So, I just read on beautiful Cheri's "Kudzu and Koolaid" about Shannon (from Rocks in my Dryer)'s great idea for Works For Me Wednesday. **I know, I know, I am completely html illiterate, and could easily find out how to do links, the bottom line is that I am LAZY...so sorry***

I have had a three bag laundry sorting um, thingie for over a year now, and while George has been able to figure out what goes where since I first showed it to him, I have YET to inspire Nathan to actually use the mental effort to put his clothes where they should go. Okay, I have 5 laundry bags. Three in a cool little plastic framed sorter thing with drawstring removable bags, and on either side of this, two pop up mesh bags. From left to right, they are for: light colored dress clothes and delicates, dark dress clothes and delicates, whites, darks, and lighter colored laundry. It has been a constant frustration trying to get Nate to remember that his work pants don't go with his jeans and that his dark socks don't go with his white socks, etc. As I said, George knows where it all goes, but Ian still has no clue, and doesn't have any idea of colors, so telling him which color bag or right to left doesn't help much either.

So...last night I made up some little posters in the hopes that my genius-but-careless husband, and my younger kids can take more of a role in the laundry and sorting. I went to several different websites that had pictures of clothes, Sears, Target, Wal-mart, etc. and saved the pictures to my computer. Then, in my American Greetings Creatacard program, (I'm sure you could use any program) I put the different kinds and colors of appropriately seperated clothes on pieces of cardstock. (I even downloaded the logo from Nate's business to put on the pictures of the dress shirts. :P) So now all I have to do is tape the "posters" up on the wall over each bag, and even the little kids will be able to figure out what goes where. I would love to take a picture of this, but alas we are between cameras and can't. Hope this helps someone else, I sure have loved reading all the smart tips on the WFMW page from Rocks in my Dryer. Thanks, Shannon!! :)

It's 3:17 in the afternoon. It is a rare day in that the rooms immediately surrounding me are neat and picked up, the children are sleeping, and I am not. I was very tired this morning, in fact, barely able to keep my eyes open, while Grace and Ian played around (and sometimes on) me. George is very much enjoying his first time at Vacation Bible School this week. He comes home with descriptions of the games and is very wrapped up in the missionary story of Amy Carmichael. Incidentally, that is the name of my best friend from middle school, whom I haven't written to or called in far too long, although she has been in my dreams and in my prayers more lately. Anyway, I am glad for George to be able to do that, even though my "homeschool mind" starts to flinch a bit at not knowing exactly what he's being taught and how he is being taught it. Not that I distrust anyone running the program, I know them all well, and am confident of their content and intentions, I just HATE to miss a teaching opportunity.

I think more than anything, this desire has arisen in me over the last few months as I have been contemplating, planning for, and thinking about starting a more structured program of instruction with George. Just taking the opportunities that life and the child himself presents, instead of trying to artificially fashion them from a textbook schedule. As I begin to form my own philosophies of practical instruction and what exactly our goals for our own homeschool will be, this thought has continued to come up. I certainly will be using textbooks as tools, but I don't want the scope and sequence of any book to dictate our learning times, or style. I know I have been blessed in George in his capacity as a student. The Lord has given him insatiable curiousity about the world around him, and a need to fit it all together. I pray that I will be able to adequately fan the flames of his curiosity and only encourage his growth and continued passion for learning, and never be guilty of squelching the natural inclinations of the heart the Lord gave him. I know he will struggle in some areas, already he has a distaste for writing, but I believe that is due more to his own impatience with himself and his desire for it to be just right, than from any rebelliousness or aversion. I think once he gets good enough at it that he appreciates his own work, that he will enjoy it more. The hard part for me is convincing him that the practice to get good is just as important as the final product. But, this of course, is just one more facet of my life that I need to bathe in prayer and continually look to the Lord for direction and confirmation of the decisions I make.

Oh yeah....I have a blog!!!! I knew I forgot something!!! ***smacks forehead and tilts blonde head to the side with deer in the headlights look***

I think all of my creative energies of the last few months have gone into um, creating (you know what I mean) this fastly growing baby. BUT, I do feel a bit more freedom to get beyond the day to day here and I miss the accountability and the release of blogging, and am hoping to get back into it very soon. Wow, even writing this much feels good. :) Okay, that's all I have time for now, but Lord willing I will be able to return soon.