Top Ten {Tuesday}: Things I've Been Doing Instead of Writing

It's been a while since I participated in Top Ten {Tuesday}, graciously hosted by Angie at Many Little Blessings each week. My last one was five weeks ago. And I only posted twice in the entire month of June. So, what have I been up to? 

1. Getting settled (whatever that means) in our new home in Florida. We still have a lot of unpacking to do, and some of our things haven't arrived yet (although they should have by now, ahem) but for the most part this place is starting to look like a family actually lives here.

2. Traveling to visit family we hadn't seen in over two years. Ten days, three houses, countless relatives. Senior Agents loved it, although Agent A didn't fully warm up to everyone, as expected. It kind of surprised me how well the girls remembered everyone, given how long it had been and how young they are. 

We love Pooh

3. Going to Disney. Again. This was our second trip with the kids to Disney World in Orlando, our third overall. (We went on our honeymoon.) Add in the cruise we took last summer (one year ago this week, actually) and our two trips to Disneyland Paris, and well, yes . . . we are those people.

4. Helping the Agents organize their bedroom and play room. We had a teeny fiasco with the new beds we ordered, so for now the girls are still sleeping on the guest bed mattress, which we just pulled over and popped on their floor. But . . . they are really excited (okay, Momma is, too) that we now have enough space for a dedicated play room. I think it's such a great use of this space, as opposed to making it a sunroom/sitting area. Plenty of room, lots of windows/light, easy access to the back yard . . . love!

5. Contemplating homeschooling. I haven't officially sent in my intent to homeschool Agent E this year, nor have I taken any steps toward enrolling her in public or private school. And school starts here in 6.5 weeks. I really want to homeschool her for this year, if nothing else to confirm for both of us whether or not it is "working." I think it will be a lot different than last year in Naples, as this is more "real" Navy life for us (i.e., hubby will be gone for long stretches and we will have a whole new "Momma only" routine to contend with). Yet I still feel totally unprepared to begin this year.

Agent A being silly

6. Making plans to lose at least 1000 pounds. Yes, you read that right. I'm talking household goods. When the military moves your stuff, they give you an invoice that's measured in pounds. The amount of stuff (in pounds) you are authorized to move at their expense increases with rank/length of service. We did not come close to our weight limit this time, but we are sort of on this decluttering mission, so we made a goal to have 1000 pounds less on our next move. Note that to net such a loss this will actually involve getting rid of way more than 1000 pounds, as we already added a new washer and dryer to the mix, and I'm certain we will make other purchases in the next two years. 

7. Thinking about writing. Yes, even when I'm not posting, I'm thinking about future posts and topics and ideas all the time. It's a writer thing. It's hard to turn your writer brain off completely. So, I have lots of tidbits jotted down that will likely make it into full posts someday. I'm thinking a series of posts on traveling with young children, and a collection of Disney-specific tips.

8. Re-evaluating my discipline methods. The Agents were a bit nuts on this last trip. And we made so many rookie traveling-with-children mistakes. It got to the point were I was just losing it, yelling at them and having zero patience. I started to think maybe I need to be a bit harder on them, have more control, that this whole gentle parenting thing was not working out at all. It's kind of a blur now, but I'm sure there were times last week that I looked and sounded like "that" parent who snaps at their kids for every little thing and acts like a complete tyrant. This is not who I want to be. It wasn't until we returned that it hit me: the more control I tried to exert, the harder it became. Once I relaxed and let go, biting my tongue before lashing out over every little thing and realizing 99% of it was not even close to being an emergency, guess what? Suddenly their "behavior" improved, they started "listening" better, and we all got along again. Sigh.

Everyone playing nice

9. Creating homemade cleaners. I wrote a few posts ago about my desire to go greener when it comes to our home. I've started by making my own furniture polish and all-purpose cleaner. So far, so good. Honestly, I cannot believe I didn't do this sooner. It's simple, way cheaper, and I can have the Senior Agents help me clean without worrying about them handling chemicals. Score!

10. Researching Bible studies. I got out of the habit of daily Bible reading. I think I need a study (in person or online) to help get me back on track, but I don't know what. If you use an online study, would you mind sharing in the comments? I've tried a few general "accountability" groups, but I really need something more specific.

Thanks for reading and have a blessed day.