Almost Organized

You know how if you let the bathroom sink get yucky and then you finally clean it, the improvement can make you cheerful for several days?

No? Um, okay. Good for you, then . . .

Anyway, that's how school is feeling to me right now. Last week we worked in a winging it/freeform/seat of our pants/"we've done this for 15 years" style. It turned out well enough, although the children kept asking me for their checklists (which were not even created, let alone filled out!).

So this weekend I buckled down and made some decent progress. I packed away old papers to make room for new. I set up (not completely, I admit) an "order of subjects" for the day (to make sure everything actually fits). I figured out how much Latin (a lot!) and history (5 measly pages) Joe needs to cover every week. I started a written "to do" list (SO much better than the ethereal version!) and organized driving, etc. And I settled our school lunch menu cycle.

There's plenty left to do. I need to finalize the order of the day. Then I will finally set up new checklists. These lists are really handy, even if they're not filled out until after some of the schooling is done. I need to update my dinner cycle, which, yes, does affect the classroom/teacher availability. Etc. Etc.

I'm feeling cheerful because even though it's not all set up, I have enough figured out to give today a good start. And I've done enough to keep me motivated to finish--it's no longer so daunting a project that I'm afraid to get started.

Sometimes the littlest thing can make a big difference. Last night after I settled the lunch menu, I discovered that this Monday we were to eat tuna or egg salad. Instead of deciding and preparing it today, I had time to make egg salad so that Len and Daniel could pack some this morning. And now it's ready for the homeschoolers, too.

I could have been discouraged and angry with myself about how much organizing I left for the last minute (and still haven't finished). That's often my reaction to my failings. I'm grateful for the limited progress this weekend and that this time, at least, my attitude is positive. I pray I can keep that outlook . . .