"Maybe it would help if you prioritized the things that bother you the most?" I want rules, lists, schedules. I think that's what I'm missing. I'm relying on my brain and at this stage of life, that's just not cutting it. I tried Flylady but those emails were ... insane. Can you do Flylady without the emails? Does she have a list. I'll go check her site out. Maybe things have changed - it was so annoying, but maybe that was the point. Be annoyed or get off the computer and go clean, lol. Requesting S.H.E. from library. And Home Comforts. I need getting whites "white" again help as well. I need a maid... Alice. I need the Brady Bunch's "Alice"!!!

I'd like to hire someone to sit down with me and go over food issues in our home, talk about what foods we should avoid, what foods we need to eat more of, and help me make a plan. I'm hoping that the person I speak to is very aware of how food affects brain function as well as promotes healthy gut function. We have diabetes, weight and tummy issues between the 7 of us and I am at the point I would love to get the meal decisions off my plate and simply cook the food that will help all of us. Is that person a nutritionist? If so, where do I get a referral? Just scope the internet?

"The traditional Southern diet of the rural poor consisted of sweet potatoes, collards, turnips (roots and greens), cornbread, some pork (often a flavoring in the pot of greens), butter beans (known elsewhere as lima beans), tomatoes and okra in season. I am a firm believer that eating locally need not be expensive (unless one lives in a high cost of living area). " I was raised on the following when at my grandmother's...ground ham, canned greens with pork, never sweet potatoes, always white and you've forgotten the southern staple - macaroni and cheese and its cousin macaroni salad, lol. Occasionally we would have lima beans but they were canned as were the green beans. Okra was present once in a while but always fried. The 90 year old laughs when we talk about food saying he's done fairly well so far. It is important to note however, he does have diabetes, had a heart attack resulting in 6 bypasses and deals with kidney issues. He jokes it's the nutrasweet (and Cremora - blech!!!!!!) that's preserved him ;) I go back and forth. They ate alot of things from their garden and worked very very hard physically compared to my husband and I today. They were working up a sweat in their garden every day all summer on that garden. Yes, they made fried chicken with those beautiful heirloom tomatoes and snap beans but alot of days a can of tuna and a tomato was dinner. And nutrasweet or no -90 is 90!!! Still pretty impressive.

I'm sorry but what does this mean, lol... "Backlash against healthy messages, analogous to anti-intellectualism"

Greta, we were on the same page with the food "addiction". I totally remember living in a city. I ate McDs, Hardees for breakfast every morning with a Dr. Pepper. Those mornings I missed it because I packed breakfast I had a terrible craving for what I'd missed. My stomach would hurt every single day but I don't think I put it together that it was the fat/sugar. Food was different back then for me. A must do. Now, I have more money and time and see food as a get to. Socio-economics must surely play a factor as well. I've found cooking with vegetables to be much more expensive than making a pizza or baking some chicken nuggets and fries. I can't believe I stayed alive with the diet I ate in my 20s. ACTually my childhood. Spaghetti, fast food, meatloaf and all canned veggies if it matched our main course. A funny...I remember the first time I tasted a fresh green bean. I mean one NOT out of a can. It honestly tasted like a different food! There are still veggies (brussel sprouts? -a fresh spinach salad) that I am amazed taste like they do...because I remember them to be mushy nastiness.

"Ruined palates. I think many people can't taste much unless it's greasy or sweet." What an interesting concept. I've never heard of this before but it makes perfect sense. My relatives in their 90s that live with us now had one heck of a time when they first moved up. They found it easier to go out to eat (and actually still do almost every day for lunch) As a result, they found my food (healthy, veggies, very little salt, hardly no oils compared to fast food fried foods...) very unappetizing. I would watch them shake, shake, shake the salt. They actually crave eating out, I think. Anyway, just random thoughts but it surely does make cooking for them a challenge. We go out and feel it for two/three days after. Especially something like Chic Fil A - brings tummy ache comments but oh so good going down, lol. They just habituallly go out - one has diabetes, the other overweight when they came. Now they're both healthier (one off meds, the other lost alot of weight just by eating a stable dinner most nights). I have also found they like alot of the dishes I make now much more after trying them over a period of time. Familiarity could be an issue too.

"You cannot go back. Once you start to deep clean then you can't "UNsee" dirty places. You will notice the crevice under the floorboard trim of the kitchen pantry or the dirt that you know builds up under the screen of the window in your bathroom, etc. Once obscure, odd, random places have been cleaned, you will notice when they are dirty." That's the problem. The house was new, shiny, so perfectly gorgeous, lol. Now we've been in one year and I'm noticing the things that are dirty - because I don't have them in my routine. This thread is funny - I so want to see your houses~If only we could all hang out in person and actually spend time walking through each others' days. I have 6 other people plus their associated friends/others to deal with. One has an extra dog he brings! With that and the events we host, it's no wonder things get messy but when I keep looking at the window smudges on the front door for days and wonder when I'll get to it I need a system - or a housekeeper! (And that's not to say I'm not always cleaning, because in the summer I am - it's just that there's so much in my life to keep up with right now. And if I'm unorganized/unprepared we all suffer.) I feel like I'm typing the same type posts over and over...

I think it's interesting that we are quick to blame gun legislation. Just sharing, and I'm sure many will disagree, and that's ok. I'm allowed to voice my opinion too...I've been struck in the past five years at the increased amount of shock and horror available by way of media that's available. We can watch intimate sexual brutality, see on a large screen physical violence that can make a person wince. We put this violence continually before our country's young teens through movies/news/commercials/previews/youtube/television dramas. I was persuing the movie trailers on the app store. I cannot believe the amount of horrible violence and pure disregard for physical protection/safety that is portrayed in movies about to come out. I watched, idk, 10 previews. Wowsa. I don't usually watch rated R but felt like seeing what's out there and if it's truly changed as much as I suspected. I wanted to know because the kids are starting to talk about the edginess of movie previews (they see the R previews at a pg-13 movie.) It's commonplace and even funny to see a human form dripping with blood/injuries/etc? Crude humor, complete disregard for common decency, manners, kindness is funny, popular, cool? I'm no prude - but seriously ladies don't we think it's going to have an affect? Remember the "church ladies" who were ridiculed because they were against violence in music videos back in the 80s I think? That is so "old school" people laugh about it now. Imagine someone trying to ban an album... I was listening to the audio sample of the Snoop Dog?during this same exploration of what's new on itunes. His Coolaid new album. Made the mistake of actually looking up the lyrics of the very first song Legend. I grew up in inner city, went to all black high school so was VERY familiar with rap music of the 80s. BUT Wow. Music has changed, alot. I may be older (mid 40's) but you have to agree music has gotten sooo violent! My kids and I were at a red light in our nearby town. Young adult, windows down, his choice of music blasting profanity and violence towards women. My 7 year old daughter looks at me and asks why he was listening to that. Honestly, I don't know. I didn't know what to tell her. Mostly I was angry she gets to hear such things whether I want her to or not simply because we're at a crosswalk and he's at the red light. She's a child! Respectfully asking, what else would we suspect will happen in society? "I do what feels good to me, so what if it offends you?" seems to be the attitude of so many people lately. Even my little one is picking up that it must be "cool" for some to be rude, edgy, physically violent.

Is that piece of baseboard behind the toilet in your master bathroom clean right now? What about your sheets, did you wash them this week? And clean towels, are they hanging ready for company to use, lol. My bedroom windows are just, dirty. Not filthy embarrassing, but dirty from the seasonal pollen and summer junk floating about. I want friends to talk to me about housecleaning...I've been a homemaker 21 years but the discipline, the regularity. It eludes me. Maybe I need an ironing day, bathroom day, etc like the old days. Care to share with me how you are so thorough - who taught you, how long does it take to clean your house at that level? Do you hire someone, lol?! I do well with the surface, we have eliminated all knick knacks and junk from the main living level of our home. I need a plan for regular deep cleaning. I should put some Martha Stewart schedule on my planner or something. We just need to be regular instead of attacking as I notice...kwim?

I have read alot of the Laying Down the Rails for Yourself book. Really, really struck by alot of what she is saying here. I will say if you don't have the student book, it would be helpful to get. Also, read page 50 of the handbook, Laying Down the Rails. It has a quote from Charlotte Mason about why the habit of attention is of first importance. "All the other intellectual gifts depend on it." My plan is to continue reading through the Laying Down for myself book - LOVE the section on kindness, being kind to MYSELF as I grow in each habit. I highlighted this today..."If you mentally beat yourself up in a condemning, pile-driver way every time you make a mistake, you will reinforce a neuron path that is labeled Respond to Failure with Harshness. Soon you will find yourself responding that way to all mistakes and failures - your spouse's, your children's, your co-workers'. Thought patterns make powerful habits." WELL alrighty then, this one little book just summarized my childhood and unfortunately pinpointed some major problems with my parenting. Exactly why I need to pursue this study myself and for my children. Excellent material so far, I think!

What about Memoria Press? I know it says you should be very involved, and I bet you will be more than you think :) but our goals were to build skills in following directions, increase physical stamina for writing, increase in the actual skill of composition, and do a clear/challenging curricula from start to finish. We had an excellent experience with Memoria. She only left it because she's now doing an online provider that gives dual enrollement credit to the college she wishes to attend. My younger student used Memoria from preschool through second.

Thanks for all that info, it does help trigger alot of things. I just signed up and entered our math, CC, grammar, handwriting, vp self paced, bsgfaa and writing lessons out with the Simply Charlotte Mason scheduler. Adjusts for missed days, is free! and took me...idk...an hour? It was easy to schedule the ending of one book and beginning of our next math level. It was also easy to schedule in multiple units of the BSGFAA levels we are doing as well as the CC memory work weeks. Cool! I still need to enter our history books and literature... Now to see how well it actually works! will be the true test, right?

I've been at this for a long, long time but feel I've been going about making my own plans all wrong. I'll take weeks and type out an elaborate spreadsheet only to fall behind or move ahead by week 8 or even 4! I'm not going that route this time around, lol. I do need a schedule and want to use this beautiful planner I have :))))))))))) I am just not sure exactly HOW to go about that. Thanks for helping me think it through.

Four day weeks - definitely! We are doing CC...

We are doing CC which is very structured and planned out already. To that, I am adding VP self paced and various VP literature. I just found the schedule for VP including what subjects are covered each week with assigned reading. That helps! I guess it's the subjects I won't be doing the next thing in - like Laying Down the Rails. I'm jumping around in that book. I can just put down one habit per ever four weeks or so like she recommends, into the planner. I would just list LDTR on the days we are covering it for those 4 weeks, say T, TH weeks 1 - 4 (we will begin w/covering the habit of attention, I think.) Math is do the next thing, grammar, do the next thing. BSGFAA do the next thing. Maybe it's the Morning Time books that are tripping me up in the planning process...?

I have a planner, I have books. Now what? LOL Seriously my question about planning has always been this - what do you do when (not if!) you fall behind?

I didn't mean military service. I meant service to all citizens of the United States which they represent. That the position was one of self sacrifice and one that required honor, integrity and character not seen lately.

My in-laws are 90 and 86. They `had~such respect for the office of the Presidency. They have on multiple occasions remarked on how the office has been used for personal gain and is no longer a representation of the people for which one is to serve. Men of integrity were proven, not with words but actions. We are not on the same side of the fence politically but I can hear the disappointment in their voices when our discussions center on character and service. I think it is quite telling of the populace on both sides of the voting fence! Sad. My kids' have no respect for the office - I think if you take a man's character and look at our past presidents in that light alone, why should they? The children have also heard others say plain as day the only reason they voted for Obama was because he was black. In their minds - color has nothing to do with a person's ability to lead. I've taught them that. Intentionally. So to hear comments like that - it takes alot to counteract the media and culture and remind them the office is one worthy of respect and men or women who attempt to fill it should be first and foremost about service.

I REALLLLLLLLLLLLLLy want a Sequoia. So pretty but at the dealership I snuck a peek at the list price - $75K!!!!!! What? That's more than we spent on our first home!!!!!!!

My Electrolux Aerus was expensive but totally worth it. I have used and was on the fence between it, a Rainbow and a Miele. I had the Milele from Bed Bath and Beyond for a few months. Cheap plasticy parts, the attachments were basically useless and the machine, idk, not all it was talked up to be. Their return policy is, in my opinion, unmatched. I kept proof of purchase and they took it back, no questions asked. The BEAST, as my kids say, lol, was the Rainbow. Unfortunately, at over $2k, my dh was all "Ummmm.NO!" about buying one. The biggest things I loved about it were suction performance and the horsehair nozzle attachment (that is the BEST thing to dust with)!! After also trying the Shark products - sorry but blech! I financed an Electrolux with great angst...Did I really just spend $1k for a vacuum? I took $100 out of my grocery budget each month and they had a 12 month no interest payment plan. Well friendly housewives, I cannot say enough how I love it more than the Rainbow. It makes dusting, baseboards, wall vacuuming, crown molding cleaning, soo much easier. No Rainbow water jug to deal with! No holding the Shark and balancing on a ladder because the cord was so short and the thing was made of plastic anyway! No powerful suck! Yes, the bags are a bit pricey for the Electrolux - they're cloth! but the lemon pellets you can buy (simply shake them in the bag) make me smile each time I use it, seriously. I figure it offsets the emotional drama of spending a bit more on bags. :) Anyway, I cannot stress enough how having the right tool for the job makes a difference. I'm big on spending for kitchen essentials and cleaning. Cleaning with a faulty piece of equipment is a stinking waste of time, and mine is too valuable to waste!

We have nerves here too. Ulcer and hernia were our culprits. I do however, still suspect a bad gallbladder in my child. Test proved me wrong but mommy instinct says it needs to go! Wanted to encourage you to go to a pediatric gastroenterologist though - asap. There are all kinds of things it could be and it could take months to figure out because they do food trials and meds and those things take a bit of time to work through. Helpful, just take some time to endure the testings. Every appointment is an ordeal as well, takes weeks to get in around here.

"It sounds like you're just polishing up an already beautiful life!" Thank you, that is a compliment it took me 21 years to work towards :) A blessed life for sure - considering my mom was a single mom who worked three jobs and would never have even considered the luxury of some of the things I get to benefit from every day~ I just want to use it well and not fritter away that gift ( :001_tt1: )

House manager coordinates: different vendors each child's personal assistant various housekeepers holiday decor team event coordinators "footman" to homeowner business personal assitant business secretary work with thier hired "schedule coordinator" - not kidding, one person's full time job only coordinate their schedule. etc... so numerous folks working on that particular home. Crazy scale so it's not going to help us, lol. Here is a kind of list that might at least think about our lives in "departments" http://estatestaffing.com/client-services/estate-manager/

I'm reading backwards...BlsdMama - that is brilliance. It's sounding alot like you all are using the GTD method. I'm not trying to advertise, lol. Just sharing how much it is helping me organize my mind with all the varied departments I manage. Just as a return favor for typing all that...you might like the sampler package from Levenger. That little notebook with it's tabs for landscaping, to buy, etc. has been such a vehicle for keeping track of what you're describing. I didn't think of working backwards tho, very good idea. Like the grad party - I can just take what "done" looks like regarding 4thJuly - picnic, decor, sparklers and out for fireworks - and work from that plan. Thanks for taking the time, my life is filled with that kind of stuff and I don't have any friends who want to discuss it with me :)

As far as David Allen's Getting Things Done - it is my sanity lately. The brain dump - huge in allowing me to at least feel like I've got a place besides my head to keep all the "chatter" houskeeping, family keeping requires. The next actions list was imperative for those projects I just couldn't get a grasp on - what is the end result - what is very next step to get there. LOVED learning and hearing that! I ordered this http://www.levenger.com/CIRCA-326/CIRCA-NOTEBOOKS-339/Special--trade-Circa-Personalized-Notebook-Full--8239.aspx (bullet journal - GTD combo use) and this http://plum-paper.myshopify.com/collections/teacher-planners to keep my daily life/homeschooling stuff separate and organized. My "next action" is to contact my very wealthy friend who actually has a house manager and get us all a list of what they do and what resources they use. Let's up our ante and take the job to a new level, right? I mean we are full time caretakers, let's learn how to improve? Lol. My hubby and I listened to this on the way to a family reunion, very very helpful... http://gettingthingsdone.com/2016/04/episode-14-managing-multiple-roles-using-gtd/