Sarah Palin

WOW! I woke up this morning to hear that Sarah Palin, Republican governor from Alaska, is the VP pick. I haven't been this excited about a VP pick... ever. She is socially and economically conservative. She is strongly pro-life/pro-family and has 5 CHILDREN of her own, the littlest is a down syndrome child.

She is a 'maverick' but only in that she is a Washington outsider, young, and somewhat inexperienced. I was afraid McCain's maverick pick was going to be a moderate/liberal republican.

My only hesitation so far- women in government leadership/authority. I think we will be having some good conversations at dinner about what the Bible has to say about that. I can't imagine how a woman would balance mother to 5 (including a down syndrome infant) and VP or possibly President down the road. But I don't think main stream America will have any problems with this. They will get the conservative vote and now will also pull the women and younger generation's vote as well.

This pick has sealed the election (in my very unimportant opinion). Hands Down.

Organizing from the Inside Out

I found this book, Organizing from the Inside Out, at a library used book sale, picked it up, and tucked it away. (I have an older edition than the one pictured at amazon here).

I like to collect organization ideas.

I like to plan and make schedules.

I like to think I am going to whip my house into shape.

Now to reality. I am just so bad at making it work. But I did find some helpful tidbits in this book. The author, Julie Morgenstern, talks about analyzing what does and doesn't work, figuring out why not, and then putting a system in place that you can follow through with. She even has an estimate of time it will take to get through each room.

Today I am attacking our paperwork. I tend to pile papers that I need to deal with. She has a great filing system. What a relief to know that there is a plan in place so we don't need to waste time searching for missing paperwork.

Incomplete projects

I took Amanda to sewing class today. She is working on a dress for one of her younger sisters. The teacher's mother wasn't much of a sewer. Her grandmother and aunts did a lot of sewing but her mother enjoyed cleaning and keeping a neat home which was hard to do when living amidst tables of incomplete sewing projects. She told her daughter (the teacher) that if she started a project then she better make the time to finish it. The same admonition was passed onto my daughter today by the teacher.

So it got me thinking... relating this to our responsibility theme...
HOW MANY PROJECTS DO I HAVE SITTING AROUND WAITING FOR ME TO FINISH?

Current projects that I have started and then pushed off to a later time:

• Scrapbooking (get pictures and supplies in order so I can put albums together)
• Quilt for my bed
• Quilt for my two oldest sons for graduation gifts (one late and one due by next June)

What are the biggest obstacles keeping me from finishing a task?

• lack of orderliness (I can't work on a project when I have other jobs that have to be done)
  
• laziness
• distractions
• out of site out of mind
• lack of perseverance and then losing interest
  

Goals:

• ORDERLINESS: I need to find a place for everything in the house so it is easier to keep things picked up which will allow me to feel the freedom to work on these extra activities
• SCHEDULING: set aside a specific time in my schedule for these special projects. Purpose to spend my time more wisely.
  

JUST DO IT!

I am not very good at following through. Here's some questions to help remind me to be responsible and "just do it!"

• Do I return borrowed items back at an appropriate time? (books/videos/jacket)
• Am I borrowing items because I wasn't responsible with my own items or didn't plan well?
• How often do I have to purchase a second item because I didn't take care of the first one?
• Do I work diligently to complete an assigned task in a reasonable amount of time or am I always scrambling last minute to put everything together?
  
• Are others hesitant to ask me to do something because I am known to 'drop the ball'?
• How often do I try to excuse my lack of responsibility by saying " I forgot"?
• Do I prepare early enough so that I do not need to rush around (clothing/ shoes)
  
• Am I always running behind?
  
• Am I easily distracted with selfish pursuits (TV/computer) instead of finishing tasks.
• If I promise to bring an item or do something for someone do I follow through?
• Do I put items away when I am done with them?
• How much time do I spend searching for lost items or throwing them away because I can't find the parts to it?
• If I am asked to do something do I have to reminded to do it?
  

OK... now it is time to make a list of some goals to work on

I'm going to college!

Not really truly. At least not in the way my title implies. 17S and almost 16s have not purchased their English composition book for their college class. The class is Monday night and they have reading to do. The problem is that their schedules (and my own) have been a little busy and the book store local to us hasn't been open when they were available to go. They stopped by at 1:00pm and it was closed again.

So are some questions: When is it appropriate to jump in and help out (I am going to drive the 1/2 hour to the main campus and purchase the book because they went to a farewell party for their cousin that is heading off to college). When is it more beneficial to let your children work it out for themselves?

Would it teach more RESPONSIBILITY if I just stayed out of it? Or do I go ahead and make the trip knowing that a good part of the reason they were unable to get it was 16s' job, 17s' volunteer work, and my own schedule?

Answer this time...the younger kids and I are all heading to college! If I had previously been telling them "you better figure out when they are open and get those books" instead of saying all this week "there is still plenty of time to get them before the weekend" I would probably be choosing a different option.

addition to post: never mind- the bookstore is closed early on Fridays but our local campus will be open Sat from 8am-9am only. One more chance!

RESPONSIBILITY

There are so many areas that I want to work on but I don't want to overwhelm the children or myself. So we will begin with focusing on RESPONSIBILITY.

RESPONSIBILITY: knowing and doing what is expected of me *

Are you known as a responsible person? If you agree to do something, do you fulfill your duty in a timely manner? oh... this is a HUGE area for me to work on. I get so easily sidetracked with the role of wife and mother that I don't follow through on those intentions.

For the next few weeks I'll be posting projects and ideas that I intend to use to encourage myself and my family in our quest to show that Character Counts! Hmmm will I be responsible enough to follow through!?!?!

*quote from "Acheiving True Success: How to Build Character as a Family" Copyright 2000 IACC

Character Counts

I was reading an article in our local paper yesterday. It seems that they will be offering free job preparation classes. I initially assumed these would be covering basic computer operations and things of that nature, but nothing doing. These were classes designed to teach basic working ethic such as the need to show up on time and actually go to work on the days you are scheduled.

Now more than ever I realize that common courtesy and character are becoming harder to find in the next generation. At the core of this is the fact that our nation is turning further from God. I thought it would be a good reminder to myself though to post different ideas and ways that we work on this within our own home.

MORE to come.