MORE "SCHOOLROOM" PICS

This is a bigger view of the schoolroom/dining room. The only evidence this might be a dining room is the curio cabinet and the light. I've also added another table which you can't see. It's a white square table which can fold diagonally in half to be a triangular table. I got it at IKEA along with two matching chairs. I decided to have two tables so I could separate my older son from the other two. It has helped a lot but he still gets distracted sometimes. The second picture is of our infamous library bag. Every Friday we go to the library and check out anywhere between 30-40 books. I don't know how much the bag weighs but I can barely carry it when I bring it in. My daughter has a knack for finding a lot of books and just sneaking them in the bag while I'm not looking. The staff at the library has gotten used to us by now. It's actually kind of fun seeing them every week. Last week I had to own up to my dog's destruction of two books. I brought in the ripped and torn pieces and had to write out a check for about $50. Ouch. I think the dog's been jealous that we've started school. One day I'll get one of those rolling carts for all the books. But until then I'll just have to get used to my sore shoulder. I love books.
 

A LOOK AT MY "SCHOOLROOM"

I put schoolroom in quotes because I really wish it could be a dining room. But I just gave up this year and decided I needed to make it work for school no matter how it turned out. We don't have a basement so we use what's available. These pictures were taken a couple days before school officially started. The first picture is of my bookcase obviously which holds reference books, boxes of crayons and other books which are not child specific. Two great finds were Shel Silverstein's Where the Sidewalk Ends and A Light in the Attic which I bought at our county library's annual used book sale for $0.50 a piece. I also have a very old copy of Little Men which I plan to read this year after we get done with the Anne series. The boxes to the left of the bookcase contain all the child specific materials. Each of my three children have a box and know where their workbooks are located. I got those at IKEA and they've worked out great. It's wonderful to dream about all the stuff I could get at IKEA, but I digress. The second picture is of the wall next to the bookshelf. Here I've posted the family schedule, a calendar and two white boards which I can use to write down a to-do list or a memory verse. My daughter is posing for the camera with the movie we got for that week's pizza night. The third picture is a close up of the schedule. After trying and failing with MOTH last year I determined to try it again, except follow my own style. There are color coded sticky notes for each person and it's been working pretty well so far. The fourth picture is a close up of my chore charts which I got off some website I can't remember. I personalized them with a favorite character and the kids really got into checking off their chores. However, the novelty has worn off and I'm realizing that whatever system you use, you just have to keep reminding children of their responsibilities or they're never going to stick to it and things will always keep going back to the status quo. By the way, status quo means Mom ends up doing all the chores.


 

AN UPDATE AND A BOOK REVIEW (SORT OF)

It's day 6 of my 30 day challenge in encouraging my husband. The first day he was a little surprised at my comments, but I didn't let on about the challenge. I have kept up with the challenge and tried to find ways to praise him and different ways to greet him in the morning. Nothing earth shattering has happened. I don't know if I expected it would. Maybe I hope this will change him a little; how, I don't know. But I think this challenge will end up changing me instead. I'm feeling more cheerful and looking at my husband a little differently. Do you have that book by Stormie Omartian called The Power of a Praying Wife? What's funny about that book is that probably a lot of women buy it in hopes of changing their husbands. But she wisely puts the emphasis in the right place right at the beginning of the book. The first chapter is about being the right kind of wife and the longest prayer is in that chapter. We'll see what happens with this challenge. I'll keep updating the situation.

I wanted to give you a quote from a book I was reading because I think it would be fun to have y'all guess when the book was written. Here's the quote ~

"In addition to the widespread effects of unscriptural teaching, we also have to reckon with the deplorable superficiality of the present generation. To announce that a certain book is a treatise on doctrine is quite sufficient to prejudice against it the great bulk of church-members and most of our preachers as well. The craving today is for something light and spicy, and few have patience, still less desire, to examine carefully that which would make a demand both upon their hearts and their mental powers. We remember, also, how that it is becoming increasingly difficult in these strenuous days for those who are desirous of studying the deeper things of God to find the time which such study requires."

Take a guess in the comments section.