Thursday, December 20, 2007

School's out!! Almost ...

Well, just three more hours for the big teen, and we are done until January.  The little ones are done.  We had a good week filled with fun and cooking, but now it is time for me to clean my house and rest.  I also look forward to curling up in a chair with a hot cup of tea and planning our next month of school.  I am going to do something a little different this go around.  I am going to try to homeschool for free the whole month of January.  I will keep paying for my big teen's world history course but otherwise FREE!  I don't think this will be very difficult.  I have been reorganizing our school stuff and toys all week.  I found lots of stuff that I forgot I had.  If it all goes well, I will continue homeschooling for free or with a limited allowance for the rest of the school year.

My big goal for the next year is to be a really good steward of everything that we have: money, belongings, resources and, of course, ourselves.  I have been doing a pretty good job, but there is more that I could do.  I will be talking more about this as I think it out and form a plan.  But the first goal is to homeschool for free in January.  I was raised with the saying, "Live simply so others may simply live".  I would like to get closer to that belief.  This does not mean that I feel we can't have new things or healthy food.  But I want us (my dh and I) to think about and decide if we really need something and if there is an alternative to adding something that I must maintain. 

For example, for the time being, I am no longer checking any books out of the library.  We were getting lots of late charges, and quite honestly, our library system has lost a few books themselves and charged us for them over the last six years.  I am tired of struggling every time something goes missing.  What an energy drain!  We will be going to the library two times a week and we can read while we are there.  Most of the research my big teen does is on the Internet or in the books we already have at home.  If he needs more info, he can copy it at the library.  I have found out that I can order the books from the library and then read them there and leave them there.  No charge for me, but I can still access a particular book for the kiddos.  Sounds like a win-win situation to me.

Question ~ Does anyone know how to put a slideshow in my entry?  I have a  new slideshow in the sidebar, but I wanted it in this entry.  I can't figure out how to get it here.  If you know how, would you please leave a comment.

Thanks and have a Very Merry Christmas!

Dawn

10 comments:

  1. I like the quote about living simply. I, too, try to keep it simple when possible and am always looking for ways to thin things out.


    I don't think i could give up the library, though. Yikes!


    I've no clue about slideshows, sorry.


    Merry Christmas,

    tracy

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  2. PeterRabbitPreschoolDecember 21, 2007 at 2:18 PM

    you are always inspiring when it comes to thinking of how to do things with others in mind!

    Other than making it a nursing home on Christmas Day, I know this year is just not the year for me to be doing that (with a baby on the way). But there's always next year...Anyways, thanks for all the ideas you've posted about how to think of others both at this time of year and otherwise...


    Merry Christmas & many blessings!

    -Katrina

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  3. I need to be a better steward. That's something I must work on in the new year, but am not looking forward to working on! There's so many other things too...


    I get my puzzle here, & I think you can get a slideshow from them too:


    http://www.picturetrail.com/photoFlick/samples/pflicks.shtml

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  4. Honey, I really like the new slide show. Love, Mom

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  5. To post a slide show, copy the "embed" code. Then on your post, hit the "source" button. That will turn your whole post to HTML. Then paste the code right into your post where you want it. Hit the "source" button again to see how it looks.


    Merry CHRISTmas to you and your family!

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  6. Best of luck with your goals for the new year! Better stewardship, especially with money and TIME are my major goals for this year. I definitely need to "take inventory" of all of the books, toys, supplies, etc. we have...it would be fantastic to be able to homeschool for free for a while!

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  7. Sounds like a great plan! We are also trying to be good stewards of what G-d gives. May you have a Merry CHRISTmas and a blessed New Year!

    Blessings,

    Jacque

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  8. Your commitment to simpler living is inspiring. This is something I want to work on, too. Merry Christmas! :-)


    Steph

    http://tribeofautodidacts.homeschooljournal.net

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  9. Sometimes it's just amazing to me all the little ways we waste money, even when we're trying hard to be frugal. Especially, right now when my husband is not working, I am trying even harder to look for ways to cut back. It's not always easy or fun, but it all helps. Did you get the embedding figured out for your slide show. If not, let me know.

    Letitia

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  10. Hope your family had a wonderful Christmas. Good luck on your goal of homeschooling for free in January. I can relate to the library charging you unnecessary fees. I would get late fees and go to the library and pull the book off the shelf and show them it had been returned! We started using a different library. Much less stress for me!

    Pam

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