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September goals – blog/business, family, me.

6th September 2017 by Jax Blunt 4 Comments

Disclosure – this post contains affiliate links. They do not cost you any extra, but I get a few pence if you buy through them.

As part of blogtember, today Hannah, Katie and I are all doing our September goals post. In the future, I hope that my monthly post will also be a recap of how I’ve gone on with the month before, but I’ve promised that sort of thing in the past and failed dismally, so no promises. If I do, they’ll be modelled after this on BetterNotStop, not least as that’s where I got the idea of doing a monthly goals post. I’ve also downloaded the free planning spreadsheet but haven’t got it filled in yet.

First thing I tried to think about was how to break down my goals. The fun part of a large family is that there’s a lot of added complication to day to day life, and that’s one of the main things I need to get on top of. So I thought for this month I’d focus on three areas – blog/business, family/house, me.

(I probably ought to be prioritising myself a bit higher. We’ll get to that.)

As well as BetterNotStop, I’ve been looking at various things from Ruth Soukup at the Elite Blog Academy – there are a number of useful free resources available on the site. Well worth investigating. I’m plodding through a goal setting workbook I found there.

So area one: Blog/business.

1) Blog overhaul – actually make https work properly, do an autumn clean, plan a retheme.

2) apply various strategies to improve monetisation, while still remaining authentic and transparent. (Spreadsheets may be called for here.)

3) build and start to apply a business plan that heads towards an actual income from the blog/ associated sites.

4) finish working through the EBA goal setting workbook.

5) blog every day in September ๐Ÿ™‚

Area two: family/home

1) Set up the Dodo Household stuff book I was sent for review (see above) and a spreadsheet to manage income and expenditure. (Yes, actually try adulting for a change, instead of winging it a la blog title above.)

2) Design a household chore rota and start delegating, instead of doing everything in a half hearted way and resenting the fact no one helps. Why would anyone do anything? When it comes down to it, that hasn’t been a part of what I’ve taught the kids, and that’s my fault, not theirs. Which is something to move past/deal with, instead of continuing to martyr myself over.

3) Find a decluttering strategy I can stick to. Maybe one room a week, look to take out a carrier bag of stuff a day? I’ve been getting shot of books via a couple of online buy it back sites, but the number of books they refuse is really quite depressing.

4) Sit down with the little ones and design a project for each of them individually. Most of the stuff we’ve been doing has been very joint, and I need to give them both a bit of space for themselves. Now that term has started back, time to get a grip on that. (No, home educators don’t have to observe term times, and mostly we don’t, except many of the groups that we can access don’t run in holidays, so our routine as it is drifts somewhat. Everything is starting up again, time to use that productively.)

5) Look into a new mattress.

Area three: me.

1) Develop a new morning routine – water, exercise, creativity before internet.

2) Keep up the level of physical activity I have at Kentwell – it keeps my body from stiffening up. Also look into pilates/ yoga/ osteopathy and follow up on why my shoulder is packing up again.

3) Have a long chat with myself over where I want to go with my art – am I looking to be recognised as an artist (what does that actually mean) or do I want to work towards saleable items? Or is it a bit of both?

4) Carve out an hour a day for writing the book rather than blog/ business stuff. This means developing some self control where social media and gurushots are concerned, and staying off them!

5) Start up a savings account towards a camera/ writing retreat that is purely for me and my enjoyment. I’ve been in danger of just fading away underneath everything else and I deserve a little more.

Hopefully I’ve got a set of goals there that move me towards my overall aims, which are an income that improves our standard of living and overall life enjoyment, a business that I can feel proud of, and improved personal levels of health and happiness all round. I’ve been really bad at putting this sort of thing together in the past, and I recognise that there’s going to be a certain level of tweaking to come in the next few weeks, but I hope to be able to address that in October.

Dont’ forget to pop over to check out Hannah and Katie posts, will you?

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Filed Under: It's where it is Tagged With: blogtember, business, family, health, home, income, planning, pro blogging

Sun dogs and sandcastles

25th October 2015 by Jax Blunt 2 Comments

I hate clock change time. I’m not good with sudden change, and this time of the year it seems to just pile up – one minute it’s summer (beginning of this month we were on the beach in T shirts), next it’s practically winter – it was 2 degrees this morning. 2!

Best way to deal with change though is to get out there and resync my internal clock, so after spending most of the morning moping about and trying to get a drawing out of my head and onto paper (a wholly new experience last night, falling asleep dreaming of a drawing I want to do!) I rounded up the three children who are here, and we headed to the beach.

It was so worth it.

It was cold, I’ll admit that. But it was utterly glorious too. And someone on instagram had suggested a flask of hot chocolate, and that went a long way to improving the experience.

And there were sun dogs.

 

(Sun dogs, in case you are wondering, are those little flares at either side of the sun. Like little rainless rainbows. Only happen when the sun is at a particular level, 30 degrees or something, and quite often you only get one side and not both, so this was very pleasing.)

There was also a parade. No idea what that was about, they went past with a brass band playing the animals went in two by two, which was a touch surreal.

And we enjoyed hot chocolate.

  

 

Yes, they’re using spoons. That’s because I’m such an awesome mother I took marshmallows. Yup, that good.

It’s quite unusual that Small came out with us, he isn’t usually that bothered at the idea of leaving the house. But I confess I got a little cross with him when he turned the offer down, and give him his due, he turned it around and came with us after all. He enjoyed it he said, so that was good.

He’s not really all that small any more is he?

  

He’s about to make that leap from boy to man, and it’s a little terrifying and also kind of exhilirating all at the same time.

I’m hoping he’ll still come out with us for hot chocolate every now and then  anyway.

And this girl. This bright, determined, creative, quirky, stubborn little girl. She loves the beach. Loves outdoors. Loves her brothers. (And her big sister, she’s not happy that she’s away most of this week at all.) I should have a few more years of beach trips with her to come yet.

  

We walked the long way home to check what time the laundrette was open til. Then I took off Tigerboy’s wellies and emptied half the beach on to the kitchen floor, settled them down with Team UmiZoomi on Netflix, and left them home with Tim while I went to the laundrette.

I’m so rock and roll. The sun was setting as we walked home, and as I set off to dry the laundry, I did have to stop to take a picture of the full moon.

  

All in all, an excellent day.

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Filed Under: It's where it is Tagged With: beach, family, photography, sun dogs

You're going to miss this

14th August 2015 by Jax Blunt 18 Comments

Sitting in the library at a local sixth form, I suddenly realised that life is racing by. Big is pondering next steps in education – her story not mine, so no details here at the moment – and one thing seems certain, September will bring big changes to our family’s way of life.

Years turn and things change every year, but this all suddenly feels momentous. And if I’m not careful, I’ll miss all the other momentous changes that happen in each of the children in a blink of an eye. The summer seems to be racing away, and I’m not ready for it to end. Are we ever?

Tigerboy in the garden

Small wants to take up fencing. I’ve emailed today looking into finding him a club, and he’s hoping he might make some friends. There’s also a nearby computing club, run by a friend and fellow home educator, and he might start going there. From the boy who a few years ago was reluctant to leave the house, having little interest in other children, he has quietly stretched and grown, and is now often surprising. At this rate he could end up with a better social life than me. Which, to be honest, wouldn’t be that difficult ๐Ÿ˜‰

Smallest is on the cusp of reading independently. She’s been there for a while, balancing, unwilling to take the risk that somehow she might lose out by being able to read herself. (I suspect she thinks I wouldn’t read to her any more. I would.) Next year she’ll have her own Kentwell passport, and she’s already considering what stations she’d like to join, what skills she wants to learn. She talks about school every now and then, and I’ve agreed, if she’s still interested in a year or so, that we’ll look into her going. She needs and deserves a little more structured attention, and I’ve been orgoplanning in my head what that’s going to look like. (Not come across the orgo planning terminology before. That’s OK, Gill hadn’t either, so I explained it way back in 2009. It amuses me that the first thing we’re doing is a body project, as that’s exactly what I started with with the older ones back then.)

And finally to Tigerboy. Always my baby but not really a baby any more. We were reading a wonderful story book this morning, Captain Jack and the Pirates (Amazon link), full of imagination and adventure, with three little boys in Helen Oxenbury’s wonderful illustrations. The youngest is a toddler, with a dummy in his mouth, and I looked at Tigerboy and realised he isn’t even that toddler. He’s a little boy, full of energy and daring, pushing every boundary he can as he climbs furniture, hurls toys and balls with gay abandon. He is stubborn, loving, demanding and independent in his own individual bundle, and I’m loving getting to know him better every day.

He’s also 3. And each time my youngest has been three before, I’ve been either trying to be pregnant, or already pregnant. This time though, although a small part of me will always yearn to hold my next new born in my arms, I’m not going to be doing that again. My body isn’t up to it, and my heart and mind are pretty full with the four wonderful children I have. Those missing babies leave a hole, it’s odd, and maybe that’s partly why I don’t think I will ever feel completely finished, but no baby you bear is ever a replacement for one you’ve lost, they are each their own person, even the ones you never meet.

I’m full of deep thoughts and emotions today, sitting with the sun on my back, taking forever to ramble through this post.

I know I will miss this, if I don’t take the time and energy to be present in my children’s lives. So that is my resolution, to be more present.

Disclosure: Captain Jack and the pirates was sent free of charge for review and will be written up properly very soon. Amazon links are affiliate links.

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Filed Under: It's where it is Tagged With: Captain Jack and the Pirates, family, Helen Oxenbury, home education, life, musing, orgoplanning, Peter Bently

Making friends

5th April 2015 by Jax Blunt 2 Comments

Easter is a time for family where we’re concerned, and today was family lunch round at Tim’s brother’s. 14 of us round the table, and there were hours of chatting, eating and drinking.

And time to make friends.

Tigerboy loves animals. He’s very good with them, neither too grabby or nervous. This is him taking time to get to know Russett.

friends

A good day all round.

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Filed Under: It's where it is Tagged With: dog, easter, family, friends

Christmas present

25th December 2014 by Jax Blunt 7 Comments

I saw someone on twitter earlier say that people don’t need to blog today, because it’s Christmas and all.

I’d noticed ๐Ÿ˜‰

But before I blogged for all sorts of other reasons, I blogged to record family memories, and Christmas is a memory that’s kind of important. So if you don’t mind, I *am* going to blog ๐Ÿ™‚

It was quite a low key Christmas here for a variety of reasons. The most obvious being the fact that we’re none of us running at 100% yet. I think Small, first to cave, is the healthiest, and certainly he’s the only one with a full appetite back. Can’t believe I couldn’t manage seconds of Christmas dinner!

To prove the whole not quite right yet, despite putting the little ones to bed by just after 8 (and 8.15, 8.20 and 8.30, thanks for that Tigerboy) they didn’t wake until nearly 10 this morning. Poor Big had been waiting hours! So we did our leisurely opening.

Each child gets a new outfit, pjs, underwear. They get books, something to play with (or watch), and something specific to them. Which sounds like quite a lot, all listed out, but didn’t seem like a huge amount, in the piles. And they get their presents from Tim’s family, always brought round on Christmas eve, to open here.

Which were real winners this year. Big got a gift card for clothes. Small got Minecraft Lego, and he was thrilled with it. Smallest got a princess dress, and wore it all day, and Tigerboy got a tonka truck and books.

He’s such a dream to buy presents for. At one point he took the paper off a present and found a box – look, I’ve got a box! (the present was inside it ๐Ÿ˜‰ ) So he was happy as anything with a Mr Tumble toy, a new game for his Leappad Ultra (LeapFrog Explorer Game: Disney-Pixars Monsters University (for LeapPad and Leapster) since you ask) and his sister’s new dolls.

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Smallest got a pair of little girl dolls, a Furby (powered by Duracell, sigh) books, and a LeapFrog Explorer Game: Disney Doc McStuffins (for LeapPad and LeapsterGS) for her Leappad 3.

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Small got Hexbugs, and played with them most of the afternoon. Apart from when he was reading The Long Haul (Diary of a Wimpy Kid book 9) which he devoured in one sitting, reading while the rest of us were chatting round the dinner table. I guess it’s a good book ๐Ÿ˜‰

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Big got clothes, and makeup and books and a DVD. The piles get smaller as the kids get bigger.

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This year it was hard to get into the festive spirit, but the tradition of the family meal just down the road did rather cement the feeling.

Could have done without the extra present from the cat when we got home though ๐Ÿ™

I hope your Christmas days were as family and fun filled as you wanted them to be.

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Filed Under: It's where it is Tagged With: Diary of a wimpy kid, doc mcstuffins, duracell, family, Furby, hexbug, leapfrog, leappad, monsters university, presents

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