Mine go into my wallet....theres not so many that its ever been a problem. Stuff that comes in the mail gets dealt with immediately- if its a tax deductable receipt, I have a file right next to my desk for it. I also have a pin board for paperwork I need to attend to.

Interesting. I havent actually come across the movement where I live yet...but I did see a comment about what you are referring to on a website. Basically, the voluntary simplicity movement seems to be mainly a middle class movement...in that, those of us westerners who have soooo much stuff, and have to work hard just to house and maintain all this stuff we think we need...are the ones being attracted to the idea that one does not need to buy lots of stuff just because one can, and there is another way to live. It seems to me the movement is more applicable in many ways to the ridiculously wasteful and overly opulant lifestlyes many of us take for granted. So in that respect...yes, you are going to get people who are "cutting back" to a lifestyle that is still more opulant than many can afford. It's all relative, I guess. And they may well feel self satisfied about it. However....as this article I read a few days ago commented....there is no reason why people of much more limited means cannot also learn to live with "less". I think essentially its more about finding more meaningful priorities in life than what most people live for- which for many, many people, is shopping. I think that is the crux of the movement really...learning to be happy with "less" rather than the more is always better mentality we are drenched in. There is most likely plenty of competition in the movement too....I can be more simple than you. I have come across all these people doing the 100 thing challenge- which is a challenge to cut back your personal possessions to only 100 things. Not the household furniture or communal pots and pans...just your personal possessions. The lists I am seeing just about all include a Mac computer as one of their 100 things :) Anyway, I have known about the movement for years but haven't really stuck my nose into it much before. I am enjoying myself.

I pretty much agree with all of this. My husband does feel that homeschooling is non negotiable, but it never has been 100% that way for me, because I could not teach my kids under those circumstances, if they were unhappy and lonely at home. I am the one in the trenches with them. Homeschooling my kids has always been dependent on whether or not we could find enough social activity for them, or at least something to look forward to. My dd16 wanted to go to school last year because she wanted to be with other kids every day. When we sat down and worked out a plan for her to attend something like our equivalent to your community college next year - so she only had one more year at home- she was able to handle being at home again this year. She could see the long term benefits of homeschooling- she gets to do things a year before her schooled friends. But she is my mature one. My kids are very involved in various activities including a non competitive teenage gymnastic group and the Scouting/Venturer movement. My ds14 also has friends in our street- that makes all the difference. They also both work part time- and earning that money is a big motivation to stay homeschooling because they couldnt do that if they were at school. Without at least some of those things....no, I could not homeschool them through these teen years.

I am on a really big wave of decluttering. Every time I check out a Minimalism or Voluntary Simplcity blog I get this incredible urge to get rid of more stuff. And I keep looking at the blogs, because it feels so good. This one is my favourite (not sure if its a blog or a website though): http://zenhabits.net/ I look around my schoolroom and instead of clutter, I see peace and neatness. My kitchen cupboards are not cluttered! My wardrobe has space in it! On Saturday I bagged up 4 full large garbage bags of fabric remnants! What was I thinking anyway, buying all that fabric- its not even very nice fabric! Anyone else love to get rid of things and pare back to a more minimalistic lifestyle? This is beyond anything I have ever done before, and I have been a Flylady fan for years.

My son is now 14 and I have asked the same question here many times over the last 7 years. How can I make him work more independently? Do I really have to sit here next to him most of the time? What I have learned is...basically, while I can learn some little tricks here and there....yes, I do- or at least did. It has become much better and the last 2 years have seen my son learn to work independently a lot more...but even now...he needs my attention far, far more than my dd16 ever has. Can you accept it and surrender to it to some extent? I tried so many things...including short lessons, timers, rewards...and all seemed to work a little, in the short term. In the long term...my son, who is dyslexic and has a terrible time reading instructions....thrives with homeschooling because I CAN give him the attention he needs. If your son needs you at 8...you can be thankful that he is homeschooling because in the school system the chances of him getting the attention he needs is minimal. My son had already given up on himself, because his teacher had given up on him, by age 7. I actually wish I had been more patient and had just accepted that he needed me as much as he did, because we lost a lot of ground and time because I kept trying to get him to work independently before he was ready.

Well....how about raw chocolate bliss balls? Gluten free, delicious, tasty, give you a chocolate fix AND they are good for you! Amazing, I know :) The basic recipe is 1 cup of dates, or a mixture of dates and sultanas, raisins etc And one cup of nuts- raw nuts- almonds, walnuts, cashews, hazelnuts, whatever you have. And 2 heaped tablespons of RAW cacao powder (packed full of nutrition). If you use soft fresh dates you probably dont need to add any liquid- if you use dry dates, you might need a couple of tablespoons of some sort of liquid like fresh orange juice. Blend together (not sure how well a normal blender handles these but probably does ok) and roll into balls. I roll in coconut. Optional ingredients- goji berries, coconut oil, maca powder, dried blueberries or apricots. Its a very adaptable basic recipe.

I think for many people, they are so not available to their kids, that their kids are permanently needy, or wanting attention from their parents. And I am guilty of not being emotionally available to my kids even when I am physically available, at times, and my son is particularly good at picking that up and demanding my attention in a more complete way, either positively or negatively! When he wants my attention and I am getting irritated because he is telling me boring things while I am trying to do something else...I stop, give him my 100% attention until he is satisfied, then ask for some time to finish what I am doing. By then he is happy to give me my time. I do take plenty of time for myself...but I am also available to them a lot- but when "being available" is not quite being 100% present for them- always being a bit busy even though I am around....I often find I need to stop, focus on them for a while, before i can get them to leave me alone.

I dont sleep well either, quite often, but I do make myself get up before everyone else because its the only way to get alone time. And i am a morning person...by afternoon I am useless. So I nap. I can get a 2nd wind in the evenings but I have learned NOT to follow that and go to bed instead. I do not leave my room in the mornings...I stay in bed and meditate, write in my journal, sometimes read...before leaving the sanctuary of my bedroom. I believe that for many people that sluggish and grumpy morning time is because their liver is still working over time, or generally overloaded. The liver rules grumpiness! I suggest thinking about doing some liver cleansing or at least lighten the load of oily or heavy or chemical laden food ....the grumpiness is toxicity. Sounds way out but ask people who have done a liver cleanse how they feel afterwards. Usually, much lighter and less grumpy! At the least....do not eat in the evenings, especially late in the evenings. My dd16 is the only one in our family with that late night/late morning tendency, with a *need* for coffee to get her going. We have found that insisting (actually we had to make it part of her school schedule) that she get exercise first thing in the mornings makes all the difference to her mood in the mornings, and her ability to think clearly.

My sense is that something in you feels a pull to connect again...maybe she has changed? Maybe there is something there for you to see? Maybe she does need to hear some straight talk form you again? You can connect once...and if it doesnt feel good to continue, maybe she needs to hear you say why, before you retreat from her life to take care of yourself. But then...if you really don't want to...you don't have to. I wouldnt connect out of obligation or guilt...but it doesnt sound like thats where you are at.

Love it! :lol:

My kids never did the terrible twos, but I remember thinking they must be late bloomers because 3 was not fun at all. Other than that...I couldnt say there has been an age any worse than the others. They all have their trials and beauties. Now if you had gone up as far as teenager years.......no, not really. Its hard at times- really hard- but then it will be cruisy. And having so much more free time makes the hard times easier to handle.

I have considered the issue many times over the years. I have had to have a good look at why I am homeschooling...for me, or for them. In a big way I have loved homeschooling and my life has revolved around it...and it has been a big part of my identity for the last 8 years. It really hurt when my kids would make noises about going back to school and being dissatisfied about homeschooling. I really didnt want them to resent me. Somehow we got through those times without putting them in school. Now they are teens...and my life is more diverse and homeschooling is not my main identity or even my main interest any more...and its just what we do....I think I can say, we are doing it because we do feel it is best for them. And I think they would ultimately agree, although on a bad day, they may not. Our original reasons for homeschooling are jsut as valid as they were when we began- ds's learning issues (dyslexia and basically falling through teh cracks of the school system) and dd's being strongly influenced by her peers. Homeschooling still works for us. I think there is plenty of time between elementary and end of school years to work on the issue, anyway. I dont think we could have homeschooled these teen years with resistant kids. They develop a strong mind of their own (um, we encouraged that but then it happened and...now we have to live with it! :)). If either desperately wanted to go back to school...we would have to allow it. The trick has been to make homeschooling a much better option for them personally (free time, access to part time work and therefore money, flexible hours, many social activities and many weekends away on camps, and access to courses earlier than schooled kids etc). So no, I dont really expect them to resent it because the issue has come up and been discussed and dealt with many times over the years.

I enjoy Facebook and dont seem to be addicted. I check it once or twice a day, sometimes make a remark or post a link. The only person I have as a FB friend that I dont know IRL is Rosie from here :) You are honoured Rosie...I am strict about who I have as FB friends. I love to just stay in contact with people I dont see often- including family. A photo from a friend in France, a comment from my SIL on the other side of Australia...they are just little things but they maintain a connection and keep up in touch in a sweet way, and I cant see anything negative about it at all. I think it's beautiful. I dont play Farmville or anything like that.

OK, I am getting goosebumps because last night I could not sleep either, and I could not work out why. I went to bed early so that I could get up early. I lay in my bed from 9.30pm till 2am, then I went and got into bed with dh in his room and had a pity party about not being able to sleep. He cuddled me and we chatted and I think by about 3am I probably fell into a fitful sleep. I then woke at 6am. 3 hours just isn't enough! And whats worse I tried to have an afternoon nap and I couldnt sleep then either. I also did all my normal things- meditation, listening to the sound of waves on my ipad :), and I think it was about midnight I got up to make a hot milk. None of it worked. Tonight I will take my herbal sleeping tablets a while before bed. But I couldnt work out why I coudlnt sleep, either- normally it is underlying anxiety or hormones, and neither seemed to match. So at least we are not alone and can think of each other while lying there counting sheep!

Our living room IS our schoolroom. We have desks in here (mine too), and the TV and sofas and piano and bookshelves! Its a crowded room but it works for us. Our dining room has two large easy chairs in it (as well as dining table) where dh and I often sit and have our adult chat time, while the kids are in the school/living room. It is also where we tend to entertain visitors because it is right off the kitchen so when people come for a meal, its nice for the cook to not be in a separate room (even if its just cups of tea). So, we have sacrificed a more formal or separate living area for a schoolroom which is used all day every day (it also have all our computers in it so it is used on weekends too). It is really our LIVING area because we virtually live in this room. But we rarely bring guests in here. Its for us.

Thats my approach too. I have spanked with similar results...sometimes it just works to get them to snap out of it. But I also havent liked doing it and usually do it when *I* am at my wits end and cant think of another solution. And I havent done it for ages. I too do not like long term of grounding type solutions. I like immediate ones, so that when they do pull out of their emotional state we can start fresh. As much as it is tempting to think that a child chooses to go into those nose dive emotional states....I think there is a problem with seeing it like that, because I dont think *anyone* consciously chooses to be that unhappy. It is something we kind of fall into because of a pattern and perhaps a misunderstanding of what it will get us...what the pay off is, but I think it happens unconsciously, so it is not quite right to say they are "choosing" to do it. They are no more choosing that we choose to wake up in a bad mood or depressed. Its life and moods happen and sometimes its hard. My son has had math meltdowns lately too. So...for us, making sure we are being reasonable, and then not backing down...and letting them scream it out in the bedroom...is what we have done. My son has had that tendency to let loose and scream and sometimes kick doors etc. We have learned to just be firm, to give fines, and to wait for the storm to pass...and then make sure he finishes his work or whatever the issues was. But onces the storm has passed he is usually soft and teachable and we dont punish..we enjoy the sunshine!

We do raw for both our dogs and as for cost..we buy specials whenever we see them, I do buy a premade raw mix sometimes and raw meaty bones...yes it is more expensive than normal food but I feel much better doing it...and when I find the meat in bulk on special, even frozen, I will bring it home and thaw it and mix it with various things and then pack it in small bags. My dogs also do eat chicken carcasses and chicken necks. Overally they have a lot of variety in their diet and they also get table scraps. One thing we do is feed the small dog in her crate before she gets out of it in the morning...and the ouside dog gets her food outside...but often they will end up wrestling over a bone inthe backyard too. I can understand your concern about small kids. I just dont worry about that sort of thing much, I guess- not that we have small kids any more. Raw food makes the dogs smell a lot better than canned and kibble, so it must be better for them, so in that sense, if their systems are healthier, surely they are less likly to , in a general sense, pass on diseases. We didnt have dogs when the kids were small for various reasons. I honestly think it would be unlikely to catch ecoli from a dog eating raw food...but if it has happened, it has happened, and it's your call I guess, since there is a small risk. I am not a bacteria phobic person at all and would most likely not even consider it.

I 2nd the yoga and/or pilates. Yoga can really give you a good workout and keep the rest of your body fit, and it will also gently help your ankle by keeping it mobile. Where I live we even have yoga classes for people with injuries- called Yoga Therapy.

My dd16 had a beautiful party for her 16th a couple of months ago. She had 14 friends over, so with her and her brother, it was 16 teens. I made a 3 course feast, and they had a fire in the backyard with music. They also had access to our outdoor spa. It was simple. Everybody reckoned it was the food that made it- I really put on a good spread of food and served them hot chocolate later, and many of the teens came and complemented me and were kind of blown away by it- and dd was also very grateful at the effort I went to to cook and serve. The sit down formal meal (and black and white formal theme) took it from the normal teen party these kids were used to (not many were homeschoolers) to a memorable party.

Natural progesterone helped me for 2 years. Wonderful. Then I felt to go off it, and whenever I try it again...it really mucks me around, so I dont take it and cant take it any more. I trust that. I think it is a good time to remember that we are not meant to be emotional wrecks part of the month. We are out of touch with nature, with cycles, with a natural diet, with the earth under our feet, with sunlight, with ourselves. Our forties are a great time to get back in touch, to really take care of ourselves. I am not saying that herbs and vitamins etc cant be good..obviously they can...but I think if we use them as "drugs" instead of as helpers to get more healthy on all levels...we will at best mask deeper symptoms. I try and see it as a good thing. When things come up at certain times of the month (anger, tears etc), I try to see them in perspective (dont always succeed though) and I write a journal to try and process them. I think since our wombs are where we are vessels for creation, its important to be in touch with our creativity as we get older and especially as we no longer are bearing children. Its time ot put more energy into our own self expression and passions, whatever that is for us. Whatever we have put off for the kids' sake, its time to start it, in some small way at least. I think our hormones go out of whack because we live in an out of whack society, not because they are meant to. We have to find out own ways back to having healthy feminine energy/hormones.

Oh, those nights drive me crazy. I vote for a hot chocolate and a good book! Or of course, check the message boards where us Aussies are wide awake.

That really makes sense. My teens have realised how cool homeschooling is and their schooled friends envy them too. It helps them hang in there when sometimes school seems like more fun.

I think what you DONT do is start buying a lot of organic products that you dont need just because they are organic and supposedly doing the planet good :) And to tell the truth, I have fallen into that trap myself way too much and because of setting up a budget for myself, I am realising how much money I have wasted. Instead, I am in a minimilist phase and am getting rid of stuff, emptying out cupboards and writing basic shopping lists more thoroughly. Rather than focus on organic...I am focusing on living more lightly and not buying more stuff. Especially more stuff just because it's organic. I mean, if some bicarb soda and vinegar or something else very cheap will clean most surfaces...why buy an expensive product, just because it's organic? Why buy it even to support a company that is ethical, if you don't actually need it? Isnt it time we stopped pretending that supporting our economies by buying things is supporting something unhealthy and rearranging deckchairs on the Titanic? All the big companies are getting on the organic bandwagon, trying to sell you stuff you don't need. I personally prefer local non organic to organic that comes from overseas. Google 'voluntary simplicity'. If you have and buy a lot less stuff...you can then afford (or more likely to be able to afford) organic where it really matters. And buy better quality items you really want and need. I am getting rid of 2/3 of my book collection. I don't reread books. I want to keep the ones I want to keep for various reasons, but the rest are taking up (mental, emotional and physical) space. And I want a Mac computer. So...I am selling my books and starting to save. I think organic living is a middle class fad and it has many, many wonderful facets to it. I dont mean to put it down. I wish all farming was organic and hopefully we are heading that way. But if we come from a consumer mindset, I think we still have our priorities skewed. I am talking to myself here- not yet walking my talk but starting to. I spend money too freely on stuff I later regret. Second hand stuff, organic stuff. Its still stuff I dont need, and it takes time away from the things that are free- free organic air, free organic sunrises, free organic walks along the beach, free organic afternoon naps :) .

That must really make you feel better- that she can actually hold her own in a social and service situation. See, you are not doing such a bad job after all :) I am happy for you all !

Sounds like she has a creative outlet and I think that counts for HEAPS because it can lead her places and it keeps her stimulated and growing- as does reading good things. I too was quite a homebody at that age (still am but I do have a rich life!) Creativity is often something we tend to need to be alone to do, anyway. As long as she is getting out of the house a few times a week, and doesnt seem depressed, I would't worry. If its any help, we have the opposite problem. My dd16 is so extroverted we have just grounded her for a weekend so we can spend time with her and she can catch up on chores and tidy her room etc. She has had camps and workshops on the last few weekends. She is out there. She did a workshop all day yesterday, was taken to a ball last night, got home at 12.30 this morning, and then had to be back at the workshop at 8am this morning. She also doesnt especially love her schoolwork. But she does love her art and playing with photography on Photoshop. Somedays if I am not watching, she will sit literally for hours and hours on end at her computer, doing first her Media Studies course, then her other online subjects, then she will jsut move onto playing with her photos and uploading them and then to Facebook where she then discusses them with the people in them...and by 9pm I realise she has had a productive day but its all been in front of the computer and she has barely moved. So I feel like a bad mum for that sometimes.