On my mind

Does anyone else feel like 2012 is zipping along?  Honestly, it feels like it is FLYING, to me, at times.

I am touching down from the whirls of activity which have characterized the past few days.  I am happy.  And present.  Also a bit stunned.

Dragon's Way is good.  Class last night was wonderful.  Lovely and lighter vegetarian meals are gracing my days again.  I had a strict mindset in place, but my whole system is working in concert to give itself what it needs...and a break from one part feeling like it has to take control for the benefit of the whole.  (Yes, I'm looking at you, Mind.)

Wonderful to feel ease.  And to experience the embodiment of balance rather than the wishful thinking of it.

Amidst the much going on, I am noticing a steadiness in spending (see "stunned", above).  After decades of spending on credit, it means so much to be spending what we have.  But, the time has come to hit pause.  I am going to create a budget for essentials only for May and we will have a No Spend month.  We will stick to the budget and not spend even a penny on anything else.

The Prius is swell.  Driving it is rapidly becoming intuitive.  I still have half the manual to read and haven't been able to sync the Entune system (our mobile phone carrier is not included in their online set-up which means I have to go out to the car one day with my phone and the manual and maybe even my laptop?!...too complicated to do as of yet).

Last night I couldn't find the parking brake with my foot.  It was dark and rainy (the kids and I were trying to leave Dragon's Way) and I had to step out of the car  and crouch down to visually locate the thing three times before I managed to find it with my foot to release it.  Funny stuff like that keeps happening.

I am slowly working on an art project.  Which will eventually be part of Lana's project.  I have not perused the online exhibit yet (I want to finish my part first), but am really looking forward to it!

On deck for me this week:

• working on budget

• planning and prepping meals/snacks for Gem and myself for our 24 hours in Plympton and dinner in Forest Hills this weekend

• homeschooling

• Dragon's Way

• thinking on birthday gifts for two very special people in our lives

• reading the car manual

• tending to my menstrual self

• singing up for Ane Axford's six-month course (she's got an April "deal")

• coming up with a creative and/or fitting gift for the visiting Finns (reason for quickie visit to MA)

April has been an exceedingly "busy" month.  By the end of the month we will have gone away three out of the four weekends. 

I am looking forward to staying put in May.  Settling into Dragon's Way, settling into homeschooling...making time for decluttering (still have our room, the kitchen, the bathroom, the boys' room and the basement left!) and making time for homeschool planning for the Fall.

Cap and I are looking forward to beginning what will likely be a series of conversations about college for the kids.  What we think about it, how we'd like to plan for it, etc. 

Somewhat related to this, we would like to devote some time and energy towards thinking about how and why we would like to expand Gem's homeschooling, in particular.  If we had placed him in school when we moved here, he would be entering sixth grade/middle school in September.  It seems a good time to reflect and assess...keeping pace with cognitive/intellectual developmental leaps of late and bearing in mind where he'd be on a pre-college "track", whether of our own devising or finding one that exists already that jives with our pedagogy.

Exciting and fun stuff.

At the moment, I am settling into life now.  Which means folding laundry and watching some tv.  House and episodes of House of Lies (love The Cheadle), I think.  Sipping Chinese digestion tea with honey.  (Temps have dropped here again...tonight's low will be in the 30s.)

Peace and love.