new groove

School began this week and i decided it was about time to create a new groove for our days to run in. i cannot believe that i have been a stay at home mom for more than 4 years now and have only now decided to do this. we have always had routine...basicly the same schedule everyday. we just lived...took care of business, played, worked, cleaned, read books...hung out and enjoyed ourselves. i still fully intend to enjoy our days...i don't want anything too binding to wreck our "fly-by-the-seat-of-our-pants" existence. but i am talking about a little bit of
list-making to make our days more intentional and actually give us a sense of accomplishment at the days end.
i made two daily to-do lists. one is for housekeeping things...changing sheets, cleaning bathrooms, mopping, vacuuming and the like. dishes and laundry are daily tasks around here, but sometimes those other things get overlooked, for a little too long...
the other is my list of activities that i can do with my 4 year old. we didn't get into the public pre-school, and opted out of paying for another. i am very loosely using the term "home-schooling" to describe what we are trying to accomplish. i am not worried about her social interaction with other kids, she is around them all the time at church and playgroups. and i am not going to push workbooks and flashcards. but its important to me that she has equal opportunity for all those fun pre-school activities that other 4 year olds will have. so...on this list are some ideas for each day of the week to make sure we don't overlook important kinds of play. for instance...i am the opposite of crafty! its not my thing, but i realize that she loves creating so i put it down on 3 days of the week to make sure i allow opportunity for crafting. i also have specific days to concentrate on music, science, cooking, games and writing skills.
i am amazed that just making the lists, typing them up and sticking them to the fridge has already made me feel more accomplished. i am now excited about this opportunity to be home with only one child and not intimidated by it. i thought i might feel useless but after making a list of all i do each day i feel that i have a very important job indeed, i mean...who else is gonna clean the toilets and play school with my girl?
i am looking forward to getting out of the old RUT and making a new groove!

perpetual motion

some days around here feel so very mundane and repetitive. how can this be with three children running around? but i am telling you...i have wiped down the kitchen counter a minimum of 10 times today. i have loaded, unloaded and put away loads of laundry and dishes. i have refereed several tiffs between children. i have picked up something to read and put it down too many times to count. i have stood facing into my cabinets seeking out the next meal or snack at least 5 times (sometimes i give up and have to come back again, we haven't eaten 5 meals today.) i have let the dogs out then in and out again. i have made the rounds just checking in on the kids to see what they are up to and if they need me..which they don't. i have checked in on facebook at least 4 times just hoping for some sort of outside force to knock me out of my perpetual motion. i feel like i am waiting on something... but what exactly am i waiting for??? this is the million dollar question of my life!!! maybe i am waiting for the phone to ring. maybe i am waiting for my husband to get home. maybe i am waiting for some sort of epiphany where it is suddenly revealed to me what i am supposed to be doing with my life. i am waiting. not so patiently.