Like I mentioned in previous posts, we decided to take a break from schooling for a few weeks. This decision had since solidified after reading St. Francis de Sales. Here's the quote that struck me: "Accept peacefully whatever you have to do and try to get things done in order, one after the other. If you attempt to do everything all at once or without order, your mind will be frustrated and grow weary and you are likely to be overwhelmed by the pressure and accomplish nothing."
This is exactly where I was. I was trying to keep a home, raise children, grow a baby, and homeschool all at once. Nothing was getting done well, and I was overwhelmed and easily frustrated. So, St. Francis gave me permission, too.
The first half of the week I did pretty well hitting my 6 daily goals. I have not been perfect, but I just keep getting back up and trying again. The main thing I have noticed is making greater efforts to make sure I get things done, and set an example for the children.
Then, on Friday and half of Saturday, I set about beginning that example in earnest. We spent the time cleaning up our upstairs-- and I mean cleaning . I had two feet of clothing sitting on top of my TWO dressers. The guest bedroom dresser was full of junk-- most of which was just thrown away, the girls had dressers overflowing and a covered floor, and my son had all of his clothes from age 4 to 8 in hie closet. We also have a sitting room adjacent to our master bedroom, which the children had claimed for their forts and many planned sleepovers. Let us not even discuss the bathrooms. Lord. have. mercy.
So, with my husband's help (and the kids put into "slave labor" as they would say-- "dude, I'm just telling you to clean up your room!") I purged two large bags of clothing from my stash, and filled bags with garbage. We filtered through the kids clothing and sent the too small items to the basement for storage. We shifted dressers around to better serve the users. Rooms were swept and vacuumed. Bathrooms scoured. Closets reorganized. It was great!
Our goal this week was to keep it that way. So far, so good.
This end of week I plan to hit our first floor. I may have to spread it over two weekends. This is because it includes my pile of stuff by the computer, my pile of stuff on the kitchen island, my craft areas, the homeschool area, the kids play area, the mudroom. Yikes- those are scary territories! I may save the school area for it's own jam session.
Next on the list, solidify this next semester of school work, plan, order, and prepare.
Then, at some point, I have to tackle the basement, which deserves a "haz mat" sign on the door. Maybe, just maybe, we'll finish the basement before the baby arrives!
What's on your list? What groundwork have/are you laying? I'd love to hear from you. We'll keep eachother accountable.
