I’m embarrassed to realize that it’s August SECOND and not only did I not post about a new month’s resolution, as I’ve done every first of the month for the last year, I completely forgot about it. I knew yesterday was the first, but nothing clicked in my brain that it was the FIRST of the month.

Sarah reminded me with her post on her resolutions. Thanks, dear.

Last year at this time I was prepping for school, but I focused on meal preparation as a key to a successful start to our academic year. It would be one less thing to worry about. That did work out really well.

This year, though, I’m going to focus on school prep to a deeper level. I’m working on having each kids’ weekly assignments printed out through at least Week 9, and any worksheets, supplementals, tests or other print-outs already done. For example, two of Billy’s workbooks came from reproducible sources. The material is already scanned (from when Fritz did it), I just have to print it out. Having that already done will save me last minute scrambles that generally result in me skipping that work that day and doing it the next.

Also, I’m taking a hint from Laura Berquist’s Teaching Tips & Techniques and beginning the school day with one-on-one time with each child starting with the preschooler and going up in age from there. Usually I start with the oldest and work my way down…and honestly hope that my preschooler is occupied with free play. But Jenny really wants to learn her letters, and so I must add her to my student roster. I suppose I could buy a preschool program, but there is enough free stuff on the internet…if I just take the time to print it out and make a plan.

I know that the more prepared and better organized I am now, the smoother things will go, especially once the baby comes. I can hold everything together on a day-to-day basis most of the time right now, but I know that things will fall apart with a newborn in the house if I don’t have all the supplies ready, the lists made and a routine established. Nine weeks of lesson plans will get me at least to the baby’s birth. After I’ve done all the kids’ plans for that time, I’ll move on to prepping another 9 weeks to get me through Christmas break.

Alrighty then, anybody else have a new month’s resolution?