A new year beckons shiny and new. I like new beginnings. I like August which means the start of our new school year and I like January which means the start of a new year.
We had plans this year. But our plans seem to get derailed pretty easily. Why does it look so good on paper and so hard in real life? It reminds me of budgets. I’ve always been horrible at them. On paper it is so pretty; all the money accounted for. Everything tucked into it’s neat little category. But it never works out that way.
I have a horrible habit of complaining ” I can’t do anything!! I want to find things I love to do.” I love to read and play a few video and online games and watch Korean dramas but nothing very ‘creative’. I vowed to change that this year. With varied results.
So this new year there are plans; plans to learn Korean and Calligraphy. Plans to do a short study on the upcoming movie “God’s of Egypt”, plans to better manage time, especially hers, plans to do more Bible studies, to start Periscoping (she is KeileeT there if you Periscope) from a homeschool teenagers perspective and more.
More reading aloud, more living in the moment, more exercise, more saying yes. There are plans to start a daily planner- for me (oh my word I have seen videos and scopes about these and while they are beautiful beyond words I MUST realize mine with NOT look like theirs. Not even close).
But now, only a few days into the new year life happens. My Dad decided to get a new floor in our homeschool room which meant there were piles and piles and piles of stuff everywhere in the house. They came last week and removed carpet and came back Monday and it took 3 days. Then began the great purge. Do I really need 2nd grade curriculum? So when life happens plans go awry. And that is one of the frustrating things about homeschooling but also the great things about it. Keilee has always seen ‘real life’. She knows there are days when errands have to be ran and things taken care of so you have to learn to manage your time well.
Ta da our new art/homeschool/craft room. Trust me this looks amazing comparatively speaking. She has so.much.stuff.
My Korean numbers. Good grief I will never learn this. The actual ‘words’ aren’t bad but the characters are crazy!
This is called faux calligraphy. My first attempts weren’t very good but I’ll get better.
We have been watching tons of periscopes about planners. These people are serious about their planners. They are like works of art. So I got a planner and while mine will NEVER look like theirs I am enjoying it.
A page from Keilee’s Art Journal. Her page about her 16th birthday. She plans to do a Periscope soon about her Art Journaling.
Some dolls she made for her Instagram shop, serving at our local soup kitchen, shenanigans in Wal-Mart and the promo ad for a Tea Party and Alice in Wonderland movie she is doing at our library. We went to the library to see a quilt show and saw these flyers about the showing of Alice in Wonderland. So Keilee asked to speak to the head of the children’s department and asked her if she could dress up as Alice. She was thrilled with the idea. Keilee is so excited because she loves Alice. She has been going around speaking in a British accent for 2 days.
I know all these things will not get done. I have learned many things over the years of homeschooling but one of the most important is that no matter how much you plan ‘life does happen.’
But everyone has the same 24 hours in a day. How you choose to use it can make all the difference.
Homeschooling Rocks!
Karen
“The best laid plans of mice and men often go awry.” ~Robert Burns
Linking with Sylvia at Faithful Mom of 9
I LOVE that floor!!
So funny…my word for the year is TIME. I want to manage it better and spend more of it doing things I want to be doing. I tend to get on the computer and one thing leads to another and hours go by. I need to stop that.
I also bought a planner this year and am hoping to learn Italian with the girls.
I love Keilee’s art journal! I wish we could art journal that way, but none of us thinks that way for some reason. We have tried and always feel our pages look like mud! lol! We tend to use Art for Kids Hub – we like the sketching and shading and blending. I wish we could get more into paint since my SIL has a great paint company!
Keilee’s journal pages are just beautiful and I love your faux calligraphy. Your school room looks amazing – I so wish we had a little extra space to use solely for school. I’d love to be able to spread out stuff and leave it out.
Have a lovely week ahead, Karen 🙂
@ Sylvia:
Hi Sylvia. At the top black bar on the far right there is a “Subscribe to Homeschool Girls” clickable link. 🙂
Glad you are enjoying your planner. I love mine and it is part of what keeps me on track – that and trying not to start everything at once. Two of the things I want to do this year are yoga and photography. Started yoga this month and when it feels like a habit (hopefully by the end of this month) then I’ll add in photography. Since I love being able to cross things off the mere fact of writing them in my planner helps. Not only am I reminded that I actually want to to them I’ll be motivated as well for the sheer pleasure of crosssing them off my list. Strange but true. Have a great week.
“Why does it look so good on paper and so hard in real life?”
I know the feeling! We went back to our school schedule last Monday and we didn’t even make it through the first week without getting sidetracked! I love the flexibility of homeschooling but sometimes it makes it hard to stay focused…
Your school room looks fantastic! So inviting and cheerful! We really need to do a big curriculum purge, too–our classroom is transitioning to more of a workout/craft/office space as my kids are doing more schoolwork in other places. It’s so hard for me to let go of books, even when they’re outgrown, but I have to remind myself that others will appreciate them and put them to good use!
Hmmm…not sure I want to see the scopes of gorgeous planners–might make my plain old DayTimer seem too boring by comparison! 😉 I do use colored gel pens to brighten it up, it makes jotting down all those appointments and plans a little less tedious!
Your goals for 2016 sound great! My daughter and I have started several art journals and abandoned them, hopefully we can get back to them this year. And I think your Korean numbers and your calligraphy look lovely!
Do you have an email subscribe option? I can’t seem to find one!
I’m so glad you stopped by the link up! I’ve been checking in with you from time to time! I thought I was already subscribed, but I guess not because I haven’t been getting updates, so I’ll subscribe now. I don’t want to miss anything! It sounds like you’re off to a great start to a great new year! The new room is beautiful!
What a cozy, comfy room to learn and create and enjoy! I love the rustic look! Great goals! I think having goals to focus on and grow with makes life so much interesting. I have my own too, more bible art journaling, more reading, getting back into hiking (when I don’t have to worry about slipping and falling on ice), more outside time. Welcome to 2016!
Love the new multi-purpose room. Sounds like some amazing plans for another amazing year with your daughter. You gals rock!
I so can relate to this post!Best laid plans….. You all do the important things and that is what matters.
Blessings, Dawn
You have such beautiful plans. I love your homeschool. The moments you have shared are also beautiful. I feel so lucky just to know you.