50,551!!

I just finished my monthly word count goal. My goal was 50,000 words this month and did just over! I'm so excited. Just a few hours to spare. I have one rough draft novel finished, one almost done and another two in the very beginning stages.

Those aren't all from this month, the first one was started in November of 2007 during the Nanowrimo challenge. The others have been drained from my brain to my fingertips over the last three months.

Next month I'm kicking back a little. My goal is only 15,000 words, start on the editing and do some more plot planning. Also it's time to start putting together curriculum for next year. Hopefully I can get it all ordered this month and have a happy "Box Day".

Help I've fallen in a hammock and can't get up!

This is my view from laying in the hammock. Trees are actual size.

That was the theme for part of this afternoon. Z and I hung out with Daytona in the back yard. I attempted to work on reading through one of my new novel ideas, but it looked more like a comedy routine. Daytona was on her cable.

Normally we let her run around the yard, but today she found a snake. I just had a feeling there would be one out there today. Sure enough I just got a glimpse as she poked her nose at it. It was the color of a black garden hose and slithered into the grass. Daytona, sure this was something to play with, tried to dig around in the grass. That's when the cable came out.

Z and I continued to hang out. He finally relented and decided to dig in the ground under the hammock. Daytona played with her plastic newspaper and tried to eat bark and twigs.

It really was relaxing. I am glad I added it to my do list, otherwise I'd have been frantic to get back in the house and do more stuff. You know the same stuff that will need to be redone this time next week.

So make sure when you are making your lists to add time to just hang out with your family. The advice is free, hammock not included.

Spring has Sprung!

UPDATE: As you can see from the list there were quite a few things partially done and a few not even tackled. In my defense two days last week I was sick again. Last Tuesday I got out of bed twice I felt so awful. Still, my priorities became to finish planning the rest of the school year and working on my writing. I made a heafty word count goal for this month and I will finish it today. I started doing word count challenges for my writing last year during nanowrimo 2007. I haven't missed meeting a challenge since. Okay, I missed one. Someone on our nanowriye board made an insance challenge of writing 30,000 words in one day. I ended up with 20,000 for the day.

I also made a planner for Z for the remainder of the school year. I simply printed off some schedule forms I modified from Donna Young's website. I made a cool cover sheet and put them in a plastic covered report folder. We have around ten to eleven weeks of school left. The size is perfect. My goal with that is to help him achieve some independence in his work habits.

So while I didn't finish everything on my list, I did make progress. I was also able to prioritize and then not feel bad about the things not finished, that is a first for me.


We are taking a Spring Break from now through the end of next week. To help keep me on track, I am (boldly) posting my to-do list for the week.

HOUSEHOLD

• clean frig (not done)


• throughly sweep and mop each room (partially done)


• help Z clean playroom and box up unused toys and books (he cleaned the room does that count?)


• pick up the plethora of fallen branches in our yard from wind storm this week (done)


• go through Z's clothing - need list of summer clothing needs (done)


• start getting out my summer clothes (done)


• organize bill paying system (UGH!) (not done)


• bathe Daytona (not done)


• clean out dog pen (she is allergic to the stuff falling from the trees) (done)


• hang out with the dog while lying in the hammock (done)

SCHOOL

• Organize homeschool room (in process)


• finalize plans for remaining weeks of school (done)


• finalize fifth grade curriculum - including budget and prioritize ordering (done)


• start pre-planning for history (MOH) done & bible (Pilgrim's Progress)(done)


• outline books I need to pre-read (done)


• plan which subjects could be done outside while lying in hammock (done)

PERSONAL

• outline self-education goals for remainder of 2008 (done)


• organize my digital photo album (done)


• organize all my online groups (done)


• organize my e-mail (done)


• play with blog format (done)


• cover the grey in my hair :) (done)


• continue reading in The Three Musketeers (I'm on chapter 10)


• walk minimum 10k steps each day (not done)


• spend time relaxing in hammock (done)

WRITING CHALLENGES

• finish 50k monthly word challenge (25k done)


• finish plot week challenge (20/25 hours done) -completed 2 out of 3 goals(done)


• finish nanoedmo challenge (6/50 hours done) - this may not happen (not done)


• brainstorming session for next novel (done)


• seek inspiration while lying in hammock outside (done)

So there it is! I have until March 30th to complete most of these tasks.

Wordless Wednesday (with a few words)

A curious tree in Costa Rica. My first attempt at oil painting.

Suvivorman Hits the South

Z has become quite enamored with Survivorman. If you've never seen it, it is show where a man is dropped in many different survival-type situations and must do his best to live among the elements.

Z, of course, saw an opportunity to explore his inner survivor and test his skills. He collected downed branches from around the yard. As loving and guiding parents we have encouraged this pursuit. I took this picture from far away, as with any "wild" thing, they must not be disturbed in their natural habitat.

I helped him tie the cross beam between the two trees. With safety first in mind I also helped make two support legs. The mother in me didn't want the "ceiling" to fall in his head or that of us his playmates.

Tigger then brought home some palm fronds that had been cut from a tree where he was working. Unfortunately the palm trees in our yard do not bear such leaves. Z then took hammer and nail and fastened all the leaves on by himself. He's been hammering and nailing since about 18 months old, but I was still very proud of his arrangment of the leaves.

Here is the other side. I think Survivorman himself would be quite proud. He also gathered pine needles and magnolia leaves to use for bedding. He has a backpack, yes the one he took from me, of supplies that he will carry out there each day.

One of the beauties of homeschooling is that he had time to do this. We sat out in it to do our reading for the last two days. He has already requested to camp out for a week. Tigger wasn't too sure about that one. I guess you could say, he just built his first house.

Wordless Wednesday: Science with Obi Wan Kenobi

Self education at its finest. A dart stuck to the armoire, a string tied to the dart, which is tied to a basket on the coffee table. A zip line for our favorite Jedi.

The Mystery of History has arrived!!!

I started looking at this history curriculum last year. I'm so excited to finally get it. We will finish up our American history study later this year and move right into the ancients.

I'm sure I'm more excited about this than Z. History has always been my favorite subject, especially the study of ancient Egypt. In my youth, I wanted to be an Egyptologist. I wanted to be Indiana Jones, before there was an Indiana Jones. (the new movie comes out late spring, btw) Alas, that dream has not come to pass, the only thing I explore is the world wide web.

So now that I actually have the book in my hand I can do some planning for next year. Oh, and I have some great theme days already rolling around in my head. Indiana Jones day, Toga day, Walk like an Egyptian day. Wow and it's early yet, please someone bring me more coffee.

The Diversity of Youth

I have never been a "girly-girl". I spent my youth climbing trees, skateboarding, playing basketball and playing with pocketknives. We are reading "Caddie Woodlawn" and I can't help but imagine I would have been like Caddie, crossing the river with my brothers, instead of sewing samplers.

When Tigger and I found out we were pregnant, we prayed very hard for a boy. Visions of Barbie and My Little Pony flashed before my eyes, I didn't know how to play with those things. So God heard our request and Z was born. As a boy, I didn't think he would ever borrow things from me. Despite my tomboy youth, I am still a girl.

Yesterday I was cleaning out my closet and Z spied my one strapped backpack. I love that thing, it was pefect for trapsing around Costa Rica. Well Z decided it would make a handy weapon carrier. Z has a gun collection, all toys of course. He loaded up the backpack and carried it around part of the day. He was being, well I'm not sure, alien chaser, James Bond, I just don't know. Safe to say there are no more "bad guys" in my house.

Later in the day he spied my 10-key calculator. Now I'm a little picky about that one, but I let him borrow it. Later I found him laying on the couch, I thought he was playing his PSP. No he was playing 10 key. He was adding all kinds of numbers up. Once we started school I noticed he had started a bank in the living room. He had all the money from the pirate Life game out and was counting it, writing down the amounts and then adding them up with the 10-key. He still has not returned it. I think he would be genuinely excited if I bought him his own.

I guess I'm going to have to keep an eye on some of my others things. There is that toy car I just got from a friend. I may just have to move that one.

Wordless Wednesday