone comments on how our house isn't the best dressed, but it is the most homey... one of the teens mentioned homely... but laughed at his mistake and said... I meant Homey ... HONEST! LOL!
That's what a home is for... to be homey... not to be schoolish, not to be Better Homes and Garden picture ready, not to be the path house full of piles, either. But to be at home... toys may be on the floor at times, laptops sitting at the feet of the couches, blankets tossed over chairs. But it is clean enough and organized enough for life to function without being distracted by clutter. It is welcome enough to visitors to plop on the couch with a smile on their face, not apprehension at whether they are sitting correctly and might upset someone. School books may still be on the dining table, but quickly clear to the bookshelf near the table. Our white board shines of "School", but others laugh at how included in that is real life... call the dentist may be on the side or a favorite Bible verse to be shared by those who stop to read it.
I'm glad for my long, busy days. I'm glad for my Saviour. I'm glad for my home. I'm glad to be home with my kids. Sometimes one just has to think on those things and be thankful and send up praises.
Warmly, ~Melissa
