So if I were to sum of the year of 2009, I'd pretty much have to say it sucked. I know that is being extremely negative but all in all it was one of my hardest years ever. It started in May when Chris got a decrease in pay with very little notice. I moved directly into babysitting this summer which was very difficult and stressful. During the midst of all of that, my Daddy got sick, stayed sick and then passed away in October. And during the month of October I went to roll call every night to get my son into a magnet school (that he did not get accepted into) After Daddy's passing it has been dealing with the grief and living in a world without my Daddy. So yes, I know I'm being negative but looking at the year as a whole, I'd say it sucked. I know that God is sovereign and all things will lead to His glory but it doesn't mean I have to like them when they happen.
Now let me say, that I've always been horrible with sticking to New Years resolutions but in all honestly I need to start anew. So I've decided that 2010 will be a year to embrace my(our) inner weirdness. As I've gotten older I've always been drawn to things a little less mainstream, a little odd...a lifestyle that is not suited for many. Every year I get a little more comfortable in my own skin. But always holding me back is wondering if my friends and family think I'm getting too weird.
So here goes....
Chris and I are starting with a decluttering project. We are going to declutter from now until January 31st (with 5 free days). We will donate/sell/trash 5 items per day. A minimalistic life appeals to me but I've never been remotely close. Clutter seems to be the theme of my life and I'm over it. So if we stick to our guns will be rid of 300 things by January 31st which is very exciting to me. We will also get rid of 5 things per new thing that enters ours home (with the exception of food). I'm eager to see where this leads us in a month.
Chris and I have always felt drawn into a homesteading type of life. We have decided to try this out by getting some chickens in the spring and hopefully have them laying by fall. Maybe half a dozen? I'm not sure yet. We are still researching it and figured it is the best way to start a small homestead. He is also going to start winter sowing so we can have a productive garden this year. Our garden was highly neglected last year and we did not freeze/can anything. I want a stocked freezer/pantry this year!
I am crafty and creative. I know this and I need to embrace it. My recent obsession has been sewing. I'm still not that great but I'm not bad either. Each project improves and hopefully within the year I can get even better. I'd love to make most of the things we need or use. We are going to turn our storage room into a sewing room this spring. I'm very excited about this!
Homeschooling. Yes, I said it. I said all along that I would probably homeschool. When we moved back to Chattanooga and had access to magnet schools, I pushed that idea to the side. Well we did not get into CSAS this year. I'm not sure where we are on the list but I'm guessing it will be 2nd grade before we get in. That being said, I'm going to homeschool Harrison. I will say this frightens me and it will be a huge challenge. But the more I research, the more excited I become. I know we will probably not have much support on this decision but Chris and I feel it is best for him. He is so smart and I do not want him to fall through the cracks in an overcrowded class room where he might be labeled ADD or hyper and a troublemaker. He is actually showing signs of reading readiness so I'm going to go with it and see if he is truly ready to learn to read. I know I was able to read in kindergarten but I don't remember how young I was when I could read. He loves books so it really isn't a shock to me. I've been researching like crazy and feel that the eclectic approach is the best method for us. I'd like to cover all the standards for TN schools in case he does end up at CSAS. So I will look for curriculum to teach Engligh/Language Arts & Math. I think for Fine Arts we will look into learning a musical instrument and possibly an art class. For computer technology, I will probably just get him some games and look for educational web programs. I'd like to get him started on a Foreign Language so I will likely be looking for a class on that. For PE we will just play outdoors and enroll him fall/spring sports. For reading we will just read, read, read! I'm not sure about science yet or social studies yet...maybe curriculum? I'd like to do a volunteer project as a family to teach him about serving others. My mind is swimming with ideas! I don't think he is old enough for cub scouts yet but I'd like to get in involved in something of that nature.
As far as my personal walk with God. It needs a lot of work. Ideally I'd like this upcoming year to be the year I surrender everything to God. What I've struggled with the most during my entire Christian walk is giving things to God. I guess I'm a control freak and I need to give God everything. I think I neglect feeding myself spiritually because I get too busy doing other things and I want this to change! I know I can live in peace and joy if I let God in completely!
