This past week was Spring Break. And it was great.
As a homeschooler, I can pretty much do what I want with my schedule as long as my kids complete about the same number of school days as our local district does within a calendar year. The flexibility is really nice. Some homeschooling families choose to school year round- some schooling six weeks on, two weeks off, all year long. Others choose to follow a more traditional September-May school year. We fall somewhere in the middle.
We had about a week of school in July last year where we focused heavily on writing skills, and will probably have a bit of school here and there over this coming summer as I see fit. I wouldn't exactly call our schedule "year round" but at the same time, I don't plan to take three solid months off over the summer. The kids got a week off in October because Tim and I went to a wedding out of town and they stayed with my parents. We actually started out Christmas break pretty late (December 23rd I think) because we were really close to finishing our reading curriculum and I wanted to get it done.
I've been keeping track of our days and I realized that if we continue at our pace, we'll be done with the required number of days the first week of May. I didn't originally plan to have Spring Break. But then I found out that Tim was going to be out of town for almost the entire week, and that our Enrichment Program would be off for the week, so I decided we needed a break too.
I'm really glad that I did! I personally needed time to not worry about school, and I know the kids enjoyed it too. We got together with family and friends, rode bikes, played outside, had a super lazy day of doing nothing, and just hung out. I also had time to schedule the 5 or 6 appointments I've had on my list for a while, which was a huge relief. I read a book and a half, tackled almost an entire season of Grey's, scrubbed the litter boxes in the sink downstairs, and went through the girls' clothes to see what they need for spring and summer. (Turns out Lydia has enough stuff to clothe four girls while Lexi had no shoes that fit and only one pair of shorts) I even cleaned the entire bathroom, including the baseboards.
Overall, it has been a productive, fun, chill week and I am glad we took a break. Breaks are refreshing. Taking a break from school allowed me to focus on other aspects of my life that really needed my attention. After not thinking about school for a week, I feel like I'll be ready to approach it again with fresh eyes and renewed energy over the weekend. And I think that will be good for all of us.
So I guess the moral of this post is: Whatever your job is, whatever you do with your time, don't forget to give yourself a break now and then to recharge. You might find it's just what you need.
I blog because there's no way I could finish anything longer.
Friday, March 18, 2016
Friday, March 11, 2016
February & March Goals
Hey March! Glad you're here. This post is a little late, seeing as we're already 11 days into the month, but what can you do?
February was good overall, but I'm glad it is over. The further away from winter, the better! I'm still dealing with random anxiety here and there and trying to get that all sorted out with my doctors. I've got appointments coming up and ideas to try so I'm feeling hopeful. Not giving up! Can't get rid of me that easily ;)
Here's how I did with my goals. Actually, a word about goals first.
Sometimes I think "goals" is too strong a word. It's more like a to-do list. I print it off, hang it in my room, and check things off when they're done. I like checking things off. Some things cannot be checked off though, which probably means they are not good goals since they need to be broken into measurable parts. I guess I'd say I have a pretty good mix of goals and things to get done. Some little things that build toward bigger things, like becoming a writer or growing in my faith. But I like having some easier things on my list too because it gets me started and makes me feel accomplished.
Annnnnywho, here we go.
Finish Season 4 of Grey's Anatomy - Check. I'm really good at watching TV, when I put my mind to it ;) Actually, I've been watching a whole lot less than I used to, but I am hooked on Grey's and it's pretty much all I want to watch. Which is kind of ridiculous, because it's on Netflix and not going anywhere, whereas there's stuff on Hulu that leaves after a few weeks. Also, after 7 months of waiting, disc 2 of Outlander was finally ready for me at the library...and I only watched one episode before I returned it. I love that show and I love the characters but I was kind of over it. Plus, if you've read or watched, you know what happens at the end and it ain't pretty. So yeah. But I'm slowly making my way through Grey's, the goal is to be caught up before season 12 leaves Hulu but we'll see.
Attend a Bible study/Church class - Check. I've been going to a women's Bible study that I like, and Tim & I are starting the Alpha class too. Those will continue through March.
Put on new Jamberries instead of biting my nails - Well, I did put them on. And then when I took them off, I bit all my nails. So yeah. I think I need to get new nail clippers because the once I have don't work and it's easier to just bite.
Go see Star Wars for Tim's birthday - Check. We both loved it.
Analyze the budget and set some $$$ goals - Check. I spent the better part of Valentine's Day working on this and it was good. We think we've got a plan that we can keep up with and we talked about long and short term goals. We're going to have a monthly budget meeting to keep on top of things. We weren't in a bad place or anything, just needed to sit down and talk it out since our finances have changed since last year with new jobs, changes in insurance, etc. I think I'm more adult than I give myself credit for.
Take Lydia on a date - We went to Target :) I let her pick out a couple of new dresses and we got some school supplies and stuff we needed. Lexi and I also went on a double mom & daughter date with some friends.
Go on a walk every week - Yep. It was even warm enough to walk outside a couple times! I'm lucky that I have some friends to walk with too.
Go on two coffee/dessert/whatever dates with friends - I managed three and it was lots of fun. Yay friends :)
Tentatively decide on Science topics for the rest of the semester - Check. Now to see how the timing pans out.
Take myself on a writing date where I can work quietly for a while - Check. I loved this! I want to do it more often. It took me a bit to get into the flow of writing (especially because Starbucks was noisier than I anticipated) but it was fun. I think next time I may try the library.
Finish Chapter 1 of my story - Check. I'm surprised at this, because I had a really long period of time where I didn't write a single word. But I wanted to accomplish a chapter, so I did. It's not perfect, but it's written. And that's a step in the right direction.
Pray more and consider a routine for it - I started writing (actually typing) my prayers again and this worked pretty well. I didn't do it every night, but I did it more often than I have in a while. I'm a writer as well as a very distracted human, so typing/writing prayers is a good way for me to stay more focused in my prayers. I set an alarm on my phone to remind me to do this, but I haven't found a consistent time that works well. I'll keep playing with it.
Play more games - I did play more games this month, but didn't come up with a regular family game time. I played a lot of games with Lydia, which was great, because I'm always looking for ways to connect with her. I tend to "get" Lexi because she's very similar in personality to me, but Lydia is a little bit tougher for me to understand, so I like to find ways we can relate. The library has a couple of chess sets out right now and she begged me to play, and we did. I was surprised that she stuck with it and we both enjoyed it, so I ordered No Stress Chess from Amazon so we could play at home together. I'm impressed by her patience with it, I don't think I would have liked it at her age.
Find and try 2 new recipes - So I tried one new recipe and it was a flop, sadly. Then I made a roast for the first time in YEARS and it turns out my kids didn't hate it- and what's crazy was that they devoured the baked potatoes I served with it. This is huge because my kids have been anti-potatoes since birth. So it's nice to have a new option for side dishes. Yay.
Use the weekend to plan each upcoming school week - I did well with this for our personal school. I pretty much plan the week on Sunday nights. I tried to implement this for my new part time position, and it went okay, but I remembered something about myself as a teacher. I do well coming up with general ideas in advance, but then I have to let them marinate for a while until I'm inspired and then I can bring it all together and come up with a framework. I tend to do well under some pressure, which is why I procrastinated a lot in school. So I'm going to try to strike a balance that allows me time to be inspired without rushing too much at the last minute.
Write every day - I wrote some days, but not every day. Mostly journaling. I didn't do much creative writing, didn't do any blogging either.
Consider implementing some kind of "centers" for Lydia - I made a list of all the fun preschoolish stuff we have around here and hung it on the wall. I had a lot of resources I'd forgotten about. We did do more of this kind of stuff, but I don't really have a routine down yet. And I think that's okay. I'm a fan of letting kids play and do their thing when they're little.
Read three books - The second I published this goal, I knew I wasn't going to get there. Not sure why I made it so high ;) Anyway, I did read Orphan Train in a 24 hour period and I LOVED IT. I checked out several other books from the library but nothing really did it for me. I am about halfway through Teaching From Rest, which is good, but not the kind of book you binge.
So yeah, I did well overall in February! Blogger has been super crazy lately, I've been having all sorts of formatting issues again and it's frustrating. So I'm just going to post this plain text list of goals for March since we're already well into the month and I need to start checking things off the list.
February was good overall, but I'm glad it is over. The further away from winter, the better! I'm still dealing with random anxiety here and there and trying to get that all sorted out with my doctors. I've got appointments coming up and ideas to try so I'm feeling hopeful. Not giving up! Can't get rid of me that easily ;)
Here's how I did with my goals. Actually, a word about goals first.
Sometimes I think "goals" is too strong a word. It's more like a to-do list. I print it off, hang it in my room, and check things off when they're done. I like checking things off. Some things cannot be checked off though, which probably means they are not good goals since they need to be broken into measurable parts. I guess I'd say I have a pretty good mix of goals and things to get done. Some little things that build toward bigger things, like becoming a writer or growing in my faith. But I like having some easier things on my list too because it gets me started and makes me feel accomplished.
Annnnnywho, here we go.
Finish Season 4 of Grey's Anatomy - Check. I'm really good at watching TV, when I put my mind to it ;) Actually, I've been watching a whole lot less than I used to, but I am hooked on Grey's and it's pretty much all I want to watch. Which is kind of ridiculous, because it's on Netflix and not going anywhere, whereas there's stuff on Hulu that leaves after a few weeks. Also, after 7 months of waiting, disc 2 of Outlander was finally ready for me at the library...and I only watched one episode before I returned it. I love that show and I love the characters but I was kind of over it. Plus, if you've read or watched, you know what happens at the end and it ain't pretty. So yeah. But I'm slowly making my way through Grey's, the goal is to be caught up before season 12 leaves Hulu but we'll see.
Attend a Bible study/Church class - Check. I've been going to a women's Bible study that I like, and Tim & I are starting the Alpha class too. Those will continue through March.
Put on new Jamberries instead of biting my nails - Well, I did put them on. And then when I took them off, I bit all my nails. So yeah. I think I need to get new nail clippers because the once I have don't work and it's easier to just bite.
Go see Star Wars for Tim's birthday - Check. We both loved it.
Analyze the budget and set some $$$ goals - Check. I spent the better part of Valentine's Day working on this and it was good. We think we've got a plan that we can keep up with and we talked about long and short term goals. We're going to have a monthly budget meeting to keep on top of things. We weren't in a bad place or anything, just needed to sit down and talk it out since our finances have changed since last year with new jobs, changes in insurance, etc. I think I'm more adult than I give myself credit for.
Take Lydia on a date - We went to Target :) I let her pick out a couple of new dresses and we got some school supplies and stuff we needed. Lexi and I also went on a double mom & daughter date with some friends.
Go on a walk every week - Yep. It was even warm enough to walk outside a couple times! I'm lucky that I have some friends to walk with too.
Go on two coffee/dessert/whatever dates with friends - I managed three and it was lots of fun. Yay friends :)
Tentatively decide on Science topics for the rest of the semester - Check. Now to see how the timing pans out.
Take myself on a writing date where I can work quietly for a while - Check. I loved this! I want to do it more often. It took me a bit to get into the flow of writing (especially because Starbucks was noisier than I anticipated) but it was fun. I think next time I may try the library.
Finish Chapter 1 of my story - Check. I'm surprised at this, because I had a really long period of time where I didn't write a single word. But I wanted to accomplish a chapter, so I did. It's not perfect, but it's written. And that's a step in the right direction.
Pray more and consider a routine for it - I started writing (actually typing) my prayers again and this worked pretty well. I didn't do it every night, but I did it more often than I have in a while. I'm a writer as well as a very distracted human, so typing/writing prayers is a good way for me to stay more focused in my prayers. I set an alarm on my phone to remind me to do this, but I haven't found a consistent time that works well. I'll keep playing with it.
Play more games - I did play more games this month, but didn't come up with a regular family game time. I played a lot of games with Lydia, which was great, because I'm always looking for ways to connect with her. I tend to "get" Lexi because she's very similar in personality to me, but Lydia is a little bit tougher for me to understand, so I like to find ways we can relate. The library has a couple of chess sets out right now and she begged me to play, and we did. I was surprised that she stuck with it and we both enjoyed it, so I ordered No Stress Chess from Amazon so we could play at home together. I'm impressed by her patience with it, I don't think I would have liked it at her age.
Find and try 2 new recipes - So I tried one new recipe and it was a flop, sadly. Then I made a roast for the first time in YEARS and it turns out my kids didn't hate it- and what's crazy was that they devoured the baked potatoes I served with it. This is huge because my kids have been anti-potatoes since birth. So it's nice to have a new option for side dishes. Yay.
Use the weekend to plan each upcoming school week - I did well with this for our personal school. I pretty much plan the week on Sunday nights. I tried to implement this for my new part time position, and it went okay, but I remembered something about myself as a teacher. I do well coming up with general ideas in advance, but then I have to let them marinate for a while until I'm inspired and then I can bring it all together and come up with a framework. I tend to do well under some pressure, which is why I procrastinated a lot in school. So I'm going to try to strike a balance that allows me time to be inspired without rushing too much at the last minute.
Write every day - I wrote some days, but not every day. Mostly journaling. I didn't do much creative writing, didn't do any blogging either.
Consider implementing some kind of "centers" for Lydia - I made a list of all the fun preschoolish stuff we have around here and hung it on the wall. I had a lot of resources I'd forgotten about. We did do more of this kind of stuff, but I don't really have a routine down yet. And I think that's okay. I'm a fan of letting kids play and do their thing when they're little.
Read three books - The second I published this goal, I knew I wasn't going to get there. Not sure why I made it so high ;) Anyway, I did read Orphan Train in a 24 hour period and I LOVED IT. I checked out several other books from the library but nothing really did it for me. I am about halfway through Teaching From Rest, which is good, but not the kind of book you binge.
So yeah, I did well overall in February! Blogger has been super crazy lately, I've been having all sorts of formatting issues again and it's frustrating. So I'm just going to post this plain text list of goals for March since we're already well into the month and I need to start checking things off the list.
March Goals
Personal
Read 1 really great book
Go through the kids' clothes and see what they need for this spring/summer
Attempt to buy a few articles of clothing for the kids second hand (I hate this kind of thing so this is big for me)
Watch at least one Sporting game
Make some decisions about summer plans
Schedule dentist and eye appointments for the kids
Go through the kids' clothes and see what they need for this spring/summer
Attempt to buy a few articles of clothing for the kids second hand (I hate this kind of thing so this is big for me)
Watch at least one Sporting game
Make some decisions about summer plans
Schedule dentist and eye appointments for the kids
Family
Go on a family movie date
Go on a date with my husband
Go on a date with my husband
Wellness
Walk twice per week as the weather allows
Try making one new type of salad at home
Try making one new type of salad at home
Social
Go on at least two dates with friends
Call someone to chat each week
Call someone to chat each week
School
Sell some of the curriculum that we aren't using
Incorporate Spelling into school at least 3 days per week
Get a meter stick for Math
Spend some time during Spring Break getting ahead in planning
Look into the cost of getting the Spielgaben Kindergarten workbook printed and bound
Sell some of the curriculum that we aren't using
Incorporate Spelling into school at least 3 days per week
Get a meter stick for Math
Spend some time during Spring Break getting ahead in planning
Look into the cost of getting the Spielgaben Kindergarten workbook printed and bound
Writing
Finish a draft of Chapter 2 of my story
Take myself on another writing date
Write 3 days per week
Write 3 days per week
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