Fall Frolic and Planning Ahead

I always seem to get stressed out during the fall. Fall is so full of activity and the anticipation of the upcoming holidays that I can feel my jaw cinched shut. Which is odd because, Fall is my favorite time of year. For some reason lately, I always feel in a rush. I often feel unprepared. Yet in the thick of all the confusion, I am excited and enjoying the change of seasons.

After stopping to think about my state of confusion, I have come to the conclusion that it is the lack of a plan that has me in a tizzy. I am a planner at heart. I like things on paper and knowing what is 'planned' to happen next. Whether it actually happens or not.

We have a lot going on in the next month and I have not stopped long enough (or should I say taken the time)to just sit and plan. I always feel like I should actually be doing sometime like schooling, cleaning or organizing. We all know that things run much better when Mom has taken the time to think things through and write on that plan.

Why it is that I always feel guilty when I take a few hours to just sit, think and plan?

Maybe it is because I actually enjoy planning.  Yes, that's right.  I love it.

I love paper.  I love writing in notebooks and on calendars.  I love to see what is on the agenda for our every day.  And I think that because it is something that I enjoy, I feel guilty when I take the needed time to do it.   When in reality, my family always benefits when I am well prepared.

So, I am going to forge ahead and plan, plan, plan!  And without the guilt!

I have been perusing blogs and have found  OrganizedChristmas.com.  I have signed up for the Christmas Countdown.  It provides a six week countdown of things to do to prepare for the holidays.  There is a free downloadable planner.  You can pick and choose what to place in your book.  I find the countdown is a good pace for our family.

I also came across this free Christmas Excel Budget Document.  This site also sells a planner, but I just grabbed the free budget for now. Some really neat planning stuff there.

So, come on...grab those planners and get rid of the guilt!  Happy Planning!

Shopping, good for the heart?

I know that for a lot of women, shopping is fun.  Relaxing....time to themselves.  For me it is torture.   Shopping is a chore that has to be done.  A chore in the truest form.

Enter coupons.  One of my homeschool friends introduced me to couponing.  She eats a lot of organics like we do, yet she still couponed.  I was intrigued.  So I ordered a subscription to the Sunday paper and began.  My girls observed.  They watched and giggled as I sorted and clipped.  And then the time arrived.  My first CVS shopping trip!  I got my very first ECB's (Extra Care Bucks) and earned something FREE.  Free is good.  No, free is GREAT!

These items are things that I don't buy organic.  Razors, cosmetics, hand soap, shaving lotions, toothpaste and candy for our shoebox donation boxes, toothbrushes, etc....  I took the girls with me for several weeks.  One was intrigued and the other bored out of her mind.  I bet you can guess who was bored.  Yep!  K-Doodle!

Fast forward to today......about four months later.  C-Sunshine does all the couponing prep.  She visits all the coupon websites and prints our weekly list.  She sorts and organizes the coupons and matches them up with the weekly sales.  She gives me the finished product.......a stack of coupons neatly clipped to it's corresponding store sales list.  She also adds up how much we should spend out of pocket.  (Math class credit?)  At the end of the trip, she calculates how much we saved.  We always strive for 75%!

C-Sunshine - my Coupon Sweetie Pie!

And then the fun for me really begins...................

Tools of the trade!

You see, C-Sunshine and I head out on our weekly coupon shopping alone.  Just the two of us, together with our Couponizer stuffed to the max with coupons and list.  We get to talk one-on-one.  We get to talk about "big girl" things and giggle together.  When we hit the stores, she keeps me in line and directs me around the store to all the hot items.  We try to beat all those "extreme couponing Moms" who clear the shelves!  It's fun.  We laugh.  I love it.  And I love her.  Precious time spent doing something that use to be so mundane.  An exercise that is teaching her fantastic home economics and filling my heart to the brim.  Hopefully building memories for her to store away.  I know that I have mine.........



So, you might consider couponing.  It might just feel your heart "stockpile" too.

C-Sunshine has made me love shopping.  With her anyway......

Have a great week.

What I have been thinkin' bout...

Well I sit here yet again pondering the upcoming school year. As the summer is drawing closer to an end, I feel the panic settling in. Our learning room is full of half emptied boxes and my lesson planning book beckons, but is unanswered. Trying to find the time to finish unpacking the house, enjoy a family vacation and finish up lesson plans for the school year will be on the top of my priority list in the weeks to come. Because K-Doodle is going to be part of Georgia's Virtual Academy this year, we actually have an official start date for the first time. August 17th. I am not sure I like that. Someone else telling me what day to start. That coupled with the fact that it is the DAY after we return from vacation with Pat's family.

I still have not found my camera cord to upload photo's. When I do, I promise to publish those photo's. It's in one of these boxes somewhere...........

Blessings to you all.

It's Official - The papers are signed!

Well, the paperwork is done and we have a move-in date! We will officially move in just after the fourth of July. The carpet is going in on Thursday and we will move in shortly after. We will be spending the fourth of July at the Lake with my family. The new yard needs a lot of TLC, but Pat is up for the task. I think he is just excited about "having" a yard again. So are the girls! They have already been riding their scooters around on the long driveway. The house sits on 1.6 acres with lots of woods (and ticks) in the back so there will be lots to explore.

We will keep you posted with updates and photos as things progress. I just can't wait to just "be settled"! I have lots of organizing to do before the new school year. Take care.

What Makes A Home

When we relocated to Georgia, we decided to lease until our home sold in Illinois. Well, through God's grace, our house sold in just nine days! We have been struggling with trying to become settled in the home we are leasing (which is a nice home), simply because we don't "own" it. We have looked at houses, but are hesitant to purchase with today's market and economy. This drives me to the question of What Makes A Home? Is it the actual walls of the home or what is happening on the inside? I do know the answer to that question. I am just reaffirming our decision to wait out our lease (of two years) and spend my time making this house our "home" and give Joy to my family; Concentrating on my family from the inside out. Concentrating on developing the character of my girls (and myself) from the inside out....... not a bad plan at all.

A Lenten Home Blessing

During Lent I like to try and take stock of our home and clean out the clutter. Because we just moved, it's more like rearranging the clutter and finding the things we need. Although we could still donate one third of our "stuff". After visiting Elizabeth, I have shamelessly swiped her list of things to do during Lent and made it my own in the hopes of establishing peace and order in our home. What to come along on the journey?

Our Lenten Home Blessing

March 9th: Main Desk
March 10th: Girls Bathroom
March 11th: Hall Closet/Foyer
March 12th: Linen Closet
March 13th: Learning Room
March 14th: Laundry Closet
March 15th: Sunday
March 16th: Hallway and Steps
March 17th: Entrance and Closet
March 18th: Office Closet
March 19th: Living Room
March 20th: Craft Shelves
March 21st: Storage shelves
March 22nd: Sunday
March 23rd: Scrapbook/Crafting Area
March 24th: Baseboards
March 25th: Windows
March 26th: Master Bathroom Drawers and Cabinets
March 27th: Kitchen
March 28th: Bonus Room
March 29th: Sunday
March 30th: Pantry
March 31st: Freezer
April 1st: Refrigerator
April 2nd: Drawers
April 3rd: Cabinets
April 4th: Paschal Baskets and Clean Garbage Cans
April 5th: Sunday
April 6th: Master Bedroom
April 7th: Master Closet
April 8th: Garage
April 9th: Clean Bedding
April 10th: Clean Car
April 11th: Plant Spring Flower Pots
April 12th: Easter

Happy Week!

Preparing Our Homes and Hearts during Lent

As I am reflecting on the beginning of this Lenten season, I can across this Clearing Spaces challenge from Sarah, a fellow 4Real mom. What a great idea! The challenge began on Monday, but I thought it would be appropriate to begin on Ash Wednesday as well. Here are my hotspots for clutter that I will be working on.

1. Pantry
2. School room book shelves
3. Girls Closets
4. Master Closet
5. School Room Closet
6. Kitchen cabinets
7. Garage (oh so not a joy0

Clearly our homes and hearts, preparing them for His blessings. Peace be with you.