Another brief and bare-bones update. I am writing words, but not words to put here….

A thought….I am considering joining the August NaNoWriMo. I have two novels I am wanting to get going, and doing one in August and the other in November would give me drafts of both to work on.

I’m not sure I will, yet, nor how doing so will affect the goals listed here.

I’ll weigh the factors, and decide before the end of the month…

ROW80 ROWnd 3, 2012

WIPs:

Trueborn Series:

• Trueborn:

• Reread current rough draft from 1998-9ish and 2000.

• I have read and jotted notes through Chapter Thirty–One (page 133 of 240) in the ’90′s draft.

• I am now more than halfway done with this read-through, and many ideas have occurred, waiting to be expanded upon.

• Blood and Breath:

• Complete story arc.

• I have added Chapters Twenty-Four through Thirty- Five, and the Epilogue.

• I had thought the arc would comprise 25 chapters, with a prologue and epilogue. It is ten chapters longer, at this point, and I am happy with the development of those chapters.

• The entire story arc is 18 pages long.

• I have accomplished this goal!

• Chameleon’s Dish:

• Complete basic research based upon library books and websites; looking for information to enhance later digging and prevent hugely obvious gaffes).

• Hamlet – page 303 of 342.

• The Colonial Cookbook - page 97 of 128. I made two shoo-fly pies from this book for our potluck dinner during Unschoolers Rock the Campground.

• Shakespeare’s England – page 41 of 252.

Homeschool Administration Ad Infinitum….

• Standardized Test for Miah (due Sept.1).

• Jeremiah and I have agreed that we will get his pencils and sharpener early next week, and then I will order the test.

• IHIPs for both children (due four weeks after receipt of packet from school district).

• I have adapted both children’s Writing/Spelling sections.

• I have adapted both children’s English Language Usage sections.

• I have reviewed their ELA Resources.

• I have adapted both children’s Arithmetic sections.

• I have reviewed both children’s Arithmetic Resources.

• I have adapted both children’s Sciences sections.

• I have reviewed Annalise’s Sciences Resources.

• Relax, enjoy, learn, grow, laugh, and … BREATHE!

• Done and done – a relaxing, happy time for us all, although we are all tired.

• Annalise, in particular, is exploring – modifying a broken television, creating watercolor art, copying Japanese and English titles, reading, playing Zoo Tycoon, creating computer animations with Scratch, and stop-action movies with her 3DS, and doing pages in a Mountain Wildlife activity book.

Reading

• Continue reading books for Bookmark Break Challenge – aim for 7 in July, 8 in August, and 9 in September, but these targets will be flexible – summer is prime traveling time for the kids and I and we have things planned and others we’re considering.

• Hamlet – page 303 of 342.

• Guerrilla Learning – page 131 of 206.

• Container Gardening – page 88 of 256.

• Shakespeare’s England – page 41 of 252.

• Continue reading an average of three articles from my To Be Read files, weekly.

• The F Word – How Failure Can Lead to Success.

• Simple Reminders to Focus on What Matters in Life

• I have read 2 of 3 articles for this week; I need to read 1more to catch up to my average.

• Continue reading five blogposts each week, on average.

• ROW80 – Getting Down and Dirty

• Sunday Summary and #ROW80 Check-in

• #ROW80- R3C1- Twice Lucky

• For My Present…

• Aiming for a Balance…

• The Trouble With Kids Today

• I have read 6 blogposts thus far this week.

Other Writing:

• Write 1 book review each week.

• I have begun the rough draft of my review of To Kill a Mockingbird.

• Write at 750 Words every day, with possible hiatuses for Unschoolers Rock the Campground (July 12-16); Learn Nothing Day (July 24); Northeast Unschooling Conference (August 23-?); and kids’ birthdays (July 8, September 2).On my birthday (July 29), I WRITE!!!

• I have completed my 750 words for Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday.

• Use 750 Words for whatever – flash pieces, essays, venting, ranting, reports, book reviews, etc.

• I am currently playing with a fanfic prologue scene for Chameleon’s Dish.

• I have begun a book review.

Organizing/Tootling my Horn….

• Continue inputting June 2000 Writing Practice Notebook, if not completed before ROWnd begins.

• I am on page 94 of 120 -only 26 pages to go!

• Set aside time each week to winnow email. Read items being saved for later reading, sort or dispose as indicated.

• Inbox is now empty.

• I have started to roughly sort messages into myfiles for later reading.

• I have deleted more sites and a few businesses from my list, and will do weekly rounds of maintenance, to catch offending sites in the bud.

• It feels good to know that, this time, my Inbox is likely to stay under my control, and I will be able to see and attend to the messages I really want to see – which now, too often, tend to get lost in the flood….

• I have begun reading and processing the messages in my Leisure Time Reading file (the largest of the folders by a fair margin) – currently at 104 messages.

Celebrating Life!

• Add some form of specific motion (t’ai chi, swimming, hiking, biking, skating, dancing, etc) to each week. Keep track of what, where, when, for how long, and how I felt during and after.

• A mellow few days, post-camping. It has been very hot and humid until tonight, when the weather broke.

• I have done some minor hometending, and, so long as I take it easy, it seems to be energizing.

• Fill us all up with joy, and continue cultivating family peace.

• Yup, in a subdued and pondering  manner.

• Spend time cleaning and beautifying my personal internal and external spaces each week.

• I did a tiny bit of tidying in my room, and some pondering.

• Embrace and be present in all my moments.

• I’ve done well on this one. I’ve been very present.

• Allow my emotions to be as they are. Practice expressing them calmly and reflectively.

• I’ve done this well, too – it helps that life has been pretty calm since our return home.

We are still recuperating from our camping trip, and we’re in the midst of Elijah’s Days. Maybe that’s why I have less to say than normal, and why I seem to be waiting in a space of calm and quiet expectancy…

At any rate, I am reading, and writing, and being present, and connecting with my family, and pondering, and being with myself – and, for now, that’s emough.

I’m sure I’ll find my words again, and my desire for wider connections, but, for now, just know that I am well, and settled, and as at peace as this time will allow.

And I am remembering and honoring a sweet baby boy who came and left again swiftly, and who will forever be a part of all that I am….