I have been thinking...., while sometimes these are dangerous words, I don't think they are in this case! ;-). I want to try to "re-invent" the way my family and I live. We don't have lots of extravagant things or all the "latest" but we do have alot, more than enough. There was a blog I read and I can't seem to get it out of my head, it was about living simply; not going without but living with only want you need with a few higher priced items that fit what you like or do, for example an Apple laptop because you blog, do photography, make music, or movies therefore it would be a good investment or a more "expensive" treat, but you would use it.
I have been struggling with my children with cleaning up after ourselves, taking care of our things, and being responsible. So the blog topic keeps coming back to me and I realized we can do without some of the things we have and it would cut down on the clutter and mess; which is a great selling point for me because I hate looking at the clutter and mess and I feel overwhelmed to deal with it all, I am THE only one in my household that cares to do anything about it.
With all this in mind, my 9 year anniversary is looming around the corner along with my birthday and the holidays, so I got to thinking......, "How can I accomplish living simply and making all these dates memorable?" I would like to start with my anniversary, but I have no idea, what kind of things we (my husband and I) can do to celebrate or what to give each other that we don't have to spend money on but can do the job of giving each other a gift that is appreciated and remembered? The best gifts are those that are homemade, come from the heart, and have more thought in it than money, right?! So, if you have any suggestions or ideas, I would appreciate the help!
Monday, November 22, 2010
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
School, School, and More School
So far I have only posted about my crazy extended family..., today I need to post about me. The reason I haven't posted isn't because I have run out of crazy, but because I am so behind and stressed.
I homeschool two out of three of my children, because the youngest is two. I am also enrolled in college. I have put off going to school and finally decided to start, this is my second semester in. I decided to homeschool after the second one started (not throughly thought out). It is my fault that I let my own studies fall behind, so now I am frantically trying to catch up before a test and paper is due. The homeschool curriculum I use is not a bad one, it is actually good, but not for us. I am teaching (sitting at a table with pencil and paper, my children are) for 9 hours not including lunch break. I cannot live and teach like this. I want it to be fun and exciting and different than sitting in a classroom all day at a desk. I don't even have time to look up and tweak or lesson plans because of my school, keeping up with a house (cleaning), teaching, doctors appointments, oh and cooking.
I talked with a friend today about some things they do with their homeschool and it lead to why exactly I am in school. She asked me, "What is the point in putting yourself through this stress for a piece of paper?". I had no response. I initially thought that it's because I love learning, I love being in the kind of environment where you interact and discuss to learn. Granted online schooling you don't get that the same, but I wanted to start somewhere. Her question goes over and over in my mind. Is it really pointless? Should I drop the extra stress in order to commit fully to my children's education, while putting mine on the back burner, again? I mean, I don't really have a "goal" in order to have that piece of paper to show to potential job places. I always wanted to be a mom, to stay home and care for my kids, be readily available to them for the time(s) that they need me. Sure, there are plenty of things I am interested in, like photography, reading/editing, writing (and you see how much I get to do that); but is the degree, a piece of paper, worth what I enjoy? Can't I do all these things without a degree, and be good at them?
I have to think more on it, but should I quit after this semester?
I homeschool two out of three of my children, because the youngest is two. I am also enrolled in college. I have put off going to school and finally decided to start, this is my second semester in. I decided to homeschool after the second one started (not throughly thought out). It is my fault that I let my own studies fall behind, so now I am frantically trying to catch up before a test and paper is due. The homeschool curriculum I use is not a bad one, it is actually good, but not for us. I am teaching (sitting at a table with pencil and paper, my children are) for 9 hours not including lunch break. I cannot live and teach like this. I want it to be fun and exciting and different than sitting in a classroom all day at a desk. I don't even have time to look up and tweak or lesson plans because of my school, keeping up with a house (cleaning), teaching, doctors appointments, oh and cooking.
I talked with a friend today about some things they do with their homeschool and it lead to why exactly I am in school. She asked me, "What is the point in putting yourself through this stress for a piece of paper?". I had no response. I initially thought that it's because I love learning, I love being in the kind of environment where you interact and discuss to learn. Granted online schooling you don't get that the same, but I wanted to start somewhere. Her question goes over and over in my mind. Is it really pointless? Should I drop the extra stress in order to commit fully to my children's education, while putting mine on the back burner, again? I mean, I don't really have a "goal" in order to have that piece of paper to show to potential job places. I always wanted to be a mom, to stay home and care for my kids, be readily available to them for the time(s) that they need me. Sure, there are plenty of things I am interested in, like photography, reading/editing, writing (and you see how much I get to do that); but is the degree, a piece of paper, worth what I enjoy? Can't I do all these things without a degree, and be good at them?
I have to think more on it, but should I quit after this semester?
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