The Week Ahead

Today starts our new summer schedule. I just have to have a schedule. I do not operate well without one. And, frankly, neither do the kids. They certainly need their down time in a day, but they also thrive on some consistency.

An important thing for me is to start my day "right". So, even though it's summer, I set my alarm for 7:00 a.m. this morning and started my day reading my devotional. I used to be a big journaler, but have fallen off in the past couple of years. I have SO much swirling around in my head that I need to get out, but not in a public forum. I am think of journaling each morning on my computer. I love handwritten journals, but my thoughts are so fast that I think I might actually stick with it if I can click away at the computer.

I got up and walked this morning with my mom and friend, Brenda, and was home by 8:50 a.m. to get the kids up and going. They get an hour of breakfast and downtime before we start our school work at 10:00 a.m.

Schoolwork in the summer? Yeah, it's just a necessity for many reasons. After just a week off, they were already showing signs of boredom which leads to picking at each other and driving me crazy. Two hours of schoolwork each morning won't kill them. And, I have decided to pay them each 50 cents a day for two hours of good work with a good attitude. They can save the money or spend it on treats at the pool when we start going. They are excited about this incentive.

I am also wanting to get lots of projects done around the house, but lack motivation. So I am jumping back on the Home Sanctuary bandwagon. She has lots of extra things you can do in your home that don't take much time.

Speaking of my house, I am also starting back up my Acronym Cleaning Schedule. This is how I do it:

• Monday - Mounds of Laundry and Mop it Monday (laundry and floors)
• Tuesday - Toilets Tuesday (clean the bathrooms)
• Wednesday - Wipe it Wednesday (dusting)
• Thursday - Tidy up Thursday (spend the day putting things back where they go)
• Friday - Finish Laundry and Floors Friday (pretty much a repeat of Monday, without the mopping)

If I stick to this schedule I am able to stay on top of my housework!

I've also been slipping in the healthy eating department, for both myself and the kids. I am reading Trim Healthy Mama that I hope will give me some added excitement in this area. And I got some meals planned for the next week (although they do not fit into the meal plans provided by Trim Healthy Mama, I am sure). But at least they are planned meals.

Here's what we have going on this week:

Monday

• Schoolwork: Life Cycles, multiplication, handwriting, reading
• Activities: Walking to grandma's for lunch, Brynne's softball game in the evening
• Housework: Mounds of Laundry and Mop it Monday (my doggy hair floors .. yuck!), give the dogs a bath
• Dinner: Sub sandwiches, veggie crisps, and Gogurt before the game

Tuesday

• Schoolwork: Life Cycles, multiplication, handwriting, reading
• Activities: I have my women's circle in the evening
• Housework: Toilets Tuesday (get that bathroom cleaned!)
• Dinner: Homemade pizza

Wednesday

• Schoolwork: Life Cycles, multiplication, handwriting, reading
• Activities: Dawson works in the evening, the rest of us having nothing planned
• Housework: Wipe it Wednesday (dusting!)
• Dinner: Popcorn chicken, waffle fries

Thursday 

• Schoolwork: Life Cycles, multiplication, handwriting, reading
• Activities: Another day with nothing on the calendar!
• Housework: Tidy up Tuesday (get all that stuff put back where it belongs)
• Dinner: Spaghetti

Friday

• Schoolwork: None. We take Fridays off!
• Activities: Cub Scout picnic and graduation to Webelos I, Rick's here for the weekend
• Housework: Finish up Laundry and Floors (again) Friday
• Dinner: Cookout at the park

Saturday

• Schoolwork: It's the weekend, silly!
• Activities: Fishing Derby at the park, Me and my mom are going to a neighborhood garage sale in Kansas City
• Housework: None
• Dinner: Chicken lasagna (pre-made on Friday so it can be popped in the oven)

Sunday

• Schoolwork: None.
• Activities: Church in the a.m., hopefully a relaxing afternoon
• Housework: Wash sheets
• Dinner: Chicken quesadillas

I am linking up with Menu Plan Monday at I'm an Organizing Junkie. I haven't done that in a while!