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teachingmyown
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| Posted: April 18 2007 at 5:33pm | IP Logged
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I was wondering if any of you share my problem. Because I struggle so much with being disorganized, I often decide to look to outside sources to help me get it together. For example, making a menu. I know for many of you this is a no-brainer. For me, it's not.
So, I look for an online menu service. But as I review the recipes, I know that we won't eat many of them, so in the end it wouldn't really help. I found one service that was customizable, but there were so many choices that I was overwhelmed and decided it would be easier to create my own plan. That takes me back to square 1.
I have the same problem with choosing curricula. I want a packaged deal to save the stress of jumping around without a coherent plan. But then I look at the book lists and find myself deviating in my mind before I have even signed up! 
So, what is wrong with me? Do I need to force myself to make a coherent plan for school and meals, even if it makes my head spin? Or do I sacrifice my preferences and follow the menu or lesson plans as written for the sake of order and stability? Is there a middle ground?
I know this sounds crazy to many of you. Feel free to tell me to get a grip! Just tell me how!  But I know some of you struggle like I do, so if you have a solution or can just commiserate so I don't feel like such a failure, let me hear it. 
And, I know that in the time it has taken to write this I could have made a list of 14 meals I know we will eat and make a shopping list. 
__________________
In Christ,
Molly
wife to Court & mom to ds '91, dd '96, ds '97, dds '99, '01, '03, '06, and dss '07 and 01/20/11
Remembering Today
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florasita
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| Posted: April 18 2007 at 7:11pm | IP Logged
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Hi Molly ,
I can only speak of myself & my experiences . You might find some of it helpful  or not .
I found in my hs I often would get distracted . I needed discipline .
Some of us need simplicity this is where I found I can have organization . I need to keep things very very simple .
I get easily distracted by what can look good . pleasing and what may appear will run our hs smoothly . I think its that false image of what perfection must be . It is the temptation of the world to offer things to feel good . hs is no different .
I forget that perfection does not exist it can't God is the only true perfect . Improving ourselves and our hs yes but it never will be perfect .
Acceptance is a hard virtue to practice but I've been working on using it lately
So yes I needed a curriculum to follow .I have grately improved by doing so . I no longer let myself go online looking at lots of options because I will want them all If we are struggling for months on end with say a math book or grammar then yes I may look for options but not until then will I try something new .
I find the sticking to what one buys is the true discipline 
As well not adding in things from all over the place . Adding one maybe two books at the most but I cannot go on rabbit trails they are distractions for me . I'd be lost in the bush forever if I were to follow a rabbit
Some of us just need it to be that simple and don't go off the track or we get very very lost .
I'm one of them .I'm slow & simple I used to think it a burden it in fact is my blessing . How can I be a missionary and live out of a packback if I have all this stuff to drag behind me
Same in my home life I just cannot add stuff into it .
I do a good cleansing of my envirnment just as I would for confession or anything else .
I've sold off almost all my yrs & yrs of collecting hs stuff online now and I am sticking to the one curriculum that did not give me burnout and gives us the most closest to not being stressed out I can handle .
I won't even visit some blogs or sites because I know there will be temptations there for me . No matter how wholesome or catholic they are
If you ever have time to try a program I can say personally the DJM program helps us the first yr. learn what our distractions & temptations are . We then have the tools the rest of our lives to watch for them .
The world is one of the biggest distractions for a disciple
Much Love , Rox
ps. about meals . Its hard to help unless I know what ages your kids are & possibly too what they like to eat If I know that there are some ideas maybe your kids can help with cooking meals . Our kids love this and help with at least 3 meals a week . I do not do menus . again trying to keep our pantry simplistic etc. is usually what will make it work and function best . Some days it will not go smoothly and thats when instant pancake mix , chinese noodles , popcorn etc. are very helpful
__________________
May I rise & rest with words of Gratitude on my Breath
May I have the Heart & Mind of a Child in my Depth
May I forever remember to be a Light
May Peace Love & Hope be My Sight
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teachingmyown
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Joined: Feb 20 2005
Location: Virginia
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| Posted: April 18 2007 at 9:38pm | IP Logged
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Thanks Rox. You gave me alot to think over. I think you are so right about the distractions. What is DJM? Is it your curriculum or some other program you used for yourself? If not your curriculum, what curriculum did you decide to use?
I love your comment about being lost in the bush! I end up too distracted to make it into the bush, and the rabbit trail waits on a side table or basket until the books are due back at the library!
As for meals, I usually just try to keep on hand what we use, but my dh ends up running to the store too many evenings to pick up this or that, plus ten other misc items and before you know it our food budget is off the charts! I want to plan so I can control the spending and reduce that 5pm stress of what's for dinner.
We are very simple folks, lots of Mexican, Italian and beef (steaks, roasts). We grill alot in the nice weather, and I like to do roasts in the crockpot in the winter. Really, it isn't that complicated, I just don't have the discipline to sit down and do it. sigh.
Thanks for your help. It's nice to be understood!
__________________
In Christ,
Molly
wife to Court & mom to ds '91, dd '96, ds '97, dds '99, '01, '03, '06, and dss '07 and 01/20/11
Remembering Today
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florasita
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| Posted: April 19 2007 at 8:03am | IP Logged
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Good Morning Molly ,
The hs curriculum we went with and so far has worked best is sonlight . I add a bit from OLVS for science and religion and this yr will use thier us history textbook too . I still use all the sonlight books I just added in the OLVS .
My boys also love the pathhway readers now too they are so cheap and the stories are great .
Library books oh my well here is my example of how I have changed I used to on average have 93 books out at a time our library loves me . I now have on average 8 books at the max and this is only because I need to add in Canadian history into our daily readings . I will have no more then 10 books out now ever .
I tried oakmeadow and the younger kids liked it but the older boys not .I did not like the weekly schedule .I like the daily schedule better and sonlight offers it . Being a missionary I loved sonlights focus on mission work alot . I like they offered not just classics but books my kids who came from ps could handle but were well written . I really love if we are ever to travel and live out of a vehicle we can do it with sonlight .I will have it all with me even experiment stuff .
I do not like the usborne books so much but my boys do .
We did not use the LA as I prefer CM for LA . However sonlight claims to have changed thier LA program now .
DJM is part of S.O.L.T ministries . I have been in formation 3 yrs now almost 4 .
This is where I have found much discipline . You can order Fr. Pinto's books off the S.O.L.T SITE i THINK . oops . DJM stands for disciples of Jesus and Mary .
I just learned the word disciple means student this is so true with DJM . It is a really hard program to follow and many drop out as its such alot of really looking at and dieing to self . We truly in the end do end up serving God the way he has planned for us . It is truly awaesome but yes I wanted to quit many many times .
I am required to have a spiritual director and a confessor . This has been very good for me and when we read of the lives of saints we are drawn to in DJM we will see they were able to be humble and listened to thier directors etc.
We are like you we only can afford to shop for food for a week at a time . I make a list and at the end of the week we go shop usually after church . We always shop as a family now . We shop at a store in our area .It is horrible as it raises prices knowing people on welfare cannot afford to go anywhere else because thet cannot drive etc. We could shop somehwre else but then we'd be not in our community . We also go to smaller shops like thephilipino meat market for meat and china town for tofu and a fun shop. All these places are in the community . I think it is important to shop local if possible . In summer we walk to the local bakery etc.
We too just pay the bills and buy food and not much is left over . We try to cut back by eating less meat just using smaller amounts . We drink way more water now then juice or milk .A bit of lemon juice squeezed into water is wonderful . Eat porriage instead of cereal . just little things like that . If I buy chips it is just one bag for that grocery shop day not 5 bags to last the week . I cut way back on instant stuff . We still buy a few pancakes of noodles etc. but you know we make our own noodles to using good bullion or stock , spagetti and cut up vegies . I do love pancake mix and there are brands that are not to junky .
I think in the end your probably spending the least you can we just have to realize food costs alot . Maybe just try and do the list thing for a week or two and see if it helps . I find milk maybe bread is about all we need to go out and get during the week .
I best get moving . Have a great day . Much Lov , Rox
__________________
May I rise & rest with words of Gratitude on my Breath
May I have the Heart & Mind of a Child in my Depth
May I forever remember to be a Light
May Peace Love & Hope be My Sight
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4Real Forums : Tea and Conversation
Topic: A Happy Medium?
