A Weekend of Work....

With Mark at continuing education classes on Friday and Saturday, it was a perfect time to get some things done around the house. Although, Zach had his final paper due for Con Law on Sunday, he was minimally worked into the “work” festivities, too.

Here’s what this weekend’s To-Do List consisted of (highlighting shows what was finished):

 Finish stocking and labeling the Activity Bins (project from last week)

 Laundry (it’s a daily to-do item…but I love empty laundry bins and don’t want to get behind)

 Maintaining inside of home (kitchen, bedrooms, living area) while working on outside projects

 Major Focus Area…Deep clean garage (with my direction): write up two stove-sized boxes of Goodwill donations (I have nixed the garage sale idea…will donate most, consign some and Craigslist some other items); purchase another shelving unit to better organize our large family’s needs (extra pantry/storage space, designated shelving for activity bins (on last week’s to-do list); add wall shelf above freezer/refrigerator for storing party supplies, canning supplies and out-of-season kitchen items; gather/photo/post used curriculum for sale items; straighten business/personal retention boxes & surplus co-op/office supplies; straighten business stock items (this is part of operating a business from the home…the garage becomes a warehouse, too); clear counter top and reorganize for educational game area (old computer for learning games and radio for books-on-tape); purge the every many shoes and organize the shoe rack; re-organize and inventory the pantry items and paper products; purge toy bins and re-organize bike area; go through “camping”, “paint supplies”, “automotive care”, “cleaning supplies”, and “sports” areas…put items back in proper places, make sure areas/bins are properly labeled and condense were possible; shampoo garage carpet (yes, we have carpeting in 2/3’s of the garage because it provides extra storage/play areas…and yes, we do park a vehicle in there, too. In Florida, there are no basements so the garage becomes extra living/storage area for many…as in our case, it serves many purposes.)

 Purge two cabinets of ABeka books to sell some (re-store others for upcoming children); store seasonal books/units in newly created space (i.e. Resurrection, Thanksgiving, Christmas)

 Grocery shopping for the upcoming week (with all the children…giving Zach some time to work on that paper uninterrupted)

 Take my Mom to ACE Hardware (Zach – first thing Saturday morning)

 Photograph items to post on Craigslist and the used curriculum sites (TUAC yahoo group, home school classifieds, local home school yahoo group site and Veg Source) then begin writing up the posts (this will probably not be done this weekend!)

 Meal planning

 Clean bird baths and fill bird feeder

 Weed garden

 Drill holes in planter for geraniums (looking very water logged!)

 Wash outside windows & squeegee

 Use cob web broom and rid the perimeter of the house from webs; brush around the perimeter of inside garage door & ceiling corners

 Dust Florida room (our enclosed sitting/play area)

These items are not feasible to be accomplished without TEAMWORK…it takes all of us working together to get the work done (especially with little ones in the mix and the oldest limited on his availability). What great opportunity the Lord gives to teach our children good work ethic and shaping good character through working! We work a lot, but when the time comes to play, it makes it all the sweeter. It makes hospitality possible without going into a state of panic, because we work hard throughout the year to keep things manageable – Lord willing.

Being in less than a 2000 square foot home with 9 people, homeschooling and a home business means space must be utilized to its fullest, while still providing enjoyment and a clutter-free feeling. It is a continual task of assessing, re-assessing and re-organizing as our family grows and needs change, but what the Lord has done with this home built for three is amazing…I would have never imagined there would be 9 of us living in a house we built for three. So, very thankful for His continued provision, direction and creative ideas on how to maximize our home to its fullest – a weekend of work and the fruit will be a Sabbath of family and rest and upcoming week of fun, Lord willing.

Blessings ~