A New Week...

Today was the first real day we did homeschooling since the holidays.  Big sister went back to school last Thursday and we used those days to finish up some stuff we didn't finish before the holidays, so today we started our new week.  With the new week, Teacher Mom decided to try a few things new as well...

1) We started with a "task list" for the homeschooling day.  I have a schedule I use that came with the materials, that's what keeps us "on schedule", but I have seen that J loves to check off lists. He gets that from his mommy! So together we created a list, and then he decided the order in which we checked the items off.  He knows he can not play until his list is checked off.

2) I added 15 minutes of independent reading to the schedule.  Now this was the best part of the day! Mr. I-Hate-Independent-Reading sit down on the couch with his book, I set a timer, and the timer went off and he kept reading.  He was actively reading, not playing, not goofing off, so I turned the timer off and just let him read.  He read for 30 minutes!  He said he liked the book and is already planning to read it again "at bedtime".  Hopefully, I can get him to enjoy reading! If I achieve that, this entire year will be well spent.  Not that it's not well spent just from spending the time with him.

So, we'll see how he does the rest of the week with these 2 new features to our homeschooling day.

As for me, I weighed myself today, while I refuse to publish numbers...I set the first goal on 12-31 and not only had met it today but had passed it.  I refuse to weigh myself too often, so today was the first time I had checked it since then.  So I have set a new goal, and once I make that one, will set another one, and so on with my weight.

I have also finished 4 books...I kinda knew the goal of reading 52 books in 2012 would be way too easy for me if I started reading again, but I set it because I wasn't reading at all, so this would get me going again.  Hubby and I also had a coupons/shopping trip late Friday night, and we saved over $80 with our coupons.  I have to keep myself in check here, because I can easily see myself turning OCD with the coupons.  But I will say, J made us all laugh Saturday night when David was looking for something in the freezer and I said "oh we are out", and J pipes up with "But we have a coupon for them!".  *smiles*  He has became my little helper, cutting out coupons almost every evening as he watches TV.

Unfortunately, my desk is starting to look like..."my desk" again.  It's NO WHERE near the mess it was, but I can see piles starting to creep back so I will be putting an end to that today!  Otherwise, the office is still not organized/cleaned/sorted/decluttered.  Joy is suppose to come tomorrow so hopefully we will knock that out.  

On other notes...I have to add this in, because it is INSANE!  For some reason, K and I got onto watching "Dance Moms". If you haven't seen this show, I'm not sure if I should say "check it out" or "RUN when it comes on"...it's like a train wreck!  You continue watching not because it's good or you want to see what happens next, but because the parenting is so terrible that you keep watching.  The moms who push their children to compete in these dance competitions...OMG they need the 2X4 attitude adjustment! There is at least one girl who is going to end up with a serious injury! The doctor was on camera telling Mom she shouldn't compete that weekend....and yet there she was!  I swear TV shows like this and "SuperNanny" makes me think you should have to take a test or something to become a parent.