so i'm a Betty...now what?

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Daisy
Posts: 372
Joined: Sat Feb 21, 2009 7:47 pm
Location: SoCal

Re: so i'm a Betty...now what?

Post by Daisy » Sat Jul 25, 2009 11:51 am

Hey, we are just alike!! I wish I loved doing dishes, too! I hate it. See we'd be great pals.
Wife of 18 years to Jon.
DragonFly (12yo)
Buttercup (14yo)

mommyofgirls
Posts: 123
Joined: Mon May 04, 2009 6:29 pm

Re: so i'm a Betty...now what?

Post by mommyofgirls » Sat Jul 25, 2009 12:01 pm

LOL

okay, let me rephrase - i am able to dance in the grass and forget the dishes for a few minutes, but guess what's there when i'm done dancing? yep. the dishes. and up goes my stress level. how much easier my life would be if i did them right when i noticed them! although, i will say, i have gotten MUCH better at being a little more like an Olive. i have to or my husband would kill me and our house would fall apart. :lol:
Wife to my wonderful husband for 8 years
dd5 - LHFHG, Abeka phonics, Horizons math
dd3 - LHTH
dd1 - bringing me Brown Bear, Brown Bear What Do You See? and sitting in my lap :)

mommyofgirls
Posts: 123
Joined: Mon May 04, 2009 6:29 pm

Re: so i'm a Betty...now what?

Post by mommyofgirls » Sat Jul 25, 2009 12:10 pm

Daisy wrote:Hey, we are just alike!! I wish I loved doing dishes, too! I hate it. See we'd be great pals.
we are more alike than we knew! although, i would be a bad influence, "do dishes later! let's go to the park!!" :lol:
Wife to my wonderful husband for 8 years
dd5 - LHFHG, Abeka phonics, Horizons math
dd3 - LHTH
dd1 - bringing me Brown Bear, Brown Bear What Do You See? and sitting in my lap :)

kayrenee

Re: so i'm a Betty...now what?

Post by kayrenee » Sat Jul 25, 2009 12:19 pm

Now see, I'm just the opposite. While I don't *love* doing the dishes, I'd rather do dishes than go out and dance in the grass. :oops: I totally relate to Daisy on that one. My Bet dh is the fun one around here. Right now he's doing a hands-on, spontaneous, no teacher's manual math lesson with my dd. I NEVER do that. IF I do hands-on stuff (or force myself to dance in the grass), it has to be planned in advance. Whenever I DO dance spontaneously, the girls look at me like I have 3 heads. :shock:

mommyofgirls
Posts: 123
Joined: Mon May 04, 2009 6:29 pm

Re: so i'm a Betty...now what?

Post by mommyofgirls » Sat Jul 25, 2009 12:27 pm

kayrenee wrote: IF I do hands-on stuff (or force myself to dance in the grass), it has to be planned in advance. Whenever I DO dance spontaneously, the girls look at me like I have 3 heads. :shock:
ROFL planned, spontaneous dancing...i love it! 8)
Wife to my wonderful husband for 8 years
dd5 - LHFHG, Abeka phonics, Horizons math
dd3 - LHTH
dd1 - bringing me Brown Bear, Brown Bear What Do You See? and sitting in my lap :)

8arrows
Posts: 965
Joined: Tue Aug 26, 2008 4:49 pm

Re: so i'm a Betty...now what?

Post by 8arrows » Sat Jul 25, 2009 1:04 pm

Having 8 kids and a Bet husband can help curb Olive tendencies. Assimilation can be futile! Maybe Olive friends could help! Seriously, the HOD guides are great for all personality types!
Melissa, wife to Jim for 28 years
3 graduated, 2 using US 2, 8th grade dd using Missions to Marvels
Isaiah 40:11 ...He gently leads those that have young.

3sweeties
Posts: 430
Joined: Sat Apr 11, 2009 9:00 am
Location: GA

Re: so i'm a Betty...now what?

Post by 3sweeties » Sat Jul 25, 2009 6:44 pm

kayrenee wrote:So an Olive is organized and Betty is not? What's the in-between person? You know, the kind who WANTS to be organized but isn't, knows HOW to do it, frequently makes sincere efforts at it and becomes totally immersed, but then at some point decides that her family needs clean underwear and something more nutritional than frozen pizza, so lets the organization go for another month or two? You know the kind of person who lives in two worlds?

This totally describes me, kayrenee! I am mostly an Olive, but have Betty tendencies...at least I think so. You are not alone!!! :wink:
Jessica~married to my sweetie for 21 years!
[DS17]~U.S. HISTORY 2~2019-20
[DS14]-World Geography~2019-20
[DD12]~ RTR, DITHOR 6-8~2019-20
[DS9]~Bigger~2019-20
Enjoyed LHFHG, Beyond, Bigger, Preparing, CTC, RTR, RevtoRev, MTMM, WORLD GEOG, WORLD HIST, US HIST 1~LOVING HOD!

3sweeties
Posts: 430
Joined: Sat Apr 11, 2009 9:00 am
Location: GA

Re: so i'm a Betty...now what?

Post by 3sweeties » Sat Jul 25, 2009 6:50 pm

Daisy wrote:I'm not always a straight up Olive.

I can be spontaneous and carefree.

I just have to plan to be that way.

ROFLOL.

LOL!!! SO me, Daisy!!! :lol:
Jessica~married to my sweetie for 21 years!
[DS17]~U.S. HISTORY 2~2019-20
[DS14]-World Geography~2019-20
[DD12]~ RTR, DITHOR 6-8~2019-20
[DS9]~Bigger~2019-20
Enjoyed LHFHG, Beyond, Bigger, Preparing, CTC, RTR, RevtoRev, MTMM, WORLD GEOG, WORLD HIST, US HIST 1~LOVING HOD!

3sweeties
Posts: 430
Joined: Sat Apr 11, 2009 9:00 am
Location: GA

Re: so i'm a Betty...now what?

Post by 3sweeties » Sat Jul 25, 2009 6:59 pm

One more thing I just thought of...I make a list (a very good one, in fact) for the grocery store and then always, always, ALWAYS FORGET something and have to go back! What does that make me? An Olive with an alter-ego Betty in there somewhere? LOL! :lol:
Jessica~married to my sweetie for 21 years!
[DS17]~U.S. HISTORY 2~2019-20
[DS14]-World Geography~2019-20
[DD12]~ RTR, DITHOR 6-8~2019-20
[DS9]~Bigger~2019-20
Enjoyed LHFHG, Beyond, Bigger, Preparing, CTC, RTR, RevtoRev, MTMM, WORLD GEOG, WORLD HIST, US HIST 1~LOVING HOD!

eazbnsmom
Posts: 364
Joined: Mon Feb 18, 2008 8:02 pm

Re: so i'm a Betty...now what?

Post by eazbnsmom » Sat Jul 25, 2009 8:25 pm

water2wine wrote: I write lists just to dump it off my brain and not make myself crazy thinking about it but I do not work well off them unless they have a lot of flexibility.

This is me. I am a messy Olive (if that is possible, is that possible?). I copied the list into word and bolded the things that described me best and am 95% Olive! :D But I hate doing housework. My life is very organized on paper. I have all sorts of lists and schedules, but have a hard time implementing them (but love making them). This summer I am trying to implement a loose, but structured routine that includes flylady missions (mostly just the missions, but sometimes I will add the other things), devotions (Missionaries with the Millers and Hero Tales Vol II & III), weekly home blessing & 5 minutes tidies....the rest of the day is free (besides cooking and kitchen chores) to do other fun, but hopefully productive things. I love HOD because it is already organized, easy to implement and very flexible.....and it's definitely time for me to go to bed because I just lost my train of thought! :D
Kay in PA

Mom to dd12, dd11, ds9, ds7 & ds3 1/2


BHFHG with dss 7&9 and dd11

Momtoamayalilal2
Posts: 64
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Location: So Cal
Contact:

Re: so i'm a Betty...now what?

Post by Momtoamayalilal2 » Sat Jul 25, 2009 11:17 pm

eazbnsmom wrote:
water2wine wrote: I write lists just to dump it off my brain and not make myself crazy thinking about it but I do not work well off them unless they have a lot of flexibility.

This is me. I am a messy Olive (if that is possible, is that possible?). I copied the list into word and bolded the things that described me best and am 95% Olive! :D But I hate doing housework. My life is very organized on paper. I have all sorts of lists and schedules, but have a hard time implementing them (but love making them).
Ok so you totally just described me ROTFLOL!! I just can't focus on it at the time. It's just more fun to PLAN my cleaning than to actually do it! Then I get so frazzled with the mess and think its just my schedule thats off rather than me :lol: :lol:

Ok, I thought I was the only person that has to plan to be spontaneous....apparently not :shock: :lol:
Mama to 7!
Oldest (18)
Dd 12-
Ds-9
Dd-7
Dd-4
Ds-2
Dd-brand new!

Have used LHTH, LHFHG, BEYOND, CTC,WG over the years and always come back to Hod after a a season! :lol:

threegreatkids
Posts: 259
Joined: Wed Apr 29, 2009 12:41 pm

Re: so i'm a Betty...now what?

Post by threegreatkids » Sun Jul 26, 2009 7:06 am

I'd love to read the original thread on this...anyone have a link?

From what I've just read I'm a true Olive (but with a tendency to procrastinate). But here's the real trouble- my husband is an Oliver!!!! Neither of us ever think to dance in the grass because we're too busy looking at our lists. Our poor dc!!! They need a fun parent. We're trying to work on being fun but we have to put "be fun" on the list to make it happen :lol:

The reason I'm SO excited about HOD is that the schedule works with my brain, and it includes the fun right in there!! Thanks, Carrie, you might just rescue our family from funlessness :D
Mom of three great kids
7th grade dd, 6th grade dd, 4nd grade ds

threegreatkids
Posts: 259
Joined: Wed Apr 29, 2009 12:41 pm

Re: so i'm a Betty...now what?

Post by threegreatkids » Sun Jul 26, 2009 7:33 am

I just found an old thread but have no idea how to add the link. There was mention of an audio CD, but it was from a Florida conference in 2008 and doesn't seem to be available anymore. Anyone know how to get that CD now?
Mom of three great kids
7th grade dd, 6th grade dd, 4nd grade ds

Carrie
Site Admin
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Joined: Wed Aug 15, 2007 8:39 pm

Re: so i'm a Betty...now what?

Post by Carrie » Sun Jul 26, 2009 5:48 pm

I'm thinking that this is the original thread on this topic: viewtopic.php?f=6&t=184

Blessings,
Carrie

MamaMary
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Re: so i'm a Betty...now what?

Post by MamaMary » Mon Jul 27, 2009 5:20 pm

I LOVED this post!
mommyofgirls wrote:oh, now we're being honest are we? okay, how's this:

i hate being a betty a lot of the time. we are instructed by God to be managers of our homes, to keep them prim and proper, the laundry done, the dishes caught up, to educate our children, to keep our homes running, as Daisy says, a well oiled machine. do you know how hard this is for a betty??? I'M supposed to be the one who cares the most and is better at these things, and in our house that is not always the case. our house is very clean most of the time, but it does not come easily to me and so many days i wish it did. combine that with the fact i am so sensitve that a simple comment like, "Do i have any jeans clean?" by my dh can reduce me to tears, and i am an emotional roller coaster some days.

so, yes, i actually LOVE to dance in the grass, but sometimes i wish i loved doing dishes.
Congratulations Betty! What a blessing to know who God created you to be! I wrote the Betty/Olive workshop out of personal experience and I'm even working on the book because it's so much FUN! Betty/Olive is the talk of our very large homeschool community because it's FREEING! First of all, God does call us to be Keepers Of Our Homes, but remember that many times we have an expectation of ourselves that is NOT from God, but based on some unrealistic picture we carry around in our head. Part of me embracing my Betty was based on a 7 year season I chose to lay fallow. A dear friend (Sweet sweet Olive) told me that I would find staying on top of my house easier if I didn't leave it as much. (we are STILL dear friends) She also told me that maybe if I stayed home more my husband would be more likely to want to jump in and take a leadership role in our outside activities. So I did just that. It happened to coincide with the time I was having more babies and staying home WAS easier during that season.

Guess what? My house wasn't any neater. (It's not horrible anyway, but it didn't all of a sudden become Better Homes And Gardens. I still got behind on my laundry. (bane of my existance) My husband never did jump up and take over. So fast forward to the end of the seven year fallow season and I was MISERABLE. I loved my husband and my children, but I was hard on myself. All I saw was my shortcomings. Finally one day I broke down crying and very loudly told my husband that it was time for him to go lead a bible study or something! (Older Mary rolling eyes at younger Mary) That one breakdown was the most beautiful thing that ever happened in my marriage, communication wise.

My sweet SWEET husband sent all the kids outside to play and asked me what in the world I was talking about. I told him what my friend had told me and how it hadn't made me any better keeping our home. He literally laughed out loud and you know what he said? It's been years so I'm trusting my memory. What I am writing is what I heard, even if he said it differently...,

"Mary! I didn't fall in love with Martha Steward. I fell in love with YOU! (We met as teens working for Publix Supermarket) I loved how you treated your customers when they would come through your line. I love how you love old people. I love that you collected ducks that were dying around our pond and put them in our bathtub to rehabilitate them. I love to go and watch YOU speak. I love to watch other people get encouraged by your words on the computer. I love how you love our children. I love how you love me. I WANT YOU TO GO OUT and plug in places you feel called, but I do not want you to require that I have to do it too. I'll gladly stay home and make dinner, do baths or catch up on laundry. I LOVE who you are!

Now here we are years later and do you know what I found out down the road? I am married to a Mr. Steady! Have you read "Created To Be His Helpmeet" by Debi Pearl? There are three types of husbands. Mr. Command Man, Mr. Visionary, Mr. Steady! All our wonderful and amazing, but my man doesn't have the expectations that some of my friends husband might have. My friends husbands might lead bible studies while my husband sits quietly in the back. Not better, not worse, just exactly who God made them to be. Knowing this allowed ME to be who God created me to be!

We DO have to manage our weaknesses. HOD helps Betty's stay on track! I don't do well making lesson plans, but THRIVE recording what we've done AFTER we're done. I don't like strict schedules, but do GREAT with to-do lists that are movable and flexible. I hate laundry so I have trained my older children to do the part I detest the most. One brings it from the dryer to the living room for me to fold. The other moves it from the washer to the dryer and gets it going so I can start a new load. They learn responsibility and I still do laundry but in a way that doesn't kill me.

HTH,
Mary
Mary, Mama to 4 amazing sons and wife to one incredible husband! Come check us out on the blog: http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/MamaMary/

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