There is something very fulfilling about a full day, isn't there? The children are tucked in, it is quiet...and while your husband is picking up a yummy treat for you to enjoy on the nightly "date", you take a few minutes to reflect.

Walking through a clean house, peeking into a straight garage, full drawers and closets ready for the coming week, and a kitchen gleaming for a new day. These little pleasures are the joy of a homemaker, and bring calmness to the soul! Even the children are thrilled when their toys are ready to be tackled afresh, their bedrooms glisten, the pets are in clean bowls/cages and all their clothing is set before them to choose from. Simple pleasures that are the result of consistent effort, day in and day out. 

"Lord, help all who claim the title 'homemaker' to find deep fulfillment in the so-called mundane tasks of life. May we as homeschooling mom's build up our homes rather than tear them down-both literally and figuratively. Amen." 

It would be a terrific lie to say I file papers well. They are my nemesis and constant source of clutter. I've got 4 filing systems (at least) started and abandoned, and it really irks me. Tonight I tossed a ton and cleaned out a whole bin, but in the process made 2 more 'notebooks' of stuff to keep. It's a shifting process, but at least there is less. Eventually I'm going to throw out all that is junk and then have an organizer come help me get a system that will really work for me in place. That is my big winter project this year.

A few years ago my project was to get all the photos in albums, and once that was done, I quite developing pictures. Now I have a few years worth on some site that I hopefully can access still...shutterfly? Winkflash? Snapfish? I think it's the first one, but who can tell? It's a disaster and one reason I don't take many pictures. The thing is, looking back depresses me anyway, and when folks are avid photographers it consumes time and space, so I say, 'live in the moment and watch with an eye, not a lens.'

Of course, living in the moment is hard when you are a mom. Multi-tasking is the enemy of being fully engaged in any one thing, and it rubs people wrong. Tonight I was watching a movie with the kids and also researching couponing. Clearly, I wasn't watching everything and my oldest knew it. There was a time I stopped multi-tasking for this reality had hit home, but right now, this year, it is just so much busier. I know that I will have to find a balance because each year is going to get more and more full as the kids get older and more involved in life and school (like when more than one are taking Latin---ahhhhh!). This is just a season of having to work extra hard and long hours to get things organized so I can have more free time later. By January I expect things to slow way down again in the evenings.

Well, I'm not feeling so hot--sleep deprivation I hope, so I'm off to bed.

God bless!

Ha, ha. I thought that title was silly. I am blogging less and really have just been busy. The energy to keep the house clean and straight, the laundry caught up, sheets changed, kids educated and healthy meals on the table...not to mention my new hobbies of sewing and knitting, and social events for the kids and me, then ministry opportunities, and soccer, ballet, Irish Step, AWANA, Keepers, cleaning for music....there just ain't much time left! I forgot also trying to keep in touch with our long distance famiiles and all the birthdays for crying out loud! Not my strong suit, no sir. It's painful how bad I am with getting cards in the mail on time. I've considered sending all of them Jan 1 and just telling folks to wait and open them till the right time. January is when I like to set the birthday party schedule for years when the family is included...does it matter that one birthday on that schedule is at the end of summer?

Anyhow, I digress. My point is, I'm seeing that I've got a lot of little hobbies and projects going on that just take time. Reading, for instance, she's a time eater. And talking to folks about the Lord or politics (in the hope to get around to spiritual issues b/c let's face it, there is a big old overlap)...that takes time. I really am up late again because there is so much to do, I can't get it all done. I've even sacrificed working out and that is nutty! Does the phrase 'junk in the trunk' mean anything to anyone besides me??!! Is that crude? I think it's hilarious.

This is a year of prioritization and if I didn't have this massive schedule to go by, we'd be struggling. Without the work plan laid out all nice, there wouldn't be adequate play time, and you just have to have that! I'm enjoying all that we're doing, I'm just in awe sometimes of how much one person can do in a 24 hour period. It wears me out just thinking about it, and I'm the one who will do it again tomorrow ha ha! But really, don't you feel that way?! Any mom who is running a home and homeschooling, and is involved in her church or community...she's a busy lady juggling tons of stuff all the time. Isn't that better than feeling useless and being bored? Keep up the good work serving your family tomorrow!

I best get off here and get to bed. I'm tarred, as my Bubby used to say.

I'm not a fan of swearing, but I have to say, as a Christian homeschooling mom, I got no problem with this song.

We had a Mockingbird nest out front with 2 eggs in it. They hatched and the babies were out of the nest a little early. For a week we warded off neighboring cats until they flew away. Look closely at the 3rd photo for the tiny beak.

These crazy looking wasps crawl out of rather large holes in the ground.

This has been a very full and nice day. It started with an unproductive trip to our new orthodontist, and that office is so pleasant, it didn't even bother me that we went there for naught today because of a troublesome xray machine. Pleasant people really do make the difference.  From there I had some business to attend to, and after that was resolved, got to go visit a friend I haven't seen a lot this summer. Summer is so busy, making sure the kids get shuffled over to see all of their friends, and of course, with 3 children, you have to visit many people to cover all of their individual friends. I'm so thankful that those visits usually involve me seeing my friends. God is so good to work things like that out.      

Anyway, as soon as I got my kids settled for nap/quiet time, the phone rang and behold! my wedding rings were ready!!! I've been unable to wear them for well over a month now because after finally prying them off my knuckle-cracked-not-so-svelt-anymore fingers, I couldn't get them back on! It took ages for me to finally take them in to get sized. Somehow the distance between me and my jewelry box versus me and the jeweler was stressing me out! Now, however,  I am beyond thrilled; they are so shiny and I honestly like my diamond better than when it was new. The added gold they needed to add before they could widen it has made the whole ring sit nicer and look better on the underside. AND, as if this excitement isn't enough for you, my wedding band looks brand spanking new after the deluxe treatment it got. This, my friends, is a very happy night.       

It gets better though. There is this bookshelf that's been in the office for nearly 2 years. And I've wanted it. I've needed it. It's driven me nuts with where it was in the office because it was poorly placed. And tonight, I'm thankful for trying to save money, because I've finally pried that puppy out of it's not needed location to the place I've wanted it, and it is loaded with books--school books. Halleluia, halleluia, halleluiaaaa. I'll be putting up shelves in the office asap, that we already have in order to continue this money-saving endeavor, and we will all be happy!

Well, the organization is calling...lots to do before retiring!

• "If your faith has not changed you, your faith has not saved you."        

• You are your worst enemy.   (the rebellious wife)

• Satisfaction does not come with achievement, but with effort. Full effort is full victory.
  Mahatma Gandhi -                                                                                                                   

• "Beautiful trees in the urban setting don't just happen." -me         

• I feel sorry for the person who can't get genuinely excited about his work. Not only will he never be satisfied, but he will never achieve anything worthwhile.
  Walter Chrysler                                       

• "If you fail to plan, you plan to fail."                                                                                  

• Benjamin Disraeli
  No success in public life can compensate for failure in the home.                     

• Lee Iacocca
  My father always used to say that when you die, if you've got five real friends, then you've had a great life.                                                                                    

• "A myriad of family problems can be fixed with a consistent schedule and an early bedtime."  -me                                                                                                    

• Chinese Proverb
  A hundred men may make an encampment, but it takes a woman to make a home.

• Don’t limit yourself. Many people limit themselves to what they think they can do. You can go as far as your mind lets you. What you believe, remember, you can achieve.
  Mary Kay Ash

• Jim Valvano
  My father gave me the greatest gift anyone could give another person, he believed in me.

• Lee Iacocca
  No matter what you've done for yourself or for humanity, if you can't look back on having given love and attention to your own family, what have you really accomplished?

It's that time again, time to really start looking at next year. Our plan is basically set, but not how to meld the variety of resources we're using. Then there are the small details of which specific class to sign up for, meal ideas, and this last minute vacation I'm dying to take.   

Last year, because of school and the myriad of extra curricular activities, I decided vacationing during our normal week was not going to be a good idea. So, we explored another destination at another time of year, and that bombed. We were just going to forgo vacation altogether then, but here we are nearing the end of July, and I'm getting that overwhelming feeling of needing time away with my family without phone, the computer, or obligations. Just us.      

There are new variables adding stress to this last minute decision, but at least we are looking in the same direction!        

And I need to now go and look at cookbooks to do some serious meal-planning with the plethora of food we have in this house .  Have a great Sunday!