Preparation is the Key to Success

Being the type to overly prepare myself for any and all new adventures I spent the entire month of July staring at my computer screen. I logged on to the GCA website and watched every single training session they offer. I also took notes. Is it the educator in me? The nerd? Who knows - but never the less, this is what I did.

I prepped myself with mantras like, "I can do this!" and "I am capable!" and "It won't be crazy forever!"

I wrote down quips of advice from all the experts and other Learning Coaches who had been there and done that.

The greatest advice I received was from a mother of 6, from ID, who has spent the last several years homeschooling her youngest 3. Her advice was this: Make a list of priorities. She then went on to tell me (and some other people) that her list of priorities included:

1. Keeping her marriage good.
2. Making sure her children were taken care of.
3. Ensuring that meals were prepared.
4. Making sure that her home environment stay organized.
5. (I missed this one, as at the time I was listening to this advice my children were destroying their home environment.)

Since then I have been working on my list of priorities. So far it includes:

1. Wake up on time.
2. Remember that I chose this because I love my kids.
3. Remember that I am an educator. I went to school to be such and the fact that the only people I am educating are the ones I gave birth to should have no effect. It should increase my desire.
4. Make the sure the kids eat. Period.
5. Finally nail down the answer to the following question: "and I'm doing this because...?"