New year: new resolutions, new attempts, new energy

I've been thinking for a while that my life needs a reboot of some sorts, or at least a boost in a slightly different direction. I've been stuck in a rut, if you prefer I speak cliché. And what better time to do this than the first day of the year?

My first step was to watch this short, but inspiring TED talk by Matt Cutts.

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Next, I'm working on a list of things I want to change/end or begin. So far, it contains the usual; diet, exercise, write more, read more, etc. but I'm also trying to think of things that I can add that would make my life more fun - like every-day fun. What would you add to your list?

Part time working mothers

An ad for a real estate company in Washington caused people across the US to speak out against its representation of working moms.

As you can see, it depicts a woman in a chaotic situation surrounded by three kids on one side, and two business ready men in a neat office on the other. The ad is suggesting that you can't be a part time working mother AND a dedicated professional at the same time. Although the company has taken the ad down and apologized officially, the ad still stirs up emotion,

Not only does it make me mad because there are millions of women out there who are mothers AND professionals. And lets not forget about the working dads,

Worse though, the ad made me feel guilty. Sometimes the circumstances under which I work are even more chaotic than in the picture, and I fear that it affects the quality of my work. Maybe I can't do both? Maybe it's not possible?

Staying focused while facing one distraction after another

One issue often discussed among homeschoolers is that of routine and schedules. Having a program – a curriculum, goals – and a plan for how you are going to reach these goals, is pretty much necessary, unless you are completely unschooling. However, while it is true that a structured regularity might make homeschooling easier, it is futile to think that you can maintain a strict schedule like a public or private school. If you homeschool in your home with a regular family, things are going to come up, planned and unplanned incidents, or sometimes illness, that will disrupt your schoolwork. The best way to deal with this is to embrace the distractions and learn to work around or with them while staying focused.

This our first week of school was extra challenging in this regard, as it was filled with a few scheduled (dentist visits across town and first week of teaching for my philosophy husband) and several unplanned events. I got sick over the weekend and was out of commission until Monday afternoon. We had a major plumbing problem in the bathrooms with raw sewage leakage (which had to be cleaned up once it was fixed). Then the sandstorm hit Lebanon, which you might not think would have much impact on homeschool activities, but we ended up housing or hosting a dust storm play date for the afternoon, with kids of all ages filling up the house. Last night, William went to bed with a stomach ache, and today he has been very sick.

One more day left of this week, Friday. What might happen tomorrow?

Where have I been?!

I have been determined for a while now to start writing again, and you have no idea how good it feels to put these words on paper!

At the end of last semester I started being able to get some more computer time for myself without the continuous interruption of the toddler. However, I then had to spend all my newfound computer time working over the summer. You see, my dear philosopher husband got accepted to no less than three conferences over the summer, and his employer only pays for (most of) one. Since we are already in a financial pickle most of the year (assistant professors in the humanities here do not make enough to support a foreign family of 6!) I had to step in.

As you can imagine, I’ve had more exciting summers. When I didn’t work, or attempted to work with a demanding toddler by my side, I took care of the house, kept a low key summer school going with the boys, and in general tried not to spend any money. We went to the beach quite a bit, for an hour or so almost every day; my little slice of paradise just a couple of minutes’ walk from our house. We also figured out how to make really awesome bagels, something that is difficult to find here, which was detrimental to my weight, but provided some diversion.

In sum, my summer consisted of three fairly dull but financially necessary months.

Though. One noteworthy accomplishment in our household this summer was the potty training of young master Max. Although he only just turned two right before summer, he started using the potty quite successfully at his own initiative, and was, within only a couple of weeks, fully potty trained. No more diapers here! Not even at night. I can hardly believe it. We’ve been a great sponsor of Pampers and Huggies for well over a decade now, and suddenly, it’s over. Just like that. It feels great, a tiny little bit sad (our last baby!), but mostly awesome. I am still waiting for my medal from the president or something like that. Don’t they give mothers of four boys awards after four successful potty trainings? If not, then they certainly should!

Our summer officially ended last week with our back to full school, and I finished my last job for a little while on Thursday. It is still summer weather here, of course, and we will keep going to the beach until it closes at the end of this month, but the rhythm has changed, and I am turning my attention to the boys – and myself – for a while. So here; to a new academic year! May yours be as prosperous and wonderful as you hope, and may all our notebooks be filled with exciting knowledge, adventures, and insights!