Chickafinty ~ A Life in the Laundry

New project underway

I have a new project on the go and as soon as we get our computer back it will have a dedicated blog set up for it.
It's an intensely personal subject so the blog will be password protected. If you'd like to read it, email me for the password.
I'm scared silly, which is ridiculous, as it is nothing actually scary.
I'm still sick incidentally with the chest infection that I had last week. Am utterly sick of being sick. There is so much I need to be doing and I am accomplishing none of it.
I am going to have to rest solidly for a couple of days and try to get rid of it for good.

Dot point

• I have been busy.  Very busy.
•  haven't blogged in ages...it's not that there is nothing to say, just not a lot of time in which to say it.
• I'm juggling three jobs now, not just two.  I am mother, homemaker and teacher.  I love it and I wouldn't swap it for quids, but it is a juggling act.
• Goodbye Foxtel, Hello TiVo.  No more mindless tv watching.
• We are researching the classical education model with a view to following it for the kids.
• We're in the process of getting quotes for curtains in the lounge room.  First quote $1024.  <gulp> Second quote $760...a lot more palatable.
• Mister Bear has been working 12 hour days for two weeks and is so tired he can just about sleep standing up.  We have another week of this and then it might slow down a bit.  For Maria and others who'll know what this means, he's in the second week of User Acceptance Testing on a new software product for the whole business.
• I am 'deschooling' and it's a long and difficult process.  The kids are fine; I'm the one with the problem.

OK.  Time to get moving again.

*sob*

The Foxtel box went yesterday.

More on that tomorrow.  There may be some interesting developments.

Today I am grateful for...

* the cup of coffee that arrived on my bedside this morning before my eyes even opened

* the man who brought it to me.  He makes my life beautiful

* the stock of cleaning materials in the cupboard that make my house smell wonderful

* the ability to spend each and every day with the Small People

* no longer having to worry about facing a class for the day

* a new book : Tea Time for the Traditonally Built

* a clean bathroom

* rain

Preparing the schoolroom I

1. clean bathroom

2. clean toilet

3. ironing

4. folding

5. laundry

6. ironing

7. folding

8. laundry

9. lather, rinse, repeat

10. bins

11. vacuuming

12. mop floors

13. deChristmas

14. plan for Preparing the school room II

Christmas Countdown

1. load of washing on line

2. do another load of washing

3. make beds

4. tidy floors

5. load of washing, hang out previous load

6. tidy lounge room

7. tidy family room

8. clean kitchen, empty dishwasher and reload

9. load of washing and hang out previous load

10. make pavlova

11. clean bathroom and toilet

12. decorate with Christmas linen

13. make cookies complete non starter as pavlova has to cool in the oven...Mister Bear is buying shortbread instead

14. prepare vegetables for tonight

15. whip cream

16. vacuum and dust whole house

17. wrap presents

18. find gift tags or make simple ones

19. set table for Christmas dinner

20. buy additional gift for Mister Bear

21. decorate Christmas tree

22. sort out clothes for everyone for tonight and for church and festivities tomorrow

23. ...

A fabulous new find!

Long time readers will know that I have long sought after the Holy Grail of home management.  I have tried many of the online organising helps, I've bought e-books on decluttering, joined homemaking forums and yahoogroups, but to no avail.  They all lacked *something* and as I couldn't define what the *something* was, I couldn't find what I wanted.

Last week at Works for me Wednesday hosted by Shannon, one of the Mr Linky's pointed me to Motivated Moms.  There, on my computer screen, was what I have been searching for.  The PERFECT home organiser.

I have bought the week to a page printable chore list and it looks fantastic.  It's downloadable and printable and cost $USD8...worked out to be about $11AUD.

Layouts, Pyjama Days and Holidays

LAYOUTS

Have been working on a number of scrapbook layouts this past weekend.  Finished the Princess one for Ladybaby, made a PIRATE layout for a challenge at LSBS, started and finished Spatter Painting and am now working on Cubby House.  That's just about more layouts in one weekend than I have done all year.  Cubby House was inspired by a Becky Higgins sketch from her first book, but as so often happens, the results didnd't match up with what I had in my mind.  I played with it for about an hour last night cursing the fact that I've run out of Un-Du and in the end Mister Bear suggested that I simply walk away.

Now that I look at it again this morning I realise that it looks ok.  Pretty good actually.  A couple of fifteen minute slots today should see it finished and then I can move onto the next project.

HOLIDAYS

The kids start holidays on Monday, but I am seriously considering giving them an extra few days.  Ladybaby has a teasy cough, Chickabid has a nasty cut under his eye and a teasy cough and I am definitiely cooking something unpleasant.  My voice began to give out yesterday and as I don't have a sore throat this can't be good.  Today has already been declared a "pyjama day" and although we're not actually going to wear pyjamas, we're going to have a quiet day together. 

If we're being honest we're getting more and more disenchanted with the school system.  Chickabid came home a few weeks ago talking about the book they were reading in Crunch, Sip and Read time and whilst it was nothing truly objectionable, it wasn't a book that we would have chosen for our children.  Something that Mister Bear and I have realised over the last few years is that with kids it's very much a case of GIGO - Garbage In, Garbage Out.  Fill their minds with computer games, electronic media and garbage and garbage is pretty much all you'll get.  We want more than that for our kids.  We want to know what they're being taught.  We want to know what values are being instilled in the kids.  It's part (but not all) of the reason we've decided to homeschool.

Lazy Saturdays?

Once upon a time Saturdays were lazy days.  BK (Before Kids) Saturdays rarely got going until well after 10am.  Things kind of slackened off in that department when Chickabid came along, and then there were the dark years between 2005 and 2007 when weekend sleep only came in a chemically induced form, but those days it would seem, are over.

O.V.E.R.

The alarm went at 6am today.  There are three key words in that sentence:

alarm...6am...today.

6am on Saturday.

Ladybaby had Little Athletics at 7.45, Chickabid had basketball at 9.  The outside temperature was 14 degrees (57), but had climbed to 35 (95) by 11am.  Even a thick layer of sunscreen was not enough to prevent sunburn and now that the sun has gone down it's beginning to bite.

Ladybaby spent most of the time crying and asking to go home - we're not confident that Little Athletics is going to be appropriate for her.  Chickabid loves he basketball and with practice each week he's getting better.  His coordination is improving and he actually shot several baskets in a row today.

I know this post is rambly, but the Ladybaby is not well and I need to go deal...

Projects and Priorities

1. secret anniversary business
2. letter for Susan about Melinda for the award
3. tax for 2007-2008
4. altered tissue box for Ladybaby
5. ...