Sunday, August 24, 2008

School starts tomorrow...

Our homeschool and my oldest's public school starts tomorrow. I'm not ready yet. Not ready because my oldest is going to high school. Not ready because there was a whole bunch more stuff I was going to get done this summer. Not ready because I am still trying to clean up and declutter.

Plus, I have a ton of laundry to do. (Edited on 9/10/08 to change "please" to "plus.")

Oh well, it will be okay.

"Just take the next step," is what my husband always says. Just do the next thing.

So, I'm off to do some laundry and figure out what we'll have for breakfast. (Not that I usually do that, but I am trying to be better about planning our menus.)

Thursday, August 21, 2008

Cleaning out and straightening up

I have been going through our things, trying to clean out some clutter. Some of this "clutter" is things that others could use--we've just grown beyond them.

I have auctions on ebay under the name boughttoomuch. Lots of homeschool stuff.

I have books on Paperback Swap under the name leahintexas. I have 13 books that I will mail today.

I have got to make more room from some of our current homeschool choices. We are doing Ambleside Online years 3 and 5 this year.



However, I think I am going to resolve to make this a year that we "use what we have." Not that I won't buy anything (I already have bought a few new things), but I really need to either use it or...sell, swap or give it away.


It seems I go through cycles. I haven't been willing to get rid of some of this stuff for a while, afraid that "we might need this...". I'm moving to a position of wanting fewer things around and having more willingness to let things go. I'm sure this is related in some way to my spiritual and emotional life, but I don't really have much time to ponder it now!


I have been praying that God would help me be a better housekeeper and want to be a better housekeeper. I just started praying that God would help me add beauty to my home, inside and out. That doesn't come naturally to me, but I really long for it. I'm not talking about things, but more about the arrangement of things, order, cleanliness, and small touches that make a home seem warm, harmonious and inviting. Sometimes I think this is such a small thing and how could God care, but then I remember the world He created for us. He didn't have to make it beautiful, but He did!


I also need more beauty in my spirit.


There is always something to work on!