House in Order

I like this Thirty Days to a Clean House (but I hate the format)

I like this Spring Cleaning at All Things Frugal, too.

We have this week off, so I wanted to go through the house and get things in order. The problem, however, is not so much dirt as it is clutter. All the books that I bring downstairs to use for school end up in piles all over the downstairs. I suppose I really ought to decide what we are really going to use for these last 10 weeks, and bring the rest back upstairs to reshelve. That is something I am dreading a bit because it is going to Take. A. Long. Time. And involve thought, and who wants to think right now?

I will update on how it goes. Perhaps I ought to combine this house order thing with planning for next term and next year.... ahh... there's a thought.

Here are checklists from the past:
Executive Function Spreadsheet
Weekly Routine
Monthly Checklist
Seasonal Checklist

Creative Homemaker

OK, this isn't exactly about homeschooling.

But there are several Free E-Books from Creative Homemaker. I use the Quick Breads one and the Muffins one quite a lot, which is more than I can say for most of the cookbooks I own.

Day 82

We did not have any formal academics yesterday because we had to take Clare down to the orthodontist at 8 and it was afternoon before we got back.

I have to say I think the reason I could do so much during the holidays while still taking it easy boils down to: No Trips into Town.

It's not just the sheer time it takes and the energy. In addition, my vestibular system stays out of whack for the rest of the day. So since I knew Clare values watching movies with me occasionally, I spent the afternoon watching The Scarlet Pimpernel with the kids, feeling horribly queasy not because of the movie, which was OK especially Ian McKellan as Chauvelin, but because of the trip. Then I played card games with the younger ones, and made dinner, and read to Paddy and that was about it.

Today, though, Sean did his usual basics -- finished Screwtape Letters and read Earth Science as well as Algebra, Greek, and Vocabulary.

Kieron did math (adding decimals -- I had him practice 5's and 2's ahead of time to help with motor memory in his reversals, and it did seem to help -- he executed the rest without an error). He finished book 2 of Hey Andrew and read his religion book and the next Shakespeare story in Lamb's.

Paddy and Aidan were having relationship difficulties today, mostly Aidan's fault. I kept them apart for a while and then brought out several of their Christmas toys (I am keeping them in the closet and rotating them for variety) and that seemed to ease things. The older kids gravely commented on the psychology of their conflict. I think Sean's opinion was quite just -- that Aidan remembers Paddy's "barbarian" days and still operates from fear and resentment from those times, while Paddy has gone beyond that developmentally and has forgotten the whole thing and so is very hurt and crushed when Aidan scolds him for no reason, which sadly he does.

Ah, siblings!

What I reaaally want to do is work on my story. I can feel it pulling me now. But there is THIS:


I am not sure if you can see it -- it is my household management sheet. I'm trying to make them up weekly, but this is only an approximation. I am trying to figure out what is helpful and what is redundant or unnecessary.