WORK

Simply stated, I don't want to.

It's not that I am lazy. I just don't want to GO to work.

The need is coming. I will stay home this year. Next year? I'm not exactly sure what is going to happen.

I understand our situation. I know what we need to do. I want to do my part to help my family....to help my husband. It isn't fair that he takes on the entire financial responsibility....and the stress that comes with it.

I feel like (after 4 years) that I'm JUST now getting the hang of housekeeping. Don't laugh. I'm GETTING the hang of it....I haven't GOTTEN the hang of it.

Also, we are just so busy. With my hubby gone 18 days a month, I have to get the kids everywhere they are going to go. I don't begrudge them that. And, I don't hold it against my hubby. He is doing a great job providing what we have and giving me the opportunity to stay home as long as I have. I often think (when feeling a time crunch) of how stressed I'd feel during TAKS testing, grading period and lesson plans. (And, yes, they all come at once at some point during the year.) I won't NOT let my kids play soccer or have music lessons because I'm tired.

When I was teaching, I didn't start my work until all the kids were down. I usually had 2-3 hours of work to do each night. (I am a middle school teacher.) I'm just extremely worried that I will be a bad teacher and an even crappier mother and housekeeper. What if my stress comes through in my mothering? What if I'm so tired that I don't want to spend time with my kids? What if they want me to do something with their class and I can't? What if I miss my kids too much?

So tomorrow, I will be going to the school to fill out the paperwork for subbing. I don't mind. It will be OK to go a few days a month. I wish it could be that way all the time. It just can't be. I have thought about trying to do a job share...perhaps for one year. First, I don't know if I would make enough money to do that. Secondly (and mostly), I would have to do a job share for kinder or 1st grade. EEEK! I don't want that age. Period. They won't do job share for middle school, due to the testing.

Let me clarify our situation. There are some things we need to pay down/off and other things we would like to do, as a family. We can't, if I don't work. If I don't work, we are stagnant. If I work, we start to pull ahead. We need to pull ahead.

So, there ya go. This isn't any surprise to my husband. We have talked about it. He knows how I feel. And, if things get better with the economy, I know he will keep me home as long as possible. I also know that if I do go back to work, he will do his best to get me home as soon as possible. He says he likes me to stay home. I enjoy trying to improve on my housekeeping, my cooking, my being a homemaker.

I pray that I will get more time in the near future.

MAKING A HAPPY HOME MONDAY

It's Monday....it always comes back to Monday, doesn't it?

I have quite a bit to blog about. I am finally a bit more released to blog on something I have been wanting to for a LONG time.....now I just have to write it. I'm sure it will make some folk mad, but you know....it's what I do. LOL!

So, as most of you know, Making a Happy Home Monday is a sad little blog carnival that Catey and I post on in hopes of encouraging and inspiring others to make their homes happy. You can pick a little project or a big project. You can make it pretty, more organized, decluttered, or clean. Whatever you do, any improvement is bound to make you happy, thus making your home a happy home.

I have been working on my kitchen for the past few weeks...I'm not done. I have a few more weeks that I can do on my cabinets. For today, though, I wanted to do something a bit more timely....for my household, anyway.

Today, school started. Three of my boys are in school. I did several things to get them ready. The parts that apply to MHHM are as follows.

First off, is school lunches. Hot lunch will not be served in our school until mid-September. Even when they do have hot lunch, my boys will almost always take their own lunch. For today and hopefully the rest of the year (if I don't get too rushed or lazy) I will pack their lunches the night before. It sure does help to have it done. The boys will help me. It is listed on the next portion of MHHM.

CHORE CHARTS!

Personally, I love chore charts. My oldest who (bless his heart) is a LOT like me, loves them, too. He is wanting to take a picture of each brother to attach to the top of the chart so we know who needs to do what. Isn't that cute?

We had some chore charts that I posted on not too long ago. Now that we are back in school, some things must change. Here are the new charts. I think you can click on them to enlarge and see the actual chores. (If you can't, and you are interested in a break-down, let me know.) They went into effect this morning. Each child checks off the appropriate box when chore is completed. They are in page protectors (Monday - Friday on front, weekend on back). They check them off with dry-erase markers so I don't have to reprint every week. Each Friday, they get their allowance, with a slight deduction for chores NOT completed.

Let me know how you are getting your household into school-mode! 

TEMPT MY TUMMY TUESDAY

Hey, y'all. My friend, Lisa, has this cool blog carnival called "Tempt My Tummy Tuesday."

I'm not as diligent as I would like, but I try. :)

Anyway, a lot of us bloggers get together and share recipes and tips for the kitchen. I hope you will join us.

For my entry I would like some feedback. I hope Lisa doesn't mind (email me, girl, if ya do), but I'm going to kind of piggy back on her carnival.

I would like to know what all you do for sack lunches....specifically for school-agers. You can link to some or your blog posts, or just leave comments. (comments may be easier, now that I think about it.)

I have 3 boys in school this year. They are in grades 5, 3 and kinder. My 1st and 3rd are picky eaters (the 3rd being pickier.)

School lunches (through the cafeteria) are expensive. They are over $3 each. Fortunately, we are in a position to not qualify for free or reduced lunch. So that means that anytime my boys want a "hot plate," we must pay. In order to keep from spending a pretty chunk for lunch, we have told the boys that we will buy them 2 lunches per month. Anything else, they must pay for out of their own allowance.

I feel this is more than fair, especially considering that most of the lunches, the boys wouldn't eat. Also, they would more than likely walk away hungry, as they wouldn't eat the whole thing.

That being said, we make a LOT of sack lunches.....up to 15 per week.

I'm always on the lookout for new ideas. Something easy to fix, easy to eat, filling, healthy...I don't mind desserts. We send juice. We don't do high fructose corn syrup. But, it does seem like we fall into a PBJ rut.

Thanks, in advance, for sharing your ideas.

WHAT I HAVE BEEN UP TO

It has been so crazy. Last week was the craziest! I just thought I would let you know what all I have been up to. By the way.....continue reading after this post, because there are 2 more below.

Last week was our last week of school. It was a lot of fun, but busy!!!

Tuesday....what did I do Tuesday? Oh yeah, there was a poetry reading for 2nd grade. My 8 year old, along with 124 other 7 and 8 year olds EACH read a poem that they had composed. Their teachers also composed and read poems that included the names of each of their students. Anyway, the program was cute....but made worse because the 2 little boys didn't really want to sit through all those poems.

Wednesday? Hmm.....oh, you know what? The poetry reading was Wednesday. I think Tuesday was a day to prepare for.....

THURSDAY!!! This was our big day....our busy day.

Thursday saw awards and parties. My 4th grader and my 2nd grader both had both. So, we went to the award ceremony of DS #1 (see previous post) then ran to start DS #2's party. Got that started, went to start #1's party, check on #2, a bit more with #1, awards for #2, pick up from school and off to piano lessons. PHEW!

Friday was the last day of school and was only 1/2 day. Second grade had another party. (There *might* be a post about that, but I'm still trying to decide how to be nice about it all. ;) ) After that, we all went to see the movie UP. That was fun. Then Daddy took us to Dippin' dots for a fun treat.

Saturday saw a piano recital for both older boys and then a birthday party for a friend. The party was over about 6, but we ended up staying until about 11:45. LOL!!!! FUN TIMES!

Sunday was church and then our home team....I made the "BIG" salad and Red, White and Blue Sundaes. Also made some chocolate chip cookies just because.

Today is our first, full-day of summer vacation. The kids are having a "fun" time adjusting as the chores that were NOT expected are a lot less fun than all the video games that WERE expected. Ha. We will not be wasting the summer away.

Thank you, dear reader, for being patient with me. I hope to be better blogger soon.

GOINGS ON

HEY, Y'ALL!!!

Just thought I would come on here and touch base. I feel as if I have been neglected all 3 of you. LOL!

It has been busy. This time of year is busy for me with school parties, springtime activities and other things.

Monday night, I played a fun game of Bunco with some great friends. I actually won the $5 I put into the pot....for the fewest number of wins. It pays to lose!!! Anyway, I had spent all day baking a coconut cream pie (esp. for my friend tollesons4him) and a cinnamon chocolate cake with PUDDLES of icing. yum.

Tuesday, after the smoke fiasco, I spent the day on a field trip with my oldest. It was fun....but hot. Fourth graders don't have cute smells anymore...it's just B.O!

That night was spent airing out the house and wiping things down...TRYING to deodorize the house.

Wednesday, I went to the school to teach a lesson on volume (the measurement) to my 2nd son's class. That was a lot of fun. After that, we had guitar lessons and soccer practice.

Yesterday, I FINALLY started on my regular housekeeping duties. When you need to run 3 loads of laundry a day to stay in control, and you haven't done anything since Saturday....well, you find yourself in a laundry conundrum....heh....I like that word. Picked up the kids from school for more lessons/practices and such.

Today, went to the store to buy things for my 3rd sons birthday party. He turned 6 on Tuesday. We are having his party tomorrow at the park. It will hopefully be fun for all.

I do have a gripe....and I have to write "in code" as I'm not sure who all reads. All I can say is this.....there needs to be a school handbook written, FOR PARENTS, on how to be a room mom/dad. I mean REALLY? Some of these moms I'm dealing with are using some questionable decision making skills......well, they are being ridiculous. (Please note that ridiculous has NO "E's" in it.....) LOL (that's a whole " 'nother" peeve of mine.)

Anyway, if you are a room parent, your job is to make the teacher's job easier, when it comes to parties. I'll be quiet for now....I guess I'll go work on that handbook. LOL!!!

Tomorrow is the 25th. I know you don't need reminding (well, some of you do) that tomorrow is the monthly Rudolph Club Meeting over at OrganizedChristmas.com. And I feel it prudent to remind you that, including tomorrow, there are only 8 more meetings until THE DAY!!!

Other things I'm thinking about.....I really want the sheet music to some of the Twilight movie soundtrack. I want "Bella's Lullaby," but until I hear the soundtrack, I don't know for sure if it has what I want. I can't find the part that I want. It might just be some "free composing" on top of the melody. That is fine....I just want to know for sure.

I have some Pampered Chef stuff that I need to get handed out to my friends.

My son's ear appointment went well. We are going to wait 18 months, on the advice of the surgeon. That is OK....now we know.

I have a lot of work to do around here. I feel 5 steps behind, ALWAYS! I need to pull an all-nighter. Wish I still had it in me to do, but I just don't. Maybe in the next few, my hubby will take the kids for an extended play date. *hint hint*

I'm about to start making all of our bread. I'm pretty excited about that.

OK....that's all. Y'all have a good day. I'll be back my Monday, at least.