~Major March To-Do List~

Even though spring hasn't officially sprung, I have already prepared a little pre-spring cleaning to-do list for this month. This is my "big" list, meaning all major projects that I'd like to accomplish before the end of the month.

• Make a master grocery list on the computer, organizing items bought at each of the four stores I shop at and then further subdivided by grocery department
• Clean the kids' bedrooms and completely organize them. Get rid of clothing that doesn't fit, toys/books/games that aren't wanted/used, wash all bedding, prepare air conditioner for use, dust and wash floors, vacuum mattresses and ceiling fans.
• Give a fresh coat of paint in a new color to the dining room, front entry and laundry room
• Organize the laundry room (a major eye sore right now!) once it has been painted. Add hooks near the back door for dog supplies (coats, leash, etc) and for kids jackets/swimsuits, find a space to store muddy shoes for the spring
• Drop off all unwanted items to donation bins: clothing, books, movies, toys etc
• Thoroughly clean the entire yard/property (including the storage area) and making a list of items that need fixing or replacing and prep yard for all spring/summer plans (planting/landscaping, a new pool, etc) 
• Set up the kitchen bulletin board with laminated chore charts, a master schedule for all family members & menus. (Remember to purchase hooks to hang said bulletin board!)
• Clean out the downstairs bedroom (formerly my grandmother's room): pack all belongings, donate items, sell or donate furniture, wash walls & curtains, dust (window sills, blinds, ceiling fan, etc) and shampoo carpet

This major list is in addition to my typical spring cleaning and planning list, which I will write more about at a later date. For now, I am off to finish my coffee and check off a couple of the items on the list :)

~ Wishing you a wonderful weekend!

March Comes In...

...like a lion, and this is certainly the case here in New England this March 1st. As we say goodbye to February , and the milder than usual weather we've had this winter, March blows in with a bit of wet snow, colder temperatures and a reminder that spring is still a few weeks away. Here are some March links and activities:

• March Weather
• March Lion and Lamb coloring pages
• Famer's Almanac-March
• Lion and Lamb Activities
• St. Patrick's Day Crafts
• Seasonal Arts & Crafts- March
• Silly, Crazy, Bizarre & Unknown Holidays-March
• Making Maple Syrup
• A Maple Syrup History
• The Maple Products: An Outdoor Education

Now it's time to update the books in the sidebar and make my early spring to-do lists.

"The March wind roars
Like a lion in the sky,
And makes us shiver
As he passes by.

When winds are soft,
And the days are warm and clear,
Just like a gentle lamb,
Then spring is here."
- Author Unknown



(* I've recycled this post from March 2010 with a couple updates)

~**~**Happy Valentine's Day!**~**~

"How do I love thee?Let me count the ways.

 I love thee to the depth and breadth and height

My soul can reach, when feeling out of sight

For the ends of being and ideal grace.

I love thee to the level of every day's

Most quiet need, by sun and candle-light.

I love thee freely, as men strive for right.

I love thee purely, as they turn from praise.

I love thee with the passion put to use

In my old griefs and with my childhood's faith.

I love thee with a love I seemed to lose

With my lost saints. I love thee with the breath, 

Smiles, tears, of all my life; and, if God choose, 

I shall but love thee better after death."

~Elizabeth Barrett Browning (Sonnet 43) 

(my favorite!)

 

• Free Printable Valentine Cards
• Free Valentine Printables
•  Free Valentine Printables on Google
• Free Printable Valentine's Day PreK Pack from OverTheMoon

Wordless Wednesday

*~*A Balanced Homeschool*~*

After a few hours of sifting through work that has been completed, work still needing to be finished/started, materials that need replacing as well as those we have on hand, making 10 week lesson plans for three out of four children and ironing out some of my time management issues...my hand is very cramped! Here is our plan for the remainder of the school year:

Gamer will continue his daily work: Math, Science, U.S History & Language Arts. For literature I had him choose six classics from a list I created. As he finishes each book, he will give me a written book report on each.

Princess and SportsFan will continue their daily work: Math, Science, Writing & Language Arts. I also had them choose six classics from lists I created and as they each finish a book they will give me an oral book report. I also added U.S Geography to their schedules on Mondays and Wednesdays and we are going to return to  using Story of the World for history on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

I'm in the process of requesting library books online that align with upcoming holidays as well as our history studies and I am also in the process of planning a few field trips (something we have been sorely lacking over the past 18 months).

I think we are off to a good start! :)

~Life is A Balancing Act~

It's not unusual for me to have a lot of things going on at once-- parenting four children, homeschooling, household responsibilities, extra-curricular activities, etc. Lately (an by lately I mean for the past year or so) I've had additional things added to my plate-- my health issues (which means weekly lab appointments and multiple doctor appointments with various doctors), working from home, continuing to care for my grandmother as her dementia progresses, and a laundry list of other things that come up day to day. I used to be great at balancing everything and making time for everyone and everything, but lately I feel like my time management skills are lacking. Since I'm about to add "return to school part-time" to my already overflowing plate, I need to sit down and devise a plan so that I can accomplish everything that needs accomplishing over the course of a day and/or week.

The children are home Monday mornings through Friday evenings and they are with their dad Friday evenings through Monday mornings. We have an OK school routine right now, but it could use some tweaking. We currently work in 10 week sessions and then we take one week off (more during the holidays and summer). This routine works, but I'm finding that the older boys are slacking off when it comes to getting their work done during the week so, this is certainly an area I need to pay special attention to. We haven't participated in any classes, field trips or outings this year partly due to scheduling conflicts so, this is another area I need to improve on.

Household responsibilities are not very evenly split right now amongst the children and I think it's time to reevaluate our current chore list and dish out additional chores now that they are older. Currently their only chores are to clean their bedrooms, take care of the dog, empty the dishwasher, trash and recycling, Princess wipes down the upstairs bathroom (I deep clean it on weekends) and the older boys do their own laundry. I'm planning to create life skills courses as part of our homeschool curriculum that will also require them to do such chores as cooking, simple household repair, simple car repair and maintenance and lawn and garden maintenance as part of the course. I'm thinking that a color coded schedule with time frames to work with each child might help.

Baseball season will be under way very soon and I am on the board of our local Little League. Gamer will be playing not only Babe Ruth baseball (a step above Little League), but he is also going to play for the local high school as well! Sportsfan and PoohBear will be playing Little League and Princess would like to take swimming lessons. I think that a color coded calendar may help organize each person's activities and personal schedules.

I'm not planning to go back to school until September so I have some time to work out our current schedule and get into a routine before I add that into the mix. For now I have to learn to balance what is currently on my plate in a workable manner. Once I have a system created and in place, I will post details here :)

Living la Vida Loca!

I am certainly living la vida loca (a crazy life)! Between being a (newly) single, work-at-home-mom (writing for Suite101.com and Yahoo!), homeschooling, parenting and raising four children, my own health issues and caring for my grandmother I feel like I am spinning around in circles constantly and thus, I have no time for blogging. Here is an update on me and my life for anyone still left reading:

Writing- I have been writing for Suite101 for a couple of years, but over the past year I have had to kick it in to over drive in order to create an income for myself since my separation and divorce. This has been interesting and I also took on writing every now and then for Yahoo as well as Suite101. I am also finally making headway on the book I have been writing for years now about being a motherless mother. Stay tuned on that endevour! :)

Homeschooling- I now officially have a homeschooled high school student! Gamer turned 14 this past summer and became a 9th grader this past fall. He toyed with the idea of entering high school, but in the end decided that he preferred to stay home and homeschool.  In addition to playing baseball for the local Babe Ruth league, Gamer will also be playing for the local High School so our schedule is going to get even more hectic (if that is even humanly possible!).

My health issues- Last March I was rushed to the E.R and, after a very frustrating turn of events while there (they took horrible care of me and almost killed me!) I was diagnosed with multiple bi-lateral pulmonary emboli which, in plain English, means that I had several blood clots in both of my lungs. This was a very serious discovery and I am very, very lucky to be alive right now. After one week in the cardiac unit and a long recovery process, I was just recently told by my cardiologist that I have made a full recovery! I still remain on blood thinners (coumadin) for a while longer, but hopefully soon I will be weaned off of them so that I can fully resume my normal life.

Caring for my grandmother- My maternal grandmother has lived with me since November 2009 and I have been her full time caregiver since then. This summer (July) she became ill and I had to take her to the E.R, where she was diagnosed with a blood clot in her lung and then later one in her leg. She has been in a nursing rehabilitation center ever since the end of July, with a brief 48 hour return home at the end of August that resulted in two falls and a trip back to the E.R in order to be readmitted to the rehab center for further therapy.  Because of her dementia and for her general safety since she is still not fully rehabilitated, I am now having her undergo a neuro-psychological evaluation to determine her competency so that I can move forward and place her in long-term skilled nursing care.

So...Phew! That is what I have been up to all of this time. I did update some of the items along the left and right sides so  be sure to take a look. I will try to come back more often and post, but I can't make any promises.

Happy 2012 Readers!

My Goodness!!

Goodness, it's been ages since I've posted anything! The past eleven months or so have been a whirlwind of major life changes which have been all consuming. Certain little things, such as blogging, have had to take a back seat. Now, hear I blog, nearly a year since my last post and a (tiny) bit more settled into this new life.

I am now a single (a.k.a divorced) homeschooling mama. This new voyage has presented plenty of ups and downs over the past year, but the seas appear to have calmed, finally.

 It's September and it's time to jump back in to our homeschooling lives. Now that I have a high schooler, we have a whole new set of homeschool related challenges to navigate.

I have also been trying to amp up my freelance writing on Suite101 and have recently become a contributing writer for Yahoo.

The seasons feel as if they are passing at warp speed these days, no matter how much I try to "stop and smell the roses" there just doesn't seem to be enough time in the day or enough "me" to go around. I'm learning to be less Type-A and a little more go with the flow. I can't promise to post as often as I once did, but I will try to post with some regularity.

Happy Autumn!

~*~A New Year~*~

I know I'm a bit late with the New Years wishes but Happy 2011!! I'm doing some sprucing up here, around the house and with my personal life (which is why I have been M.I.A). I've been studying for my real estate salesperson license which is difficult to do with a house, four children and a grandmother to care for 24/7.

I have lots of pictures to upload and since it's a blustery, snowy New England day, it's the perfect day to stay indoors and accomplish the things that always get left off of the ever growing to-do list :)

The Stockings Were Hung...

...by the chimney with care...

putting the finishing touches on Christmas decoarting around the house this week. How about you?