I have this wonderful incredible, organized, cleaning schedule I've created for myself months ago that I have yet to try out for the first time. My cleaning is sporadic and prodded by annoyance rather than a genuine love of tidiness. I really believe it has to do with feeling very unconnected to my apartment. We've lived here almost 13 years and you'd think I'd have formed some sort of connection. Nope. I just need a new mindset and a new determination. I joined Flylady back when she first created her website (2001) until I finally unsubscribed last year. Didn't do it for me. Housekeeping has been the biggest struggle in my life. Can you believe that? I think I was a queen in a former life.

J and I went back to the Japanese restaurant yesterday for lunch. She was soooo excited. We had edamame, tempura, miso soup, california rolls, chicken teriyaki w/vegetables, rice, and salad. J ate all of everything except the salad. It's such a great place. According to an online phone book, there are about 461 Japanese restaurants within 20 miles of my house. I'm glad we found a good one! J and I decided to get back there on the first Wednesday of every month (or thereabouts).

She likes the idea of knowing what the day is bringing, so we came up with a basic outline of a weekly schedule (again) that looks like this:

Monday: Library
Tuesday: Workbooks, Reading, Writing, Websites
Wednesday: Grocery Shopping (and restaurant)
Thursday: Workbooks, Reading, Writing, Websites
Friday: Trip/Outing

She likes having time sectioned off for "educational stuff". I see the educational stuff happening every single day, so if she doesn't get to it during the hour or so on Tuesdays and Thursdays, it's ok (I just gotta tell her that). I'll never get the list-making out of my system, I'm convinced. And J likes having something like this stuck to the fridge so she can look forward to what's next. She has been feeling a bit scattered and aimless again since her siblings went back to school. I mean, she's doing lots every day, but has a hard time noticing. I think she has a need to know what she's getting done. It's hard to escape that feeling of insecurity with 2 sibling and most of her friends always talking about what they're doing or have done in school. I totally understand.

Yesterday in the car J asked me what exactly is Costco. This ultimately led to a great discussion on manufacturing, distributing, marketing, demographics, advertisements, pricing, retail, wholesale, and how it all ties together. The great thing about it, is that it's not a "lesson", it's a casual, comfortable conversation. And J retains any new info from these conversations, since it all started with her question. She is currently figuring out a marketing plan (including demographics) for her clothing line, lol, These conversations happens at least 2-3 times a day on various topics. That's unschooling for you. :)