Journal of a Busy Mom

living one day at a time

Spring Forward: Planning for 2016-17

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I feel like I just recently wrote about planning my homeschool year for 2015-16 and now I am focusing on 2016-17. Where does the time go?

It might seem early to start thinking about curriculum for next year, but I have to be honest, by February I am pretty done with the current school year!!! I need something to look forward to.  I read an article in Home School Enrichment called “It’s a Wrap” by Jennifer Pepito, at Homeschooling for the Whole Family. In the article, she says “Curriculum is something I approach prayerfully and early. Although it may seem backwards to plan next year’s schooling before I have finished up the current year, doing so has been a great tool to allow my family some breathing room during the summer.” This is so true. It definitely allows me to feel like I can enjoy the summer. Although we homeschool year round, I usually don’t start anything new until August. The summer is more for catch up.

So here are some small steps that I started taking in February and now into March:

  1. Look at what has worked and what didn’t work (or isn’t working).
  2. Talk to my kids about what they would like to study the following year.
  3. Start researching curriculums, online classes, and homeschool classifieds.
  4. Build my list of possible curriculums and prices to get an idea of what my cost will be for the following year.
  5. 5. Start selling curriculum as we finish. (Really important since I recycle that money for the following year).

I will post on each of these steps as I go through them. Hopefully, by the end I will be ready for our new school year.

Winning the Discipline Battle

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I started reading a book this past week, it’s actually one I’ve started before. It’s a really good book but I usually didn’t  have to time to read so it got shelved. But not anymore! I am finally making time for reading with my new Morning Routine. I am reading Who You Are When No One’s Looking by Bill Hybels. The second chapter deals with discipline. Hybel explains discipline in three very short, but very true statements:

Discipline is really delayed gratification

Discipline requires advanced planning

Discipline includes accountability.

I know I lack discipline in many areas of my life. Just to name a few: food, exercise, house cleaning, need I go on?

Right now, the only thing I feel I am “winning” at with discipline is with my Morning Routine. Believe it or not, I am on week 12 of waking up at 5:15 AM. I have also managed to continue to work through my Morning Routine in such a way that I have finished books, worked through a Finance Renovation Course, and more all before 7:15 AM!

What really helped me with my mornings, was doing Make Over Your Mornings with Money Saving Mom, Crystal Paine. I loved her online course so much. See my post on My Routine Here. Recently, I found an ebook on my computer called 21 Days of Discipline that I bought a while ago as part of a “bundle”. Well, I had not realized it, but it was written by Crystal! So I am going to embark on this 21 Days of Discipline starting 14th of March. I have several things going on now that I don’t think I can do it justice. So, even though I am pumped to start now, I think I will wait.

So discipline. Its tough, but I am hoping to get some discipline on a few things in my life that need to be reined in.

Ligia

P.S. I just found out Crystal is up to it again! She has created on online course on Making Over Your Year, similar to the Makeover Your Morning course I took. Here is my post on that. I do plan on doing this course as soon as it becomes available March 18th.

Paleo Baked Avocado Egg

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When I first saw this recipe for baked avocado egg, I thought there was no way I was going to try it. I couldn’t wrap my mind around baking an egg inside an avocado. But…

Wait. One of my favorite omelettes is the California Omelette which has avocado and eggs.

So I tried it and I LOVED IT.

So this recipe is so simple to make, but I have failed more than three times to get the whole egg inside the avocado. It spills out, so I did come up with a solution. Buy a BIGGER avocado.

Here is what you need:

A large or extra large avocado

Large egg (two if you plan to make the whole avocado)

Salt pepper to taste

Paprika to taste

Heat oven to 400 degrees.

Slice avocado in half.

Spoon out quite a bit of avocado. I put it in a dish for later use. Guacamole perhaps.

Carefully, I balance the avocado on a rolled up piece of foil so the avocado doesn’t lean over and cause the egg to spill (that’s what happened to my first attempt).

Carefully, I mean really carefully, crack the egg into the cavity of the avocado.

Add salt, pepper, and paprika to taste.

Cook it for 18 minutes. ( I have seen many different times and degrees this is what has worked for us)

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Okay, not so pretty. I think this was one of my first attempts. See how the egg is oozing out. The avocado was a wee bit too small.

I love making it and love eating it even more. There are several variations too, add bacon, cheese. The possibilities are endless.

Ligia