Lisa's Logbook - December 27 (Tuesday edition)

Current Mood: annoyed

Outside: snowing and 33

Wearing: yoga pants and a sweatshirt - gonna get dressed up later

Tunes: Wicked soundtrack

Kids Are: all vanished upstairs instead of doing their chores

Hubby Is: matching socks

Something New: my Book Nerd necklace

Something Yummy: FUDGE - I love fudge!

Blessings: Working from home on a flexible schedule

Reading: just finished Black Silk by Judith Ivory, re-reading A Praying Life by Paul Miller. 

Watching: mostly Parenthood. Also watched Under the Greenwood Tree (period drama) and Nativity! (a Christmas movie with Martin Freeman - the dude that will play Bilbo and played Watson in the BBC Sherlock).

Considering: all the things I can choose for New Year's Resolutions.....

Working On: lesson sheets for January, essays to grade, setting up a new essay class for January

Accomplishments: Beat Suzy on Just Dance 3 (Wii) - lol; also I got through Christmas.

Looking Forward To: seeing WICKED tonight and going out to eat with friends, hopefully getting together with another friend this week, New Years' Day (my fav holiday!)
Pic: Getting a decent pic of all 4 kids is harder than one might imagine.

Lisa's Logbook - December 11

Current Mood: relaxed

Outside: sunny and 35

Wearing: jeans and a sweatshirt

Tunes: Christmas music

Kids Are: Three are working on decorating the tree, 1 is being anti-social

Hubby Is: working on decorating the tree

Something New: Christmas-y blog background; also bought myself some wool socks at the mall.

Something Yummy: Tarla's mystery balls! lol

Blessings: sleeping in!

Reading: Henry Tilney's Diary by Amanda Grange, A Praying Life by Paul Miller. 

Watching: Sherlock (BBC) - all 3 episodes with my Rollicking Readers, Parenthood, Psych, Camille (1984 w/Colin Firth & Greta Scacchi)

Considering: some gift ideas

Working On: Christmas preparations

Accomplishments: got the tree up!

Looking Forward To: seeing the new Sherlock Holmes movie, getting together with family this weekend, staying in a hotel with the kids
Pic:

NOTE: I have a personal blog, mostly a review of our weekly activities - NOT school related. If you need the link, let me know. It's not private, but I don't link to it. It's called Quingly Things.

Elbow Grease

It's Elbow Grease Week here at Cornerstone Home Learning Academy. What does this mean? 

Working 25 hours a week from home means I don't have a lot of time for house cleaning and chores. The students here at the academy are on a work-study program (meaning they do the cooking, cleaning, and yardwork). 

My children's approach to chores tends toward minimalism. Also, they appear to be wearing blinders when doing their tasks. For example, one might clean all the normal surfaces in the bathroom, but since the floor is not a daily chore, the child would probably ignore a muddy streak in the middle of the floor. 

Each child is responsible for two rooms/areas during each week, with normally specified chores to be done daily and weekly. The instructions I give do explain that the entire room is supposed to be clean, but the children seem to be ignorant of how to tell if that's the case.

In an effort to improve their thoroughness, I have declared this week Elbow Grease Week. I have put forth a challenge: choose one additional (normally unassigned) area in your assigned room that needs some cleaning or organizing attention. And Clean It! 

The area that shows the most effort and benefit will get a prize each day! And the best for the week will get an even better prize! You know that great feeling that you get when you've done a good job and that surface is now shiny clean and organized? Hopefully they'll get that reward too.

I'll let you know how it goes.

Lisa's Logbook - December 4

Current Mood: wistful

Outside: 45 and damp, was raining, more rain coming

Wearing: black jeans, long sleeve blue tee, multicolor top, socks, slippers, wet hair

Tunes: Christmas music mainly - Michael W. Smith, Straight No Chaser, Relient K, more

Kids Are: Three upstairs - making themselves scarce; 1 cleaning muddy boots

Hubby Is: laying on the bed

Something New: flannel sheets

Something Yummy: Mint Moosetracks ice cream!

Blessings: Warmth!

Reading: The Secret Life of Emily Dickinson by Jerome Charyn, A Praying Life by Paul Miller. 

Watching: Persuasion (95), Parenthood, Monarch of the Glen

Considering: purchasing a swing-arm towel rack and a Kindle decal

Working On: Christmas shopping

Accomplishments: December lesson sheets ready, finished book club book early!

Looking Forward To: going out with friends; getting my new pillow; Christmas season being over
Pic: