SHUT UP!!!!!

Do you ever read the signs that are outside churches? I love 'em. You know, like the one that says: CH CH, What's missing? You are. Sometimes the sayings are cute. Sometimes they make me a little sad. But the one up the street from us is pissing me off! It says: Lord, Keep your arm around my shoulder and your hand over my mouth. That's a great sign. Since I've read it, though, I can't seem to control what is coming out of my mouth. It's my bad attitude coming out in full force. Tell me no, or I can't, and it is on. But why this sign? And why can I not just shut up?

We were at my in laws this past Sunday and I got sick of listening to myself. How often does that happen? To answer the question "Are you talking just to hear the sound of your own voice?", yes, I am. I love the sound of my own voice. I am wise and philosophical, and funny, and a little full of myself. There is no denying that I have a tumultuous relationship with my SIL. I have tried very hard to take the high road. There are times that I could have said so much, but refused. I didn't want to be the one spreading rumors or throwing gossip around. Sunday, however, was a different story. It seemed like every time her name came up I did not have one nice, decent thing to say. I have never been so happy to leave my in laws. That meant I didn't have to spew forth with all my verbal garbage. Horrible, horrible.

Wednesday we get to dance class and I am ushering my kids to the back room. One of the dance moms that I have known for a couple of years now was talking to the ballet mistress. The mom asked if my kids were out of school for the day. Standard reply, no we home school. She commented on my sanity and how intact it was. Some days I can barely hold it together, but it was nice to hear. I started to say that I would rather be with my kids than with anyone else, but what came out was how I would rather be with my kids than leave them to the horrible teachers in public school that we dealt with. Where did that come from? And it got worse from there because I had to elaborate. More verbal garbage, more spewing. I finally went into class just to shut myself up.

Today we were at the park, having a lovely time. We talked all kinds of great topics then got onto our lack luster President. Anybody have any tape? The shiny silver duct tape will do, thank you. Staples would work. I don't feel like I said anything inappropriate, I just said it really loud and voiced my opinion every chance I got. Did I mention that I was loud? Criminy jeepers. You would think I had been drinking or smoking crack or something. If I had been smoking weed at least I would have been mellow, but none for me thank you.

Hubby and I were having our quiet time this evening and I mentioned my little problem. The story is much better with the audio. The noises I make to simulate verbal spewage are quite entertaining. He said a prayer for me. How nice was that? He just stopped, asked if I wanted to pray about it, and we did.

Tomorrow we go to a local theme park with a bunch of teenagers and get to see a Christian concert. It's an all day affair, well into the early morning hours. I hope I can control myself and my mouth. I have been kicked out of many bars, but I do not think it would be cool to get kicked out of church. If you have some time, please pray for me. I need all the help I can get. And I need to just shut up.

No SUVs Yet

It has been a while and I apologize. I have been busy, but really haven't felt like blogging. Crazy I know, but true. Today I got myself into a really great topic that has me pretty fired up. It's been all over the news, but not until I Facebooked about it. Before you know it that will be a verb you know, as in: I Facebooked until my fingers fell off and I couldn't see straight. But now, on with the show.

Last night we were driving home when hubby called and said to put it on an AM station he was listening to. It was Lou Dobbs and normally I don't listen to talk radio. As manic as I am, I think it would really make me crazy. They were talking about a planned speech that Obama was going to make to the schools in the country. It was going to be pumped into the schools and the Department of Education was sending pamphlets for teachers to use as a teaching tool. My ass, that's what it was for. It was to indoctrinate our children into the Obama Regime.

Let me clarify a point before I continue. I do not have a problem with the President showing up at a school and giving a speech. I don't think that it should be political. Do elementary kids really understand the difference between a Republican and a Democrat, left wing versus right wing, rhetoric or true, heart felt words? Except for the occasional political savant, I'm going to say no. I have a huge issue with the President being pumped into schools and students being made to listen to his speech and then having to do an assignment about it. Specially one that was geared the way this one was. On to the ranting and raving.

The speech was supposed to be about education and the need for kids to stay in school. I personally think kids need to be out of public schools. Public schools have taken a socialist stance that has just gotten worse over the years. Bring school supplies for everyone to share. Make sure you buy the requested 3 boxes of crayons and bring them in the first day so little Jimmy can have some, too. His family is poor and can't afford them. They are freakin' 12 cents a box before school starts. Are you telling me that little Jimmy's mom and dad can't afford one box of crayons? Dig in your couch cushions, clean out your change cubby in your car, and you can probably afford a few of those supplies. But I have to tell you, we can't afford 3 boxes of crayons for every kid in class. I know they are only twelve cents, but there are at least 18 kids in a class. Multiply 12 cents by 3 boxes by 18 kids and you have $6.48. Still not a lot of money, but if we did that for every school supply that is on the list, we would break the bank. Kleenex, hand cleaner, notebook paper, pencils, pens, stupid planners that you can only buy at school. Why does a third grader need a planner again? Oh, yeah, the schools are preparing the kids to be good little government workers.

The pamphlet itself is what I have issue with. The questions were worded in a way that made Obama seem like we need to worship him. What can you do to help President Obama? This may just be hearsay, but from what I understand, the teachers were supposed to follow up with the students and make sure they had done the things they wrote about. What? The other questions were worded in such a way that it made it seem like the kids were being told that if they disagreed with the president, they were wrong. The questions were leading and I don't like where they were leading. If anyone has a copy of the original pamphlet, I would love to see it. If you have a copy of the new pamphlet, I would love to see that, too. The questions were changed because of public outcry. Yea for public outcry. They are much less leading but there are still protests.

Then of all things, ABCNews's Jake Tapper, in a story he did for World News Tonight, stated that there was outcry about the indoctrination of children, for which there was no evidence. You could have knocked me over with a feather. With questions like "How can I better serve the president?", he is going to ask that question? Where has his head been? I normally like him. I really enjoy Charles Gibson, but I don't know what to think now. Is Jake Tapper on the payroll now? I would be better with questions like "How can I better serve my country?" or "How can I help my family during tough economic times?" or something not aimed at the president.

Many families have called schools and voiced their opinions about this speech. There has been a grass roots campaign that has gone nation wide in keeping kids home from school on Sept 8. I know several families that will keep their kids home that day. Many schools have said they will show the speech, but participation will not be mandatory. Where are you going to send the kids that they won't see or hear it when the whole school is wired? Yet another reason we homeschool. I may watch, since it is supposed to play on C-SPAN. We'll see. I would like to have the pamphlet. Just something else I can gripe about.

Obama's staff is putting out the word that this is a speech about education. This is a speech about kids staying in school and setting educational goals and sticking with them. The rub is that the schools are so focused on test scores, that educational goals are almost useless. Sure I can want to take as many science courses as I want, but when all I learn is what is on my state's standardized test, I'm not learning what I should. I'm being left behind. What happened to "No Child Left Behind"? Its a crock, too. My niece is being left behind. It's not pretty, either. Educational goals would be great if they were based on a system that allowed them. The current system doesn't. Obama's staff says this shouldn't be about the left or right wing, or even be political. When kids are singing songs praising Obama set to the tune of the Star Spangled Banner, I have issue. Check out YouTube. You'll see it. A friend of mine posted it on Facebook. When the President opens his mouth, it's political. He's the President.

Hubby says I need to not be so vocal. I need to start looking over my shoulder for the black SUVs following me and guys who talk into their shirt sleeve or collar. I say there are too many other fish to fry right now. I posted on Facebook and got great response from my friends. I think I may scare some people. I just want this country to start running on the principles that it was founded on. I want a President that doesn't have an agenda set for him by those who donate the most to his campaign. I want a leader that will lead us into the future with hope and happiness. I want a leader that will stand up for what is right and just. I don't feel that now. I certainly would rather have God back in our schools than the President making a speech via satellite.

We need to be more careful than ever. We need to make sure that our representatives are doing exactly that. We need to be on the look out for black SUVs.

Another Jumbled Blog

It's another one of those nights. I just feel the need to just let a few things out of my brain. It could get rough. I'm all over the place tonight. Here come the bullet points.

• Saturday is the big girl's birthday party. We are doing it big this year. Hubby has been working a ton of overtime and we are greatful and thankful and praise God every time he gets the overtime text message. He has been faithful and true to us. We have gotten quite a few bills paid off and have made a dent in several others. That feels really good. But we decided it was time for a little fun. The big girl seems to get jipped on her birthday some how. It's just not usually a good time financially. That's how we came up with special days. But Saturday,we are renting a water slide for her party. It's kind of for us, too. She has about fifteen kids and some parents coming over. We are all excited. Hubby is even taking Friday off so he can help get things straightened up around the house. It will be nice to have him home for a little while.
• There has been a big coupon sensation going on in my homeschool group. It really is fascinating to see the savings that some people are able to achieve. I have couponed for years, but these ladies make it a sport. I love it. I've even learned a thing or too. I went to Target the other day with a handful of coupons. They were $1 off General Mills cereals. Target has their single serving size of GM cereals on sale for $1. They put more in those than I would normally give my kids. I bought 10 of them and a Pepsi. It cost me $1.36. That was for the Pepsi. It was awesome! We went to KMart last Sunday. It's Double Coupon Days. They double anything from $2 and down. We went armed with coupons and even picked up a couple from the flyers and cut our bill in half. I had three $1 off coupons for Colgate toothbrushes. They had some on clearance for $1.49. The coupon doubled to $2. They paid me to buy toothbrushes. I like that part. You should try it if you haven't. Yeah, I know, "I always forget." Blah, blah, blah. You don't want to save any money. Come on now, no cop outs. Try it. Make your list, get your coupons, look at the flyers for the best deals, and go. It's fun. Check your stores coupon policy online. Most take competitors coupons in addition to manufacturer's and their own. That's three coupons for one item.
• I had a couple of really nice compliments on my hair. My friend Scott took one of those Facebook quizzes and it asked who had the best hair. He said me. He called it amazing. My friend Frances concurred when she took her quiz. Thanks, y'all. That makes me feel really good. I have enough hair for a small country. It's kind of a trademark. It scares me to let it out when it's really humid. It soaks up the moisture and just gets bigger and bigger. Sometimes I feel like a chia pet. I love my hair. I hated it when I was a kid. I almost know how to keep it somewhat tamed now.
• I helped the kids clean their rooms. I took an afternoon to help each one. I started with the big girl, then the baby, then the boy. The boy had a full 13 gallon trash bag. I vacuumed the floors, except the boy's. He has tile. He volunteered to sweep his floor. You could have knocked me over. The big girl was funny. We were about half way done and she said she would finish the next day. Oh no, Little Missy. We are in this for the long haul. The baby actually cooperated. She cannot stand to clean her room, but she stuck with it. She didn't whine or complain once. That was a big relief. I did threaten them to within an inch of their lives if the mess them up before Saturday.
• I have this weird pain in my thumb. It doesn't hurt all the time, just when pressure is applied. It's between the joint at the hand and the next one up. It started about a week ago. If I put pressure down on the tip, into the joint, no problem. But if I put pressure like trying to hold something with it, it can almost floor me. Weirdest thing.
• We have decided not to bury as much of the pool as we had originally planned. At this point, it's not worth the hassle. We are going to level what we have now and start putting that bad boy up. We might actually get to swim sometime this year. I'm almost excited about it. When we get to swim, I won't be so jaded. Until then, I'm jaded.
• I finished my story about Tyler and Lydia. I had planned a to do two more chapters, but Caleb and Amanda are pushing them out. I should say now that any part of this blog and all other posts on this blog, including comments, are my property. They cannot be reproduced without my permission. Caleb is Josiah's older brother and Amanda is Caleb's ex. I have the whole family in a story and relationship of some kind. Simon and Gillian, who I referred to briefly, started this whole thing. Then Josiah and Josie followed. Caleb and Amanda are next. And bringing up the rear right now is Abe and MaryAnn, who I also touched on. But there are six brothers and one little sister, Rebecca. Poor Rebecca. Six older brothers who are alpha males. Tyler made an appearance in Josiah and Josie's story. I may tell the stories, or write them down one day, who knows.

I think that's good enough for tonight. I have a busy day tomorrow. I'm gonna check Facebook one more time, and I am out. See ya' later.

Chapter 9

Lydia held on tightly to Tyler as he maneuvered the powerful motorcycle along the idyllic streets. She was terrified. She had never been on a motorcycle and to get on one of this size was quite daunting. Tyler was enjoying the grip Lydia had on him. She was flush against his back, her arms wrapped under his, her hands up around his shoulders. It was all he could do not to drive down one of the quaint alleyways and ravish her. By the time they got to Lydia's house, they were both shaking balls of nerves, but for very different reasons.

"Remind me to never do that again," she all but whispered.

Tyler smiled and took the helmet she handed out to him. "I had a great time," he responded, missing the warmth and feel of her body. The smirk she gave him just made his smile that much bigger. He took her hand and guided her to the place they had had most of their important talks, the swing in her back yard.

"I might have to get rid of this swing," she muttered, her body tingling from the ride or being so close to Tyler, she wasn't sure which.

"Not yet," he quipped back. Sitting by the swing was the ever present cooler. This time it was filled with soda. As they sat, he handed her a cold drink.

"This is my story," he began, taking a sip of the drink. "My mom and dad were both alcoholics. It wasn't so bad when I was a baby, maybe even a toddler, but the older I got, the more they drank. It got to the point that I was taking care of myself by the time I was nine. I had to make sure I had clean clothes, food, whatever I needed to survive. It seemed like nobody gave a crap about me."

Lydia had reached over and was touching his hand. He realized it was more a gesture of support than pity. Support he could take. Pity would have torn him apart.

"I was coming around the back of the middle school one day and there were the four McCready boys getting ready to pound the stuffing out of Josiah. I don't know where the rest of the Todd boys were, but Josiah was about to be in a world of hurt. I stepped in and the McCreadys stepped back. From that point on, Josiah and I were almost inseperable. Nadine took me in pretty much. I practically lived with them. I did for about two years.

"What I really wanted was attention from my parents. I started acting out in class, acting out everywhere else. Nadine saved me every time. I don't know why, but she treated me like one of her own. Sheriff Johns and I had what you could call a close personal relationship. If she hadn't stepped in time after tme, I probably would be in prison right now.

"After Josiah introduced us, I couldn't get you out of my mind. Then there you were walking down that dark road. I had you all alone in my car. You were going to ask me in, and I knew where that was going to lead. Kissing you at the party was my down fall. I just wanted to get my hands all over you, but I knew I would ruin you. That day at the lake was my turning point. I knew I loved you to be able to walk away from you."

By this point, their hands were clasped. Lydia had known part of the story, the part about his parents. She didn't know how close he was to Josiah and his family. She hadn't known that he loved her, too. As Tyler talked about his life after Lydia, she realized how important and difficult it was to hear his story. He had chosen to withdraw from life, instead of living it.

"What's that line?" Tyler asked. "In all the places in all the world, I had to meet you here. I couldn't believe that you were living in this podunk town. I know that I cannot go back to living my life the way I was. I know that without you in my life, I might as well crawl back to my island and never come back. I also know that I never stopped loving you." Tyler slipped his hand from hers, shifting, making her look at him. "I know that I love you now and I will love you always. My question to you is do you love me?"

Lydia stared into his eyes, trying to see doubt or fear or anything except the love he felt for her. She couldn't. But she was scared. Scared to put herself out there for him, for her, for them. Would he leave her? Her mother and father had both left her. Her sister was making her own way now. Could Lydia trust him enough and take a chance?

"I never stopped loving you either," she said softly. "I had so much to be responsible for, I didn't dare hope that I would ever see you again. I didn't want to see you. I didn't want to see anybody."

Tyler had gathered her close, kissing her face, her eyes, the tip of her nose. "I'm here now, and I need you," he told her. "I need you to make me feel alive. I need to stay with you. Will you have me? Will you marry me?"

"Yes, Tyler, yes I will marry you!" Lydia exclaimed, happiness surrounding her as tightly as Tyler's arms. "Wait, wait, where will we live? I can't live on your island and run a business."

"I can, but I see your problem. I don't need that island, I need you. I can do my job anywhere. But what a great vacation spot we have," he said, picking her up, cradling her close, walking towards the house.

"Where are you going? We have to get to the cookout," Lydia protested between hot kisses. Tyler stopped abruptly. He had forgotten about that.

"Fine, but when we get back," he trailed off, leaving no doubt in Lydia's mind what he meant.

That was alright with her. She knew that Tyler would never leave her. She knew that he would be a great husband and one day a father. She knew he would always be there for her. They would always be there for each other. Tyler knew that their love would carry them through, that they would always be together. As they walked towards the shop and Lydia's car, they knew that they had found something lasting.

The Pool Saga

I have learned the hard way that you don't air your dirty laundry. I have confided in people that I have considered friends, best friends, close friends, whatever, and it has bitten me in the butt. HARD. But this story is actually kinda funny. At least I'm trying to keep laughing because this is just one more example of how screwed up people are. And I married into this family.

Back in May, my hubby's oldest brother called and asked if we wanted their pool. They have an above ground pool that was dug into the ground. It takes up quite a bit of room in their yard and it was time for it to go. We were really excited. We have wanted a pool for quite a while. We have minimal shade and we need something cool to do in the yard. The kids jump on our trampoline quite often, but we usually have to turn the water hose on it while they jump because of the heat. A pool seemed like a great idea.

Hubby went over to BIL's house and dug like a fool to get the pool out of the ground. His older brother went along and helped. They dug and dug and got most of it out. Whoo hoo! There was still quite a bit to do, but a lot of the grunt work was done. We were getting closer and closer to owning a pool with a minimum of costs. We also had the assurances of hubby's brother's that they would help put the pool in.

Here's where I start pulling my hair out. I feel like if you make a committment to someone, you have made a commitment. If something comes up that is unavoidable, we can work around it, not forget totally about our commitments. Work around things. When it rains, hubby works overtime. We depend on that overtime to pay our bills. No overtime, very little bill paying happens. Wouldn't you know it rained. And rained and rained. Hubby worked his regular 40 hour weeks, then added at least 20 hours of overtime to each week. We paid off some debt and got a good start on some others. But while he was working until 8 or 9 every night, BIL was doing nothing about getting the pool out of the ground. He works less than 40 hours a week and gets no overtime. How bad do you want that pool out of your yard?

Hubby managed to get over there another day and got all but a few posts out of the ground and bring a load of pool parts home. Those promptly got unloaded and sat. And sat and sat while hubby worked his tail off. I would ask hubby, "Did you call your brother? How's the pool coming?" Hubby got tired of hearing it, I'm sure. I got tired of asking. Every time I asked, the answer was the same. BIL didn't have a chance to work on the pool. Know what I think: bullshit. Lazy is his middle name. Most of the work was done for him, why should he bother with the rest.

Finally, finally, I get the answer I want to hear. The pool is completely out of the ground. Now the next question comes up. "When are they coming over to help dig the hole?". We are also going to bury the pool. Not as deep as it was. We just want to bury about 2 feet of it. That leaves two feet above ground. We have lots of sugar sand, so the digging isn't hard, it's just time consuming. The answer to my question is, they aren't. All that talk of help was, once again, nothing but a steaming load of crap.

When hubby's brothers call and need help, he goes. I encourage that. Being far away from my family makes me miss them so much. I can't run over when I'm on the phone with my sister and she needs help with a project or go over for dinner or just spend some time together. We can't get hubby's family to come over just to hang out and throw something on the grill. Family is family. When they need help or just want to spend time, you do it. Your family will not be around forever. Mine is 1600 miles away one way and about 1000 miles the other. I would love to really take my pork chops over to my sister's and share her pot roast when we tease about it.

This saga started in May, and here it is August. I have the beginnings of a hole in my backyard thanks to a friend of hubby's that is always there when we need him. To me, he is more like family than hubby's own brothers. Whenever we have needed someone, he has always been there for us. Everybody else is whining about getting a bobcat to do the digging (the machine, not the animal). And who is going to pay for that? Oh, yeah, US! Meanwhile everyone else wants to come over and use it. Do we have the money for a bobcat? NO. That's why we need help digging the hole.

We have been working on it, slowly but surely. I have half a mind to just recycle what we can and get rid of all of it. We can buy a new pool next year when we get our taxes back, but that's just stupid and wasteful. We aren't going to get to swim this summer. We were hoping we would be swimming by my birthday. That didn't happen. June has come and gone. Fourth of July is great for swimming. No, not for us. So August is here, and quickly fading. My excitement about the pool has faded, and I am fast approaching jaded.

Has it been worth the hair pulling, screaming, and feelings of anger and resentment? No. Will it be worth all the hard work and sweat? I hope so. I really do not like feeling this way about hubby's brothers. Some days I just cannot help it. They have no idea what it means to give your word and live up to it. At least as far as hubby is concerned. I always say I got the best one and I did. If I had married any of his brothers, I would be divorced, in jail, or both.

Thanks for listening to the rantings and ravings of a crazy Hawaiian. It feels good to get it off my chest. If you happen to be in the neighborhood and have a shovel, we'd love for you to come over and help dig. I'll even make you dinner. And when the pool is in, you'll get the first invite to come swim and throw some meat, or whatever you want, on the grill.

Mish Mash

Just a few things running through my brain tonight. Who am I kidding? My brain runs 36/8 baby. It is really hard to turn it off. That's part of the reason for my bouts of insomnia. It seems that the more I have something on my mind, the more useless drivel runs through my brain. I think it's to keep me from worrying. Sometimes it works, sometimes not. Here's what I'm thinking right now. Hold on.

• I love using bullet points. A friend of mine uses them and I like the way they look. It seems so professional. It also helps me keep track of what I'm writing. There's a bonus.

• Did anyone see the video of the Russians snubbing Obama? You could tell he was irate. They would shake the hand of the guy behind the President, but they pointedly and obviously ignored Obama's outstretched hand. I am very unhappy with his performance and his programs that are costing us money, but not netting any results. That does not mean that I would ignore shaking his hand. I am bigger than that. What does that say about what the world thinks about our leader? The Islamic world is ecstatic, but nobody else will even shake his hand. Scared yet?

• We have an incredibly busy weekend ahead of us. We have dance sign ups, a dinner at church, and an outside ministry coming this weekend to do training with us. Our church signed a three year contract for them to come in and teach us how to be a church. I still don't really agree with it, but I was out voted. I think we need more staff. We are severely understaffed and I think our church would benefit from someone who can be there full time to help in the areas we're having problems in.

• We started school this week. It has been a really interesting. The baby is schooling with us now. She sits with us and does bible, science, and history. Then we break up and I work with her on her phonics. She is one smart cookie. I feel like she doesn't need me, even though I know she does right now. The boy has decided he wants to learn how to write in cursive. This is the same boy that cringes when he has to write anything. If he could write with building blocks or legos, he would be much happier. I have some cursive sheets that I printed last year for him to do, but I forgot about them. I gave them to him for when he's done with his work, and he is one happy boy. The big girl loved her book for language arts. She read "Island of the Blue Dolphins". Now she starts the book study. She is actually looking forward to it. I am looking forward to our lap book next week. Hubby is trying to decide on a project.

• I'm trying to read the healthcare bill that is being put together. Go here to read a copy. I want to do a big blog. I cannot believe that people are just going to roll over and take it. That pisses me off. We do not have to accept this bill. We need to let our representatives know that we are unhappy. Please pick up the phone and tell them what you think. You can go to your state's website, they all have one, to look up who represents you. Look at your license plate. The address is there more than likely. If not your's, look at someone else's. You'll find it. If you are unhappy as well, open your mouth and say something. Apathy should be your enemy. This is our lives that we are fighting for. Do you want to be put out to pasture, or floated away on an ice block, because you're too old to take care of anymore?

• Some of my friends have done mucho traveling this summer. I am a little jealous. We are saving our pennies for a really big trip, but still. I want to go somewhere. It could be just an overnighter and I would be good. We talked about going to the beach and hanging out for awhile, but then hubby hurt his back. No beach for us. Hopefully soon. We have a little beach we like to go to on the Gulf side. It is shallow, peaceful, and no waves. I like that part for the kids. We take hot dogs or burgers and grill them, swim until we just can't move and burn to a crisp. Life is good.

• We have paid off four credit cards. We have four more to go. Yuck! I am so tired of paying bills. We got ourselves into this mess, and we are slowly digging our way out of it. Hubby has been working his tail off and we are thankful for it. God has been good to us. It's been rough. Whatever extra he works at work, I work at home. It starts to grate after awhile. We try to stay connected and spend as much time together as we can. Paying off the credit cards is one more reason we aren't going on vacation any time soon. The more we pay now, the more we can save later. That's what we keep telling ourselves anyway.

This turned out to be longer than I thought. Having to put lots of space between bullet points didn't help. Oh, well. And I have Tyler and Lydia ready to tell another chapter. I probably only have three more for them. Already Josiah's brother Caleb and his ex Amanda are playing in my head. Like I need to hear any more voices. To sign off like my hubby says to his brothers and my friend T signed off the other night:

Peace out.

Decluttering

I had heard on one of those daytime talk shows that if you declutter your spaces, you will declutter your life. This was several years ago, but I have found that it's the truth. When my house, vehicle, and whatever area I call mine become cluttered, so do I. I find myself with too many things to do, not enough time, and a very bad disposition. Today started my decluttering. I am tired of clutter and mess and junk. If I don't get my island cleaned off soon, I may find that it has disappeared and been replaced with crap.

I started in the living room. Every day, it seems many times, I have the kids pick up their stuff. Sometimes it's alot, sometimes just a thing or two. I really have them do it before hubby gets home. Not that it stays that way. It's almost a throwback to the fifties or sixties. I want a nice, tidy home for hubby to come home to. I want him to be able to relax for a little before I put him to work. I always think it's nice to come home to a neat house. That's one reason I clean before vacation.

I picked up trash like Sunday's paper that had been read and refolded and was just lying around. Some trash from who knows what came off the end table. I straightened out the corner where the kids schoolwork is kept. I cleaned off last year's curriculum from the book shelf and added this year's. I still have to box some of it up, but at least it's together. Now I need to clean out the cabinet I keep our school supplies in. Yeah, I'm not really looking forward to that.

Since I added this year's curriculum to the book shelf, that opened up a spot in our bedroom. I started cleaning and sorting through all the junk that's on the side of our bed. I rearranged some things, stacking them neatly until I can figure out where I'm going to put it. Then I picked up some clothes that were in the pile and added them to the hamper. I picked up and emptied some bags and got that stuff put away. There was a dress and jacket for the baby and a book with a study guide for the big girl. She may be reading that book for her language arts. It's a mystery so she'll love it. It's written by a Christian author, so I'm good with it. I straightened out our shred pile. Now I just need to shred.

I moved from the side of the bed to my desk. I recycle our copy paper. If I make too many copies, I use the other side for another lesson. It has saved us a tremendous amount of money in paper. I stacked and removed staples from all the paper, making sure it was all facing the same way so all I have to do is put it in the copier. I cleaned up the trash around my desk and got it together. I don't have a trash can around my desk, so all my papaers go on the floor. I finally got that picked up and a box in place for a trash can. I emptied two boxes and got their contents put away. There were some packing slips and a couple of styrofoam cartons that our vitamins ship in. It's nice to come into my room now. Now for the top of my desk.

I have been working slowly but surely on the island. I can see it now, so that's a change for the better. There are a couple of big pots that need to get handwashed, but that's hubby job. One is his peanut pot that he boiled peanuts in. The other is a pot he used to cook crab legs. Those were really good. Then there is the miscellaneous junk that needs to be sorted through and put in a place. Most of it will probably go in the trash. I know that there are a couple of magazines that we will keep, and some receipts that need to be filed or shredded. Then wipe it all down. I have a bag of clothes and a bag of shoes that need to be donated that is sitting in the corner of my kitchen. And I need to clean off the little corner table. That won't be too bad. I do need a bigger container for my prize box for co-ops, but that's easy.

With school, dance, JAM, and co-op about to start, I want to have a relaxed start. I want to start our year clutter free and easy. I also am reviewing for an online curriculum provider called teacherbookbag.net that will take up my time. It will also be providing some really great curriculum. Look for my review tomorrow or Thurday of our first ebook unit study on the solar system. While we will be busy again, I want to be able to go with the flow, and not drag all our baggage with us.