7 Quirky Takes

---1---

I've just discovered that it's the end of July!  That means that the various schools start in less than 2 weeks!!  I am soooo not ready for school to start, despite the clown at Costco who said---in front of the 2 children I had with me---"I'll bet you can't wait for school to start!"  (What would he have said years ago when they were all 6 with me?)  Well, yes, sir, I can wait for school to start.  I enjoy having my children around.

---2---

But if we're being honest, I also don't want school to start because I have to teach it.  And I haven't done one lick of planning.  I expect I'll just open up the ol' syllabi and say, "Start with math" while I hunt around for all the other necessary books.  No, on second thought, we'll start with religion because God knows I need the help, and so do I.  So that's two subjects down; I feel better already!

---3---

Make that 3 subjects!  I just took a little break and signed up at BraveWriter.com for a monthly subscription to 2 of their language art programs.  They have great books on their lists, and I think Meg and Pip will enjoy them AND be challenged by them.

---4---

I printed out my sample voter's ballot this morning, and then checked the Georgia Right to Life website to see who they support.  There are a lot of judges on the ballot this go-round; that's no fun.  Most of them are unopposed, so the most you can do to show your displeasure in their rulings is to abstain.  That's sort of like slamming down a cell phone when you hang up.  

---5---

Another big wedding anniversary coming up next week.  They're pretty much all big from here on out, right?  After 25, it's all uphill!  What do you do to celebrate your anniversary?  For a couple of years, we spent all day at the movie theater seeing everything we wanted to, but since we are up-to-date on the blockbusters this year, and I think we'll have to spend the weekend moving someone into his new college apartment, I'm looking for other suggestions.  So far, the best I could come up with was, Oh hey, I won't have that AHG board meeting on The Big Day.

---6---

I think my burst of household-decluttering-energy was exactly that:  a burst.  And it's gone.  I spent 3 days in Meg's room while she was at summer camp getting it organized! After that, I couldn't face Pip's and I let him do it himself.  It took 3 days of nagging, but he got it done properly.  (Look!  Miracles still happen!)  Now they each have a calendar on their dresser with the 5 things they need to do every day:  keep things off the floor, keep things off the surfaces, put clothes in the hamper, put clothes in the drawers, keep things out of the closet (where they shove them to clear the floor).  They get a point for each of those during my random checks each day, and when they get to 150 they get a Mommy-date.  I want you to notice that I didn't even ask them to make their beds, just put things in their proper places.  Meg is the Queen of Putting Things Away Where They Don't Belong.  I ask you---why bother?  They are doing great so far, and I'm looking forward to going to the movies!

---7---

I'm drowning in books, here!  You'd think I was a Book Reviewer or something, but I have this huge TBR pile, and I don't know what to do with it.  All Melancholics are invited to tell me how they handle their To-Do lists and To-Be-Read piles.  Some of them have deadlines because of Book Club or an Actual Book Review to do, but most of them are just self-imposed requirements.  How do you organize your reading time?  It's funny I should ask because my big brother just reminded me the other day that we always got criticized for reading too much as children!