Work Schedule and Accountability

Accountability. That, to me, has been the hardest part of being a stay-home-homeschooling-mama. In a 9-5 job, you have co-workers relying on you to get your portion of the work done and you have a boss to answer to if the work isn't done. You also have a pay check, recognition and social interaction as motivators for a job well done.

Reading about Breyer Model Horses

Don't get me wrong. Emma and Jared are my co-workers and my bosses, but they are pretty lenient. Emma is more than happy to sit and play a game of chess or get caught up in a good book at the expense of a sink full of dishes and school work unfinished. Same goes for Jared. 

Reading "Bone" by Jeff Smith

And for the most part, I am with them. But with this giant house and Emma now being nine, I feel more pressure to keep the house presentable and to make sure Emma is learning at least the basics. 

To be fair to Emma, Jared and myself, she does know a lot of the basics. She has a fantastic grasp of the English language -though we need to work on spelling- and can add just about any number you give her -here we need to work on subtraction-. She understands the concept of multiplication, but we need to start exposing her to division. Geography is fun for her and she can name all the continents, knows which U.S. states are which and even some of the capitols. 

Working on her spelling list. 

Anyway, you get the idea. 

So, I need some help. From you guys. Each Monday I will write a post explaining what Emma and I will be doing for the week. I will also post pictures each (or most) days on Instagram. The following Monday I will give a quick recap of what we got accomplished. 

What do I need from you?

Check up on us. Send an e-mail, reply to the post, send a text, give us a call or Skype with us. Heck, you can even send Emma a letter or post card asking her specifics about something she is doing. 

So as not to overwhelm myself, I will post our plans for the week tomorrow. In the meantime, I would love some tips on what you do to keep yourself on task and your house clean!

ArtVend - Bringing Art to the Public

Our community has a pretty active group of artists, Ames c.art, The goal of the organization is to make art accessible to the public. Last year they painted a mural on one of the buildings in Campus Town (near the ISU campus).

This year, they would like to purchase a vending machine and retro fit it so that it will vend small pieces of art created by local artists. The prices for the art will range from $1-$20. If I understand correctly, the location of the vending machine will rotate through out Ames giving access to more people.

In order to make this a reality, they need help with the funding. If interested in learning more, you can go here for more info.

Thanks for checking it out!