Pallet for Home

My 2010 GoodPlans

Wednesday, January 13, 2010

One of the the things I love best about home educating is that we set our own schedule for school, and if we are wise, we recognize limits, observe our own boundaries, and take time to do what is important, rather than what is seems urgent. 

Being involved in co-operative classes with other homeschoolers meant that, this year, our semester started on January 4, much earlier than we have EVER started back to school after Christmas break.  With the wedding at the end of that first week, there was no way we were going to be able to do school well, so I made the administrative decision to add two weeks margin to our calendar.

The verse God has given me for 2010 is a clear guide and I'm listening.  Proverbs 31: 16 says:

16 She considers a [new] field before she buys or accepts it [expanding prudently and not courting neglect of her present duties by assuming other duties]; with her savings [of time and strength] she plants fruitful vines in her vineyard.

With that in mind, and the fact that I had a migraine for two days after the wedding, I've taken some down~time to think about my goals for the upcoming semester, and year. Here are a few things I will be implementing:

1.  Simplify!  ~ This is an ongoing challenge for me, and one I'm working on in all areas of my life.

2.  Give! ~ I'm going to do my own "Big Give" in 2010, as part of the Declutter Challenge hosted by AmysFinerThings.  I don't have a garage, or time for a garage sale, so my goal is to give away 730 things from my home during 2010.  I know I can do this and I'm excited about the idea.  I've added a widget in the right hand column with a counter to track the progress of my giving.

3.  Read! ~ With a Lion/Beaver personality, and a love language to others of Acts of Service, I have a hard time justifying taking time to sit and read, other than studying my Bible.  I know that this is an area I need to improve, so I am committing to read one book a month from my personal reading list, (all school materials are excluded!).

4.  Say NO! ~ My husband was not pleased with my physical condition after devoting so much time and energy to a recent project, and has asked that I take some time away from say "no" when I am asked to help with projects in the future.  I don't know how long this sabbatical will last, and he didn't know about the Proverbs 31 verse, so it was just a confirmation that I need to be at home more.

Labels: the 2010 bookshelf, the act of saying no, the art of simplifying, the big give