Instead of

I was surfing through the "Carnival of Homeschooling: The Princess Bride Edition" this morning. I had to see how they pulled the posts together with a Princess Bride theme! It has only been a favorite movie of mine for, well, decades. Which makes me sound old. But it is true, so there you have it. I came across a post entitled "10 Instead Ofs to Kick Off the New Year" at Crack the Egg.

I love this post. I love the idea. So I made my own list. Some of them are very similar to the original list, but are truly things I need to do, too! These are things that have been on my mind for while, I am just putting them in a format that makes them more specific and manageable. I'm only starting with 5, because 10 seemed like too many for me to start the year with!

1. Instead of...waiting for the perfect supplies to do an art project or science project, move ahead with what you've got. The kids won't know the difference!

2. Instead of...going to ALL the homeschool activities available, pick a variety over the course of the year and do one or two a month. The kids benefit as much from having time to explore things in depth at home as they do from going to every activity. One might argue they benefit more. They don't know what they are missing, and the exhaustion just makes us all grumpy.

3. Instead of...saying "I'll read it later," read it now. Kutey loves to be read to, and one or two books will hold her for a while. Instead of constantly putting her off until later when you can read more books, read one or two right now. She will love it, and that is what really matters.

4. Instead of..."we'll play a game later," build it in to the day. There are lots of games--dice games, SET, Blokus, Skip-bo, Uno, etc.--that only take a little while to play. Play one after lunch or after dinner; we are already at the table then!

5. Instead of...organizing the whole house, pick one small area, like the entry, and work to organize it and keep it organized for a week or two. Then add another small area and do the same.

I'm going to print this and place it in strategic places in my house so that I see it on a regular basis. It will be a good reminder!