I love it when communities put flags out. We are one of only a few in our neighborhood who has flags in their yard. I remember when the boy scouts used to come around and place a flag in everyone’s yard not too many years ago. THAT might be a good COMMUNITY SERVICE ACTIVITY for DS to do on for Memorial Day, Veterans Day and Fourth of July. I’ll have to ask him about it.
My sister, who is also organizationally challenged, recommended a professional organizer whom she had used before to help me with my “issues”. After putting it off for nearly a year because I just knew I would stumble upon THE system that would finally make everything make sense in my home; I hired her.
She charged $25.00 an hour with a four hour minimum. She worked with me for four hours on Monday and is coming again Friday for four hours. She had me take her through the house showing her all my problem areas. I could have only done that with a stranger. She asked what my priorities were. She asked what our hobbies and interests were as a family. Then we went to work.
I now have a Christmas closet that ONLY contains Christmas items. I now have a home decor closet so that when I want to change out seasons or colors I can do that. Our home only has a tiny linen closet, a tiny closet in the foyer, a walk in closet in my husband’s office, small closets in the other three bedrooms. The basement is unfinished but broken up into three rooms that have poles in the middle of them (I assume they are holding the house up so they are important) a sump pump hole in the floor of one of the basement rooms (good for those times it rains so much the water comes into the basement and needs to be funneled out not so good for looks or storage) and the furnace/water heater in the middle of another basement room. Not a good storage situation. Useful mostly for exercise equipment, DH’s workshop and extra acquarium supplies. My husband loves freshwater fish and what started out as one tank for our son is now nine tanks in various rooms in the house.
We are down to our last child living at home, he is 12, so we will have an extra bedroom after his new room which is now the playroom is finished. Two of the three older kids that have “moved out” still have stuff left here at our home that if put altogether probably would fill all of the “open” space in one of the the basement rooms easily. Of course, it isn’t in one place it is in many places. She suggested that we gather up each boy’s stuff (when I say boys I mean men 28 and 24 who have been gone for 3 or 4 years) and put them in two separate areas of the house – one for each child- and tell them to come and get it by X date or the charity truck is coming to take it away ah ha. I don’t have a problem with this plan. My husband, on the other hand will. I’ve been trying to convince him of this for a l o n g time. My organizer is hoping that once he sees how much stuff each of them really has and how much space it actually takes up when accumulated in one space that he will see the light and make the call himself. Perhaps even offer to carry it out, perhaps even load it in his truck and perhaps even deliver it to them. I really don’t care how it gets gone, I just want it gone. Love them, not all their stuff.
She also suggested that once our remaining son moves into the bigger bedroom (the room awaiting weatherproofing, new carpet and a new paint job) that instead of making his old room into a dedicated guest room that I turn it into my studio. My current studio is what is supposed to be the formal living room. It is very small and contains my piano, my library, my scrapbooking supplies, my rubberstamp supplies, my quilting supplies including fabric, my yarn for my crochet projects, our household files and bills as well as a small TV, a rocking chair, a small desk and a round side table with lamp. Itisveryverycrowded and really unusable with piles of stuff everywhere.
That would leave the piano and my bookshelves plus the rocking chair and the side table with lamp in the formal living room. Our 11 year old could practice his trumpet in what would now be the music/library room. I had told the organizer that I always wanted to have a library because I love books and my mother has a library. It is always something I wished I could have but didn’t think I had the house for. I am actually receptive to this. I had been looking forward to having a real guest room so I’m not sure how I’ll feel about not having a designated “guest” room, but the studio could probably serve as a guest room with one of those inflatable beds or even a rented bed if you can rent beds for the time a guest would need it. Our 12 year old offered to let guests use his room if we needed to from time to time. We actually don’t ever have that many guests as the older boys live nearby.
So her suggestions could work, if I get most of it done and then work on convincing DH that it is a good idea. That is the hardest part. Pray for me.
I’m rather excited about this. I’ll keep you posted on what really happens.
UPDATE: Today is September 1, 2010
I was blessed with boys, love em. One is 25 and one is 11. I am forever calling them by each other’s names. Swore I would never do it, but it happens – fact of life.
DS, the older, and I have had a bit of a falling out since Christmas time – at least that is when it came to a head. It has been difficult and my heart has been heavy but I have tried very hard to drop him and everything about him into God’s hands. I was surprised on Friday evening by a text message from him that he was on his way to the All Star Game in Dallas. He has been a huge basketball fan since he was in second grade and my dad took him to a Big 12 Conference game. Needless to say, I was thrilled for him, but full of questions because he isn’t a college educated big wig with a great job. He is, however, very friendly and has many people in his world who like to help him out periodically. A friend’s girlfriend lives in Dallas and apparently through her employer she was able to get him a ticket to the game tonight. On Saturday, he texted me a number of messages and I to him. The most we have “talked” since Christmas really. It was great, I felt like I was allowed in his world again for a time and I am extremely grateful. God is good. If anyone reads this particular entry, would you said a pray for my DS, the older, that he open himself up to a relationship with the Lord and that God place in his path, Godly people to show him the way?
Gratefully yours,
Julie
Spotted this cute wall hanging on a blog called Secret Pie Shoppe and I thought, I can do this!
I will use the GW frame that the glass broke out of to “frame” it so that will be different and I’ll probably use some old scrapbook paper instead of the sheet music she used because I don’t have any of that but I do have scraps of scrapbook paper leftover from making DS, the younger’s valentines. I’ll probably put the hearts on a piece of old posterboard we have and tape it to the frame then find a hole in the wall that needs something on it and ta da, there it will be. (When I make it and take a photo of it, I’ll post it here). Head over here to check out other clever things she has made with little to no money being expended.
they do!!!!! and they have them in the audio version which will be great!!!!! That way we can both read them at the same time!!!!! Can you tell I’m excited?
http://www.thehomeschoolmagazine.com/Homeschool_Reviews/reviews.php?rid=925
and this http://www.physicsclassroom.com/
is very interested in time and space distortion, the fabric of space, expanding of distortion in space; I have no idea really what any of it is but I am trying to find information and books for him about these topics. I found this list of books to further check into. I’ve got a few already on order from the library.
E = mc2: A Biography of the World’s Most Famous Equation
by David Bodanis. Walker Books, 2005.
Einstein’s Cosmos: How Albert Einstein’s Vision Transformed Our Understanding of Space and Time
by Michio Kaku. W.W. Norton & Company, Inc., 2004.
Einstein 1905: The Standard of Greatness
by John S. Rigden. Harvard University Press, 2005.
Lise Meitner: A Life in Physics
by Ruth Lewin Sime. University of California Press, 1997.
Einstein’s Miraculous Year: Five Papers That Changed the Face of Physics
by John Stachel, ed. Princeton University Press, 1998.
Albert Einstein’s Vision: Remarkable Discoveries That Shaped Modern Science
by Barry Parker. Prometheus Books, 2004.
The Expanded Quotable Einstein
by Alice Calaprice, ed. Princeton University Press, 2000.
Dear Professor Einstein: Albert Einstein’s Letters to and From Children
by Alice Calaprice, ed. Prometheus Books, 2002.
PS I think he may have figured out what LOST is about. He scares me a little.
you have to visit her at No Time To Stamp and just look at how talented she is and then who all she links to. Definite eye candy material. The photo below is what I am thinking I will make for DS Fifth Grade Teacher and as my treat to DS. What do you think?
The absolute best place for spelling lessons in my opinion is Spelling City spellingcity.com. It has lists, games, and more. And its FREE! Its absolutely fantastic.
via Time4Learning Parent Community – Time4Learning Parent Community.
If Mary and Martha Were Homeschool Moms
Think about it for a moment. Now according to the Word of God, there was no mention of husbands or children, so I think it is safe to assume that Mary and Martha were not married and did not have any kids. So let’s pretend for a moment each was married and they had children they homeschooled.
What do you think that would look like? We know from Scripture that Martha was busy doing and she was so demanding that she even demanded Jesus to do something! That’s pretty brazen. “But Martha was cumbered about much serving, and came to him, and said, Lord, dost thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone? bid her therefore that she help me.” Luke 10:40
We know that Mary was not busy “doing.” When Jesus showed up at her house, she did not rush around picking things up to make the home look presentable. She did the exact opposite. She sat down! She sat at the feet of Jesus so she could learn from Him and be filled by Him. “And she had a sister called Mary, which also sat at Jesus’ feet, and heard his word.” Luke 10:39 Doesn’t that sound so refreshing for a moment–to just be still and sit? “But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her.” Luke 10:42
How would Martha look as a homeschool mom? Think about how she went about her day. Busy, always doing. Demanding of others. Yikes! That sounds familiar.
Picture Mary as a homeschool mom. Peaceful and calm, patient, loving, refreshed and wise with Godly understanding. She chose “that good part.” Those words were spoken by Jesus, the King of Kings, about Mary. That is the kind of mother I wish to be. Yet that is not always how I respond to my children.
My first thought is to rush through our learning “to do” list so I can check it off and move on to more important things. I ask myself what are those “more important things” other than teaching my children the Word of God and disciplining them. (Yes, I know I have other responsibilities, but I am not referring to those times.) I have realized that I have become like Martha as I teach my children, when in my heart I want to be like Mary, peaceful and calm. I want to slow down and choose “that good part” for my children. I want to pour things of eternity into their hearts, and I want them to be filled with Jesus. I don’t want to become anxious, thinking that I have not done enough for them; that’s probably how Martha would have responded. “And Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things.” Luke 10:41
I really loved the part I highlighted in green. Something to reflect on.
