amitymamaThe Attachment Parenting Community

TraceyH · 07-05-2008, 05:53 PM

Did you make summer plans that you have yet to get to?
Such as *cleaning the school area, or getting crafts organized or read more books or get through Math*?

I have wanted to organize and simplify (like down to the bare essentials) all summer. I got half-way and just left a table FULL of books and craft items!!

I need encouragement to get it done!!!
I even skipped all that to organize my laundry room (which houses my soap-making and other craft supplies)..... and a few other organizing things.

I MUST get this school stuff done before the end of July and I just don't WANT too...
Thanks for the whine!!

jma924 · 07-05-2008, 07:21 PM

Yeah...I had these visions of grandeur where I would work through all the rooms of our house--getting them all decluttered before we "start back" to school next Monday. I had planned to watch all the "teacher's dvd's" that go along with IEW's TWSS (there's 9 dvd's). Unfortunately, 99% of that has not happened...and we start back to school on Monday (after 6 weeks off). Oh well, that's what the evenings will have to be for!!

snugbug · 07-05-2008, 08:35 PM

I need to get through our toy room, school room, computer room clutter. I also had wanted to finish certain aspects of our curriculum (we've put in 'enough' days but didn't finish the curriculum itself). Today my husband actually instigated a clean up of the toy and school rooms and got all the kids involved. We got everything preliminarily cleaned up, floor cleared- lots of progress. I need to go in there again sometime soon and deep organize and declutter (especially crafts)- hopefully soon.

I keep daydreaming about how great it will be when these jobs are done- I just lack the motivation to put in the effort. The computer room has been a catch all place for everything for the past year- so its barely even accessable. When its cleaned up I have tables that will line the walls and the kids have their own computers (for games that they can earn time for- dh is a programmer, hence all the computers around this house). They can also then have their sewing machine set up and can work on projects that I keep not letting them do. And the toy/school room would be so great if it was decluttered and organized enough to function as such.

Lots of progress today- just need to keep the momentum going!

Sarah

TeriMomOf4 · 07-05-2008, 10:03 PM

We don't really stop school. We stop the regular curriculum when it runs out, but I keept doing "school" with them. Although I am so loosey goosey about it, maybe it doesn't really count.

I did go through the school room and declutter and sort though. It was just getting to be overwhelming!

TraceyH · 07-05-2008, 10:13 PM

Yeah, we are very light, eclectic and go-with-the-flow schoolers *but* I want to scale waaaay back on the "catch-all" stuff that you mentioned, Sarah!! That is huge here too. I mean we do live and use our home and we do keep it somewhat tidy but ACK the *stuff*!!!

I would love to just have like 7 plates, 7 cups, 7 forks... you know what i mean.... and wash daily like LHOP!! OK< we do wash daily but there is always more on the counter!

It is sooo awesome when the dh's will step up and step in to keep that momentum going. That is how I stay afloat sometimes. I appreciate those moments more than any bouquet of flowers (those are nice too, though

.

OK. so let's get to that clutter and all be ready (or at least a bit closer) for the Fall...

And Jenn, hey that is a blessing of homeschooling!! If you aren't quite ready, just dive in and get ready while doing the work!! Wow, you start back early!! Do you take a lot of breaks or do you just like to get things over before Spring fever hits?

Robin · 07-06-2008, 12:00 AM

We totally reorganized our school room a couple of weeks ago while our 2 oldest were staying with family. We actually converted their play room into a school/office. I really like the layout.

My summer projects include completing curriculum for this year and getting our curriculum for next year. Then personally I am going to reorganize my scrapbook stuff. Next week we are revamping our daily schedule so we will see how that goes. I just want us to have a loose schedule in place and running before the fall. We have been so flexible that I felt like I was scrambling at the end of the year (and this summer) to finish everything I wanted us to complete.

jma924 · 07-06-2008, 12:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by livingfree

And Jenn, hey that is a blessing of homeschooling!! If you aren't quite ready, just dive in and get ready while doing the work!! Wow, you start back early!! Do you take a lot of breaks or do you just like to get things over before Spring fever hits?

We ended around the third week of May---just before our state's homeschool conference and my oldest dd's dance recitals. It was nice to be done before all that "craziness!"

The six week break was perfect--we treasured every moment of "summer break"...it was long enough to do a lot of fun stuff (picnics, VBS, camping, crafts, swimming, etc), but not too long where the kids get bored. If we start back next week, it gives us a nice jumpstart with a buffer to keep us from getting behind if we want to take a couple of weeks off at the holidays or if someone is ill...or to accommodate field trips, etc. We'll start back somewhat slowly--adding things in as we feel comfortable......for the remainder of the summer (until the end of August), we'll try to finish up by lunchtime most days so we can still go swimming and see friends, etc.