Friday, March 27, 2009

Schedule and Knitting

We learned how to knit today! A small miracle. Even Anna can knit. Now, her knitting looks different than mine, but she loves it and is very proud of it, and spent hours on it. For those that don't know-knitting is with two long needles, pointy ant one end, like a nail at the other end. We are knitting bags for our knitting stuff. They started out as scarves unfortunately, but will end up being bags because they are turning out wider than we thought they would be.

So where did we learn to knit. 4-H. I feel like such a hick typing 4-H. 4-H is usually learning how to take care of livestock such as sheep, pigs, goats, ect. and then ultimately selling the animal for a profit at the end. It is a very big thing around here. But they also have homemaking areas of 4-H. My friend that invited us to her 4-H group is a homeschooling mom. She has 3 kids in college (all previously homeschooled) and 3 at home, currently homeschooled. She has been a great resource so far. Before I ever met her, I sat in front of her at stake conference. I was drawn to her for unexplainable reasons. I struck up a conversation with her after conference and the spirit kept screaming at me, "Ask her if she homeschools." Now what are the chances? Why would I ask that? After the spirit told me like 12 times, I asked her and she said "yes, for 20 years and I have 3 in college. We love it, ect, ect." Wow. That was amazing. So Amie is her name and she and her 16 year old daughter taught how to knit today.

I was really proud of my girls. They were so polite and patient. Knitting is pretty easy when you get the hang of it, but is pretty hard at first. I'm very excited about it.

Schedules. Oh boy. I feel like Mom. I have had many, many conversations with Mom about her schedule. I also spent a few hours this week discussing organizing containers with Amy....
Back to schedules. Sighhhhhhhh......... It is very hard for me. Hard like say......running a marathon would be for me, or going a whole week or even a day without hurting myself. However, I am wondering now that I've been home a whopping week, since I went on my California vacation, I am discovering I get confused and overwhelmed at how to use my time. I get an anxiety stomach ache. (I'm getting one now just thinking about all of this.) Then I get frustrated and depressed and surf the internet, sleep, or eat. Utter wastes of my life. Don't get me wrong, I have plenty to do. Plenty of fun things to do too, but can't bring myself to prioritize and commit to doing anything that ultimately is not super duper easy! Completely and totally pathetic! Sighhhhh again.

What to do about my problem? Become obsessed with it of course. I've read and read about schedules and decided I need to succumb. I found a web site that offers products to homeschoolers. They have a book/system that I bought called Managers of the Home, from here on out referred to as MOTH. I'm excited, scared and somewhat hopeful. The system includes a 200 page book, as well as charts and organizers. What I really need is to go to a week long "Schedule Camp for Moms" . However, I never saw that advertised online. If you ever see that available, let me know. Anyway, I have a gut feeling that MOTH is the next best thing to a mommy camp, and hope, so much, it will help me.

7 comments:

Sharon/Mom/ Grandma said...

Believe it or not, I am sure you will, I went to two different week long classes at education week on schedules and orgainizing you life. Aren't you shocked. so I don't know if they still offer those,but they used to!! :-) That is so cool that you listended and talked to that lady! Also so cool that you learned to knit! i am so excited for all of you, this is so neat to watch and hear about. When I was young, I envied the girls that did sewing through 4-h. I have never thought of it as a hick thing. The radish was from my garden. You must not have read all my blog. don't know if you looked at your email, but I put some links to your email. I know this isn't coming out right, but I am tired. I love you!!! thanks for bloging!

Grandma, Nonnie said...

I loved your blog, and I looked at mine and I haven't blogged since Jan? Talk about schedules and time and working things out and I really can get in a dither, I am never organized. What happened to me I used to be with a daytimer and the whole thing, now I just do what I do and live the moment. I enjoy what I do and love it all. I think it is wonderful that you learned to knit. I used to belong to the 4-h club, and I loved it and the things we did. A lot of it was homemaking stuff, I don't remember raising any animals. I miss you and hope to see you one of these days soon. Much love grams

Megan and Greg said...

Rebecca! Relax! After all that, I don't know, maybe schedules and you don't work. Could you and the girls just "go with it". Like have your schedule of at least what subjects you'll learn that day, then just wake up and go thru the day and eventually you'll get to it? I don't know, maybe that's a bad idea. But you seem so stressed out about schedules, maybe that means a strict schedule isn't the way to go. But I could be completely wrong. I love you. I hope you figure it all out.

As for knitting- BRAVO!!! Knitting IS hard at the beginning. Eventually I had to stop 'cause it hurt my hands! But I have sensitivities with my hands/wrists more than the rest of the world. I love you. Just relax and go with it. It will work out. You don't have to do things the way everyone else does. Do it the way you're supposed to! Love you!

Danielle said...

That's awesome you're learning how to knit! I'm so excited for you guys. I know you will get to a point where you are comfortable with your schedule. It may not be a strict as others, but probably wont be as slack as now. You'll do great. I love you and miss you! We need to get together soon.

AMY AND MIKEY said...

rebecca I'm so proud of you for learning how to knit, and having your girls learn how. I woudl love to learn how. What a wonderful gift you and your girls can have for the rest of your lives! 4-H, do they have one here? does it cost money? I want crafty friends, groups, i'd love it. ORGANIZING- this is how i get things done: I have a destination for my sewing, i work on my project when I feel like, when I'm done for the moment, I clean up and organize the area but leave my project out, this way- when I feel like doing it again, everythign is clean, back in it's place, but my project is still out, I don't have to bother "getting everythign out" I don't have to clean up either, I can just literally, sew for 10 minutes, or however long I feel like. THAT is how i get dresses made, quilts done. You guys look at my blog and think I whip out all these things- but I slowly work on them. And through slowly working on them, I actually get them done! ALso, it makes it enjoyable, I'm not sewing for 5 hours, back aching, and hating my project. And nobody wants to sew in a messy area- I clean up after myself so that when I come back, it's ready to go again. Do you have an area where you could set up a table just for you and your space? For sewing, or a project? I also have a stack of plastic drawers for my sewing stuff- I have a drawer for small scraps, a drawer for big scraps, thread, elastic, patterns. I have also found that labeling surprisingly helps. It helps you to keep things where they belong, and it makes accomplishing things faster, you don't have to open every drawer to find something, it's quick and easy, and eventually you don't even have to look at the label, it becomes natural. Since plastic drawers can be expensive, look on craigslist to see if anyone is selling a stack. Also- do you want to know something crazy? - first I'm going to post this so I don't loose it-

AMY AND MIKEY said...

ok this is my second comment- Amy my neighbor- has a large shelf- and on it- she has plastic totes from the dollar store- each one has a label, and lid, and since their all the same, they all stack perfectly. She has a tote for everything! I should take a picture of it, and send it to you. It's incredible, but easy and very organized. And they are smal enough- that you aren't wasting space- like- birthday streamers and balloons- you don't want to put something so small in a huge drawer- but these small totes, it's just perfect. I love you Rebecca. I'm so sorry you have a stomach ache anxiety feeling over it- that's how I get towards food. I know how you feel, and I wish I could take that feeling away. I love you.

Lizzie said...

You and your camps...potty training camp, schedule camp. May you and Darin can be the entrepraneurs (sp?) of these camps. = )

I'm sorry it stresses you out so much. I wish it were easier. I feel like I'm an organized person and it think it's frustrating too.

I love you!!!

And if you ever have a sassy talking camp for 4-year old boys, let me know.