Here are a few simple organizational tips from Heart of the Matter. Funny, I could have written this list myself. The only difference between my list and this one is that we buy bottled water (or use sports bottles filled with water from our fridge dispenser) and I go back and forth about whether or not to spend money on wipes to clean with.

I too “splurged” on an electric pencil sharpener for this year. (There is something sad about that…splurging on a pencil sharpener. Sigh.)  

And mechanical pencils! I have a love/hate relationship with them. Love because they write great; hate because they constantly need to be replaced or refilled and I can never figure out how to refill them. My eldest son claims he can’t write with a regular pencil because he can’t stand the way it sounds. Whoever heard of such a thing?! Before he mentioned it I never even noticed that a regular pencil made a sound. He’s weird about book pages as well, he says he can’t stand the feel of some of them. He used to refuse to use his finger to follow along the page because he said he didn’t like the feel of the page (usually paperback books).

Talking about splurging I finally ordered The Family Meal table and these other films from Franklin Springs Media.

For all you guys out there who secretly read my blog  in honor of Father's Day Heart of the Matter is dedicating this week’s postings to you. There are several great articles that you should read. I especially enjoyed Chuck Black’s article on a Father’s love. I’m planning on buying his Kingdom Series for Aaron very soon. Currently Aaron is reading Lloyd Alexander's series The Chronicles of Prydain. These are books he choose to read for the  TOS Summer Reading Splash summer reading club. Bethany has a list of over 22 books, but she started reading The Magic Treehouse books and hasn't read too many of the other books on her list. Lol. All homeschoolers are invited to join in the Summer Reading Splash. As further incentive for my own children I've added a few additional prizes: a trip for ice cream, a movie, and $10 to spend as they wish.