Hey! I found the floor! Does that mean I’m organized now?

I am always motivated by a ticking clock and I was fully determined to finally get the major messes GONE and find some answers to pressing issues before the New Year! So instead of digging in with action I did what I like best – Pick Up A Book!

1) I decided I needed to really work on financial communication with my husband. I always hate listening to Dave Ramsey on the radio because I realize how many mistakes we have made. Denial doesn’t get you ahead and neither does false pride. So my hubby and I drove to town and bought his workbook **together**! Every morning we sat in bed and read through it and answered the questions. (We didn’t buy the book because we figured we could get the gist of it with the workbook and we did) We agreed to meet every Sunday night (when I plan the next week usually) to go over the spending and to check the budget (I down load from my bank to Quick Books and it is a breeze!!) A friend helped me fix a few QuickBooks issues and I am good to go!!

2) I have been organizing for a few months and finally got a desk (still not organized) and shelves (still have unknown contents in boxes) but it has been good progress. I still felt so overwhelmed by my BPM (Big Paper Mess) and wasn’t sure how to get started on it. I picked up a book at the library in preparation for being snowed in over the holidays and have found it to be extremely helpful! I really recommend this book to help you think your way into being organized. It was refreshing to hear her say you **don’t have to get rid of everything**! Now I have the BPM by my bed GONE!!! Exciting! (OK, the mess DOES still exist I just don’t share our bedroom with it!)

3) In the past couple of years we have been learning lots of new skills as the default mode to our homeschool. Actually it really was more of an intense Love of Learning phase as we moved to our farm two years ago and launched into many new experiences! Lately, however, I was noticing a readiness in the girls to try out scholar studies (hint: they were getting bored and bickery – Shhhh!). We had gotten past much of the huge TO DO list we set up for our homestead, and I needed a boost to get us into serious studies again, so I ordered Oliver DeMille’s latest book Leadership Education: The Phases of Learning.

Click here to visit ClassicBooks.com to purchase items.

I realized without items 1&2 I would forever have a hard time with any real progress toward Scholar Phase. The “Six Month Purge” was a main ingredient in DeMilles recipe for homeschool success. It was great to see I was heading down the right track with organizing first!

Now… If I can just start using that new exercise video I bought on the advice of my accountability partner (who raves about it) as a HABIT for me too – I will be set for a fantastic New Year!! (Don’t give up on me - I really want to say I am exercising too!!)