Wanna Be More Organized Wednesday

It seems strange to be posting an organizing post this week when I am so NOT organized right now.  

Look at how far behind I am in posting for heaven's sake!

I'm not going to beat myself up though...but for this week's wanna be post, I'll touch on the aspects of my life that need organizing the most.

Financial

January is generally a long month for state employees money-wise since we are paid on the last work day of each month.  That means that we're paid for January when we leave for Christmas holidays, and of course the challenge is always not to spend January's budget money before the month even begins.  I usually have a very difficult time with this one, but since I used only cash and we cut back for Christmas, I'm ok right now.  I don't have any extra, mind you...and I've had to say no, no, no, no, way more times than I would like to.  But, barring some kind of unforseen big need over the next few days, it looks like I'll make it to February :)

Ireland 

The firstborn and I have made our final payments on our Ireland trip!!  I have officially allowed myself to get excited now!!  There's still much planning to do and we've still got to get our passports...we actually need to do that sooner rather than later.  I will have to be careful with my budget until then so that I will have some spending money with me, and pack wisely for cold, wet weather and only 1 suitcase! (Yikes)

Menus

I've struggled a little with my menus since Christmas.  The firstborn and I have discussed ways of creating our weekly menu...from framed chalkboards to chalkboard paint used on the side of the pantry.  We didn't make any final decisions though.  I also think I can help myself by making a list of old standbys to eat once a month (pot roast, hamburgers, sloppy joes, etc.)  I can fill those into a monthly calendar and add in new recipes in the blanks left.  The Head of My Household doesn't mind new recipes, but he's definitely a more staples kind of guy.  

Posting

Media Mondays - I watched the season finale of Dexter season 4 and started Season 5.  I'm exhausted.  I think it's weird too that I even like this show...although I appreciate Dexter's hyper Robin Hood way of dealing with criminals. And, what makes the show even more successful is Dexter's struggle with his inner demons, his "Dark Passenger" as he calls it.  Dexter would give anything to finally be rid of him...but he can't.  Dexter's inability to comprehend/react to/know what to do with his feelings about Rita's death blew me away...I cried almost the entire episode.  My firstborn, who is also Dexter fan, said she might skip that episode :/

Top Ten Tuesdays - this week's list and last week's list didn't just pop out to me...last week's theme challenged us to come up with 10 books to suggest to someone who doesn't read that particular genre.  Since I'm not a specific genre reader, no matter how hard I tried, I kept coming up with 5-6 at the most for each genre...and I'm weird so I can't post an incomplete list.  Yes, I take medication for my weirdness ;)

This past week's list was open...anything you want to make a list about...

I had no earthly idea what to make a list about.  

Isn't it funny how when you have freedom, you don't know what to do with it sometimes??

Or, is that just another of my weird qualities?

Books 

I'm about 50 pages away from finishing Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel...a whopper chunkster that I started as a ReadAlong and am going to finish almost 2 months after everybody else.  I'm loving it and can't wait for the sequel early next year I believe.  It has fueled my love of the monarchy, British history, and now Spanish and French history.  Oy.  

I downloaded Wolf Hall on my Nook though, and I loved the book so much that I have to have an actual copy to go on my keeper shelves...which means I'll buy the book twice...Oy again...not sure how that fits into my budget.

I'm also reading one chapter per week of A People's History of the United States with Jenners and Fizzy Jill.  After two chapters I'm completely disillusioned and even ashamed by the American history that was NOT taught to me.  Some of the facts about Christopher Columbus and his "discoveries," and slavery in America I was already aware of...but there are so many other facts...information from ships logs, letters by people who actually lived during those times, and other artifacts that show that the truth is much more barbaric than what we've all accepted as the story of America.  I'm struggling a little with it, and it will be impossible for me to work through it all in one post.  But, that's ok.  

Snapshots 

For the next several months, most of my photography will focus on Show Choir.  The competition season is upon us, and each weekend I will take 1000's of pics.  I'll then spend hours on my laptop culling the photos and saving the very best...which I then send to the children's parents.  

I love every minute of it.

We'll have some end of the year projects which will be easy to put together as long as I keep up after each competition.  If I let the photos snowball...well, you can probably imagine.  We have 14 seniors this year (including one who belongs to me), and I'll have to keep their folders organized in order to put their final collages and CD's together effortlessly.  

Classes

My Comp I and Comp II classes are in full swing, and it's finally beginning to feel like there's a master plan for the semester.  I've never been able to do the same thing over and over each semester.  I'm easily distracted and easily bored, so I can give you lots of academic reasons why it's good to switch classroom assignments and teaching methods around, but really it's all about me ;)

All 4 of my Comp II classes are working on research right now...their final papers will be due right before Spring Break.  Once we return after Spring Break, 3 of the classes will read Cold Mountain and the smaller hybrid Comp II class will read The Book Thief.  

My 2 Comp I classes are busily writing their first essays for me, a Personal Literacy Narrative.  If I can juggle due dates a little more than I did last semester, my goal is not to end up the semester with stacks of papers to grade.  

I say that every semester though.

Have I already said Oy?

Whew!