Creating an Enviroment

I have given a lot of thought this week about environment. More so on setting up a house of order and a house of learning. It got me thinking about a line from a movie, His, Hers, and Ours. "A Home is not for good impressions, but for free expressions." I don't think I can completely let go of not having a good impression, as feel that it could lead to not taking good care of it, but it does allow me to let go of much of my guilt. I would so rather just play with my kids or do something creative or just read a book than to clean my house. But when I let it go like that, then I end up having "Chaos- Can't Have Anybody Over Syndrome," to quote the fly lady, who rarely visits my home anymore. I feel so bad about not inviting their friends over. But having a clean home or at bare minimum at least presentable, is more than for good impressions. We are all so much happier when it is. But when I am focused on them and not the monstrous task that is our home, I am happy too. Balance is needed. I struggle with that. But back to environment.

The most creative environment in our home is when, there is easier time constraints as well as a rhythms. We have been so busy this last two weeks in the home and it has been fabulous. I really felt like I met everyone's needs, art projects adorn our home, The upstairs is mostly presentable and perhaps we will do more downstairs today. The kids were off playing and I actually sat down and did a two-page Halloween scrapbook layout, which turned into a 4 kids and moms scrapbook session with scissors and papers and a lesson on making faux leather paper for their scrapbook pages and also the start of making a pirate map. Our studies in pioneer life have morphed into the history of pirates (there were pirates during pioneer times, right!) They spent 3 hours and my bed was just covered with creativity. We went to the Aquarium this last week and then we came home to 2 hours of researching and question bombardment on the computer to ask all the why's of the day. The list could go on about how we went with the flow and let our passions guide us the last two weeks, but the sad thing was, it all happened during DS # 3's 2 week break from therapeutic preschool and Speech Therapy. I actually had time to work with him on his speech stuff from our main Speech Pathologist. So I go back to questioning is the preschool right for him and our family. After coming off such a productive and low stress two weeks I hate the thought of going back to the rigorous schedule on Monday. While it is fun for J, but it isn't fun for anybody else. There are a few more things I am going to try for the others, before we give up, that I really need to pray and ponder how this program helps J. I think my biggest fear is the Augmentative Communication Device for J. He really does need it and if our insurance won't pay for it, then it is likely that the school district will, but if I pull him, then we have to come up with the money ourselves. So for now I am working on that scheduled environment, how can I make it work and still meet the needs of the other two.
1. Sure it takes planning.
2. New books on CD as we have gone through he standard 20 in the car many times.
3. I wonder how much a blackberry or Internet service on my cell phone would cost so we could be free to do research on a "I wonder" or "why" question.
4. During preschool time, just go to the library and read and bring some stuff to work on. I am wondering if that is easier than going home, so we are at least able to focus on learning something, rather than having the distractions of the home.

Well any ideas on that would be helpful. I need an environment that facilitates learning on the go. Perhaps looking to that "its about me" philosophy would be most helpful here. I am so inclined to run errands or just go the park next to the school (not that that isn't important as well.

Well anyhow, greetings from a very fabulous sunny Colorado week. It was just Heaven here the last two weeks. Happy belated Halloween and Harvest Festival.
Heather