So much planning!

It's like I'm a full time teacher planning a full year of school or something!

I was planning on doing a week of "Camp Boulden!" this week, but it isn't working out that way.

I've been traveling and entertaining company and dealing with my dad and now the summer is almost gone and I realized that I really should order Norah's school books now so they will have plenty of time to arrive before September 1 (when I want to start school with her). So, I am having to do some serious research, reading and organizing. I am researching, reading and organizing all the time, but now I am having to make those final decisions and that's taking time, time, time.

I am still letting Norah paint with watercolors for an hour or more every afternoon while Avril naps. Today I even got her a book about watercolors from the library with several sample projects to do. And we are still reading "A Dog Called Kitty." But the outdoor activities are no longer on the agenda. Maybe, given a full day of work on school tomorrow, I can take them swimming Thursday and Friday. We will have to see.

I just wasn't realistic about how much planning I would need to do for this school year. But, I feel confident that if I can decide things now and do things like pick which symphonies we will go see and where and order the tickets now, then we will actually go do those things.

I am also finding that as I organize my books and supplies, I have so many real books on certain topics that I may not even have to order a program or a curriculum to teach Norah those things. Case in point: I have at least ten excellent books about the world, it's cultures, maps, etc. so I think I could probably just read through those with Norah and call that our geography and social studies for second grade.

I am torn between my desire to enjoy the last days of summer and my desire to ensure that we will be able to make the most of our fall and winter with some definite school plans. I haven't gotten as much done in years past because of a lack of decisiveness and planning (and a hesitation to spend so much money at one time), but now I find that I am behind schedule because of it.

I think all this planning and deciding and spending I do during this one week of the summer will pay serious dividends in what we will be able to accomplish for months and months ahead.