A Song of Thanksgiving

So while the rest of mainstream America celebrates Thanksgiving with the traditional turkey and ALL the trimmings, our family has opted out of the custom. Why you may ask? Several reasons... 1-my dear sweet husband is a vegetarian-wannabe vegan, 2-our family is orthodox and we are in a time of fasting, 3-I'm a compulsive overeater and this day FEEDS (pun intended) into that, 4- we are quickly moving away from being a "traditional" American family, 5-I'm wanting to create a family life that celebrates "thanksgiving" every day!

Soooo... I've already begun looking at ways to keep the family focused on thanksgiving on a daily basis. One of my ways to incorporate this will be to begin posting "A Song of Thanksgiving" on Thursdays... beginning today of course. And my hope is to post very soon on my plan to keep "thanksgiving" happening during the Christmas season.

My Song of Thanksgiving...
1. For my God, who loves me and has given me this beautiful life on a daily basis (whether I am thankful for it on a daily basis or not).
2. For my dear sweet husband, who challenges me and who wants to show me on a daily basis that the "road less travelled" is usually the one worth following.
3. For princess, who teaches me WAY more about myself than I really want to know.
4. For rosebud, who has shown me how to be enthusiastic.
5. For stinkbug, who STILL likes to hold my hand and sit by me, even though he is 8.
6. For sugarcake, who keeps me younger than I should be while making me feel REAL old!
7. For Overeaters Anonymous, who has taught me what this disease does to me AND has also shown me what true thanksgiving is.

And my bonus verse...
8. For the Dallas Stars, who won last night....YEA!!!!

In love and recovery,
ThereO

TIME to get real

Okay, I'm coming clean. The TIME for school post is just NOT me. Well, not what I'm wanting from this life, at least. Reading back over it (and thanks for your comment Pres. Kathy) I realize that it is just not realistic to get all of that done this week, nor does it lend itself to the rhythm that I'm seeking. It's basically a to do list. I'm always going to have a to do list but it is HOW I accomplish the to do list that I did not address and that is where I am wanting to find the rhythm.

So back to the drawing board. The time slots for school activities went well today and I definitely want to continue with that. It really seemed to give us a rhythm and although the kids really balked at first, by the end of the day, they did seem a bit more joyful knowing what to expect. I'm tossing the plan for the week in yesterday's post and instead I will focus on papers and finances until those are done... then I'll worry about what to tackle next on the HOME list. Just as with the SCHOOL week, I'm hoping that once that area is complete I'll be able to see where that component of my life fits into the rhythm.

So for now the rest of the house will just have to be as it is (sorry dear husband...LOL) until the papers are done. But I have a feeling this will all be worth it.

Blessings to you all!
In love and recovery,
Therese

TIME for School

One week down... five to go...LOL! So how did school week go? Let's just say the inside area is awesome. The outside area... not so much! But I feel organized going into Monday for the first time since beginning this journey. Schedules have been made for the children. Books are sorted and organized and papers for our history unit are in their notebooks. Our schooling lately could best be described as "unschooling" but I'm hoping this past week will move us more towards a happy-medium eclectic.

So as I embark upon the next week of tasks, I'm so wishing there were 12 weeks until 2009. This week finds me at the "HOME" area of my life. And probably the area that needs the most attention. This area consists of not only the actual house but also finances and papers. So the plan for this week...

Monday - finances, bedroom, bathroom, living area.
Tuesday - papers, bedroom, bathroom, living area.
Wednesday - finances, bedroom, bathroom, misc areas (washroom, hallway, etc)
Friday - papers, bedroom, kitchen
Weekend - garage and yard

This is where things already begin to get tricky. "Scheduling" the tasks of the coming week within the schedule developed from this past week. So with that thought, I should move on to bed and get a good night's sleep. It sounds like a busy week... LOL!

In love and recovery,
ThereO

An Idea for Christmas

(Click on the title above to see what I'm talking about)

How cool do these games look? I'm hoping to win one for Christmas but if I don't, I might have to get one anyway! I'm sure someone on my list would want one of these.

In love and recovery,
ThereO

Finding a Rhythm

As I've struggled with making sense of time and how to use it wisely or efficiently, I find that I'm moving toward wanting a RHYTHM. It makes sense, doesn't it? Our days have a rhythm and we can tap into that or fight against it. I've been fighting against it. Why... back to the drawing board... didn't really know about rhythm or how to create it, too much to do before I can even see a rhythm, distracting children,...hmmm, I bet you get the idea.

We've got 6 weeks left of the year. Eeewwww! But the good news is, I'm making my resolutions now so I can begin 2009 with a rhythm in place. I'm very encouraged and motivated. Wouldn't it be great to start the new year in a good place instead of feeling so behind on January 1? Will it be easy??? Heck NO, I'm already feeling exhausted and it's only Monday of the first week...LOL! But I can see this being good for me and for this family. What if our 4 little darlings were to learn this now? What if our little darlings found the rhythm to their days and got started now... they wouldn't have to deal with excess and not enough time. They wouldn't have to deal with the struggles of "time."

So where does this six week journey begin? Our Homeschool! I'm only 2 and a half years late in doing this... but hey, I know what it's like now... right? So this week will focus on organizing, planning, cleaning and creating the homeschool that all of us in this family dream of... Well within the confines of our home. Our homeschool is divide into two areas. The breakfast area is the heart of our homeschool. This is where the children keep their assignments and I keep planning materials and supplies. This is also where we do our table work. Our storage area is in the garage. That's where we keep last years books and activities and future books and activities. Monday's task consisted of moving everything out of the breakfast area into the den. A very thorough cleaning job was done and now the big furniture has been cleaned and moved back into the area. Okay so I would have loved to have gotten more done but this is where I stopped. I do have supper in the oven so that's a major difference between this week and all the weeks before.

The plan for Tuesday...
Do the supper thing again. Find all notebooks, books and activities that the children will be using for the rest of the school year. Put those away in the breakfast area. Update lesson plans and grading. Basically get that area complete. The rest of the week will be devoted to the storage items in the garage and making decisions on selling/donating items and/or organizing and documenting all the items we keep. I'm also hoping to get our library books organized and finding a rhythm to that process.

I'm feeling the "rhythm" already...LOL!

In love and recovery,
ThereO

Oh Yeah, Baby!!!

This is Mr. Turco... Dallas Stars goalie

Modano... nuf said!

My #3 man... Robidas (oh, and my #2 man is in the picture too)

#2 Grossman... Sugar Cake just faints every time his name is mentioned!

This is actually my second attempt at this. The first failed miserably and didn't make it to a post. My "STARS" I think I've got it. Took the pictures... downloaded them to the computer... found them on the computer (LOL) and posted them here. YEA!!!

I Agree

Yep, you heard it here first... I agree, Louis. In fact, I was thinking about it today as I was going about NOT doing what was on the list. After writing it down, it really sounds silly to try and accomplish THAT much. Especially with all the "day to day stuff" NOT written down. Soooo.... just like the food, I need to cut WAY back.

The plan for Friday....
HOPE - group school, organize, update lessons for all 4, library
HOME - return cabinet, find game cabinet, papers/mail
OTHER - get pictures developed, quilt baby blanket, the old folks

I would still like to cut the list a LOT more. In fact, here is what I am aiming for...
HOPE - group school, princess school, rosebud school, stinkbug school, sugarcake school, ONE THING
HOME - supper, laundry, ONE THING
OTHER - the old folks, ONE THING

So my goals for this weekend are to do some organizing of school, meals, and house so that I can begin my new "time diet" on Monday. Wish me luck!

In love and recovery,
ThereO

Time Update

So how did I do??? Well, considering it was a trial, I guess it would be worth continuing. I ended up accomplishing about half of the list. Now, I'll be honest... there are two things on the list I haven't done but will be doing after my update... when those are done then I'm at about half. I know I would have been able to accomplish more if the family outing had not taken longer than expected. But that is a part of life... some things take longer than expected. On the other hand, I was able to finish assembling the cabinet in NO time because a piece was broken...LOL...which in the long run will take MORE time because now I have to return it. Arrrggghhh!!!!

The plan for Thursday...

HOPE - group school, organization, Princess school, Rosebud school, Stinkbug school, reference books
HOME - papers/mail, glue puzzle, return cabinet, get seasonal decorations
OTHER - sew/quilt baby blanket, Ipods, sew pillows, digital camera, visit the "old folks", get pictures developed

We'll see if being home more will be helpful or if I need to look at cutting down what I'm hoping to do in a day. Only TIME will tell...LOL!

In love and recovery,
ThereO

Time... again!

I must say, I have a very exciting post planned. But I just can't post it until I have figured out how to download my pictures to the computer. DARN!!! Guess, I'll have to post on time... again!

It occurred to me this afternoon that using the tools of OA has really helped bring about a huge change in which foods I eat. The number one tool I use is turning in a food plan to my sponsor. So, I'm going to turn in a "time plan" to my blog. Not sure if it will work out the same way but I hope to find that by giving myself a sense of my day on the night before that I will be able to use my time in a more efficient way.

So what's on the agenda for tomorrow...
HOPE (our homeschool) - group school, Princess school, Rosebud school, History book list, History craft list, some organization
HOME - papers/mail, laundry, put cabinet together
OTHER - sew and quilt baby blanket, Ipods, Digital camera, visit the "old folks," a family time field trip

Okay... we'll see what happens.

In love and recovery,
ThereO

I Had A Dream...

I really did! And I somewhat remember it. It was about how I spent my time. Hmmm.....

I was given an assignment... sort of a school type thing. And we had to use some clay materials. I spent all my time on trying to design the clay stuff for a very unique cover and did absolutely nothing on the assignment. By the time the project is due, I'm still trying to finish up the clay part and have done absolutely nothing on the actual assignment.

So, while I'm no dream analyst, I did have some of this type of stuff in psychology classes. And even if I didn't, I don't think the implications could be more obvious. I'm not focusing on the important stuff when I use my time. Well, I'm working on stuff, just not the right stuff. I'm wanting to look at the details. I'm wanting to do the creative stuff. It's a matter of putting the rocks in the jar first and I'm just not doing that now. The assignment probably would have taken 15-20 minutes... so why spend 8 hours on "designing" the cover? Why spend my days on reviewing all of my lists to do instead of just "doing" what needs to be done? Not that lists aren't important... many days I would have completely forgotten important tasks if not for lists. But why so much focus lately??? Perhaps my way of feeling in control???

And let's face it, our kids do WAY too much. Not that it's a bad thing but with everything else going on, the time away from home was constant. So, we are taking a break for awhile... no basketball, no theater. We'll see where we are after the new year... and how the old folks are doing.

And it could be I just didn't have a productive week last week because I was recuperating from the past three months! It's amazing how different I feel after a hot date with the hubby. And what I didn't learn from the dream, was something discussed on our date... it's not a matter of time, it's not a matter of desire/motivation, IT IS A MATTER OF CHOICE. Let's be real... even in the dream... I had time to complete the assignment, I had the desire and motivation to complete the assignment, what I didn't do was make the best CHOICE.

To be continued.... again......

In love and recovery,
ThereO