My School Year Homeschool Record Keeping: An Online Planner Review

Planning is the worst and also my favorite!  New planners, color coded dividers, and a handy new app can always get me excited.  However, actually using the new method or supplies long term is another thing altogether and something I'm sad to say that I struggle with regularly. Today we're reviewing the Annual Membership Plan from My School Year Homeschool Record Keeping.  We talked about this online planner back in 2016 and this time around they have added some elements so we are happy to revisit it!

What We Received:

We were given a the  Annual Membership Plan to My School Year Homeschool Record Keeping which includes online access across all platforms to their program for unlimited students.

How It Works:

From first login, the program prompts you set up your school, school year/semesters, students, subjects, classes and lessons.  This program can do an enormous amount of record keeping and reporting for you depending on how you set it up and how you use it.  There is a lot of work to get everything set up properly which can be overwhelming at first.  Thankfully, they have a searchable blog full of tips, video tutorials, FAQs, downloadable guides and email/phone support for help.  The most useful and pertinent thing it can do is track courses and create a transcript, an important element on all homeschooling parents of high school students.

It also can be a great assignment tracker where students can login and check their own schedule for the day/week.  This can be especially helpful for older students working independently.  In the lesson section, it will even divide up pages and activities and assign them strategically over a section of time.  

Whether you are just keeping track of attendance,students' reading or a full grading system, this program can give you a picture of where everyone is at with a click of a button.

It also is a complete online calendar that color codes all student activities, including mom's chores and to-do lists.

In addition to all of the added tutorials and help, one of the biggest changes to the program since the last time we looked at it is the Teacher's Aid.  Under this heading, you receive notifications for things that need to be done like enrolling a student, adding lessons to a class or questions about attendance or awards.  It points out areas you may have missed or simply where you left off last.

What We Thought:

My oldest is 8 and we have yet to allow any of our kids a personal device so the immediate value of this program for our family is strictly record keeping and organization for mom.  Since I struggle with follow-through in record keeping,  MySchoolYear.com has become like a training program for me to keep track in preparation for older grades when it becomes absolutely necessary.

While this program can do a ton, it requires a ton of set up that seems daunting in the face of just a pen and paper.  However, the product of a complete record and organized assignments your independent kids can access themselves is an important thing too.  When you are willing to put in the time at the beginning watching the tutorials, reading the blog and getting everything set up, this program is a gem!  It's accessible everywhere so no matter what device you have access to, you can check someone's assignments or set up a new lesson.  

Follow My School Year on Social Media:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/MySchoolYearWeb
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/MySchoolYear

Would you be interested in hearing from families with older children?  Check out other Crew Members' reviews to find out what their experience was.

Reasons You Need Year-Round Schooling

This week I'm participating in a Not Back To School Series and talking about Year-Round Schooling. Since so many of our lifestyle choices go against the grain already, I'm sure it's not a surprise that we would go with a year-round schooling approach.  But, have you ever thought about why you might choose it?  Let me give you a few reasons you should consider it.

- Health is more important than someone else's schedule.  Especially in the elementary years, there is such a conflict between what their little body needs (more rest, lots of outdoor play, etc.)  and what is socially and schedule-wise accepted.  Year-round schooling allows for sick days and growth spurts with ease.

- Weather waits for no man.  Days great for playing outside or taking that field trip do not respect my schedule.  From frigid cold winters to blazing hot back to school days, there's plenty of days better spent indoors.  When a great weather day comes along, you don't want to be so tied to a schedule that you can't enjoy it.  Year-round schooling allows for a more enhanced nature and science education because you are allowed to do more outside!

- Your local public school teacher recommends it! What does every teacher worth their salt recommend for summer vacation? Keep up your reading.  Do 5 minute math drills every morning.  Educators know that we all do well when we continue working on our skills and maintain learning engagement.  It's a fact.that completely stopping the learning process for large gaps at a time creates a large amount of work to get caught up at the beginning of the school year.  Year-round schooling creates an ideal learning routine and enhances students' retention.

- Life rarely goes as planned.  A realistic part of efficient planning is the ability to be flexible when it doesn't go the way you intend.  There is a lot of unnecessary stress and pressure to get back on schedule when we experience curve balls in our life.  There will be extended illness, deaths, financial, marriage and housing issues.  Life is just like that.  Year-round schooling assumes there will be complications and allows ample time to maneuver around them without as much stress.

CREW @ Homeschool Review Crew - 2019 Annual Not Back to School Homeschool Blog Hop 
Chareen @ Every Bed of Roses - ABC of Homeschooling
Dawn @ Schoolin' Swag - Adding Fun to Your Homeschool Day
Erin @ For Him and My Family - Large Family Homeschooling
Lori @ At Home Where Life Happens - Learning Life Skills
Monique @ Mountain of Grace Homeschooling - Homeschooling the High School Years
Monique D. @ Early Learning Mom - Homeschooling With Autism
Yvie @ Homeschool On the Range - 5 Days of Upper Grades Homeschooling
Abby @ Making Room 4 One More - Time Management for Homeschool Moms
Amanda @ Hopkins Homeschool - 5 Days of Homeschool Questions
Amy @ the WRITE Balance - Year-Round Schooling
Annette @ A Net in Time - Homeschooling.
Betty @ Lets Get Real - Homeschooling High School
Cassandra @ My Blessed Mess - Eclectic Homeschooling Kimberley @ Vintage Blue Suitcase - Roadschooling with a Teenager
Yvonne @ The Life We Build - 5 Days of Relaxed Homeschooling
Destiny @ Some Call It Destiny - Encouragement for the Homeschooling Mom
Karen @ Tots and Me...Growing Up Together -  A Peek into Our Homeschool
Kimberley @ Vintage Blue Suitcase - Roadschooling with a Teenager
Yvonne @ The Life We Build - 5 Days of Relaxed Homeschooling
Destiny @ Some Call It Destiny - Encouragement for the Homeschooling Mom
Karen @ Tots and Me...Growing Up Together -  A Peek into Our Homeschool
Cassie D @ Deputie Tribe - Homeschooling 6 Taking Care of YOU
Kristen Heider @ A Mom's Quest to Teach -Theme: A Quest for a Great Homeschool Year
Patti Pierce - Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy - My Favorite Homeschooling Things
Wendy @ Life on Chickadee Lane - 5 Days of Nature Study
Jacquelin @ A Stable Beginning - Homeschooling my final 4 
Christine @ Life's Special Necessities - Yes! You Can Homeschool Your Special Needs Child
Sally M - Tell the Next Generation - Tips for Homeschooling Struggling Learners 

Hey Mama! Print Schoolhouse Planner 2016-2017 Review

For many of you, school has just let out and Summer Break has begun.  That means Hey Mama! Print Schoolhouse Planner 2016-2017 from The Old Schoolhouse is just in time for a new academic year!  Although a school year looks different for every homeschooling family, we all need some kind of planning method to fight the madness.  Even before I was in charge of anyone else's education, I always struggled to find a planner that met my needs and made me smile.  When I was given the chance to review a planner specifically designed for the homeschooling mama, I knew it was worth a try!

What I noticed first about the planner was its size.  It is a spiral bound notebook less than a 1/2 inch thick - thin enough to fit in most bags or medium to large sized purses, but big enough to write out ideas with comfort.  Especially for multi-student planning, those pocket-size planners just don't do the trick.  As you can see in the picture, Hey Mama! is just enough in all manners of size.    

This planner runs from July 2016 to June 2017 and perfect for those looking ahead to another school year starting in the fall.  Since we school year round, the dates of a planner aren't all that important as long as you have unmarked weekly planning pages and have the option to photocopy extras when needed:

There are 12 monthly calendars that begin with a "Hey Mama," devotional and monthly notes.  After that begin the 36 weekly planning pages with more "Hey Mama," devotionals throughout. The last section of the planner includes a host of planning resources and options including monthly, semester and yearly goals, attendance charts, reading logs, curriculum planning pages and reference pages for writing, historical dates, presidents, capitals, and a resource on creating academic transcripts.  It's a great collection of things that are useful for a variety of ages and purposes.

Honestly, there are a zillion different planners or apps to keep up with your stuff.  I've attempted to use many along the way and now that this homeschooling thing is really moving along, I'm learning (out of necessity) what is really useful and important to me and what is not.  Writing things out - from plans to just ideas - is ten times more effective than typing them into a device.  It may not be hip to say so, but there is something about pen to paper that helps my brain process better.  Keeping our goals, collectively and individually, in mind improves my attitude and thus the school days.  This Hey Mama! planner encourages me to be a better, more well thought out planner myself.  I need more things like that in my life.  If you decide to order one of these planners before July 15th, you can get $10 off a with the code: CREWCODE

Keep up with all the great things The Old Schoolhouse is doing through social media:

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Twitter:  https://twitter.com/TOSMag  @TOSMag

Google+: https://plus.google.com/+Theoldschoolhouse1

Check out what other members of the Crew had to say about this planner:

Healthy December: What's On Your List?

Healthy living can become a nagging annoyance in our minds if we don't continue to educate ourselves about our changing world.  MANY corporations and entities are motivated by money and ignore health ramifications for as long as possible.  It's not a conspiracy theory, it's a historical fact that is still alive and active today. So, what? So, the status quo of living life in the most convenient way possible all the time is not good for us.  Just because a company sells something doesn't mean it can be trusted.  Like people, some companies lie or don't care what is best for you.  Never assume and always do your research.

That is why making some healthy goals for each month is important in our house.  I can't assume that what everyone else is doing is going to magically help me reach my goals.  And neither can you.  Unless everyone around you is mastering the goals you have for yourself, it is unlikely that you'll absorb them by osmosis.  And even then.  ;)

This month is December packed with holiday goings on and end of the year activities, but also I'm moving in two weeks!  Of course everything is crazy so why not just give up?  Remember, shoot for the moon and land in the stars?  I want to reinforce healthy habits no matter what the circumstances and know I'll be that much better off than if I had quit.  Here's my short list:

-Write Every Day.  This is inspired by the book below.  I need to be in a better habit of writing.  It doesn't matter if it is a novel or a single comment.  Just writing as a way to further process my life.  Does your husband or friends not want to listen for as long as you need to talk?  Then you need to write my friend.  It's not about having lame friends or support necessarily, but about your physical and emotional need to process.  Being healthy is more than just eating vegetables!

-Read a Proverb a Day.  There are 31 chapters for 31 days.  It's easy and simple AND it clarifies the walk of a Christian beautifully.  It reminds constantly to ask what is the WISE thing to do, not just the right or wrong.  I'm reading it to my children too!

-Make my Healthiest Lifestyle Mandatory.  Exercise.  Lots of Water.  Plenty of Space (days) between Less than Healthy Choices.  I know what will feed my brain and emotions.  I know what will feel good in a moment, but fill me with regret and discomfort for hours to come.  Just because there are more options available doesn't mean my body will act any different.

How are you going to make this a Healthy December?

You Need a Plan, Stan

I'm still in shock.  When you spend years talking and planning for something, the actual realization of it all sometimes sneaks up on you.  We are moving next month!  We didn't intend to until next year some time, but THE house that fit ALL the criteria for a reasonable price fell into our laps.  It was a fast, scary decision, but it was a good one.  We're really excited - except for J.  He wanted our next house to have an upstairs and the new one does not.  Sad story, but he'll get over it!  Anyway, we're really excited, except for the impromptu packing and planning right before the holidays.  We close in 3 weeks or so!  It is all so surreal that I sometimes take unnecessarily long pauses before I decide to do something because "wait, I'm moving in a month, should I bother with this?"  Still, getting to start anew with a better space for our family's needs and more outdoor space is pure joy!

The interesting thing that struck me was how valuable having a plan  or a goal has been and continues to be.  Some people scoff at the idea of a plan because 'things NEVER go as planned' and 'you CAN'T predict the future', right?  That really assumes that in having a plan I expect the plan to be exactly carried out.  There's a fun saying that goes something like "Shoot for the moon.  Even if you miss you'll land in the stars."  Sounds sweet, but that is the kind of planning I do.  Plan to lose 15 pounds.  Even if you only lose 10, you still lost 10 pounds!  We had a list of must haves for the new house and did not intend on making an offer on a new one until we were ready to put our current home on the market.  Since we had such specific guidelines, when the right house came along we knew it and jumped on it!  Technically things didn't go according to plan because our house isn't ready and even if it were, it's November.  But, see the stars we landed in? We found the perfect house with all of our important criteria and hit a major milestone in our little family.

When Jude was first born, I knew I wanted to try homeschooling.  Even when he was 6 months old I started planning for his next stage of development like a teacher.  Did I do everything perfectly and become super organized with every craft and developmental activity instinctively designed for his current needs? Nope.  But it was the beginning of my own shaping as a mother and teacher.  The idealistic plans that sometimes never even came close to reality got us in the ballpark and made me aware of what needed to come next.  Plans point us in a good direction and often give us a big push off the couch.  If you're off  the couch and moving, then you're lapping everyone on the couch, right?  Maybe you really desire a stress-free holiday or a holiday season where you save money rather than overspend.  Plan for those things.  Want a deeper relationship with your spouse or a de-cluttered house by next year.  Think ahead and schedule things toward that end.  Even if/when you don't stick to the plan perfectly or life happens, you'll still be better off.  When we plan, we think through the problems and possible solutions - something I often don't bother with until it's too late.

Since we're moving in the middle of the busiest month of the year, I'm still struggling to get a handle on a good plan for how to manage it all.  But see - at least I'm thinking about it all beforehand and not having a panic attack the week before because I hadn't considered any of it before.  There will still be panic attacks, I'm sure, but they won't be a surprise!  In most every case, something is better than nothing and starting with any kind of plan (even if it doesn't come close to reality) is far better than not having thought any of it through.

Life, Interrupted

New moms and old moms alike, please remember this.  Who you are, how you behave, where you spend your time matters to your children.  They may not say it or admit it, but they see it and absorb it.  No matter how small or how far away, the life you are living is changing theirs.

Tonight I was trying to catch up on some housework and just as I was almost finished vacuuming, Jude starts hovering and whining.  It was inconvenient and annoying that he was fine 2 minutes ago.  Long story short, he was having a painful diaper issue that turned into a bath that resulted in a walk to see the horses before I could finish my work.  Bothersome? Yes.  Fulfilling when it was all said and done? Yes.  And this is why:  I had a perfect opportunity to care for and nurture my son, to model empathy and compassion, and to strengthen that bond we have that says with God's help I can show you the way to go.  I may not have done the best job at that, but by the end it was so clear to me that allowing myself to be interrupted filled his needs, but also grew my patience and my living on purpose muscles just a little more.

Whether you're a parent or not, we rush around shoving people and opportunities aside too much.  Now, don't get me wrong, I'm all about schedules and planning and sticking to a deadline.  My little planner is saving my life as we speak! But the awesome thing I'm finding out about planning in my life is that when I plan and stick to that plan (as much as it depends on me), then I find I have so much more time! I have time to be interrupted or for the evening events to be reordered.  There's never going to be enough time in the day for everything.  Just accept that universal truth and move on.  Instead, make sure you're allowing time for the things you love the most.

The First Day of a New Season

I have a sweet cousin who is starting college today who moved away from home for the first time over the weekend.  Her family is very excited for her, but emotional to see her go.  As all parents are, I suppose.  Facebook has been a buzz with everyone's new stages.  Starting Kindergarten all the way to a last year in college, parents are shedding tears over time gone by so quickly.  And I'm not sure what is so special about this year that I'm suddenly starting to pay attention.  Kids graduate and move away every year, but for some reason this year I'm very aware of the emotion that is involved with seeing your child take another step into real adulthood.  

My baby isn't even 2, but I'm already thinking about what I want to be like verses what I'll likely be like when he moves away to college.  Talk about a complete lack of control! :) And mourning? Yeah, I bet there will be mourning.  I think I'm mourning right now in preparation!  But once all of that is flushed out, more or less, I want to be able to say some things about my time with him.  I want to know that the past 18 years were spent preparing him and supporting him to be a great young man, capable and willing to bring good things to those around him, with integrity, respect and virtue.  Because if that's not my goal, then what am I doing?  As much as it feels like it on a bad day, I am not having and raising children to give me hugs and to be my best friend.  With God's grace and blessings, I'm attempting to raise men and women who will soon become husbands and wives, parents, employees, owners, leaders, coaches, the list goes on.  

I am such an intensely emotional person that it is easy for me to get caught up in all the feelings.  Parenting seems to be no different.  Writing this out has helped me frame another goal for my role as a mother.  Whatever opportunities or time you have with someone, in a certain place, what kind of things do you want to be able to say about it when it's over? Try writing down what you'd like that time period to look like.  Even though we likely won't reach it exactly, it gives us better direction.

So, be it Kindergarten, football season, or retirement, how can you really live in it and make the most of your time in this season?

Shootin' for the Moon

I've been accused of being too serious, not flexible enough and planning way more than doing.  

And it's true.  I forget to laugh at myself.  I hate plans that change.  

And the act of planning makes me giddy while the act of doing is exhausting.

But, today I'd like to share my defense.  There is a good reason why seriousness, commitment and planning are a regular part of my life and I pray always will be.  Have you ever heard the inspiration quote, "Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss you'll land in the stars"? It's cheesy, but this is the reason.  

I hate being rushed.  I wish life didn't require a strong work ethic.  I always, always run out of time.  I procrastinate.  I indulge in facebook, tv and eating too often.  I can talk myself out of doing all kinds of work.  I break things.  I lose things.  I disorganize things.  I forget things.  When left to my own devises, I can mess up anything.  And before you kind-hearted souls even start, I'm not looking for a "Oh no you don't dear" or a "You do so many good things, dear" because that's not helpful or the point.  Even serial killers have been known to be polite.

Planning, structuring and analyzing to perfection is beneficial in my life because it gets me somewhere.  It will never get me to an ideal or probably not even halfway, but it gets me further.  It helps me grow.  If you never approach your life seriously, if you never stick with what you plan and never make a plan to begin with, then you will sink farther into the quicksand of regression.  No growth, no improvement, and probably things will get worse.

As I am daily convicted of, balance is the key.  You can't plan everything.  You have to laugh and run in the sprinkler sometimes.  And, yes, somedays the plan has to go out the window and its your job to embrace spontaneity.  

But if you shoot for the moon, you just might land in the stars! 

I can't even type that without gagging, but you catch my drift. :) 

Inching Toward Improvement

Since the first of the year, I've been setting goals/priorities for each month.  A few days before the month begins I write down 3 or 4 categories I want to work on and come up with a few mini goals for each.  As usual, I have much higher standards than what I actually follow through on.  That being said, I'm actually really pleased with the results.

For February I had 4 categories (Showing Love, Sign Language, Schedule and Bible Study) totaling 12 mini goals.  Out of the 12 I successfully reached 5 of them.  Less than half.  Sounds pretty pathetic when you look at it that way, but life really is all about perspective.  If I hadn't set those priorities, I assure you I wouldn't have even made it half as far as I did.  Plus, a few of the others I did about half way - not enough to say success - but improvement is improvement!

I will attribute some of my success to keeping a planner and actually using it.  That helps so much.  But a lot of it just has to do with writing the things I want to do down and then glancing at it once or twice a week.  There's just something about looking at handwritten goals that makes you punch laziness or procrastination in the face.  No really, you should try it.  It's quite refreshing to look at something you wanted to do and say "Yep! Did that!"  And even more refreshing to reap the benefits of those goals (like going to bed by 10 = way more energy).  So, today sit down for 5 minutes and write up some doable goals or priorities for March.  Even if you only complete one, that's better than last month when you didn't at all, right? :)

Making Up Your Mind Long Before

There are several decisions I've made about my life and Jude's that aren't mainstream and lots of people have said they could never do.  Sometimes I get the impression that they think certain things are easy for me and wouldn't be for them.  Generally, hard is hard.

With Jude, in pregnancy and delivery, I went as natural as possible.  I took herbs and vitamins for all my needs and was blessed to be able to have him at home without any drugs.  Of course I think it's a great way to go if you can, but I'm not here to preach about how to have your babies.  My point is how big of an impact making up your mind beforehand makes on decisions, especially hard ones.

After about 2 hours of real labor with Jude (if not before) I was ready to get it over with.  If I had been in a hospital and had access to drugs, I expect you could have talked me into drugs pretty easily.  It hurt bad and all I could think of was making it stop.  If I hadn't made the decision long before we reached that stage, I'm not sure what the outcome would have been.

Think of any hard decision - and especially hard in the follow through.  Dieting, sexual purity, parenting, anything to do with patience or self-control! This is the kind of stuff we as a society battle over, don't we? In the heat of the moment - the dating scene, a child's tantrum, food temptation - making the right choice is soooo hard.  If the choice, however, has already been made days/weeks before, then it's not much of a problem.  If I don't buy or keep sugary foods in my house, then I don't even have to ask the question, "Will I eat this today?"  It's easier on me as a parent if Randy and I have decided before hand what sort of behavior is acceptable and what is not with Jude (what's off limits, what's the goal lesson, etc.).  If a couple agrees on certain boundaries BEFORE they become an issue, it makes purity a lot easier.

I'm very blessed with the opportunity to stay home with Jude and have a large say in how his life goes.  I realize that that isn't always the case.  I had a very low-risk healthy pregnancy and not everyone has that.  My husband was out of school and working full-time before we even got married.  Not everyone has that.  Life is never under our complete control, try as we might.  I am reminded daily how much I owe to God's grace and mercy on me.  But, working my tail off to prepare for what kind of outcome I want pays off too.  I never get everything just the way I want it, but I get so much closer than if I didn't try at all.

2012 is a great opportunity to try this idea out.  Think of one outcome you'd really like to see come to pass next year.  What things can you do/decide right now (beforehand) to ensure that result?  A few things I'm thinking about is losing 30 pounds by spring-ish time, growing closer with the women of my congregation, and preparing to be a homeschooling mom.  What are you thinking about?

Works for Me Wednesday: Planning

I have this habit of doing things a lot differently than most people I know.  As we all know, not everything works for everyone.  So, this weekly post is about what works for me.  Take it or leave it. :)


Grocery Shopping:  I shop for groceries and most household items twice a month - 1st and 15th.  I have written out a calendar through December with dinner for at least all week nights.  I also try to account for parties, pot lucks, etc.  A day or two before, I write out a large list after consulting the calendar and thinking about the following two weeks.  Then on the day of I make a long trek to Sam's (only the first of the month), Natural Grocer's, Wal-Mart and Braums.

The reason I even started this was because of Mr. Butler wanting a budget and everything planned.  I hated it at first, but after the 2nd or 3rd time, it was pretty easy. And we didn't have to run to the store every other day.  We buy the same stuff anyway.  The down side only came after J was born.  But then again, everything is harder with a little one. :)

Laundry - Before J was born I only did laundry once a week.  Thankfully, Mr. Butler and I have enough clothes and what not to last at least that long so there was no down side.  With J's addition of clothes and complicating schedule, I don't always get it done in one day. But it sure does simplify things when I do.

This is another one I developed at the request of Mr. Butler. Are you detecting a pattern?  The Butlers don't love laundry (even the little one!)...

but I love not having to think about it most of the week! And that works for me!  Do you have any planning tips that work for you?  I'd love to hear them!

Gaining Momentum Without Burning Out

Day after day, we have recorded temperatures in the 100's with no end in sight.  Saying it was hot, well that's an understatement.  Climbing into a boiling car (which imitates the feeling of opening an oven in front of your face), it can be difficult to think of the fall season without rose colored glasses and a heart full of wishes.  How often do you think of times ahead and just day dream?  I do that a lot and with that daydreaming comes these crystalized expectations of how 'perfect' things could be!  But daydreaming does very little unless it is joined with action.

On the other hand, have you ever tried to plan ahead and you seem to get distracted or too involved so you end up spending more time on planning than actually accomplishing anything?  I do that too.  Sometimes we make excuses about our time, saying we don't have time to plan ahead.  The kicker with that one is that usually as time flies by, we moan and complain about how things aren't the way we wish they were. 

This week, I'm taking the week off of piano lessons to prepare for the fall season.  Piano lessons are hit and miss during the summer, as people vacation and what not.  But once school starts, everyone benefits with sticking (as much as possible) to a regular schedule.  I have a few organization things, some projects and some planning that I would like finished before we're locked in for a few months.  As I've been thinking about all of this, I again came to the conclusion of moderation and 'slow and steady wins the race' ideas.  Here are a few pointers I'm going to try to implement in the Butler house.

-Put down on paper where you want to be/what you want to accomplish by the end of 2011, if for no other reason than to just put some thought into it.

-Commit to doing a minimum of 1 thing a week to achieve one or more of those goals.  Something is always better than nothing.  Trying to do everything will result in doing nothing. If nothing else, plan time to plan once a week.

-If you hear yourself committing to mountains of work and insurmountable projects OR if you hear yourself excusing everything and getting ready to quit because everything is too hard, take a step back and realize you're not being reasonable.  Nobody is perfect and nobody is worthless.  We just have to have a little bit of vision and motivation to do a little bit at a time.

I don't know about you, but my world is getting so full - full of joy for births, marriages, enriched relationships; full of heartbreak - sickness, financial struggles, death, heavy burdens; and full of distractions good and bad - gossip, beautiful music, job opportunities, etc.  There is so much to be thankful for and there is so much to prayed for.  Above all, there is no reason to give up and drown yourself in isolation.  Let's grab this life by the horns and have a great day!