Spring Cleaning Your 'tudes
Dateline: 03/25/99
By Ann Zeise
 Now if you came to this site
looking for someone to tell you to clean your house, you came
to the wrong site,
sister! Yeh, yeh, I know half the Christian
homeschooling sites tell you to clean your house before you
even THINK about homeschooling. But realize that half DO NOT!
Those are my type of Christians homeschool moms. The Jewish and
Islamic sites don't even mention house cleaning. Right on moms!
Just get on with it! Make a big MESS
with your kids!
You say you already did that. Now what?
It's a matter of 'tudes,
as the Slob Sisters
point out. Knock those cobwebs out of your mind
and heart this spring. Forgive me my Platitudes.
  Start
by showing a little Gratitude
to the others in your family, in your life. So your kids made
a mess. Did they help clean up at all? Thank them for their help.
Thank them for being at all, even if they didn't help clean up!
Imagine your life with out them. Wouldn't it be awful? Did your
DH (online this stands either for "Dear Husband" or
some other "D" word I'm not going to publish here :X)
come home from work and complain how you ALWAYS leave the dishes
for him? Mine did. Wasn't deliberate. Honest. I tried, "Oh,
let me get that! You must have had such a hard day at work."
Shoved him out of the way and put the two dishes that had been
missed into the dishwasher. Hey! I'm grateful we have a dishwasher!
Things could be worse!
If your child can't seem to grasp fractions, it may be your
Attitude about it needs adjusting.
Make a hard subject fun by making a game of it. There are loads
of materials out there
that make learning tough subjects fun. So pick that math
book that has cartoons. Select a
grammar book that sparks the imagination. Buy some inexpensive
videos that even the most hardened teen will play over and over.
Go to the movies to delve into history and literature. Explore
the Internet to find the most
delightful sites for children. Go through this
check list to see if your methods will lead to success. Whatever
you do, avoid feeling guilty about it!
Moms, I know this sounds nearly impossible, but do try to
get some Solitude in each
day. It's good for your kids to get some, too, but it is primarily
important to take care of you, Mom, first.
Plan to have some learning time for you. continuously improve
yourself, if you don't you'll burn out: guaranteed.
If you don't keep up your Fortitude
who will carry on? Plan for nutritious meals and time for exercise
right along with planning for your children's
homeschooling.
No matter what your Latitude
there are other homeschooling
parents to talk to, to assist you in many ways. Reach out
to them. They may seem very different from you at first, but
they are just like your neighbors. At times you'll need them
for support and understanding where no one else will do.
As my grandfather always used to say: "Take time to smell
the vanilla." There's but maybe a teaspoon of vanilla in
a whole cake, but isn't the smell delightful? Life is a like
that. Savor the small, special moments of delight and treasure
them. The memory of them will get you through the tough times.
Sites With An Attitude
The Brat Factor
Come meet and get comfortable with your inner brat. Attend the
Brat Reform School. Brought to you by Pam, one of the Slob Sisters.
Her new site.
Come on in to
FlyLady's house!
Are YOU living in CHAOS (Can't Have Anyone Over Syndrome) like
Franny in the pink sweats? Do you feel overwhelmed, overextended,
and overdrawn? Hopeless and you don't know where to start? Don't
worry friend, we've been there, too. We even have an
email list!
Must I Be Organized?
Contrary to what some perfectionist homeschool moms espouse,
organization is one of the LEAST
important factors of a successful school year.
One
of Those Days NEW
I look at the children and announce, "This is One of Those
Days." They stop and look up expectantly; ready to hear
what crazy cure Mom has in mind this time. If this sounds familiar,
try these remedies with your kids.
Sidetracked Home
Executives
Get organized with the Slob Sisters.
Singing
the Burnout Blues
For many home-learning parents (this one included) that energy-sucking
specter we recognize as burnout seems to be lurking in every
dark corner. By Jacqueline M. Massey, HEM 5/6 03.
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