READY FOR:
Are you like me, wondering where summer went? It's passed by so quickly. Dance and soccer will start again next week. Yet, at the same time, there are days when I think autumn will never get here. Yesterday when we sat outside in the early morning and it cool and breezy. Yet it didn't have that fall feeling to it. I don't know about other areas of the States but in the South there is a certain feel to the weather, a certain way the sun and sky look, a certain scent to the air that tell you fall is on its way. I only wish it lasted a little longer!
WORKING ON:
We've been working on organizing our school room. Organization. Does it ever end?! It seems as though about the time I think I have things perfectly organized and running smoothly, I find a glitch that makes me start all over. I hate to call this organization prompt a glitch. He's certainly more important than that. :) It's my sweet boy. You see, he turned 4 in May and as such, is quite ready for a more formal approach to school. While he's enjoyed doing little pre-K workbooks and occasional reading lessons, this year he will be taking part in much more. He needed his own space.
I was also finding storage to be an issue as well as motivating my girls to be disciplined in taking care of their supplies. I tried separate adult desks, which they loved, but found that their personal papers over ran to the point that we usually wound up in the dining room during school time. (personal papers being letters, pictures, stories, lists, etc) We also had the problem of The Disappearing Pencils. The Disappearing Scissors. The I'll Borrow Mama's And Lose Them Too's.
Enter School Room Makeover! We had a rather large, well huge really, computer desk in the corner. We've had it for about 11 years and while it was perfect for the space it was originally purchased for, it quickly became a chore to find a place for it whenever we moved. Not to mention, it wasn't light to move! We also had an armoire that housed a TV. So my handy dandy husband tore the desk apart and used it to create shelves in the armoire. Then he painted it a lovely mossy green. Now I have one spot to hold ALL of our supplies. I also had a small bookcase that my uncle made for me when I was a child. We painted it green also and it now gives the girls each their own shelf to hold their books. I have an old metal crate to the side of that to hold the Pre-K curriculum. The additional adult desk became mine, yay! We have acquired one old fashioned child's school desk and hope to find 2 more. A large dry erase board on the wall is going to be great compared to the small handheld size we've always used!
I know many people have tried having a home classroom, complete with desks, and quickly discarded it, preferring to spread out on the couch or around the kitchen table. While I am all for curling up to read together (or alone) or gathering around to practice flash cards or play games, I will confess I love having a room just for school things. For years I had to make space as best I could which was no easy feat. It's so nice to have everything in one place. We've been in this house for a 1 1/2 years and I finally feel like the room is not only functional but also pretty. As for desks, they have to sit somewhere, and there's no losing pencils or crayons in the couch this way. ;)
TRYING:
I've been trying to incorporate more vegetables and fruits into our diet. The juicer is wonderful for this! It's amazing how it can raise your daily servings in such a quick and tasty way. I've also been trying different recipes and surprisingly most of them have received rave reviews. I say surprisingly because I never thought my meat and potatoes man and picky children would ever be very open to vegan meals or even just using less meat. But we have found some keepers. Portabello mushrooms are a weekly grocery item now. Use them in place of hamburger patties. My husband now prefers them over regular burgers. I still use traditional patties for the girls (my little guy won't touch a burger) but I found they love stuffed mushrooms so there is hope for them to make the switch in the future. Last night we tried spaghetti squash. I tossed in lemon garlic shrimp and crab and it was a hit. I'll definitely be trying it out again with spaghetti sauce.
SEEKING:
All in all, I've been looking for those peaceful times. I've let life get so busy that I don't stop enough to recognize them. But they're present even when we take them for granted. For instance, a few days ago I realized I had some ground turkey in the fridge that needed to be used. I had already cleaned up from supper but decided to throw a pot of chili on to simmer while I put the kiddos to bed. Wouldn't you know, the next day it rained all day. It was gloomy and dreary out, but inside we had warm chili and an afternoon movie to keep us cheered.
Do you like scented candles? Try the Febreeze candles. They smell heavenly and last quite well. I bought apple cinnamon and burn it every day. For an extra boost, try Arm & Hammer's Autumn Breeze carpet fresh when you vacuum. I know it's not "green cleaning" but it does make the house smell so cozy.
So that's just a bit of what's been going on at our house. Striving to be healthy, get organized and live on purpose, with purpose! Be blessed :)
Are you like me, wondering where summer went? It's passed by so quickly. Dance and soccer will start again next week. Yet, at the same time, there are days when I think autumn will never get here. Yesterday when we sat outside in the early morning and it cool and breezy. Yet it didn't have that fall feeling to it. I don't know about other areas of the States but in the South there is a certain feel to the weather, a certain way the sun and sky look, a certain scent to the air that tell you fall is on its way. I only wish it lasted a little longer!
WORKING ON:
We've been working on organizing our school room. Organization. Does it ever end?! It seems as though about the time I think I have things perfectly organized and running smoothly, I find a glitch that makes me start all over. I hate to call this organization prompt a glitch. He's certainly more important than that. :) It's my sweet boy. You see, he turned 4 in May and as such, is quite ready for a more formal approach to school. While he's enjoyed doing little pre-K workbooks and occasional reading lessons, this year he will be taking part in much more. He needed his own space.
I was also finding storage to be an issue as well as motivating my girls to be disciplined in taking care of their supplies. I tried separate adult desks, which they loved, but found that their personal papers over ran to the point that we usually wound up in the dining room during school time. (personal papers being letters, pictures, stories, lists, etc) We also had the problem of The Disappearing Pencils. The Disappearing Scissors. The I'll Borrow Mama's And Lose Them Too's.
Enter School Room Makeover! We had a rather large, well huge really, computer desk in the corner. We've had it for about 11 years and while it was perfect for the space it was originally purchased for, it quickly became a chore to find a place for it whenever we moved. Not to mention, it wasn't light to move! We also had an armoire that housed a TV. So my handy dandy husband tore the desk apart and used it to create shelves in the armoire. Then he painted it a lovely mossy green. Now I have one spot to hold ALL of our supplies. I also had a small bookcase that my uncle made for me when I was a child. We painted it green also and it now gives the girls each their own shelf to hold their books. I have an old metal crate to the side of that to hold the Pre-K curriculum. The additional adult desk became mine, yay! We have acquired one old fashioned child's school desk and hope to find 2 more. A large dry erase board on the wall is going to be great compared to the small handheld size we've always used!
I know many people have tried having a home classroom, complete with desks, and quickly discarded it, preferring to spread out on the couch or around the kitchen table. While I am all for curling up to read together (or alone) or gathering around to practice flash cards or play games, I will confess I love having a room just for school things. For years I had to make space as best I could which was no easy feat. It's so nice to have everything in one place. We've been in this house for a 1 1/2 years and I finally feel like the room is not only functional but also pretty. As for desks, they have to sit somewhere, and there's no losing pencils or crayons in the couch this way. ;)
TRYING:
I've been trying to incorporate more vegetables and fruits into our diet. The juicer is wonderful for this! It's amazing how it can raise your daily servings in such a quick and tasty way. I've also been trying different recipes and surprisingly most of them have received rave reviews. I say surprisingly because I never thought my meat and potatoes man and picky children would ever be very open to vegan meals or even just using less meat. But we have found some keepers. Portabello mushrooms are a weekly grocery item now. Use them in place of hamburger patties. My husband now prefers them over regular burgers. I still use traditional patties for the girls (my little guy won't touch a burger) but I found they love stuffed mushrooms so there is hope for them to make the switch in the future. Last night we tried spaghetti squash. I tossed in lemon garlic shrimp and crab and it was a hit. I'll definitely be trying it out again with spaghetti sauce.
SEEKING:
All in all, I've been looking for those peaceful times. I've let life get so busy that I don't stop enough to recognize them. But they're present even when we take them for granted. For instance, a few days ago I realized I had some ground turkey in the fridge that needed to be used. I had already cleaned up from supper but decided to throw a pot of chili on to simmer while I put the kiddos to bed. Wouldn't you know, the next day it rained all day. It was gloomy and dreary out, but inside we had warm chili and an afternoon movie to keep us cheered.
Do you like scented candles? Try the Febreeze candles. They smell heavenly and last quite well. I bought apple cinnamon and burn it every day. For an extra boost, try Arm & Hammer's Autumn Breeze carpet fresh when you vacuum. I know it's not "green cleaning" but it does make the house smell so cozy.
So that's just a bit of what's been going on at our house. Striving to be healthy, get organized and live on purpose, with purpose! Be blessed :)
Nice to read about what is going in your life now!
ReplyDeleteGreat to hear how things are going there. The schoolroom sounds great!
ReplyDelete