I keep a little spiral notebook handy for jotting down things. In it, is a long list of things I want to do, started on January 9th, 2008. I've added to it over the past year (I want to do everything in the world that's not scary or evil, so my list is quite long).

1. Streak*: A 28-day (Sundays off) of strength exercises each morning
2. Spin on a drop spindle
3. Weave on a loom
4. Design a rug hooked piece
5. Complete the rug hooked piece I designed
6. Learn Photoshop actions
7. Plan menu for 30 days
8. Create recipe notebook of healthy options
9. Streak: 14 days of moving every day (heart-pumping exercise, Sundays off)
10. Plant a fall garden
11. Schedule goat & cat vaccine and worming care
12. Streak: Carry a snack bag wherever we go for 14 days
13. Get new Nikon lens and learn it
14. Learn f-stops and other buttons on camera
15. Knit an intermediate project
16. Write an ebook
17. Learn how to create Adobe .pdf documents
18. Streak: Read to children for 10 days straight
19. Create school schedule for rest of year
20. Design a softie
21. Write a tutorial on that designed softie
22. Read all of the Old Testament (Bible) to kids
23. Streak: Go to the riverbank for 14 mornings in a row
24. Print 50 photos
25. Write a letter
26. Write a thank you note
27. Write a letter again
28. Teach kids a new sport (note: my man totally needed to help out here!)
29. Streak: 7 days of being only positive to my man
30. Start FreelyEducate.com
31. Visit North Carolina
32. Schedule time for my learning (use this time for learning new things)
33. Schedule time for creativity
34. Give away 20 books for nothing in return
35. Knit scarf for our big fella
36. Make salve
37. Streak: Tea Time at 4pm for 4 days in a row
38. Attend a symphony
39. Attend an opera
40. Learn to hand quilt
41. Finish a hand quilted piece
42. Identify five birds
43. Learn to needle felt the goat's mohair
44. Learn to smock
45. Put photos into at least 2 frames
46. Make our little gal a softie or soft doll while she's still little
47. Make a chore chart for the kids
48. Make a chore chart for me
49. Plant a spring garden
50. Design a punch needle embroidery (photo above)

There is an update in the middle of my lists that says, "On May 5, 2008, I had a big setback, tearing ligaments in my left ankle. It is now September 5th and it's still painful and swells but finally I'm up to working on this list again." It makes me sad that I missed so much time due to a silly injury, but, ah, well. While laying around, waiting for it to heal, I accomplished the things I could and dreamed about the things I couldn't.

I'm still working on that list. The problem is, it grows more quickly than I can complete it.

What would you add?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

*Streak means all in a row. For example, "Streak: 14 days of moving every day," would mean I need to move for 14 days straight in order to check it off. Streaks, I hope, will help me kick-start something so that it becomes a habit.

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Lori Seaborg
http://loriseaborg.com

I received an e-newsletter on New Year's Eve that caught my attention. In it, the writer wrote:

Dear Readers,

I've been told it takes four to six weeks for any action to
become a habit. So, keeping that in mind, one way I'm
going to insure my success at keeping my New Year's
resolutions this year is by working on only one new habit
at a time each month. Then, every time I turn to a new
calendar page, I'll work on developing a different good habit.

At the end of the year, I could easily have twelve new positive
habits in my life. Once something's become a habit, it's
simply a part of my life and not something I'll even have to
think about anymore.

What's the area of life you're most concerned about? Exercise?
Weight loss? Healthy eating? Getting organized? Saving money?
Spending more time with your kids? Break your goal down into
simple steps that you can easily manage, and then start working
your way to your goal, one small step -- or small habit -- at a time.
As the old cliche' says: "How do you eat an elephant? ... One bite
at a time."

By making small and consistent changes, it's possible to change
your health, your body, and your life. For more information on the
power of habits, see Catherine Levison's article later in this issue
of The Charlotte Mason Monthly.

Happy New Year!

Simply Yours,

Debi
(Deborah Taylor-Hough)
http://charlottemasoneducation.wordpress.com/
http://thesimplemom.wordpress.com/

What a great idea! Instead of goals or resolutions, which I often find hard to meet (primarily because I forget what they were), I will write down some habits to form for each month.

I began my list last night:

* Daily exercise
* Homeschooling tweeked and routines scheduled
* Fruits & Veggies daily
* Nature time, including beach days scheduled
* Storytelling and Reading Aloud
* Guitar learning
* Work hours schedule (I work online, from home)
* Journaling & God time

I don't have 12 things for 12 months yet, but I may not do so quite yet. I'm still thinking over my list, trying to remember my priorities in order of God - Husband - Children - Home - me - Work/Others, and deciding which things are most important.

Remind me to keep you posted on how it goes. Meanwhile, I'd love to read your list!

~ Lori Seaborg
http://loriseaborg.com

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Lori Seaborg
http://loriseaborg.com

Dionna, who also blogs here at Precious Moms, asked me today, through my Just Pure Lovely blog, if I stopped blogging here at Precious Moms!

Oops! I totally forgot about it!

Pardon me for my absence, go to Just Pure Lovely for an update of what I've been doing, and then come back here this week for a new post that I really will get done for you. So sorry for that!

~ Lori Seaborg

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Lori Seaborg
http://loriseaborg.com

Ugh, the doldrums, those days when you just feel blah, glum, not-so-well. Why not a cozy bath to boost your spirit?

To make your own bath soak, grind oats in a blender or a coffee grinder.

Add powdered milk to the ground oats (a ratio of 1:1)

Add a few drops of your favorite essential oil (lavender to relax
you, peppermint to help with your sinuses, or whatever is your
choice!)...

AND/OR grind some herbs (I recommend your choice of lavender,
peppermint, orange peel, bay leaves, rosemary, eucalyptus, rose
petals) and add the ground herbs to the milk-oat mixture.

Place the above milk-oat-herbal mixture in a pretty jar with a lid to
keep in your bathroom. When you take a bath, put about 1/4 cup of
the mixture scattered around the hot water.

Here's the fun part. On a glum day give yourself the gift of a
bath. It is often hard to admit that you really can make the time
for something as luxurious as a bath, but you really do have the
time! You will find that when you take time out for yourself, you'll
be more productive (or a nicer person to be around!) afterwards.

MAKE the time for this getaway. Schedule the time into your
calendar, if necessary. Tell your dh (dear husband) that you have to
be somewhere at precisely 7pm until 8pm and ask him to take over the babies and the house for that hour.

When you arrive at 7pm, go promptly to the bathroom with a steaming
mug of cocoa or herbal tea. Bring something inspirational to read.
Bring a radio or CD player. You'll also need your cozy bathrobe and
some lingerie that makes you feel beautiful for when you're done. Don't forget the
candles! Spend the whole hour in relaxation while your milk-oat-
herbal bath mixture softens your skin.

I'm going to guess that after this bath hour you will go back to your
family in a more loving spirit.

-------------------------
Lori Seaborg
http://loriseaborg.com

The dentist that we saw yesterday at a routine exam said he could, "fix that chip, fill it up, even it out. It's cosmetic," he said, "Not necessary. But it will improve his smile."

He had just examined our 8 year old son, and noticed that a front tooth was chipped, the result of an accidental kick in the face when his cousin visited months ago.

I'm a weak, unassertive, nonconfrontational thing when with certain personalities and especially in public. (My poor husband probably thought that was what he was marrying. Surprise!) So, yeah, I signed the procedure papers and scheduled the appointment - a filling of the chip and a numbing shot - for today.

After we left, I thought to ask our little guy his opinion. "So," I said casually, "You know that chipped tooth you have? The dentist says he can fill it in. Do you want that, or do you like it like it is?"

"Oh," he says, "I like it like this. Cuz then I can put my tongue in there und veel eet." ("...and feel it," I think he said.)

Remember, our little guy is only eight. His teeth are wonky anyway: some are falling out, some are coming in, some are crookedly making their ways to the right spots.....it's all rather silly-looking, but that's part of what makes an 8 year old so very cute.

Really, I thought to myself, why would I put this kid into the trembles over a drill and a shot just for pure vanity's sake? What kind of message does that send him and his siblings?

Our little guy likes his smile like it is, so that's the way it will stay. I like his smile, too, but even more I love his innocence. Life will eventually introduce him to our overly-vain, this-is-what-we-think-looks-perfect, we-must-look-perfect mentality.

For now, let him be 8.

-------------------------
Lori Seaborg
http://loriseaborg.com

From 19th Century author Charlotte Mason:

"Let the mother go out to play! If she would only have courage to let
everything go when life becomes too tense, and just take a day, or half a
day, out in the fields, or with a favourite book, or in a picture gallery
looking long and well at just two or three pictures, or in bed, without the
children, life would go on far more happily for both children and parents." Charlotte Mason Series Vol. 3 p. 33-34

Honestly, playing is a little too easy for me, but I love having permission to do it! I agree with Charlotte Mason that a playing mother makes a happier mother.

I also agree that it takes courage to "let everything go when life becomes too tense." Don't you find that difficult to do?

What are you doing to play?

I've been crafting, kayaking, and gardening lately.

by Lori Seaborg

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Lori Seaborg
http://loriseaborg.com

Several years ago, I was feeling discontent in our 1200 square foot home with four children ages 6 and under. I wanted so desperately for God to move us to the country, to a bigger and better home, but we had just lost a business so moving was not an option. We wouldn't be able to get another home loan now that our credit rating was ruined.

Me, a country girl at heart, was stuck in the middle of a city with zoning codes that would not allow me to raise even a chicken. Although we had a yard, there were no climbing trees on our property for the children to enjoy. No tadpoles, snakes, bunnies. We had no garage, no shed, no basement, and no attic. In other words, every single thing the six of us owned had to fit into our 1200 square foot place. Not an easy task for Americans!

I was one discontent mama, living my days in that little house with so many small children around me. Tim drove a commute of an hour each way to work, taking our only car with him. For 11 hours each day, I was alone with the children, wallowing in my discontentment and self-pity.

One day I was at a Bible study (my mom invited me to go with her so we crammed the children into her car) and someone quoted these words:

* Never allow yourself to complain about anything - not even the weather.

* Never picture yourself in any other circumstances or someplace else.

* Never compare your lot with another's.

* Never allow yourself to wish this or that had been otherwise.

* Never dwell on tomorrow. Remember that tomorrow is God's - not ours.

I didn't hear any other words for the rest of that Bible study hour. In my mind, the above words were repeated over and over. As soon as the Bible study was over, I grabbed the woman who had quoted the words. She said she got them out of Calm My Anxious Heart by Linda Dillow and allowed me to borrow her book.

I did not go home and become immediately content that day. No, my discontent had grown over many years, so it was much too large to release in one day. It did decrease, though, when I focused less on things and more on God. I learned, over time, that contentment will bring you peace.

The peace that follows contentment is worth accepting your circumstances.

In Philippians 4:11-13, Paul says, "For I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret to be content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do anything through him who gives me strength."

by Lori Seaborg
http://LoriSeaborg.com

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Lori Seaborg
http://loriseaborg.com

There is something about decluttering that frees one up to do other things. For me, decluttering my house for the past three weeks freed me up to get established on regular routines, such as laundry routines and morning routines.

Decluttering also inspired me to whip our homeschooling schedule back into shape. I've tweaked the schedule and discovered a free online curriculum, Ambleside Online that seems so very much my style that I think it was a gift from God for me to discover.

I'll tell you why I've had these sudden cleaning and rescheduling urges.....

Last fall, after Hurricane Katrina came, I was overwhelmed with a desire to help others. I think it is the missionary kid in me, but I cannot ignore a need such as that, so, with the help of others, our family was able to help a lot of people in Mississippi who needed a "first responder" with first aid, clothing, toiletries, snacks, Bibles, and most of all, a listening ear.

It is good to help others.

Also that fall, I was selected to be part of a team of writers and speakers for an online women's conference. It was an honor to be chosen as one of the twelve out of almost fifty applicants (I still cannot fathom why me!) . I had grand dreams of writing books and speaking with the other women as we traveled across America.

It is good to work with others.

In December and January, things just got plain old rough around here. "Things" hadn't been smooth anyway -we were affected by the expensive hurricanes, too - but we held onto hope throughout the fall. By January, the hope was all but faded and it became a time of sheer survival. I really mean that - we were so broken and broke that we could, out of necessity, only think of ourselves and how to take care of this little family that God had given us.

And that's when I remembered something I learned long ago when I was once overwhelmed: Even though it is good to help others, and it is good to work with others,

It is good to take care of myself and my family first.

Our recent hard times have made me realize, over and over again, what blessings I have been given through this little family and this house. I am reminded that God has given me a beautiful opportunity in caring for my husband, our four children, and our home. It is my pleasure to serve God by taking care of this family first. When I have done all I should for them, I know He will help me expand my ministry to include others.

by Lori Seaborg, written February 18, 2006

read more at Just Pure Lovely

-------------------------
Lori Seaborg
http://loriseaborg.com

I've been fascinated with Charlotte Mason's writings on Habits. I'm reading through her book series with a friend, and we need to move onto the next section, but all I want to do is keep studying Ms. Mason's section on habits until I have it memorized! It all makes such sense to me that if I train myself and my children in good habits, so many things will come easily to us!

For example, if we train ourselves to go to bed in a timely manner, to shut the door after us as we go out, to wipe the sink when we've used it, all of these little things will just come naturally to us and we won't have to think of doing them as "chores." I guess I was already practicing this in housekeeping, but I have called my housekeeping habits "routines."

Habits can help us in bigger ways. The habit of attention will help our children (and us, if we also learn it!) to focus on a task until its completion. Charlotte Mason suggests that a child's task be broken up into smaller parts, perhaps into 10 minute chunks of time. For those 10 minutes, the child is expected to give the task his full attention, thus forming the habit of attention.

In Charlotte Mason's section entitled VII.--The Forming Of A Habit--'Shut The Door After You', she quotes this excerpt from Marlowe:

"Lose this day loitering, and 'twill be the same story
To-morrow; and the next, more dilatory:
The indecision brings its own delays,
And days are lost, lamenting o'er lost days,"


Here is a link to the section on habits written by Charlotte Mason Please don't give up just because the reading is hard at the beginning. If you need to, scroll down to the section mentioned above, called VII. -- The Forming of a Habit -- 'Shut the Door After You'. After reading this section, you may feel more prepared to go back and read the previous.

Here is a link to more on Charlotte's Views on forming habits. Don't skip reading these! These writings are fascinating to me, as they deal with the Habits of the Mind, including the Habit of Attention, which I am sorely needing to teach to one of my children.

~ Lori Seaborg
http://loriseaborg.com

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Lori Seaborg
http://loriseaborg.com

Edited: 01/30/2008 at 03:31 PM by lori.seaborg

" 'I'm only a housewife, I'm afraid.' How often do we hear this shocking admission. I'm afraid when I hear it I feel very angry indeed. Only a housewife: only a practitioner of one of the two most noble professions (the other one is that of a farmer); only the mistress of a huge battery of high and varied skills and custodian of civilization itself. Only a typist, perhaps! Only a company director, or a nuclear physicist; only a barrister; only the President! When a woman says she is a housewife she should say it with the utmost pride, for there is nothing higher on this planet to which she could aspire."


~ John Seymour, The Forgotten Arts & Crafts

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Lori Seaborg
http://loriseaborg.com