Anti-Resolutions

Posted on January 22, 2015 by simpleijustdo

I’ve said before that resolutions aren’t really my thing. And they’re still not. But today, I did yoga for the second time in two weeks (and before that in a loooooong time). And once this past week, I pulled out my flute and played for about an hour. Last weekend, I got The Boy out of bed and I went to the beach (even though it was freezing) to take a couple of shots with my new camera – I have to practice using the manual settings – Yay!

I’m trying to be more positive at work, and get more accomplished at both work and home. I’m trying not to let social media rule my evening so I can enjoy some time with The Man.

These are all things I’d like to continue doing this year, but I haven’t identified any resolutions, because I don’t want to set myself up for failure, and then be disappointed. So instead, I will just try to form these habits, these good habits.

And it all begins with that first time.

Planner Supplies

Posted on January 15, 2015 by simpleijustdo

Last week, I told you I’d let you know about some of the supplies I’ve picked up for my Erin Condren planner.

Post-Its I love post-it notes, and have them in just about every size, and I used these at first to keep track of events that were tentative in my planner, or things I wanted to remember but didn’t have a strip of wash tape to jot it down on. I still use them a bit, but not as much as I used to. I like the ones in bright colors, so they catch my eye and do what they’re supposed to do – remind me of something important!
Printable planner stickers from etsy I bought some full-sheet sticker paper for my printer, and then printed these colorful stickers (that say “bill” and “shopping” and “date night” just to name a few) that I then cut by hand. It uses a lot of ink, however, so I’m not sure I’ll do this again. We’ll see.
Washi tape I have a new addiction to this stuff, and unfortunately, it ain’t cheap. But Michael’s sells a bunch of rolls in one tube, and if you can wait for a good sale or coupon, you can get a good deal. I think they run about $20 for 13 rolls, and I got mine half-off. Not bad when most places charge you around $4 per roll. I always keep an eye out for some on clearance at Walmart, as well. Washi tape is good for keeping track of events in your planner that cover several days. I also use it instead of the stickers that came with the EC planner, because it is much easier to move – the EC stickers are supposed to be re-positionable, but aren’t very cooperative.
Frixion markers I picked a set of these up on Amazon for about $12, and they are life-transforming. OK, maybe not, but pretty darn close. They are markers that you can erase, which is GREAT for someone who loves pops of color to help her remember things, but hates the permanence of regular markers. PLUS, they don’t bleed through the page.
Stickers I adore the kawaii and mochi style stickers, but haven’t committed the money to order any yet. In the meantime, I’ve been checking my regular craft outlets and the dollar store for some cute ones to add a little something here and there. I got these monster stickers at Walmart for $1. I use triangle-shaped ones to indicate when a bill has been paid.

Mornings Suck in Autism Households

Posted on January 14, 2015 by simpleijustdo

That is my theory based on the anecdotal evidence I have encountered. Maybe not for everyone, but for a lot of people I know that have loved ones on the spectrum.

One morning this week, everything was running along splendidly until I suggested to The Boy that it might be a jacket day as it was below 50 degrees. No problem! Yes, he agreed. A jacket was a good idea.

And then we got to the couch, the time to put on socks and shoes, and wait for the bus. And the bus was early, and The Boy couldn’t find his hat. And there was NO WAY he was going to school without his hat…

Add in the stray kitten who had hung outside of the house since the previous evening, meowing away – he was trying to get in while I was marching out to the bus in my robe and slippers to plead for a few more minutes, and Raphael was anxious to get out because he always is, and because he was very curious about this kitten. Add all of that to The (intransigent) Boy stuffing his feet, face, and hands into the couch cushions to ensure he couldn’t go to school without his hat.

Finally, he’s out the door, but not without a stream of under-the-breath curses about hats and school and buses. I climb back into bed, and The Man says, “Maybe you should set that stuff out the night before.”

(Can you imagine the dark look?)

Yep. Mornings suck.

PS – Guess where the hat was? Right next to his bed. *facepalm*

Sex Ed for Sale

Posted on January 7, 2015 by simpleijustdo

Before break, 7th graders at The Boy’s school had a week-long sex ed program. A couple of days in advance, an opt-out form was sent home that also explained where materials could be viewed (in the library, something like the following day in the middle of the day – very realistic for working parents, but I digress). I have never opted out of these programs for The Boy in the past because I feel it’s important, and I want him to have access to the same curriculum as his peers.

About the second day of the week, I noticed that the “workbook” for the program was in The Boy’s backpack and thought I would sit down and see what was in it.

The first page I had a problem with claimed that condoms were ineffective against STDs, and that only abstinence would ensure that you would not get an STD. Half right, in my estimation. I went to the CDC website to fact-check the information on the page, and actually found that this workbook page contained some inaccurate statements.

Concerned, I continued to read the workbook. And then I came to this page:

Ah, boys are logical and girls are sensitive. Boys deal in facts, and girls deal in feelings. All couched in “sometimes” and “generally” which are the equivalent to “no offense but…”.

Nope. Not acceptable. Not even “generally”. And then, I found this:

Check out Attitude #6. Because if you don’t want to get married, there’s something wrong with you.

What in the world is this crap they are teaching the 7th graders in my county? I googled the name of the group that put the curriculum together. It’s actually a women’s pregnancy clinic that maintains an anti-abortion stance, and sells this curriculum to school districts. A pregnancy clinic that doesn’t even know the facts about STDs and condoms.

I emailed the principal, knowing that this curriculum was probably selected by a committee, and was approved and paid for by the school board. I asked her who I might contact with concerns about the program. She took several days to email back, and even then only said that one of the counselors would be contacting me about my concern.

At least a week and a half went by before a school counselor called me and referred me to… drumroll, please… the pregnancy clinic that published the curriculum.

That would be like referring a library patron with concerns about pornography in the library to Larry Flynt.

I will be pursuing this with central office. I will attend board meetings if I have to. This curriculum is insanely out of date, and presents opinion as fact, which is a very slippery slope. I just wish I had had better access to this in advance, and I wish the school had handled my concerns more appropriately. I’m extremely disappointed with their response.

A Looky-Loo at my planner

Posted on January 5, 2015 by simpleijustdo

You may recall that I splurged a bit and purchased an Erin Condren Life Planner awhile back. These are kind of a trendy thing right now, and I had no idea if it would be worth the cost, considering I’m not a sorority girl, a teacher (they have a special lesson planner, too), or getting married – all very popular markets for this planner. But I have kept it up, and especially like finding the perfect supplies to make planning fun (more on that in another post!).

I went back to a paper planner, because I needed one spot to find all my important dates and lists. I’m keeping track of:

bills and due dates
assignments, quizzes, and tests for The Boy
blog posts I want to write
appointments at work, and when the boss will be out of town 😉
evening activities like school events and date night
budgeting and expense tracking for our trailer flip
ideas for novels
my christmas list
prescription renewal reminders

I’d like to also include (but haven’t yet):

meal planning
shots I want to take and skills I want to practice – I got a new camera for Christmas!
a real dashboard – mine (pictured below) is more of a home for unused or previously-used post-its and pre-cut washi tape

Here are a few shots to show you how I’m using it.

stars are bill due dates, wash tape indicates evening activities (I like to keep the month at a view fairly simple)

my “dashboard” on the inside cover – needs help, I know, but it functions

Work is in the middle, because that’s where I spend my days. Due dates on top, because the morning is when I make sure they are all met. Evening activities are on the bottom.