By Sun and Candlelight

Happy Assumption Day!

I hope you all had a lovely day. Blessings to you and your loved ones!

By the way, I have a new post up tonight at my homekeeping blog. I think it's high time I get back to that ... :)

See you all sometime tomorrow!

 ❤

$ My Budgeting Notes $

Happy Wednesday, my friends!

So this morning I printed out all the comments in the Money Monday post and then sat down with a hi-lighter (and my coffee) and read. Thank you to everyone who took the time to add their suggestions and experiences - there were some wonderful tips! This is one of the blessings of the internet - being able to share ideas with each other in this way. :)

So here are my own thoughts, as scattered as they are ... and let me preface this by saying I am in no way any kind of budget guru. Quite the contrary, actually - as I have miles to go when it comes to being thrifty and clever with household expenses. Hence these Money $ Monday posts - so I can pick all your lovely brains! ;)

*$*

As of now, I think the only area I've been working on diligently has been grocery shopping. Like many of you, I find menu planning and list-making enormously helpful with paring down the grocery bill. Coupon clipping - when done well - is also quite helpful as is buying in bulk/shopping sales.

*

I do try to regulate our air conditioning by turning down the temperature gauge and, in general, using AC as sparingly as possible. But Earlybird is very sensitive to heat so I don't hesitate to turn it on as needed. Bill keeps bringing up the subject of "central air," but I can't seem to commit to the (enormously expensive) idea. I know it probably makes much more fiscal (and environmental) sense to upgrade to a more efficient system but, good golly, it's a huge initial investment!

*

I must confess I have a real weakness when it comes to books. There's just something about books - new books especially! - that truly nourish me. But I try to temper my urges to buy books - they're expensive of course, but also, they take up a ton of space! (And homeschooling for 12+ years means my house is absolutely teeming with books!) So we do make great use of the library, especially the inter-library loan system. Nowadays when I hear about a new book I get myself on a waiting list at the library rather than rush out to buy it. And yet ... I still find myself at Barnes & Noble a couple of times a month ... even if it's just to browse. ;)

*

I have a fairly large pantry downstairs so I can stock up on when things are on sale, but I'd also like to invest in a full freezer. (Chest or upright - opinions?) I love the idea of having a freezer stocked with seasonal produce, well-priced meats and homemade "convenience foods" ready to go. To date, however, I have not been very successful at freezing things, so I'll have to read up on that concept ... any suggestions?

*

I do a lot of scratch cooking, and I'm working on reducing the amount of convenience food I use (prepared foods and packaged mixes, etc.). We rarely eat out - a few nice dinners on birthdays, our anniversary - but we do indulge in take-out more often than we should. That said, Bill takes a home-packed lunch to work everyday. :)

*

I'm hardly a clothes hound - I still wear clothes that are YEARS old. But that's mostly because I "work at home" and honestly, who cares? I'm just glad they still fit, lol! I save my clothes dollars for special occasions i.e. a wedding or a special dinner for Bill's company. Then, admittedly, I splurge on something new. As for the kids - having three boys has been great. We just save things to pass down! (And we were very fortunate to inherit A LOT of great quality clothes from cousins when Bookworm was small. They've lasted well.)

*

Laundry is a constant in any family's life, but I don't really save much in this area. For instance, I don't currently line-dry as many of you do. I would love to, but I'm leery of pollen. Has anyone dealt with this? If you have allergies in your household how do you keep your drying linens free of pollen?

*

Phyllis just left a comment and mentioned another category to consider: gifts. Great idea. Phyllis! I tend to go overboard here, but I start every holiday season with the hope and intention to make as many of our gifts as we can. Not only are handmade gifts more frugal, but, more importantly, they're more meaningful. We get a little better with this every year, but invariably I spend the last couple of weeks before Christmas in a flurry of online ordering. This is something that needs closer attention ...

*

Does anyone do a Christmas Club at their bank? (Do they even still do those? I remember my mum and grandmother did this.) We tend to overspend at the holidays but my aim is to each month have a little money set aside towards Christmas. I have yet to make that happen but it makes a lot of sense. Does anyone have a system for this?

*$*

Well, I think that might be all I have time for right now ... but I am looking forward to talking more about this with you all ... please continue to leave your thoughts below as you have time. I will jump back in the conversation as soon as I can!

Blessings to you all on this day!

❤

A Note on the Newsletters ...

Just briefly, three things to tell you ...

One: The newsletters were sent in a plain, white, business-sized envelope, with a floral stamp and the addresses written in a dark blue ink. (Note: international letters had a different, rectangular stamp.) There is no return address, I'm afraid. A few people have mentioned they weren't sure who this "mysterious" letter might be from, lol, so I wanted to give you all a heads-up. ;) I had grander plans, orginally, for the envelopes - stickers, labels and whatnot - but time got away from me and I just wanted to get them off to you all!

Two: Also, those recycled envelopes may be earth-wise but apparently their glue is not all that great, because my parents' letter arrived open! So I apologize if your newsletter arrived in this way. I hope that didn't happen too often.

Three: I hope I didn't miss anyone - I had meant to cross-check the envelopes with the email I sent to be sure I got every name, but again, I ran out of time! If for some reason I missed you, please let me know! (And come to think of it, a few of you sent an email address instead of a snail mail address and that's fine - but it will be a day or two more before Bill has the newsletter in pdf form. When he does I will have it up here available for you, and all my readers, to print.)

Well, that's all for now! Enjoy the rest of your day ...

❤

Money Monday: Sharing $ Tips

Good (Tuesday) morning, my friends! I'm a day late - though hopefully not a dollar short - with this post, but this week I'd like to talk about budget saving tips. We all have tried-and-true methods for saving money where we can ... would you care to share three of yours? If you have more than three, feel free to expand, and if you have less, that's fine, too. I'll take whatever you've got. :)

Now, I know we're all familiar with the basics of a family budget, but here are the categories I'm concentrating on ... if I've left something out, let me know!

Groceries

Housing

Utilities

Clothing

Entertainment

Travel

Holidays

Hobbies

Health Care

Education

Kids' Sports/Activities

Transportation

*$*

Thanks so much for reading today, and please leave a comment if you have the time. I'll add more thoughts later today ... for now I'm going to concentrate on this delicious cup of coffee and getting my household up and running!

See you back here very soon!

The Lego Party that Almost Was ...

So yesterday was supposed to be Crackerjack's "friends" birthday party (as opposed to his "family" party which takes place next weekend) but alas, we had to postpone it. We spent much of last week preparing - working off a big master list - and by Saturday bedtime I had *everything* all set to go (save for picking up balloons, ordering pizza and filling the coolers with ice) ...

But great organization is no match for a 1 a.m. stomach bug, I'm afraid.

(Timing is everything, right?)

Anyhoo! We've rescheduled the kids party for a few weeks out (something to look forward to, right?) and Crackerjack was a really good sport about it. And he did get to open a few gifts ...

While I have you here, I'll show you how the cake came out ...

(Longtime readers might remember I've made this minifig cake before - CJ requested it again!)

But, oh my - the food dye I used for this frosting! I was cringing, lol. But it was the only way to get those vibrant "Lego" colors. (I was also planning to serve homemade chocolate cupcakes with plain vanilla frosting for Earlybird and those who don't tolerate artificial food dyes. I hadn't made those yet before the bug hit.)

Needless to say - now that the bug has passed - we have ourselves a bit of cake to eat. Could I freeze it all? Probably, but I've never been very successful at freezing baked goods. So all this will be made again fresh come September 1st ~ the date of the rescheduled party!

*❤*

Now, I know I usually do a "Money" post on Mondays, but I will wait and put that up tomorrow since I've already posted so much today and it's starting to get late ... time to make Crackerjack's "favorite" birthday supper: kielbasa and veggie bake, couscous and ... waffle dippers! ;)

So please stay tuned! And I'll see you all again sometime soon!

Happy Anniversary, Archie & Oliver!

This picture was taken a year ago today, the day we brought home our new loves!

That year flew by fast! And they sure grew pretty fast, too ...

... and now we can't imagine life without them. ❤

So today we celebrate Crackerjack's 13th birthday, as well as our first year with Archie & Oliver. There will be cake, ice cream, presents ... and a wee bit o' catnip.

:)

Have a great afternoon, my friends!

Happy THIRTEENTH Birthday, Crackerjack!

I cannot believe how fast time has flown, and now my middle son - this boy! - is now a teenager! My goodness!

Dear CJ,

You are such a sweet and loving boy, always thinking of others and putting friends and family first. You are blessed with brightness, good humor and wonderful creativity ... and best of all, such a happy heart ... when I looked for a picture for this post I realized that you are always smiling!

Thirteen years ago you were born on August 13th ... two days early, and a Friday, to boot! Friday the 13th officially became a day of GOOD luck that year ... because you came into our family and we are ever so blessed that you did!

May God Bless you today, Crackerjack - today and everyday! We love you so much!

❤

And the winner is ....

... Lynn!

Congratulations, Lynn - you are the winner of my extra copy of British Country Living! I will be in touch soon to arrange mailing details - and I hope you enjoy it!

Here's Lynn's wonderful answer to my question about this time of year:

Summertime...lovely with late evenings outside/fireflies/watermelon/berries/lemonade/going to the lake/good books while the kids are swimming/ less routine/4th of July cookouts/baseball games/and rootbeer floats. I sadly see you go away sweet summertime, but this year you were brutally hot so I am looking forward to your older sister's arrival - Awesome Autumn... a new school year full of new promise, stew for supper, and cinnamon tea, football, cozy fleece pullovers, golden leaves and crispy nights.

It's all good! And so is God!

Perfectly put, Lynn!

❤

Thank you all for participating in this giveaway ... I so enjoyed reading through all your comments about this time of year when the seasons are ready to change. Change is always good, but sometimes it's hard to let go ... and sometimes it's a welcome relief.

I relish this time of year because it's the best of both worlds ... we're still enjoying all the blessings of summer and yet we're heady with the anticipation of fall and all its comforts and joys. Also, I think there's nothing quite so refreshing to the human spirit as a fresh start and that's just what September feels like to me. :)

Well, my friends, have a great Monday ... I have one or two posts more for today, so I'll see you here again very soon!

Another {Little} Giveaway!

I know, I know ... I'm a bit crazy with the giveaways lately! Well, this time I have the brand new issue of British Country Living to offer ...

I recently subscribed and my first issue arrived the other day - only, I'd already purchased it! So I have an extra copy, and I thought I'd pass it on to one of my readers. I know there are a lot of Anglophiles out there like me!

So, my question for you today is this:

How do you feel about this time of year? Are you sad to see summer end or are you feeling ready for fall?

***

Please leave your answer in the comments box below, and you'll be entered into the giveaway. :)

These next couple of days will be very busy as we host the first of two parties for Crackerjack's birthday, so I may not be online much. But I'll leave this post up and announce a winner first thing Monday morning ...

I look forward to hearing from you, but either way, I wish you all a very happy weekend! 

~❤~

See you here again very soon ...

Friday Funny

So yesterday I had to break up a little tussle between Earlybird and Crackerjack. At the time I wasn't interested in "details" I just made them go their separate ways ...

A little while later Earlybird comes into the kitchen and says to me, "I need to say sorry to Crackerjack." So I look at him and say, "Oh, really? What happened that you need to say sorry?"

And EB sighs and says, "Oh ... it's a long story."

❤

Have a great Friday, my friends!

Hot off the Presses!

And finally off to the post office ...

... bright and early tomorrow morning ...

My friends, my newsletter is done at long last!

And since it's nearly mid-August, there's some midsummer news and some late summer news with a whole bunch of "back-to-school" stuff tucked in there as well ... just to keep it all fresh and current. ;)

 It feels so good to get this project done! To my readers who "subscribed" to this first offering, if you sent a reply to my email with your snail mail address, then I've got a newsletter ready for you! To the rest of my readers, I plan to post the newsletter here sometime next week as a file you can open and read on your computer and/or print if you wish ...

So please stay tuned! 

It was lots of fun putting this together ... many thanks to you all for your patience AND heaps of love and gratitude to my dear Bill for spending so much time on this project with me. (And being such a good sport about my constant occasional nagging gentle reminders.) I think we make a pretty good team!

Well, friends ... I'm signing off for now because it's getting late and I think three posts from me in one day is quite enough, lol! Hope you all have a nice evening ... see you here again very soon!

❤ ☀ ❤

It's National Book Lovers Day!

Thanks to my sweet sister-in-law, Ami, I just learned today is National Book Lovers Day! And naturally, this begs the question:

What are you reading right now?

On my bedside table sits The Imperfectionists by Tom Rachman, fresh from library-loan. I haven't even started it yet, but I plan to tonight ...

:)

Thoughtful Thursday ~ on Food Choices

Here's an interesting article on food choices: "Good, Better, Best: Traditional Foods for Every Budget." (Thanks to my friend Donna for sharing the link!)

Oftentimes, the "best" food choices are the most expensive - sometimes too expensive for a typical family budget. How do we decide how and where to allocate our food dollars?

Are there certain things you buy "organic" on a regular basis?

A little food for thought this Thursday morning ... hope your day's a good one!

:)

Wordless Wednesday

❤

National Lighthouse Day!

I had no idea that yesterday was National Lighthouse Day (or that it existed at all), but in its honor I'd like to show you all a picture of Earlybird's bedroom door ...

My mum painted it before he was born. :)

And here are lighthouse curtains made by Bill's mom ...

And even a lighthouse lamp!

(In case you couldn't tell, Earlybird's bedroom is done in a lighthouse theme!)

Also, here's a link to my Portland trip last September - my friends and I visited several lighthouses that weekend, so naturally there are tons of pictues! And here's a link to the "Open Lighthouse Day" website - lots of great links to explore there! (Fyi: Maine's annual "Open Lighthouse Day" is Saturday, September 15th this year.)

Finally, how about a few "lighthouse book" recommendations?

The Little Red Lighthouse and The Great Gray Bridge

North American Lighthouses Coloring Book

Lighthouses for Kids: History, Science and Lore

Keep the Lights Burning, Abbie

The Lighthouse Cat

*★*

Have you ever visited a lighthouse before? They're such an interesting part of our maritime history!

Well, my friends ... have yourselves a wonderful Wednesday, and I'll see you again sometime soon!

On PBS this fall ...

I happened to see a snippet of an ad on PBS the other day, for a show coming this fall entitled, Call the Midwife. Is anyone familiar with this program? I found the CtM page on the PBS website and it sounds very interesting! Very different from Downton, of course, but it's another British period piece, so I'm willing to give it a try!

Call the Midwife begins airing on September 30th ...

The PBS page also mentioned that season two of Upstairs, Downstairs will follow this program's run. Which reminds me - I have yet to watch Upstairs, Downstairs! Do I start with the older show or jump right into the newer version? (Netflix has both.)

Well, I hope this Tuesday's treating you well, my friends ... see you here again very soon!

❤

Money Monday: Kids, Money & Chores

Happy Monday, my friends!

For this week's topic, I'd like to talk about kids and money and household responsibilities ... so here are my questions for you:

1. Do you give your children an allowance, and if so, must they earn it by doing chores? 

2. How do your children handle their money - deciding what to spend, save, and give?

3. Do your children have jobs outside the home?

My answers:

1. Our children receive an allowance, and while it's not tied specifically to chores, there is the understanding that being a member of this family means helping where you can and when you're asked.

2. We allow the kids to decide how much to spend, save and give (and it's their responsibility to keep track of their allowance), but recently we've asked them to make some thoughtful decisions about this system ... especially in regards to giving.

3. Bookworm does lawn work and pet sitting for relatives and neighbors. Crackerjack does weeding for my dad and earns a tidy sum for himself each week. (My dad insists on paying the boys even though I insist he not, lol.)

And here is the breakdown of our kids' chores. We don't post a checklist - for the most part, they just know what they're expected to do - although, reminders are certainly helpful!

Chores:

Bookworm (17):

keep room/bed neat

take care of his stuff (clutter)

help with end-of-day neatening

refresh cats' water

brush cats

play with cats

fill birdfeeders

empty dishwasher

put out trash & recycling

help Dad with lawn (mowing, raking, etc.)

help Dad with snow shoveling

clear dishes

bring in groceries

cook some smaller meals for himself (bagels, sandwiches, salads, reheating)

vacuum (on occasion)

assist with carpentry and household repairs

keep track of library bag

babysit (on occasion)

Crackerjack (13 next week):

keep room/bed neat

take care of his stuff (clutter)

help with end-of-day neatening

fill cats' dry food dish

brush cats

play with cats

help fill birdfeeders

empty dishwasher

some food prep (getting his own toast/cereal/fruit/sandwiches/snacks)

put out trash & recycling

help with lawn care (weeding, raking, mulch, etc.)

help with snow removal (cleaning off cars)

clear dishes

bring in groceries

vacuum (on occasion)

Earlybird (10, special needs)

make his bed/help keep his room neat

water plants

help with garden

help with birdfeeders

neaten toys and clutter

help clear dishes

help with some cooking

help with compost

help with dusting, sweeping

help wash/dry laundry

*$*

Currently, I'm trying to work on a better sense of budgeting so that my boys understand that it's important to be thoughtful with our money. I'm even considering going to a cash budget for a time so we can all see just where and how quickly the weekly monies go. It's so easy to whip out a card at the cash register but if you've gone over budget it's not as readily apparent ...

Bottom line ~ money is not something to be taken for granted, and being smart about how we spend means we can save - and give - more. And our responsibility extends beyond a simple list of chores ... it means being careful with, and grateful for, all that we have.

Well, my friends, if you have a moment, I'd love to hear your thoughts on this subject. I know it tends to be a hot topic! But as always, I thank you for stopping by and wish you a good day ...

See you here again very soon!

❤

Sunday ☼ Snippets

I hope you're all having a nice weekend ~ thought I'd pop in to say, "hi."

Do you read the funnies? My boys read them daily, and they often point out ones they find particularly amusing. Well, I added the above comic strip to my journal today ... I just thought it was so cute and seasonal to boot!

☼

And here's some magazine bounty ...

Do you ever notice that magazines tend to coordinate their covers each month? For instance, as seen above, the September crop of magazines are adorned mostly in shades of orange and green. I've noticed this trend over the years and wondered if it's just coincidence, or if there's some marketing genius at work here ... perhaps people buy more magazines if they all seem to match?

(I took a closer look at the parent publishers, and as it turns out, most of these are published by Meredith Corp. and a couple by Hearst. So maybe it's not such a coincidence after all ... but clearly, in my case, the "strategy" works.)

☼

Here's our new bumper sticker:

Purchased at our local, much-loved, farm stand.

☼

And finally ... 

I just had to snap a picture of these train tracks. I've been "building train tracks" upon request for many, many years now. Sometimes on the floor, sometimes on the couch, sometimes on the deck. I'm pretty sure I could do it in my sleep. I bet some of you can dress Barbies blindfolded while others can build Legos with one hand tied behind your back - well, my forte´ seems to be railroads ...

I'm kinda proud of that. :)

☼

So, that's all for now, but I thank you so much for stopping by ... enjoy the rest of your Sunday, my friends ... and I'll see you here again very soon!

❤

My Yearbook

{More binder talk!}

I don't have a thing for rainbows anymore, but when I was a kid? Oh boy, did I ever ... rainbow pins, barettes, ribbons, suspenders, pajamas ... you name it, I probably had it. I'm over that particular obsession these days, but I still think rainbows are very pretty, and I find I'm partial to rainbow-hued things ... yarn, especially. The funny thing is ... when I was young I had a binder just like this - used for pretty much the same thing - and the cover was a print of multi-colored yarn. How I loved that binder!

Anyhoo, I'm getting entirely away from the subject at hand so let me refocus ...

So, at the end of a school year, when I go through all those file folders, I'm left with a lot of papers that I want to keep for future reference. These are mostly seasonal ideas that I'd like to try - or try again as the case may be - so I need to "file them forward" in some way.

In the past, I've placed these papers in the file crate - if the idea is tied to a specific date (a feast day, for instance) I would place the sheet in that particular week's folder. If the idea is not tied to a specific date, but rather a season, I would place the sheet in the front section of the hanging file that holds that seasons' folders. (For example, the "Autumn" file holds folders for the weeks in September and October ... the "Holiday" file holds folders for November and December ... and so on.)

It's a good way to keep things on file, but not so great for keeping things in mind.

So now I've set up what I call my "Yearbook."  I started with a 3-inch, "view front" binder - lavender, mind you - and doctored it up with a bit of pretty paper ...

... and then I added some colorful monthly tabs.

Then it's as simple as this: when I find a seasonal idea - a print-out or a clipping - I just add it to the appropriate month. And now the binder is filled with many wonderful ideas (recipes, crafts, events, etc.) for celebrating the natural and liturgical year.

So for instance, yesterday, I came across a recipe for Apple-Cheddar-Rosemary Piejars and I thought it would be wonderful for October. So I printed the recipe out and used my handy-dandy 3-hole punch thingy to prepare the page ...

Voila:

I could (and probably should) use sheet protectors for the magazine clippings, but I'm not very fond of sheet protectors. They feel weird to me and overhang the other pages. (Yeah, I'm that picky.) But I generally find the clippings stay put well enough on their own.

The sum of it is - keeping all these ideas in a binder, rather than the folder crate, works better for me. It keeps everything at my fingertips and really appeals to my visual nature. I love flipping through the tabs and thinking about all the joy to come, because, truly, all the seasons are special to me ...

Sing a song of seasons! 
Something bright in all! 
Flowers in the summer, 
Fires in the fall! 

(Robert Louis Stevenson) 

I keep the binder on my desk, alongside the home management binder (middle) and storage binder (left).

And that's that. 

Just another piece of the whole big planning puzzle!

❤

So now I'll be off, because our Saturday's winding down and I guess something needs to be done about supper. Oh, these hot days make me so lazy! But the farmstand beckons ... as does the grill ... so goodbye for now, my friends. Thanks so much for stopping by ...

Enjoy the rest of your weekend, and I'll see you again very soon!

♫ To everything ... turn, turn, turn ... there is a season ... turn, turn, turn ... ♫  

Q & A Roundup

Happy Friday, my friends! It's time for a little Q&A catch-up!

"It would be lovely to know about all of your [home management binder] sections but most especially your blog planning, prayer section and homeschooling section :) Thanks for sharing!" ~ Posted by: CeAnne @ Sanctus Simplicitus

CeAnne, here's a look at what I keep in those sections:

    * In my "Personal/Blog/Writing" section, I keep a running list of post ideas and suggestions, as well as notes for other writing projects and personal hobbies.

    * In my "Prayer Book," I keep a running list of prayer intentions. I used to have a box for this purpose, but it was out of the way and nobody seemed to use it. These days, when something comes up - a need or request for prayer - I can write it down here.

    * Behind my "Home Education" tab, I have copies of the current education plans and any correspondence with the school. I don't keep my actual lesson planning here (at least not presently) because it's just too big.

{❤}

"I love the idea of a "storage binder" for the finished pages so the regular working binder doesn't get too big or too full. What size binder do you use for the everyday one?" ~ Posted by: MamaGames

MamaGames, my primary binder is about an inch-and-a-half wide. (I measured the width since I can't remember what size I bought!) It seems to be just wide enough, but not too unwieldly. I'm trying really hard to keep it useful, not overwhelming.

{❤}

"I like the idea of the binder because then you can switch things around... so does the binder replace the spiral book you had made? I also like your clippings pages. Let us know how you like it. Will you move these to a yearly binder for storage?" ~ Posted by: Theresa

Theresa, I am using the binder in place of the spiral-bound daybook. I just don't have the time to make up something new right now and I'm trying to keep things all in one place. That said, I do have a small spiral-bound (commercial) planner which fits in my bag. (This is the planner that leaves the house - the binder I leave at home.) Someday when I have time I will get back to making my own daybook. That's really a passion of mine!

And as for the clipping pages, so far I'm finding this method to be pretty efficient. (I'm not loving it, but it is working.) And yes, all those pages are filed into the storage binder, right behind the daily pages and outdated monthly calendars. If this section grows bigger I will give the clippings a binder of their own.

{❤}

"I do actually have a request...I am a new Catholic and I would love a post about the resources you use to teach Catholism to your sons, especially Early Bird, as my kids are little. Also, a question...how far apart are your two older boys?" Posted by: Kristie

{❤}

Kristie, that's a wonderful post idea and, as I am currently outlining our "Faith @ Home" year, I'll write something up soon. But I can easily answer your second question: my older two are four years apart, whereas there are only two years between the younger two. :)

{❤}

"Do you have any homemade homeschool planning sheets you use on a regular basis?" ~ Posted by: Denise

Denise, I have used various lesson planning materials over the years - some homemade, others commercially produced. For many years I used a lesson planner made by a company that, alas, went out of business. Then I tried something similar by a different manufacturer but ultimately I found making something up on my own fit my needs best. 

I am currently setting up a notebook to use as my "teacher's planner" this year. When it's done I will be happy to show you, but I can tell you I like to plan things weekly (rather than daily) and I designate space for general notes as well as goals for each of the boys.

Have you seen Donna Young's website? There are loads of planning sheets available there - and all are printables, free to use.

{❤}

Well, I have more questions to address, but this is all I have time for right now. (This day flew right by, did it not?) So I'll sign off for now, but please let me wish you all a happy weekend ... and thanks so much for stopping by!

I'll see you here again very soon.

:)