Everything We Need - Homeschool Blogger

Well, no. But we sure do love you, little girl.

Fri, 1 May 2009 19:08:00 -0500

Dad: Why do I love you?
E: Because I can stand on one leg with no help.

It adds something if you can visualise a cute three year old face smeared with syrup and toast.

Out of the mouth of babes

Thu, 2 Apr 2009 16:30:00 -0500

What E (3) calls Easter:

"Look Mum, Rabbit Christmas!"

Only she pronounces it "Chrimsus".

Don't watch this while drinking anything

Mon, 30 Mar 2009 06:53:00 -0500

You might snort it all over the place.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nyoWmkhRyp8

Sorry, I'm too lazy to find out how to embed it here. This has to be quick and dirty or it won't be done at all.

Today I got to clean my house...

Mon, 23 Mar 2009 06:38:00 -0500

...and I am happy.

I cannot believe the difference in the way my mind feels on Mondays, compared to the rest of the week with the little girls. Most days I am herding them and entertaining them. But on Mondays a friend comes to look after them and I whizz around the house cleaning, cleaning, cleaning. And it's clean all at the same time! (Well most of it- I don't do the bits the boys are meant to do. Unless I feel like it. Sometimes I just want to get into those corners and get out the dog hair and dust.)

I know it will be easier soon. And I sure don't want to wish away their lives. But it will be nicenot to feel as though I am wading through chaos most of the time. I would like to implement some kind of routine with them, and include some cleaning and helping Mummy time. So far that just seems to produce more mess, though.

Not very deep and meaningful, I know. I just want to share some thoughts that are stewing in there.

No, I am not dead

Sun, 22 Mar 2009 06:00:00 -0500

Fa (18 mo daughter) made up a new game last night. Put the dummy (pacifier) in Mummy's mouth and then try to get it out- by kicking it with her feet!

When I wouldn't play (!) she happily put it in her mouth and tried to get it out with her feet. No kicking this time.

All done with much good humour.

Quick takes Friday, on a Saturday

Sat, 15 Nov 2008 05:17:00 -0600

One

Fa, our fourteen month old, has had her worst day (Friday) and worst fussy week this week. She is normally relentlessly cheerful. At least her sleep has been a bit better the last few nights. Come, tooth, come!

Two
II have made rhubarb pudding and my teeth are all squeaky. Yuk.

Three
I composed several takes in the shower and now I can't remember any. See number one for possible explanation.

Four
I caught sight of my hair while I was out this morning and couldn't believe how grey I am! When I checked at home I looked fine! No more making fun of my husband.

Five

I bought three Pamela Allen books at a garage sale for a dollar each! (http://www.penguin.com.au/puffin/Authors/author-profile.cfm?AuthorId=0000000024) We love Pamela Allen around here.

Six
It's been so long since I've tended my blog I can't think how to embed that link and I'm too tired to try.

Seven
We bought three lots of six foot high shelving last week and managed to fit them into our house, which is already full of shelves. People who know my house refused to believe I could do it but I did. And it actually looks better. Well, except for the boys' room.

Thoughts about Spring Cleaning/ Decluttering/ Simplifying

Sat, 27 Sep 2008 19:22:00 -0500

Over here in Australia it's spring, so I'm spring cleaning. Somehow this feels less obsessive than decluttering for me. It's the time to throw things out and then I will stop. I will stop. I must stop. Do not try to declutter perfectly, Pam!

Some things I've read lately that have struck a chord have been:

Think about your boundaries/requirements for keeping things before you start a particular group. So, if you are doing plastics, say, work out how many of each size you think you need and then choose that many and throw the rest/give the rest/whatever. This way you are not making a decision about each and every item you are handling, which has to be more exhausting. I have found this one very helpful.

Everything must have a home. This is so old, I think I stopped listening to it. But when I thought about it, I realised that many clutter-y things just don't have a home. So they end up in places where they shouldn't be. Each time I eyeball something, I'm trying to think "Do you have a home?" If it does, it goes there. If it doesn't, I'll make one or get rid of it.

Leave a room better than you find it. Well, duh, again. But do I do it? No. So I'm going to try and start a new habit.

Don't kick yourself because you second-guess yourself. It's a big responsibility to be the caretaker of a household of stuff. Most of us don't have spare cash. So of course we take it seriously when we're trying to decide to keep or get rid of something. Worrying about something is often just a sign that it is important. Not that you are doing something wrong. (Got that last bit from an article by Susan Wise Bauer on education but it reallly applies to everything.)

Hope this helps someone.

Is anyone out there anymore?

Sat, 17 May 2008 04:46:00 -0500

Why would anyone be seeing as I hardly come here anymore, either? I'd like to- think about it often, actually.

This week's excuse for no blogging: two small sick girls and one bigger one (that's me.) E has left home and her evil twin sister seems to have moved in; R's not so bad except for the mini-nursing strike and the desire to stay up til after 11, which seem to be symptoms of her cold. (Please, Lord, let them be symptoms of her cold!)

Right now I am multi-tasking and blogging whilst nebulising myself for asthma/cough. This has the added benefit of ~~nearly completely~~ cutting out all other noise so I can't hear the unhappy bathers in the room behind me. Gordon deserves a medal.

This doesn't last forever, does it? Gordon says it doesn't but what if his brain has gone as mushy as mine?

First "Works for Me Wednesday" post- No Guilt Monday

Wed, 16 Apr 2008 05:42:00 -0500

Works for Me Wednesday

This sounds like such a simple idea (it is!) but you wouldn't believe how many times I have remembered it and found it helpful.

Every Monday is No Guilt Monday. (I'm a homeschooling mum so my no-guilt Monday may look different to yours but it should still work for you.) Here's what it means for me:

Monday is often a tired-after-the-weekend day. A day the house looks like someone ran through with a stick and knocked things off shelves on purpose. A day of tidying and more laundry and sometimes lack of motivation. So...

It doesn't matter if the TV is on a bit more for the toddler. It doesn't matter if we get takeway (takeout) chips down the road. It doesn't matter if I don't get everything done or do less laundry or wear slippers all day. I don't have to take people out and about. It doesn't matter if dinner is soup.

I hope this helps someone else as much as it has me over the years.

PS I guess you could take it to extremes but it really is meant for encouragement to lighten up a bit and start the week slowly and gently if necessary.

It's disturbing me- but the more I think about it, the more I agree with her.

Wed, 16 Apr 2008 04:54:00 -0500

My 2yo's first picture study narration:

Here's the picture, Raphael's The Transfiguration:

And my daughter's comment when she saw it displayed on top of the dishwasher this morning:

"Bouncy, bouncy."

I think Jesus would laugh, don't you?