Progress

May is always a really busy month, with end-of-year activities for every child, a bunch of birthdays, Mother's Day, and gearing up for summer. I've got a couple of blog posts (including a guest spot and a Chicago trip report) in the works, but in the meantime, I've made a lot of progress lately, and I wanted to give a quick report on a few things: 1. Summer Plans I'm determined that my kids will learn how to work this summer AND how to do it without fighting. I've divided up the workload into three different schedules (A,B, and C). Each schedule has what needs to be done in the morning, afternoon, and evening, along with three spots for checkmarks. The first is if it's done, the second is for if when it's done without reminders and the third is for when it's done cheerfully. The kids and I will be on three separate teams as follows: June Team 1: Lillian and Allison June Team 2: Joey and Sarah June Team 3: Mom, Michael, and Eliza July Team 1: Lillian and Sarah July Team 2: Joey and Michael July Team 3: Mom, Allison, and Eliza August Team 1: Lillian and Michael August Team 2: Joey and Allison August Team 3: Mom, Sarah, and Eliza Each team will rotate through a new chore schedule each week. We have about nine weeks at home this summer so by the time we go back to school, each person will do each chart three times. I'm planning lots of incentives, including privilege cards for Wii and computer time, plus other stuff I haven't considered yet (ideas?) for those who get all three boxes checked on every job. We've also got plenty of fun scheduled, with library time, movies at the theater, Family Parties on Fridays, swimming twice a week, and adventures like rockhounding and hiking. Add in a couple of Daddy Trips and family adventures and we're looking at a full and busy summer. The theme for this summer is "Bartholomews Work Hard and Play Hard," and I've created a poster for our wall with two sides. The first side says this, with large boxes for each dot here so we can mark off how much progress we make in each of our goals: Bartholomews Work Hard At . . . Service (3-5 projects) • • • • • Forest Clearing (100 hours) •••••••••• •••••••••• •••••••••• •••••••••• •••••••••• •••••••••• •••••••••• •••••••••• •••••••••• •••••••••• Running Miles (260 miles) •••••••••• •••••••••• •••••••••• •••••••••• •••••••••• •••••••••• •••••••••• •••••••••• •••••••••• •••••••••• •••••••••• •••••••••• •••••••••• •••••••••• •••••••••• •••••••••• •••••••••• •••••••••• •••••••••• •••••••••• •••••••••• •••••••••• •••••••••• •••••••••• •••••••••• •••••••••• Helping Little Ones (Work Hours Babysitting) •••••••••• •••••••••• •••••••••• •••••••••• •••••••••• •••••••••• Running Races (5+) • • • • • • • • Learning from Non-fiction Books (60) •••••••••• •••••••••• •••••••••• •••••••••• •••••••••• •••••••••• Reading Chapter Books (Allison & Sarah -- 20) •••••••••• •••••••••• Projects: Bat Cave • Clothing Shuffle • Garden Planted • Vans Cleaned Out • Garage Cleaned • Playset Put Together • Mulch in Front Flower Beds • Mulch in Side Beds • Mulch in Back Beds • All Windows Cleaned • Food Storage Organize • The second side says: Bartholomews Play Hard At . . . Family Trip • Trek • Girls Camp • Daddy Trips (2) •• Parties with Friends (9) ••••••••• Family Movie Parties (10) •••••••••• Movie Theater Movies (9) ••••••••• Library Crafts (9) ••••••••• Hiking ••••••••• Rockhunting ••• Swimming (30) •••••••••• •••••••••• •••••••••• * * * * * * * * * 2. Fitness Progress I finally feel as if I've turned a corner with my running. I absolutely loved my five and nine mile runs last week, and though some of my other runs were a bit tougher, I'm starting to understand why some runners actually look forward to getting on the trail. It only took, oh, about eight weeks of training to get to that point, but really, I can see running as something I'll do for the rest of my life. I'm making progress in my fitness and my weight loss is also coming along. I'm down 20 lbs in about 2 months, which is one-third of my goal. I also love that I'm no longer scared of hills. Seriously, I used to plan my runs so I would avoid them, but no longer! My nine-miler was mostly uphill for the first six miles and I found it invigorating. My first race is less than five weeks away and I can't wait. I'm also signed up for another half marathon at the end of the summer. And I'm also pushing myself a tiny bit more than I had planned. I think I was in some sort of crazed state of mind, but I decided on sort of a whim on the very last day of registration to -- I can't believe I'm saying this -- sign up for the lottery for the St. George Marathon on October 1st. I worried and fretted about it, but DH said he'd support me and I figured I probably wouldn't get in anyway, but I just now checked for my name, and I'm in! Eek! What have I gotten myself into? (But while I am signed up and I've read two books on marathon running and checked into a dozen different training schedules, I'm also leaving room for this to be one of those interrupted goals I sometimes have. I've been feeling as though I probably won't get pregnant for a while, but I'm not doing anything to prevent it, and if it's a choice between a baby and a marathon, you know I'd choose the baby any day -- of course, that's probably also because I don't have any clue whether I really CAN run 26.2 miles. What was I thinking?!?)