Leatherstocking Tales

Building from the Ground Up

Lately I've been frustrated because so many of the things I have wanted and felt like I am called to do -- homeschooling, for instance -- have been sliding as I care for the babies.  I am not frustrated about having the babies, because they really are a miracle, just worried that I'm not doing enough with my other kids.  And we have not been eating very well either, as meals are pretty catch-as-catch-can.  I know that eating better would improve everyonbe's disposition, especially in these winter months. (Although right now it is 50 degrees and sunny and almost all the snow is gone, forming a lake in one corner of our property... good thing we had to wait a season to put in a garden, because it might have been inundated until too late in the spring to plant, and too wet to grow well.) 

Anyway, I was thinking that maybe the thing to improve everyone's spirits would be for me to a)relax and b)build our foundation first, then c)worry about adding a little more structure as far as "school" goes. (Not that we ever have a tremendous amount of structure, but it is helpful for me to set aside a few hours when we will all DO SOMETHING.)  So my goal now is to discover many recipes that I can make that don't include much prep time (I already have a collection of some of those, but we need more), and to decide how I might possibly do once a month cooking.  Then I need to stick with it.  I also need to keep working on the house as I can.  Since we moved when I was nearly 30 weeks pregnant, I wasn't really able to do much unpacking or organizing.  The house shows it.  I recently read in a Montessori publication that, in order to increase self-reliance in children, about 90% of their possessions should be packed away at any given time.  That way it's easier for them to maintain their own areas.  Then the toys can be rotated as the child is bored of the 10% that's out.

I have to add something to that.  For the past year or so, I have been ruthlessly paring down everyone's "stuff" (except for the books, which are my weakness.  But they're books, you know.)  This is a constant battle, because of the gifts the kids often receive from well-intentioned relatives.  I thought we had gotten the toy count down to a somewhat more manageable level, but then we had Christmas.  Anyway, I'm going to have to get to work again.  I think there are still things we can give away or set aside for a garage sale, and then we can box up 80-90% of what's left.  I dislike storing anything, but some of the toys my eldest does not play with anymore would still be good for the little boys to play with when they get older. 

I do like having a plan.