My Goals and My Ax: One Task at a Time

One of the curriculum  ‘thoughts for the day’ this week will be: “Little strokes fell great oaks.”  I am loving the Christian, inspiring, aspect to our A Beka curriculum!!!

Praise God!!!!

I got really excited about this, as we can all apply this to our lives. Who can’t? Feeling overwhelmed?? Hey, man, it’s just one chop at a time.

As I thought about this proverb, and how I would explain it to Joshua, I couldn’t help but picture the manner in which I often make my own strokes. Yes, I certainly make small, little strokes. The problem is that I very often run around with my ax…

…..metaphorical, now ya’ll, this is a metaphorical ax, just in case any of you are worried…  😉

But I tend to take one chop at this oak, one chop at that, run across the street, take three chops at the oak by the mailbox, take a nap, saunter into the backyard and take one stroke out of four or five different oak trees. Do you get what I’m saying?

A cook with his hands in too many pots is not a very good cook. He will eventually boil something over or burn something.

Oh, how I am that cook! This week I have decided to make my goals a little less broad and focus more on the one that’s bothering me the most, outside of my full time job of home schooling my children:  my house.  I still don’t have my house exactly as I’d like it. I only moved in in August. I started school one week after move-in, and there are still things I can’t find.

There are numerous boxes in the storage rooms and garage that I haven’t even gone through. There are other spaces that I just need to re-organize. I want to get my house in order, basically. This is my focus. The best way to tackle a BIG goal is to chop away: one stroke at a time. I’m going to break this big goal into small chunks, and while it may not be finished by the end of the week, I will be a whole lot closer.

Last week’s goals:

1. Find better projects to keep Daniel busy during instructional times.    YES!!!  

2. Assess Caleb’s new reading level. (He has DEFINITELY risen above the 1st grade level that I assessed him at before school started. His progress will knock the socks right off ya.) DONE! He has made lots of progress.

3. Finish reading Preteen Wise, complete with all the best points underlined for Alan.  OOps…

4. Go to bed by 10:30pm every night.  Let’s not discuss it.

5. Dig into Classical Conversations Connected.   Save your money. You can find just as much good stuff on halfahundredacrewood.com  I spent a while on CC Connected. I did download a few things, and I found the counting songs and videos, so it’s a little useful, just not AS good as this blogger at the half a hundred acre wood site.

6. Buy cornmeal and make cornbread. I NEED cornbread.  1/2 way there. I bought corn meal. Check labels on this!! If you buy corn bread mix, it contains cashews!!  AUGHHHHH!!!!  Terror!  Hospital trip waiting to happen!

7. Blog at least 4 times.  I lost count….

8. Cook a real dinner every night, except Friday.  I did pretty good on this one. Pat, pat, pat my back.  🙂

9. Remember to teach the children the character lessons I downloaded from http://thecharactercorner.com/lads-ladies-character/ (Thank you so much for sharing that with us, Shannon at ihavenogreaterjoy.wordpress.com.)    Yes!!  Love this!!  Doing another character trait this week!!  

10. Finish reading Isaiah. Begin Jeremiah.  Spending time in God’s word is so rewarding. Why don’t I do way more of this and way less reading the newspaper???  Yes, I call Facebook the newspaper. I’m right, you know. It’s the part of the newspaper you’d want to read, anyway.

11. Spend at least 1 hour each day cleaning house. (I got that tip from my friend Barbara, back in Virginia. Thank you, Barb!)

Yeah…….this is what Daniel and JD actually do when I’m teaching their big brothers…..

Okay, now that I’ve made myself look like the best mom and house-keeper ever…..*blush*……Here are my goals for THIS week:

1. Blog 2 times. 2 is good.

2. Put the laundry away before you put the kids to bed. Otherwise, you will use the sleeping children as an excuse to not put the laundry away.

3. Each child must go through at least one garage box this week.

4. I will go through at least one garage box per day, and I will not move on to the next box until I have found a place for every single item in the box.

Dear Alan’s job, quit making us move.

5. Teach the boys a new character trait. I forget what this week’s is. Check them out here:  http://thecharactercorner.com

6. Take Joshua to his doctor appointment.

7. Balance CC Childcare budget.

8. When I feel a melt down coming on, run to the porch, and pray or cry or whatever. What? You don’t melt down??  Never? Come hang out with us for a while……

And remember…..little strokes fell great oaks. See, look at Caleb in that picture. He carries his ax everywhere he goes…

I’ve shared my goals, both the good and the embarrassing.

What are yours???

Do tell, really! People often ignore my questions…I live in a house of only males….