Spring Break for One

Homeschool

This week is spring break for Beau.  Unfortunately Scraps isn't getting the week off from school because he hasn't been consistent enough with doing his schooling to get large blocks off.  I've been trying several different approaches to get him to do his work.  Some things seem to work for a while, but then fizzle out.  The one I've been making the most progress with is Easy Peasy All in One Homeschool, but I think some of the reading is too advanced for him right now, and he is ahead in the math.  We tried getting into some of the history in it, and he has NO interest at all in it.  I'm going to be meeting with another homeschool mom who has been doing it longer than I have to get a few pointers and to be sure I'm covering what needs to be covered.  If I'm doing any extra, that's great!  I'm we're coming up short, well, then I'll need to adjust.  Now that Chubbermonkey is getting older (OMG he's a year old already!!!) I can finally try to set a schedule to follow a little better!!  I'm going to try to work on a spring schedule this week while Beau is home.

The Battle With CF

Scrappy is going to be going into the hospital next month for his tune-up.  Dr P is trying to get it done before we go on vacation.  Yup - we get an all expenses paid vacation this year!!!  Scrappy is getting his wish from the Make A Wish Foundation!  We will be going on a 5 day/4 night Disney Cruise in the Bahamas!!!  He is so excited - but so are the rest of us.  Especially since they are covering EVERYTHING, including flight, passports, and spending money.  We really need this vacation.  

Now just to make it through the 2 weeks in the hospital.  It's going to be a little more difficult this time because Mayo has become an accredited CF center, so any CF patients admitted must be kept in isolation during their stay.  I guess it'll be a good chance to work on homework....

My Real Life

Some chaos is going on here.  My grandma has not been well. Both of my great grandmothers have not been well.  I've been trying to do what I can to help, but there's only so much I can do.  It's very frustrating.

A little over a week ago, we had to have our oldest kitty, Abby, put down. She'd been vomiting a lot and lost a LOT of weight.  The vet initially thought she had an ulcer and thought it was something we could work through.  After she wasn't getting better, we discovered she had tumors in her abdomen and around her heart.  She was the best kitty a child could ask for - she had the best temperament even for babies.  I miss her a lot.

My health has been frustrating too.  I hit my highest weight ever 2 weeks ago.  My thyroid had been on the fritz for a while, so my meds had been adjusted several times.  Then stress piled on top of it.  I was doing great with working out until my grandma's surgery, but got sidetracked with helping her (I know, another excuse) so I slacked off a little.  But I'm trying to get back on track.  I've officially lost 4 pounds in the last 2 weeks.  So far I'm down another 2 this week (unofficially).  As of March 12, I gave up pop.  Coke specifically.  I used to drink a ton of it.  But my doc changed my migraine medication to topamax, which makes Coke taste like crap as a side effect.

Since I've been struggling with my weight, I'm teaming up with a friend with getting back on track.  She has also recently joined TOPS.  As of today, she and I are starting on the C25K program (again) with the intention of running the Tiger Trot next year, along with (hopefully) a few other 5ks.  Wish us luck!!

Summer Declutter Challenge - Day 1

I don't know about everyone else, but I have a hard time keeping the clutter gone on a regular basis.  It has a tendency to build up until it's completely overwhelming.  Things get shoved into boxes, bags, and totes, then shoved into a closet or basement or garage where it's "out of sight, out of mind."  Since we put the addition on the house, our old dining room became my new office.  Unfortunately, the office has become the collecting ground for anything and everything that doesn't have a home that no one wants to take to the basement or to the garage or can't find a closet to shove it in.

It seems overwhelming to me to try to get the entire house clean in one fell swoop.  Whenever I try to take on a whole room, I bite off much more than I can chew.  I drag everything out in an effort to sort it out and organize it, but run out of time for one reason or another, and everything just gets shoved back and ends up being a bigger mess than it had been to begin with.

I was reading a blog that I could relate to with the demands of having children in the home, homeschooling, having children with special needs, and all the normal chaos of daily schedules.  Add into that mix a 3 month old baby, and it's almost impossible to find a large block of time to get anything significant done.  Especially when said baby has finally (after 10 weeks) mastered nursing.  And now refuses to take a bottle from Mommy.  Period.  Add in the cystic fibrosis and he wants to feed more than your typical baby.

I know I'm not going to go from clutter to clean and organized overnight. I need to do some every day, but how do you define "some?"

In the above mentioned blog, she had attempted putting 100 things in their place each day.   "In their place" includes garbage, recycling, storage, etc.   The thought of that many items alone overwhelms me!

But her effort has inspired my personal challenge.  Same idea, different number.

Now the Rules:

1. The magic number is 20 items - must be put in the donate box/bag, thrown away, or put away. (Or have a garage sale, then donate whatever doesn't sell!)
2. To help with this, the 2 older kids (5 and 11) must each donate/throw away 5 items per day.
3. More than 20 can be done in one day, but if I do 50 today, I still have to do 20 tomorrow.
4. I must photograph and post my stuff each day to keep me accountable to myself.
5. Items may be from any room, as long as it gets DONE.

I suppose I should get started - Today is Day One, so here we go :)

Want to join in on the challenge?  Let me know what you got rid of today!!