Last Days of Summer, First Days of School: August Review

Oh, August, where did you go? We didn't have one unclaimed weekend in August, and that is crazy for this family of home bodies.

For a peek at what we got up to in August, read on:

Learning to Love What Must Be Done: A New Resource for Real People Living Real Lives

Does your life feel out of control sometimes (or even - sigh - all the time)?

Have you bought so many books on organizing, using your time wisely, & managing your home that you could fill a bookcase? (A bookcase that you probably bought at IKEA in the hope that it would bring order?)

Do you declutter one area of your house, just to see some other spot fill with things you don't want?

Have you ever felt like you need to clone yourself just to get half your to-do list done?

Does it just seem like too much?

My friend Mystie knows where you're coming from. And she's designed an amazing resource to help anyone who is seriously ready to stop reading about "Getting Organized", stop pinning all those really cool "organizing tips", and actually, you know, do it.

This is for all of you who are ready to get on with it already:


Here's a little taste of what you'll learn:

• Change the way you think about your responsibilities.
• Improve your mood.
• Learn to use tools like calendars and an inbox to help you get more done and gain peace of mind.
• Become happier and more fulfilled as a homemaker.
• Devise systems that will help you stress less and accomplish more.
• Keep your home reasonably clean while getting to everything on your (shorter) task list.

The course includes video tutorials, audio lessons, customizable templates, planning options whether you prefer paper and pen or digital, clear instructions, frequent live group chats with Mystie, and more.

There are six modules and loads of extras. Don't let it overwhelm you: you can work through at your own pace and there will be lots of encouragement from Mystie and the community she's putting together. Research suggests that people exercise more when they have a friend to work out with them. This is the same idea: we'll all be there to encourage each other, to build each other up, and to offer suggestions of what has really worked for us along the way.

Just writing this post is making me more excited about all the possibilities. Yes, I am an affiliate for this course (which means if you buy after clicking through with my link, I'll get a portion of your fee. It won't add anything to the price you pay), but I'm also signed up to take it right along with you. We're in a new (to us) fixer-upper house, we've started a new homeschool year, and we've added a few new obligations to our to-do list. This is the perfect time for me to renew my love of what must be done, and then do it.

This isn't about Martha Stewart type "all your flower beds should be this size" or "fold and store your Christmas linens in alphabetical order by color" rules. This is about real life, right where we live, with real challenges, and real schedules, and real women (and maybe some men!) who are busy during the day and tired at night and wondering if they've done enough (and seriously, will the laundry be caught up?).

So, what's the cost? $99.

I know. It sounds like a lot. And honestly, it might be too much for some of you. This might not be the right time.

But for those of you who are thinking about all those organizing books that didn't deliver, all those Pinterest pins that haven't fixed the root problems, all that money spent at IKEA that didn't fix everything, and all those good intentions that just didn't quite work out...well, this might just be the right time for you.

And if it is, here's the good news: The course is discounted 30% from now until September 2nd using the discount code: backtoschool when you checkout. So that means $69 (forgive me for stating the obvious if you already did the math in your head) and then you can get started claiming back your life.

I've never promoted anything quite like this. I'm new at this whole "affiliate" thing. And honestly, my frugal self hates asking people to spend money. But I really do believe in this and I think it's a great value. I believe in Mystie, a real-life, married, homeschool mom working from home (including all the work she's done on this). I believe in the course she's designed. And I believe the community she's building of like-minded real-life homemakers could be the best thing of all about it.

And whether you feel like your life is a complete disaster, or you just need some help tweaking your schedule (or your attitude), I think there's something here just for you.

Thanks for considering this fantastic course. Ready? As the Home Depot commercial says, "Let's do this."

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Mom's Education Matters Too: What I'm Excited to Learn in 2014-15

OK, so you've met my "students" and our class pet: Meet the Students.
You've seen some of the places & spaces where we "do" school: Living and Learning Together.
And you've looked over our list of curriculum and textbooks for the kids: Curriculum 2014-15. (Little homeschool mom secret: I want to learn a lot of the things I've chosen for my kids. Their books are so cool. And who knows? Maybe Algebra is better the second time around. I've heard rumors to that effect.)

But it probably won't surprise you to know there are a few things I'd like to learn this year, too. Here they are in no particular order:

1. How to make blogging more than just a hobby.

Steps I've taken in this area so far: joined a Google Plus community for blog improvement and encouragement; added a few more affiliates (you can find these in my right sidebar) and started researching others; printed off some blog planners and lists; started a Pinterest board on this subject; WRITE EVERYDAY. Well, I already did write every day. But now I'm trying to write something blog related every day, even if it's just a rough draft or a list of ideas.

2. What is needed to do necessary schoolwork every day, add some babysitting, keep the house in relatively good order, keep up with laundry, meals, etc. and still have time left for my own goals. 

Steps I've taken in this area so far: more lists. Lists for the older girls. Lists for myself. Discipline to do at least one load of laundry every day, run the dishwasher every day, and so. Good news: it's going well so far. And my goals {blogging, fiction writing, etc.} are on my list too.

3. What it's like to meet with other homeschool families on a regular basis.

Steps I've taken so far: joined a homeschool co-op. Our first co-op day isn't until September, but we're signed-up, paid up, and excited. (OK, certain of us are more excited than others...) The classes I signed the kids up for are all enrichment (phys ed, art, a hands-on science lab) instead of things we absolutely have to have.

One reason for that is I already had our curriculum picked out and purchased before I knew we were going to do co-op. I didn't want to buy any more curriculum or overburden my kids with too many challenging classes. I want co-op days to be days they're excited about (also, co-op is on a Monday. No one needs too much challenge on a Monday morning, right? Least of all me.)

4. What's the best way for us to make a meal plan every week.

This is kind of related to #2. I'm incredibly blessed that my husband loves to cook. I can cook, but I don't love it the way he does. What that means is we both cook meals throughout the week, but we need to have better communication about who is cooking what, when, and which ingredients they'll be using. Because I do not like going to the pantry only to find one of my necessary ingredients was used up last Monday. (Side goal: gently reminding other family members to list depleted ingredients on the grocery list. Also related: convincing children not to put empty packages BACK IN THE PANTRY.)

Steps taken so far: yes, another list. And talking about what we both want to fix, based on the sale papers BEFORE I go to the store. (Because my husband likes to cook but he does not do the grocery shopping.)

5. What I want to learn next, in whatever books grab my attention. (I'm a "Knowledge Collector", remember?)

For several weeks this summer I was mostly reading about the First World War. That made for fascinating reading but it also burned me out a little bit. I still had a stack of reading, including some books that had been in my stack all summer, but I just wasn't motivated to read them any longer. So yesterday I returned all but a couple of books in my stack.

Which means I'm looking for more books that demand to be read. I'm particularly looking for non-fiction that is NOT war related.

Because, even though I started very young (see above picture) there are still so many things I want to learn.

So, do you have any suggestions for my "must read" stack? And what are you hoping to learn this year?
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July to the Max: Fireworks, Baseball, and Church Camp

July passed in a hurry, didn't it? Just like that, summer break is almost over and we're starting school on Monday. I'm excited about that, but also sorry to see our relaxing (and not so relaxing - church camp anyone?) days go.

Pinning Right Now:
I'm all about the planning these days.

We use The Story of the World: History for the Classical Child as our History spine so I love these printable planners from Barefoot Ragamuffin. Great way to keep track of all those extra reading books.

These weekly planners from The Flanders Family look like they'll be helpful for keeping my older students on track. I like to give them assignment sheets on Monday morning so they can be responsible for much of their own work.

Learning Tangent offers some simple homeschool planner pages.

If you're looking for more homeschool planner pages, I have a Pinterest Board just for you! (I also have a board for organizing which has other printable planners, not just for homeschooling)

Reading:
I've finished 11 books in July. (Come back tomorrow to see the full list).
I read one book for review in July: The Good News About Marriage.
My reading stack right now looks like this:

It was double this size, but I cleaned out the books that I just didn't have time to read. This stack is heavy on the non-fiction though, so I know some fiction will be sneaking in there. Several books are for a post I'm working on for next week: Reading Through World War 1. And let me just say: I'll be glad for a break from war reading once that's done.

Watching:
Guilty pleasure admission time: I've been watching old episodes of Magnum P.I. It's perfect escape watching after a long summer day. (Philip's even watching them with me despite his original hesitation. Next up: Matlock, which my husband somehow missed as a kid. I asked him what he watched at his grandma's house if they didn't watch Matlock, but his grandmas must not have been fans.) We're up to season 3 now. (Another admission: we skipped the first season.)

We watched the new Robocop. No, it's not the best movie ever. But it has Gary Oldman and Jennifer Ehle in it, two actors I always admire. And it raises some interesting questions about what exactly it is to be human and why can't science explain or duplicate that? (Yes, I can find an interesting philosophical discussion anywhere.)

We've started watching the Sharpe series because my husband is reading through the books. My impression is that it's Horatio Hornblower on land, but since we like HH, that's not a problem.

We finished watching the second series of Endeavor. This is good stuff. We've seen nearly all the episodes of Morse and all the episodes of Lewis and this is a great addition. (So fun to see John Thaw's daughter in this new series.)

And last but not least (and actually, this probably should have been first on this list since we watched this early in July), we finally watched The Lego Movie. Fun. (And "Everything is Awesome" has replaced "Let it Go" as my children's song of choice, which really is awesome because if I had to hear a Frozen song one. more. time...)

Going:

• We watched a great fireworks show with my sister's family.
• We celebrated the 4th with my grandparents
• My mom and I saw the Mary Poppins musical at a dinner theater place with a lovely group of friends.
• We finally made it out to some yard sales. I found some great education stuff (puzzles, magnets, games, etc.) but not much else.
• We spent a week at church camp. (Always a highlight of our summer!)
• We went to a Reds game with friends. (And the Reds actually won, which is a rarity these days. Sigh.)

(Not the greatest picture, but our photographer was a little unsteady on her feet. Anyway, it's proof that you can squeeze an almost 15 mo. baby into a moby wrap.)

Blogging:

I made a list of my favorite Books to Inspire a Love of America.

I talked about Summer Jobs, Theirs and Mine (a mom's manifesto).

I wrote a love letter to my ink pens (Sort of.): Cheap Notebooks and Nice Pens.

I shared 11 Tips for Homeschooling Without Breaking the Budget. One I didn't include: shop around for a co-op that doesn't break the bank. We found one near us that is much less than the others I researched. So we're giving it a try this year. It's still more than we're used to spending, so we're hoping to pick up some extra work to give the budget a bit of relief. We'll see how that goes.

So, what did you get up to in July? Are you ready for a new school year?
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This post contains affiliate links. See my disclosure page for more. Thanks so much to those of you who use my links or search box - every little bit helps!

Cheap Notebooks, Nice Pens: A Writing Life

We have so many devices available today. In our - admittedly slow to adopt technology and constrained by a tight budget - family we have a desktop computer, a laptop, my Kindle Fire, and two smart-ish phones. There are so many ways to record our thoughts, activities, and any aspect of our lives we care to remember or share with hundreds of people we may or may not know.

But when I need to write, must write, have to write or I might burst from holding words inside, I always reach for paper and pen.

I'm not particular about the paper, a cheap notebook will do. (For this reason alone back-to-school sales are like early Christmas. Notebooks for $0.17? Yes, please, I'll have them ALL.)

I am choosy about the pen. I prefer Pilot G-2s (since my budget doesn't reach to the truly nice pens). These pens have smoothly flowing ink and fine points, but not too fine, since a scratchy pen is an abomination.

When words are simply demanding to be written, I'll use whatever is at hand (markers, sharpies, colored pencils, crayons in truly dire circumstances) but if I can choose, I take up a pen.

I guard them jealously. My daughters like to take them, using them for intricate pen drawings or cartoons drawn on pilfered printer paper. "Where's my pen?!" is a common cry around our home, since my husband is equally jealous over his pens.

Why do I write when I may never be known for it or receive any acclaim for it? Why take up the carefully hidden pen and reach for paper again and again? Because I must.

The notebook page is blank. I take my perfect pen - not too heavy, not too plastic, just the write amount of ink - and the words come down with the ink, flowing from a part of my brain I don't even have to think about accessing. It's like a magic agreement between the one true Creator God, my empty paper, my rushing pen, and my brain that must spill out words in order to exist.

I may not ever be a published Author. I may never make any money from the scribblings in my notebooks. Or maybe I will, who can say? But it doesn't really matter anyway. A Writer is someone who wrote today.

And my pen is ready.

picture source: Pixabay

June in Review

• Birthdays in June: 5
• Parties: 4 (including a big open house for our new home, Father's Day, a graduation party, & a double birthday party)
• Library book sale: 1. Spent $20 and filled our bags to bursting (literally, not figuratively) with books, CDs, and audio books.
• Family Reunions: 1
• Reunion with TN friends, without children (miracle): 1. So nice to spend time with friends whose relationship with us has lasted over the years.
• Visit with IN friends, including children: 1. Philip preached for a friend, told about our camp program, and then there was an epic dodgeball game, of which I did not take part, not least because I spent the entire time trying to keep the iBoy from taking part, eating rocks, crawling into the road, etc. 
• Weeks of VBS: 1. Those 5 days are long and packed, though. The kids also got to go to VBS with their other grandparents and their Kentucky cousins for 2 days. They had a blast, of course.
• Anniversary: 15 Years of Marriage. They've been good years and I still love that boy.
• Number of large cups of coffee on Friday of our quick anniversary trip to Nashville: 3+. 
• Items that broke down: 1 van (now on its last miles but we haven't purchased a new to us vehicle yet. Think we're running on prayers at this point), 1 washing machine (Temporarily. It's working again now.), desktop computer hard drive (caput, but our friend was able to recover most of our files, pictures, etc.), 2 blenders (yes, not one, but two!)
• Items on my library card: 45.
• Items on Philip's library card: 45. That's so weird that we have the same number of things. He usually has more (we use his for the girls' school stuff) but we've been taking those back to get ready for a new school year. 
• Number of hair things Sweet Pea put in her hair one night (see above pictures): I didn't count but you sure couldn't see much of her hair
• Number of pictures taken: can't check this because our files are jumbled right now but I'm guessing around 500

Watching: Endeavor (the Morse prequel series), Silk (a British series), Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries (Australian series), Monuments Men (my verdict: not as good as the book) and a movie about a time traveling man who finds true love (probably not the one you're thinking of though the same girl stars in both).

Books published in 2014 finished in June:
Verdict: quite good, maybe better than the first. Warnings: rough language, very graphic murder
Verdict: well written and made me curious to know more about these people, but what I really wanted to do was give all those childish Americans in Paris in the 1920's a hearty slap on the face and telling-off. GROW UP ALREADY. What a bunch of spoiled brats. [/rant]

Books reviewed in June: How to Teach Your Children Shakespeare by Ken Ludwig.

Books read in June: at least 14. Check back later this week for the complete list.

Blog posts in June: 24 (including this one)
My favorite posts this month:

• 15 Years of Marriage
• "How Do I Look?" Advice for Husbands
• Favorite Fictional Fathers
• INTJ Life: Knowledge Collecting

Most popular posts this month:

• Used Curriculum Sale
• 5 Reasons I Love Peace Hill Press

On Creative and Domestic (a homemaking blog my sister and I just started), I shared:

• From Bannister to Built-Ins, how we made a custom bookcase from some IKEA shelves.
• A Gallery Wall in the Littles' Room, Miss Lili and the iBoy share a room and this will give you a sneak peek.

Pinterest Board I'm contemplating this week:

Follow Karen (Candid Diversions)'s board Celebrating - Glorious Fourth on Pinterest.

What did you do in June?

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Twitter Tuesday

My apologies to those of you who have seen all this before. One of the benefits of this blog is a record of what was going on in our family. So I'm saving these tweets here, lest I forget the days when our 3 yr old was addicted to Minecraft.

"It's fun to write letters to myself. I know exactly what I like," quote from our 9 year old this evening.
— Karen (@candiddiversion) June 16, 2014

Hosted an open house today & we've been eating all day long. Didn't stop 3 yr old from asking, "Mom, what's for supper?"
— Karen (@candiddiversion) June 8, 2014

Sorted coupons today & the iBoy (13 mo.) pulled the old ones out, squashed them, crawled on them, & threw them. Calling that sensory play.
— Karen (@candiddiversion) June 5, 2014

My 3 yr old is crying her eyes out because it's not her turn on Minecraft. We may need a step down program.
— Karen (@candiddiversion) June 4, 2014

The A/C guy is here! An lo, there was great rejoicing in all the land and he was greeted as a triumphant hero returning from battle.
— Karen (@candiddiversion) June 3, 2014

"Play while you play, work while you work. This is the way to go berserk." My 9 yr old "fixed" this First Language Lessons poem #homeschool
— Karen (@candiddiversion) June 2, 2014

Made a FB photo album of zoo trip w/ friends. Listed 7 kids, but my friend has 3 & I TOTALLY FORGOT I have 5 now. #whatalongweek
— Karen (@candiddiversion) May 31, 2014

Today is one of those days you hope your husband is having a good day at work because you are going to bust out of here when he gets home.
— Karen (@candiddiversion) May 30, 2014

"Mom, why don't we get report cards?" 12 yr old asked. 9 yr old replied: "Is Mom telling you, 'Good job, honey,' ALL THE TIME, not enough?"
— Karen (@candiddiversion) May 29, 2014

"My nap didn't go well because our 1yr old was just standing there watching me." File under: things @pdubarry says.
— Karen (@candiddiversion) May 29, 2014

Someone is whistling continuously in our library. WHEN did librarians stop shushing? And WHY?
— Karen (@candiddiversion) May 27, 2014

Best birthday gift given today: dead chipmunk from our cat. Wait. Did I say "best"? I meant grossest. Definitely grossest.
— Karen (@candiddiversion) May 20, 2014

"Dad, you're being like one of those bad kings in the Bible that keeps changing his mind. Like Pharaoh." = When church kids complain.
— Karen (@candiddiversion) May 18, 2014

12 yr old explaining baby boomers to 9 year old sister: "A bunch of guys came back from the war & got married & had kids. Boom! Babies."
— Karen (@candiddiversion) May 15, 2014

7 yr old is feeding her baby brother a jar of baby food. "This stuff smells like a bunny," she announced. Um, what?
— Karen (@candiddiversion) May 15, 2014

Just helped my 12 year old fill out applications for her first volunteer position. That sound you heard was my heart breaking a lil bit.
— Karen (@candiddiversion) May 12, 2014

One of my daughters just said to another, "Hey, let's play pretty ladies now!" No idea what this means but I think it involves tiaras.
— Karen (@candiddiversion) May 10, 2014

"Mama, is today tomorrow?" File under: philosophical questions asked by a 3 year old. #parenting #goaskyourdad
— Karen (@candiddiversion) May 8, 2014

"If at first I don't succeed, I'll try again. If I can't to it the 2nd time, I'm giving up." Direct quote from one of my daughters this A.M.
— Karen (@candiddiversion) May 5, 2014

Big 1st birthday bash tomorrow. Right now our kitchen looks like Cupcake Wars is shooting on location.
— Karen (@candiddiversion) May 2, 2014

Do you use Twitter? Where do you keep track of the funny things your kids say?

A Hobbit Movie, A Lie, and a Light

Philip and I watched The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaugrecently (the latest Hobbit movie) and this line spoken by one of the terrible creatures fighting against Gandalf jumped out at me:

There is no light that can defeat darkness.

Now, this was just an imaginary creature in a fantasy movie, of course. But darkness has said this since man fell in the garden. The Evil One whispers it to all of us. We believe it when we see our sin-cursed world groaning and travailing.

Sometimes we can't bear to read the news. Famines. Murders. Mass kidnappings. Earthquakes. Crushing debt. Scandals. Marriages abandoned like last year's fashions.

You read the headlines just like I do. They are filled with both natural disasters and man made atrocities.

The darkness is strong, oppressive. It beats us down.

But that statement is just a bold-faced lie of the enemy. "No light can defeat darkness," may feel true or it might seem true at times, but it is laughably, demonstrably false.

One definition of darkness is simply: the absence of light.

With that definition in mind, think about this: Any light defeats darkness. Even a small light holds back the terror of darkness.

Think about when you wake up in the middle of the night - pitch black outside, no lamp burning. Yet the tiny gleam from your clock-radio (you do still have one, right?) is enough to make your way around your room. The glow from my cell phone is enough to help me not trip over my own feet.

Every toddler understands the power of the nightlight. Just a tiny bulb, and yet it's powerful enough to keep monsters at bay.

One match will provide enough light to see. Or it could spark an entire array of candles. One spark. One flame. Much power.

Any light, every light, defeats the darkness.

Yes, light is better, stronger, in greater numbers. You can do more or finer work in better light. But it only takes a tiny gleam to destroy the illusion of total darkness.

Even when you feel like your light is the only one, let it shine. Your light alone may be enough to defeat a monster of darkness. And, better yet, someone may see your light and be encouraged that they are not alone.

In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. John 1:4-5 ESV, emphasis mine.

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