Finally, trying to slow down... I think

I always tend to read blogs where families are slowing down, and living simply and able to almost homestead their land. Maybe I want to be a farmer, I don't know... but I'm glad to say that the school year is over. So, I'm using this mark to try to simplify myself and my family. Our goals for this summer (yes, I blog about it so I feel more responsible for it):

1.) PURGE PURGE PURGE - I cleaned out the linen closet yesterday. I know, everyone else in the world has a perfectly organized linen closet, but I didn't. It is located right outside my door and as it overflows and is unfolded, or used as a place for hide and seek it gets worse. In cleaning it up I realized I had 5 sets of queen sized sheets, and 0 queen sized beds in my house... so they are going to the lake, or my brother, or goodwill.... anywhere but here. The girls also got the study/playroom shoveled out and I refuse to look in the bags of things that Brian deemed unworthy. Now I can get in there and finish the job. There are so many of those corners in my house I"m using this summer to get at them.

2.) RELAX - folks, I need to seriously decompress. The biggest reason I haven't been blogging is because we're so busy. I run 3 girl scout troops, work full time as a teacher, take Blondie to therapy, Big Al to soccer, thankfully Brian jumps in to take Blondie and Cheesie to tennis, and T-Rex to archery. Later this week I think we're going back to the lake house, and I can't wait.

3.) REDUCE TV time. The girls and I have a goal to shut off the TV. Big Al asked last night if we could unplug them. I pointed out that all she had to do was not turn it on. It is a very difficult thing for them to do. So no TV until after dinner, and even then I'm betting that we don't watch a lot of it.

4.) CUT COSTS - I'm really focusing on cutting all debt because I have a quietly personal goal I wish to attain. I need to get in the routine of planning dinners, eating leftovers, etc. I need to recycle a bunch of things that we haven't gotten in the habit of recycling, because a new recycling drop point has opened near us and they take the things our curbside doesn't.

5.) WORK ON THE YARD. Man it needs it. Standing in my neighbors house a few days ago, I looked at my yard, and was not happy with what I saw, so it needs a facelift.

6.) FIND MY iPOD - 'cause I don't know where that thing is... technology getting smaller isn't always a good thing.

Those are my goals, and I'll check in on them periodically to show how I am progressing.