Getting organized again...

I've been so involved in the settling in/cleaning/organizing/preparing for the new school year that I've not found much time to be here.  We're enjoying our new space - very much so, and then some.  Gerald often tells me that I'm a spoiled brat.  I know it.  I try to be a thankful and appreciative spoiled brat. :) I expected that the best part of all this would be the newness of everything, and that is very nice, but I think even better is having more space.  I love having space to move and spread out and I'm not in any hurry to fill it up with stuff.  In fact, I'm pretty set on the idea of NOT filling it up.  Have you ever noticed how much easier it is to clean a room that is not stuffed with stuff?  Part of having more space is having a place for everything.  We're almost there.  A few closets still need shelves in them, and once that happens we'll pretty much have a place for everything and no need to have stuff laying around.  But, it's one thing to have a place for everything, and quite another to keep everything in its place... (How often can a person use the word stuff in a paragraph without using it too much?)

A live doll...what could  be better?

We haven't started school yet.  No, we are not behind or late.  We are running on our time, which is the homeschooler's prerogative. :)  I used this week to set up our new schedule - no small task! - and do some planning, as well as getting the two oldest set up with some Tree of Life courses.  The kids are excited to get started.  I'm getting there.  It's with a little trepidation that I consider the upcoming year.  I set out to keep things simple in the hopes of getting a little more breathing space; a more relaxed pace.  Ha.  I don't think that is possible at this stage.  So the reality is, I think this year will be more intense than ever.  For the first time I've had to set out my morning schedule in 15 minute time slots just to fit in time with everyone who needs me, when they need me.  I really don't know how well this will work.  We do work well on a time schedule - but every 15 minutes does seem a bit extreme. 

I don't know how or why Nadia's cat baby puts up with her, even coming back for more.

It will be nice to get back into routine.  I was going to say normal life, but I'm not sure what that is anymore.  In our spare time we will still be plugging away at the many finishing touches that still need to be done.  I'm trying to remember that life is about more than getting the next job done.  It feels like this whole year has been spent making job lists and working hard to strike an item off the list, only to get to the next one.  The next few (several?...many?) months will be like that yet.  That's just how life is, but there is more.  In time we'll get back to the 'more'.

Sometimes a little unruly, but still no match for this determined little mother.

Before I sign off, I want to pass on a link to one of Annie Kate's posts from a few weeks ago .  It is full of wonderful links to great Charlotte Mason-ish resources.  Among them are links to a three part docu-drama of Paddle to the Sea.  I only watched a snippet of it, but I know that my kids, who love that book, will enjoy these.