Critterfixer Posted July 28, 2019 Share Posted July 28, 2019 Morning. It's going to be a hot week to make up for the nice weather last week. But--only about six weeks left of really rough summer weather. All of August is usually bad, and the first two weeks of September, and then things moderate. I need to do some school planning today, but may skip out to the lake instead, if I can wear cool enough clothes and have enough water to drink. It's very hot today, and the light breeze isn't doing much. But I bought a laptop sunshade that I'd like to try out, and the lake would be a good place to start. I'd rather the river, but while Friday was fun, the water was very busy because of so many camper in the rec area. Two more weeks until school is in, and after that, it may well be the spot I go most days to rest and work, and the boys can do school there. Lots of picnic tables. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
serendipitous journey Posted July 28, 2019 Share Posted July 28, 2019 (edited) Morning! Thinking Happy Thoughts at your head this week, critterfixer 🙂 It was wonderful to have the guests -- friends about our age, and their 2 1/2 yo daughter: so delightful to have a toddler around and the boys were great with her + I was very happy for the younger one to have a chance to learn about the ups and downs of tots and how to play with and understand them. Today: help elder DS make his muffins to eat (we did one round but he forgot the vanilla so there may be a redo) & work with him to schedule out his composition project; take younger DS to Pokemon; garden chores; plan out the week generally; piano for everybody (me too -- a bit at least); work with DH to get guest room back in order (I'd be happy to leave it for a week, but it belongs to my MIL and she quite reasonably wants it restored to pre-guest status); exercise &c. This week (more reasonable than last week's list, I hope): School planning: finish plan for next term at least -- practically speaking, this means for the next year in many things. Would love to finish!!!! School doing elder DS: light online studies course; up the ante on finishing WWS1; piano, reading, super extra credit for art + some Latin review younger DS: pick math up to full pace; move forward in writing and grammar; piano; Latin trial my "Christian Studies" plans & materials for both boys Garden: mulch out plants in late-summer carrots planted (for elder DS) acquire a functional sprinkler House: keep tidy-ish: if I finish my planning and do the other stuff, house has to be back-burnered. Do a good amount to facilitate peaceful family life & relationships. Faith: I've been so heartbroken after the Church Disaster of '19 that this has not been a focus. I'd like to do some AO Bible readings with each boy (maybe combine?) and also start some of Epictetus' Enchiridion as a read-aloud. Edited July 29, 2019 by serendipitous journey 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Critterfixer Posted July 29, 2019 Author Share Posted July 29, 2019 Morning, y'all. It's hot. It's sticky. I'm coughing. I think the humidity is stirring up something in the air. Today--school, chores, revising. I've got three days to get to the end of this book, and I'm under 10 chapters to the end. It's doable. Just need to get it all done without much in the way of interruption. I do have some stuff to take care of on the phone today, and I want to set up my writing schedule for fall, allowing me more time to read, study Latin and French, and get into some literature with the boys so we can all participate. Lots to figure out and decide on yet. Later this week, we need to go by the state police and get all their learner's permit stuff for this fall. That's going on the school plan for this quarter, studying for their driver's test and plenty of training time in my truck, which is small and reliable. What I really want to do? Head up into the mountains, rent a cabin, have someone bring all meals, have no chores and nothing else to do, and I would just write, and take long walks in cool fall weather to generate ideas and recharge. So, I write fantasy. Got to dream a little bit. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
serendipitous journey Posted July 29, 2019 Share Posted July 29, 2019 (edited) 2 hours ago, Critterfixer said: ... What I really want to do? Head up into the mountains, rent a cabin, have someone bring all meals, have no chores and nothing else to do, and I would just write, and take long walks in cool fall weather to generate ideas and recharge. So, I write fantasy. Got to dream a little bit. Yes to this! I don't write. But I read fantasy and sci-fi: definitely got to dream a little bit! Today: play nicely with the Reality Intruding On My Plans. 🙂 Engage: school for boys; re-normalizing post-guest house; garden stuff; planning; D&D tonight -- get dinner going in time to leave some for DH in a clean kitchen; exercise which helps my pain issues (if I exercise enough I am pain-free, which is awesome, but harder to achieve than I'd like without dropping other important stuff). Eat more veggies! Grace note: our guests were lovely -- very restorative to have such nice give & take after Church Disaster -- and I met a kind & interesting parent at younger DS' Pokemon yesterday. Thank goodness for lovely people: they just make the world a better place. Thank goodness for y'all! ETA: @happysmileylady -- you are inspiring me with your bread-making plans, AND your getting-back-to-stuff. Hugs! Edited July 29, 2019 by serendipitous journey 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
serendipitous journey Posted July 29, 2019 Share Posted July 29, 2019 mid-day update: slogging along. Today's Theme Song is Hannah Gadsby's Nanette trailer. Okay: off for more planning & general staying in the game ... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Critterfixer Posted July 30, 2019 Author Share Posted July 30, 2019 Morning. The children are dawdling on getting ready to go to the lake. I bet we boil. I have a new laptop sunscreen to try out, though, and it will be quiet. Well, quieter than here. So much grousing and flouncing around when I asked if we were actually going at some point this morning. Boys. No school today. I'm still toiling through revision, but getting closer to typing THE END on this manuscript, and then it can go off to be savaged, and then returned to me for redrafting again. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
serendipitous journey Posted July 30, 2019 Share Posted July 30, 2019 (edited) Today: recovery mode. Piano & art & exercise for the boys; planning & exercise & gardening for me; grocery shopping will probably benefit everyone. Goal of a mellow evening with an unhurried dinner in a neat-ish home. Hope we manage it! ETA: and work on our D&D characters before the next game. Edited July 30, 2019 by serendipitous journey 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Critterfixer Posted July 31, 2019 Author Share Posted July 31, 2019 Morning! Regular day here. Going to be a hot one. I have six chapters left to revise this round, and I have to validate my Camp NaNo total today. Then the post-project depression will set in, and I'll mope for three days. Hopefully, productive moping. I should be able to deep clean at least some of the house in that time. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
serendipitous journey Posted July 31, 2019 Share Posted July 31, 2019 (edited) Morning! Today: continue in recovery mode -- gardening, house cleaning, some reading. Piano all around; Latin & Anki reviews for boys; composition work for elder child; read-aloud sometime; lunch with DH. For school planning: we have got math underway, with the notable exception of living math books. So: work on a living book list, trial my Christian Studies plans, do some art with the boys and get art plans/procedure lists going -- I'm using Pam Barnhill's Put Your Year on Autopilot in an iterative way to get us going. Joy to y'all today! 🙂 keep on keepin' on. Or take a break, hard to know what the situation will require ... ETA: having a hard time today here, still so sad about Church Disaster + elder DS' unpredictable (though improving over time) health. So I'm making a more-detailed list for the fuzzy stuff to keep me moving forward: get one central notebook going for my planning stuff & put what I have into it with tabs so I can find things. Prob. use post-it tabs for that. finish "getting up" which I usually do first thing but wanted to sit and think a bit first this AM: wash face, skin care, sunscreen, wipe bathroom, a bit of yoga, get dressed for day outside time for everybody: I am great about watering, so I'll START by getting some stuff in the ground and putting mulch down and THEN do the watering extra credit: have boys do some simple outside chore -- maybe their formal exercise for the day, the main point of this is improving elder DS' health piano for everyone, assigned reading for the ones not doing piano practice, including me -- I'll read some science art. for today have boys do Artistic Pursuits after art, play break & I work for a bit on listing our notebook needs & art plans OR lunch with DH first, then art plans after lunch: another round of piano & do Anki reviews Latin reviews assigned reading + some games for boys while I exercise planning for me -- work on living math list before art planning -- minor chore for boys a round of house cleaning an early dinner + read-aloud for boys before elder has aikido & I take younger to the game store for board game night/D&D character help extra credit: time for D&D character work after aikido/game store, dinner for DH & I evening routines, read-alouds, some evening yoga esp. if I don't fit a run in if there's a bolus of time available at any point (!!!!) trial my Christian Studies plans. Edited August 1, 2019 by serendipitous journey 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Critterfixer Posted August 1, 2019 Author Share Posted August 1, 2019 Morning! Art today, Math and Latin. For me--finish revising the last 5 chapters of my novel and get it out the door to my agent. I hope to be done with it by Saturday or maybe Sunday. But Monday--I want it out the door, and the week cleared for drafting, and some much needed housecleaning. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
serendipitous journey Posted August 1, 2019 Share Posted August 1, 2019 (edited) Oh my, we need to run errands and the house has somehow degenerated into full-blown messiness. Plus: I hear the school year's right around the corner. !!!! Today is busy. And I'm fried. oh well: into the fray! speed-clean 'fridge laundry errands: groceries, paint store, library, drop DH's bike helmet off at the ferry terminal for him to get when he comes home (he forgot it this AM, not good) be firm & kind to elder DS who's having tummy troubles plant some stuff, more mulch in have boys do some simple outside chore -- maybe their formal exercise for the day, the main point of this is improving elder DS' health elder DS: set up his late-summer-carrot plantings younger DS: ???? weeding, stick-removal, or pruning probably piano for everyone, assigned reading for the ones not doing piano practice, including me -- I'll read some science read-aloud @ lunch piano theory for everyone composition for elder math drills & games for younger work for a bit on listing our notebook needs & art plans Anki review: elder, younger Latin review: elder, younger assigned reading + some games-time for boys while I exercise strength/"ballet" run for me exercise for boys a round of house cleaning. and another one. evening routines, read-alouds, some evening yoga discovered yesterday my Christian Studies plans aren't finished for younger DS -- finish those through Lesson 5 D&D planning (striking out what we did, graying out what didn't happen) Edited August 2, 2019 by serendipitous journey 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Critterfixer Posted August 2, 2019 Author Share Posted August 2, 2019 Morning! It's hot. I'm going to the river anyway. It's supposed to stay cloudy and not get above 85, so I might survive. I want to revise two chapters today, and get started on my first blog post for my website. Eep. I'm not all that good at interacting with my website yet, but I need to play around with it every day until I'm used to putting content up, and figuring out how to find my way around the place. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
serendipitous journey Posted August 2, 2019 Share Posted August 2, 2019 (edited) Morning! Today: catching up, more or less. Going back to our goals at the beginning of the week ... Housecleaning: oh my. Laundry away; run, dry & put away one two more loads; do a full round of "crash-cleaning" (about 45"-1 hour) + 5-15" in pantry Elder DS school: Anki; piano; Latin review; composition; art; independent reading Younger DS school: Anki; piano; Latin review; art; independent reading Planning: get younger DS Christian Studies support materials together, plan overview of next week + first term of school Garden: get some more of the get all the plants in somewhere, another bag of mulch down AO Bible readings with elder and with younger and also start some of Epictetus' Enchiridion as a read-aloud. Exercise for me: some strength, a run, some evening yoga Exercise for elder and younger boy D&D character work. !!!!!! need to do this. Here goes!!! Edited August 3, 2019 by serendipitous journey 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Critterfixer Posted August 3, 2019 Author Share Posted August 3, 2019 Morning. I woke up to a cat howling at the door around 4:00, trying to make sure I was alive. Woke me up, so here I am an hour early. But at least the husband gets a little sleep. I might nap later. Normally I don't post on Saturdays, but I need to be accountable for working through half of one chapter in my novel today. A whole chapter would be good, but I'm happy with a half today. I'm two chapters away from finishing this revision. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
serendipitous journey Posted August 3, 2019 Share Posted August 3, 2019 (edited) Morning! @Critterfixer: I need to be accountable, too, today. I need to get to yesterday's greyed-out stuff, exercise, clean house, and focus/brainstorm -- which is always a weird combination. yesterday's greyed-out stuff: laundry; exercise for elder; exercise for younger; run for me; CS Support Materials for younger through lesson 6; plants in ground; at least one bag of mulch down; AO Bible readings if possible -- the boys don't have school on Saturdays but I may be able to reward/bribe this one; plan roughly through our end-of-term, remembering that this is a Recovery Term e-mail some folks: one e-mail to RL, one to AVF &C -- the former takes a bit of thought but I should try to make it quick, latter not hard at all, do these in non-optimal brain time house cleaning: do a 45"-1 hour cycle brainstorming: re-draft school year with evolving vision. I want to scootch elder toward Ursa Minor/WTM. What does this look like? need to formalize the gist of it. The feel I want is a more CM basis to our days because even as the school year picks up we need to stay in a soul-enriching, healing/recovery mode. WTM for underlying skills, logic, and to move us well toward Great-Books based high school. Some sort of clever/desperate brainstorming to adjust for a STEM-heavy child while staying Great-Books based. Elder DS is an incredibly sweet child and also incredibly difficult to teach so having a strong base plan is important, but we need not to have a lot of stress. work on D&D character for 15-30" so that I can be a good citizen-player Monday 😉 draft our week's schedule strength, bit of AM yoga, bit of PM yoga -- I've been better about exercise this week and my pain is down noticeably which is nice try to get to this: Planning I: definitely plan to add music history; decide next year's Latin solution for younger DS try to get to this: Planning II: birthday & holiday planning time try to get to this: make carrot muffins, jot down a useful eating strategy for elder DS this week try to get to this: organize for standardized testing which happens next week Edited August 3, 2019 by serendipitous journey 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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