Serenity

AHH! QUIET...
Can you feel the peace? All the kids are finally in bed. The big man is working late and I am finally winding down from yet another crazy-busy week. My laundry is washed, folded and put away. The dishes are done and the counters washed clean. There are a few problem areas still not to be discussed tonight but let's just say that for once this week I feel as if I can sit and leisurely browse the blogging world without feeling like I'm neglecting anyone or anything.

We all need that quiet time to recharge our batteries. That is an adjustment that I am finding a little difficult to make since making the decision to homeschool. Jeff has some pretty heavy extra responsiblities this year that have virtually left me to fend for myself almost every day and night. Most of the time I don't mind and just keep going but I definitely crave some of my missed "down-time". I have always enjoyed a little bit of alone-time. I never minded when he left town for a week or so. It is kind of nice to have the total freedom to watch whatever you want to watch or go to bed whenever you wanted to go to bed or eat whatever you wanted to eat. I was usually very productive when he was gone. I'd tackle the projects that had been burning a hole in my brain but I could never start when he was home because of the mess that they made during the fix-it stage.

Now that my alone-time is becoming more and more scarce I find that I cherish it a little more. I also realize that it is an absolute neccessity for me to remain sane. I absolutely need just a little quiet time each day. I'll stay up way later than I should or wake up way earlier than I want to just to get some. I don't know why it's important. I just know that it is.

I think it has to do with the definition of serenity:
the state or quality of being serene, calm, or tranquil; sereneness

and the antonym: Agitation

When one is constantly in a state of agitation over something or other their body/spirit/mind craves the tranquility which balances out the anxiety and stressors of the day.

While there are many things that I love about homeschooling, I can honestly say that this transition has been one of the hardest and most anxiety riddled time periods in my life. All of the "can I really do this?" and "how do I actually do this?" questions have taken their toll. The good news is that at least now I know that I can do it. Still working on the how part but at least now I know that I don't need to have ALL of the answers right now. I know that this first year is probably the hardest one. I just need to carve out a little more balancing serenity time---cause seriously, "if mama aint happy-aint NOBODY happy!"

Valentines Cards

The girls and I have been Valentine makin' fools lately. We had a Valentine party to go to and they had to make about 25 Valentines each plus another 25 for Drew-Bone. Then we made Valentines and distributed them to all of Jeff's widows that he helps at work. They make another 25 or so that he does something sweet for each year on Valentines Day. Then when we were finished with those we realized that we still had to send some to all of the grandparents who will get theirs last but are certanly not last in our hearts. By the time we were done with them all--I was somewhat exhausted and fairly sick of Valentines. I am somewhat anti-store-bought Valentines though. It just doesn't seem to be the same if you don't actually make it yourself. So...here is what we came up with.I borrowed the idea from the wife of a good friend who just happens to be a superstar crafter. You can check out her blog HERE. She has tons of super-cute ideas to glean.


This particular idea turned out to be a lifesaver. I loved how easy these Valentines were. There was still plenty of scope for creativity but There was nothing hard or tricky about them. Even the girls got in on the action. Actually they loved doing them. They were so excited to do them, they were fighting over the sewing machine.
It was also an incredibly cheap and easy way for them to get some practise and experience sewing real things and using the sewing machine to do it. Much better than ruining a nice piece of fabric that you are actually trying to make something real out of. The ultimate uses for this general idea though are really unlimited. Any time you need to make a quick card for something--just grab some scrap fabric a piece of cardstock and go for it. Can't get much easier than that.

Andrew's Valentines were taken from Dana's blog as well. They were just perfect for him to make. We printed off hearts with "heartbreaker" sayings on them and then he just stuffed them with M&M's and stapled them together. Sadly, I think they all got broken open and eaten before we took pictures so you'll just have to check out the pictures on MADE. Drew sure had fun with them though.