- Gotta check out the Crafty Crow… Gotta love the Crafty Crow… Gotta draw a Crafty Crow!!!
- Lilla A is calling for shoebox houses… drop whatever you are doing and make a house… trust me her “kids craft exhibitions” are simply the best!!!
- Did I ever say I love stamp carving… well if I didn’t then you’all should know I love it and wish I was so very good at it… meanwhile you have to take a look at this stamp carving printing – loveliness does not even come close to this whole stamp carving week recap on Ishtar Olivera.
- Okay, gotta ask – Who remembers the Gnomes? I had forgotten all about them, I remember sitting under my mum’s desk and reading every single detail and frankly I believed every single word!!!
- It’s Earth Day on Friday so go and have a look at Plastiki on The Chronicle book Blog… scroll down the site for the totally cool slide show. Plastiki is a 60 foot catamaran made out of about a bazillion plastic bottle that sailed from the United States to Australia. There are lots of ways to save our seas and they are all in the book – but check out the slideshow – my guys loved it…
- It is Get outside and Play Month… I know you think we are headed for winter and we will be indoors – but no… it is finally cool enough to step outdoors and my kids have some major projects in mind… MAJOR – yay I am dying to spend some time in the garden that isn’t just maintenance!!!
- And we have been so inspired by the series: How to create an irresistible outdoor play space for children over on Let the Children Play. Oh yes, this is just amazing… I read and read and read… totally lovely stuff and all of it would make a nice change from decluttering!!!
- This week on The Organizing Junkies 52 Weeks: Organizing Closets
So our closets are done and we had bigger things to do… I stopped saying I needed to get organized and literally dove into school. I have this idea that everything need to be just so and everything needs to be plotted and planned. But actually there are life lessons here:
You don’t have to have everything perfect to start a project… and homeschooling a gang of kids is a project, trust me on this… You can just begin… literally step off the cliff!!!
My kids were desperate to get going even the least academically minded were good to go. The only person who doesn’t really want to give up their morning lie in is me. So I tossed all the markers and pencils and crayons in a box and we just began!!! And for the first time ever we had a great first week back!!! Normally the first week is a hideous test of wills… They have to push to see how far I will let them go and I have to push right back to see how far they can go… turns out the first week is always a bit of a mare!!! I like to have everything perfectly organized but this time I just chilled and we went from day to day and they settled on a project and I organized a bit more school and they settled on the next project and I organized the next thing…
- Files sorted.
- Papers sorted.
- Workbooks sorted.
- Schedules sorted.
- Chapter books sorted.
- Extra art sorted/
- Family fun school – that normally is the first to drop off the agenda… sorted.
- A heap of outings lined up and ready to do…
and the se7en + 1th thing
By the end of the week… school is pretty much organized. We had all our reading done, and natural factual outing with some nature notebooks done… a heap of self invented hands on projects and a weeks math and language arts under our belt… sounds about the same if not better than most first weeks of school – just a lot less stressful!!!
And as for the fifty-two weeks of decluttering, I am well pleased because I really wanted to sort through all the kids stuff: toys, treasures, clothes and books, before we got back into school and it just headed closer and closer to chaos!!! I am ready to start a new chapter of decluttering, I am trying to figure out if I should do all the little niggley things for a week or two while we are getting used to school again or if I should dive straight in and tackle another major project – and I do have them…lined up – remember this is my year to get totally sorted.
That’s us – Hope your Weekend is the best ever!!!
And the Se7en + 1th Thing…
I loved the Gnome book too. My Grandma had it and whenever I visited, I just had to read a little bit more. The pictures and gnome facts are totally charming. Must hunt down her copy again.
Your photo of the pencils in the box, ready for action, makes me yearn for new stationery. I love new stationery at the start of a project. It sounds like your school time has had a good start. Hope you have another good week.
Oh Cheryl… Don’t I know it!!! Fresh stationary … hmmm!!! And I am so glad not to be the only person that has heard of the gnomes!!! Hope you have a fun day!!!
Not only do I remember the Gnome books, we actually still have them. My little one has recently discovered them and is quite fascinated! They are very ‘factual’ for fiction so I’ll definitely need to do so more reality vs fantasy discussions with him at some stage. Glad to hear you guys had a good first week back last week.
We loved your CROWS!! What a creative and thoughtful thing to do to celebrate the wonderful CC!!! And those shoe boxes look fun! Xoxxoxoxo
Oh Anita… You don’t own them!!! You do – amazing!!! Absolutely factual and smack of the Dorling Kindersley of the toadstool world!!! Have a fun week!!!
Katherine Marie… I have been yearning for a visit from you!!! I don’t think we have been crafty enough for you lately but we have heaps of plans up our sleeves… finding time to post, time to post, time!!! Totally totally love your easter egg collection… Thanks so much for stopping by!!! Hope you are enjoying the Spring!!!