agenda

Sigh.

Josh left this morning, for two weeks.  It's the longest we've been apart, ever.  Sniff, sniff.  

But, in order to keep my mind busy and entertained, I've come up with quite an ambitious agenda of things to get done.  

Here's what's on my nightstand for the next two weeks:

Educating the Whole-Hearted Child

The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency series

The Count of Monte Cristo

The Mark of Lion series

The Memory Keepers Daughter

A biography of William Tyndale

*I've still never read the entire story of PW from her website, so I'm hoping to do that too.

*the book of Deuteronomy (for our read-through-the-bible plan we're doing together)

I also have these movies I've been saving up (since they're not action/adventure, they seldom get any air time in this house!):

Pride and Prejudice, the full-flown A&E version

Confessions of a Shopaholic (I know, I know...I can't help it)

Young Victoria

While You Were Sleeping

The Wedding Planner

Becoming Jane

I also have a to-do list that is forming in my mind, but it didn't require the level of advance planning that my movie/book list required.  

I'm hoping and praying that I also use this time to really invest my heart and time into my kids.  I've found that often when josh is gone - whether for the night or for several nights - my tendency is to "get through the day" so I can make it to bedtime and do something I really want to do, like take a bath, watch a movie, post on my blog, etc.  BUT I don't want to do that this time!  I want to actively minister to them and seek ways to bless their hearts while daddy is gone. Having now publicly mentioned that, I may have more accountability to do it!  

My plans with the girls include our first foray into paper mache (thanks, carrie!), some sleepovers in mommy's bed, a few new movies they don't know anything about, and a couple of fun fall outings.  They are also already very excited about planning daddy's homecoming celebration; I've told them it's great to plan ahead, but they were drawing up the plans before he'd even left the house!  

I'm going to also really endeavor to hold up the same standards for our home that josh has, even though he is gone.  Another dirty secret I have is that my standards of obedience and attitude (for the girls) often get eroded by laziness and preoccupation while he is gone, and I let little things slide that wouldn't normally slide.  But this is a way I can honor my husband while he is gone, and also set an example for my girls that their daddy is respected, whether he is home or not.  So - back to first-time, cheerful obedience!

Another little goal I have is to try to post on my blog every day while he's gone (and line up some future posts too), so hopefully the blog drought of 2009 will be over soon.  

Do any of you have suggestions to add to my list?  Books? Movies? Sitting on the couch eating bon-bons listening to Yanni?  What would you do to pass the time?