Tami Fox

Getting Organized Week 6 Day 3

Posted on July 8, 2015 by Tami

Getting Organized this Summer:

In your home and homeschool

Welcome to Day 3 of Week 6 in the Getting Organized in your home and homeschool series. I hope you are encouraged and seeing some small changes to your habits. I have tasks set up to help you build routines in your home and get ready for your homeschool year.

Set your timer for 15 minutes for the Home Assignment and 15 minutes for the School Assignment

Home:

Make Your Bed (Do this as soon as you get up.)
Get Dressed Down to Your Shoes
Swish and Swipe
Start Your Laundry
Decide on Dinner
Check Your Calendar
Start the Day off with a Shiny Sink. Don’t leave the breakfast dishes sitting.
Go grocery shopping this afternoon.

School:

Start a list for back-at-school sale items that you will want to purchase. Do some research on back-to-school sales at local office supply stores, chain pharmacies, and chain stores. These sales generally start in August. I purchase composition books, crayons, and glue each year during these sales.

Afternoon Routine:

Eat Lunch
Clear off One Hot Spot
Reboot the Laundry
Declutter for 15 Minutes (Be sure to have your children declutter, too.)
Drink Your Water
Zone Focus: Spend 15 minutes decluttering your kitchen counters. It will take daily practice to keep the hot spots on your counters tamed.

Family Fun: Before you go grocery shopping, go to the library or local science center to have a bit of cool summer fun. Pack snacks and water bottles, so everyone can be refreshed before you grocery shop.

Before Bed: (This starts right after dinner.)

Check the Calendar for Tomorrow
Lay out Your Clothes for Tomorrow (Have your children lay their clothes out, too.)
Put things on your launch pad for the next day.
Shine Your Sink
Clean Off a Hot Spot
Go to Bed at Decent Hour

* If you prefer to do your grocery shopping on a different day of the week, that is not going to mess up anything. You pick the day that works best for you. You can adjust the other tasks around your shopping day. I know that I save time and money by menu planning and grocery shopping once a week.

Getting Organized – Week 6 Day 2

Posted on July 7, 2015 by Tami

Getting Organized this Summer:

In your home and homeschool

Welcome to Day 2 of Week 6 in the Getting Organized in your home and homeschool series. I hope you are encouraged and seeing some small changes to your habits. If you have not been following the blog this summer, I have organized all of the posts on one page. Just start small. It is ok if you start on week 1 day 1. I have tasks set up to help you build routines in your home and get ready for your homeschool year.

Set your timer for 15 minutes for the Home Assignment and 15 minutes for the School Assignment

Home:

Make Your Bed (Do this as soon as you get up.)
Get Dressed Down to Your Shoes
Swish and Swipe
Start Your Laundry
Decide on Dinner
Check Your Calendar
Start the Day off with a Shiny Sink. Don’t leave the breakfast dishes sitting.
Start your menu plan and grocery list.

School:

Check your local resources to see if you need to budget for a science center membership or other membership. In my area, I have to pay a membership fee for the large library because I do not live within city limits. So I put that cost into my yearly school budget.

Afternoon Routine:

Eat Lunch
Clear off One Hot Spot
Reboot the Laundry
Declutter for 15 Minutes (Be sure to have your children declutter, too.)
Drink Your Water
Zone Focus: We are in the kitchen this week. Take a look at your kitchen counters. Let’s work on decluttering them this week. Let’s take another look at your kitchen counters. Do you have hot spots where you have papers piled? Spend 15 minutes going through the papers. Toss the ones you do not need. Use the shredder on important papers. File papers that you need for your tax return. If you do not have files for this, set them up today.

Family Fun: Go to the park or on a nature walk. If you have nature journals, take them with you. Also take along any identification books you might have. I have books on identifying leaves, trees, bugs, and birds.

Before Bed: (This starts right after dinner.)

Check the Calendar for Tomorrow
Lay out Your Clothes for Tomorrow (Have your children lay their clothes out, too.)
Decide on a place in your house where you can put things for the next day. The FlyLady calls this your Launch Pad. It is usually close to your main entry of the house. You are going to use this every night.
Shine Your Sink
Clean Off a Hot Spot
Go to Bed at Decent Hour

If you are encouraged by these posts, please comment. I am getting a large amount of spam comments per day, but I get very few real comments.

Slow Cooker Summer – Salsa Pork

Posted on July 6, 2015 by Tami

Slow Cooker Salsa Pork

This recipe was easy to assemble. It was delicious after we cooked it. I would not make modifications to it if we prepare this recipe again. I did use bone-in pork chops, but that is a matter of preference. You could also use boneless pork chops, or you could cut a pork tenderloin into bite-size pieces. This is a versatile recipe. I think beef or chicken could also be substituted. I served this with a side of rice and a salad.

Getting Organized This Summer Week 6 Day 1

Posted on July 6, 2015 by Tami

Getting Organized this Summer:

In your home and homeschool

Welcome to Day 1 of Week 6. Just jump in where you are. If you cannot get all of these tasks worked into your schedule, just pick a few things to do. I hope you are encouraged and seeing some small changes to your habits. If you have not been following the blog this summer, I have organized all of the posts on one page. Just start small. It is ok if you start on week 1 day 1. I have tasks set up to help you build routines in your home and get ready for your homeschool year.

Set your timer for 15 minutes for the Home Assignment and 15 minutes for the School Assignment

Home:

Make Your Bed (Do this as soon as you get up.)
Get Dressed Down to Your Shoes
Swish and Swipe
Start Your Laundry
Decide on Dinner
Check Your Calendar
Start the Day off with a Shiny Sink. Don’t leave the breakfast dishes sitting.

School:

Start a list of field trips that you want to take this year.

Afternoon Routine:

Eat Lunch
Clear off One Hot Spot
Reboot the Laundry
Declutter for 15 Minutes (Be sure to have your children declutter, too.)
Drink Your Water
Zone Focus: We are in the kitchen this week. Take a look at your kitchen counters. Let’s work on decluttering them this week. Look at each item on your counters. Do you use them daily? If you aren’t using them daily, then find a storage place for them and get them out when you need them. I use my microwave, coffee pot, waffle iron, and crock pot every day. I keep these items out. I do not use my big mixer or electric skillet every day, so I have them stored in a cabinet. They are items I use frequently, but I do not use them daily. Set your timer for 15 minutes and declutter.

Family Fun: Plan a water activity.

Before Bed: (This starts right after dinner.)

Check the Calendar for Tomorrow
Lay out Your Clothes for Tomorrow (Have your children lay their clothes out, too.)
Decide on a place in your house where you can put things for the next day. The FlyLady calls this your Launch Pad. It is usually close to your main entry of the house. You are going to use this every night.
Shine Your Sink
Clean Off a Hot Spot
Go to Bed at Decent Hour

I will also send out a short email with these each morning. If you want to subscribe to my newsletter, you can do that over to the right on the blog.

Getting Organized this Summer Week 5 Day 5

Posted on July 3, 2015 by Tami

Today ends Week 5 in our Getting Organized series. I hope you are encouraged and seeing some small changes to your habits.

Friday – Set your timer for 15 minutes for the Home Assignment and 15 minutes for the School Assignment

Home:

Make Your Bed (Do this as soon as you get up.)
Get Dressed Down to Your Shoes
Swish and Swipe
Start Your Laundry
Decide on Dinner
Check Your Calendar
Start the Day off with a Shiny Sink. Don’t leave the breakfast dishes sitting.

School:

Start a list of field trips that you want to take this year.

Afternoon Routine:

Eat Lunch
Clear off One Hot Spot
Reboot the Laundry
Declutter for 15 Minutes (Be sure to have your children declutter, too.)
Drink Your Water
Zone Focus: Spend 15 minutes feather dusting the plants, baseboards, and/or ceiling in your entry way.

Family Fun: Plan a water activity.

Before Bed:

Check the Calendar for Tomorrow
Lay out Your Clothes for Tomorrow (Have your children lay their clothes out, too.)
Decide on a place in your house where you can put things for the next day. The FlyLady calls this your Launch Pad. It is usually close to your main entry of the house. You are going to use this every night.
Shine Your Sink (Are you enjoying having a Shiny Sink every morning when you get up?)
Clean Off a Hot Spot
Go to Bed at Decent Hour

Getting Organized Week 5 Day 4

Posted on July 2, 2015 by Tami

Thursday – Set your timer for 15 minutes for the Home Assignment and 15 minutes for the School Assignment

Home:

Make Your Bed (Do this as soon as you get up.)
Get Dressed Down to Your Shoes
Swish and Swipe
Start Your Laundry
Decide on Dinner
Check Your Calendar
Start the Day off with a Shiny Sink. Don’t leave the breakfast dishes sitting.

School:

Decide how you want your children to check off their school work assignments.
- Do you want to use a regular paper planner?
- Do you want to use an online planning tool? I recommend www.HomeschoolManager.com.

Afternoon Routine:

Eat Lunch
Clear off One Hot Spot
Reboot the Laundry
Declutter for 15 Minutes (Be sure to have your children declutter, too.)
Drink Your Water
Make your menu plan and grocery list.
Go grocery shopping

Zone Focus: Take a look at your entry way and make it more inviting. Add a plant or hang a picture. If you already have a plant there, make sure it is dusted and trimmed.

Family Fun: Before you go grocery shopping, go to a local park and have a nature walk. Take some water bottles and snacks with you.

The FlyLady’s Before Bed Routine

We are going to work on our Before Bed Routine this month. This is the most important routine of the day. It gets you ready for the next day. This will help you start your day off on the right foot. You will start this routine right after dinner each night.

Before Bed:

Check the Calendar for Tomorrow
Lay out Your Clothes for Tomorrow (Have your children lay their clothes out, too.)
Decide on a place in your house where you can put things for the next day. The FlyLady calls this your Launch Pad. It is usually close to your main entry of the house. You are going to use this every night.
Shine Your Sink (Are you enjoying having a Shiny Sink every morning when you get up?)
Clean Off a Hot Spot
Go to Bed at Decent Hour

Getting Organized This Summer Week 5 Day 3

Posted on July 1, 2015 by Tami

Wednesday – Set your timer for 15 minutes for the Home Assignment and 15 minutes for the School Assignment

Home:

Make Your Bed (Do this as soon as you get up.)
Get Dressed Down to Your Shoes
Swish and Swipe
Start Your Laundry
Decide on Dinner
Check Your Calendar
Start the Day off with a Shiny Sink. Don’t leave the breakfast dishes sitting.

School:

Decide how you want your children to check off their school work assignments.
- Do you want to use a regular paper planner?
- Do you want to use an online planning tool? I recommend www.HomeschoolManager.com.

Afternoon Routine:

Eat Lunch
Clear off One Hot Spot
Reboot the Laundry
Declutter for 15 Minutes (Be sure to have your children declutter, too.)
Drink Your Water
Make your menu plan and grocery list.
Go grocery shopping
Zone Focus: Spend 15 minutes detail cleaning the coat closet or coat rack in your entry way.

Family Fun: Before you go grocery shopping, go to a local park and have a nature walk. Take some water bottles and snacks with you.

The FlyLady’s Before Bed Routine

Before Bed:

Check the Calendar for Tomorrow
Lay out Your Clothes for Tomorrow (Have your children lay their clothes out, too.)
Decide on a place in your house where you can put things for the next day. The FlyLady calls this your Launch Pad. It is usually close to your main entry of the house. You are going to use this every night.
Shine Your Sink (Are you enjoying having a Shiny Sink every morning when you get up?)
Clean Off a Hot Spot
Go to Bed at Decent Hour

Slow Cooker Summer Buffalo Chicken

Posted on June 30, 2015 by Tami

Last week, I had an appointment that took me out of the house for the day. I asked my 16-year-old to start the slow cooker for me while I was out. My boys love anything that has buffalo sauce on it, so I picked out the Buffalo Chicken from the freezer and put it out to thaw.

Here are the prep pics from the day I put these freezer meals together. The effort and planning have been worth it. I have saved time and money, and this is something that I will continue to prepare for my family on a regular basis. We have also really liked the recipes, too. I don’t have a finished picture of this meal because they ate it before I got home. That is always a good sign that a recipe is good!

You can find the recipe for the Buffalo Chicken on the Who Needs a Cape blog. The full list of recipes and shopping list can be found on this post on the website.

If you don’t think you have a full day or a half day to do freezer meal preparation, you can double recipes as you prepare meals and freeze one of the meals.

Getting Organized This Summer Week 5 Day 2

Posted on June 30, 2015 by Tami

Tuesday

Home:

Make Your Bed (Do this as soon as you get up.)
Get Dressed Down to Your Shoes
Swish and Swipe
Start Your Laundry
Decide on Dinner
Check Your Calendar
Start the Day off with a Shiny Sink. Don’t leave the breakfast dishes sitting.

Zone Focus: Front Porch

This is going to be a fun project today. Clear your porch off and get out the water hose. Get the children involved and let them help you wash down the front porch and have some water play at the same time. As you put things put back into place, make your porch look inviting.

School:

Look at your overall school schedule and divide the work up monthly and weekly.
Get your weeks of school picked out.
Remember to schedule some breaks.
If you start early in August, you will be able to have a longer Christmas break and end school at the end of May.

Afternoon Routine:

Eat Lunch
Clear off One Hot Spot
Reboot the Laundry
Declutter for 15 Minutes (Be sure to have your children declutter, too.)
Drink Your Water
Exercise

Family Fun: Extend the water play from cleaning the front porch.

The FlyLady’s Before Bed Routine

Before Bed:

Check the Calendar for Tomorrow
Lay out Your Clothes for Tomorrow (Have your children lay their clothes out, too.)
Decide on a place in your house where you can put things for the next day. The FlyLady calls this your Launch Pad. It is usually close to your main entry of the house. You are going to use this every night.
Shine Your Sink (Are you enjoying having a Shiny Sink every morning when you get up?)
Clean Off a Hot Spot
Go to Bed at Decent Hour

Blackberry Cobbler

Posted on June 29, 2015 by Tami

During late June and early July, the wild blackberries are ripe in North Carolina. I go out early in the morning to pick blackberries. Our favorite family recipe for them is Blackberry Cobbler.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter (melted)

1-1/4 cup granulated sugar

1 cup self-rising flour

1 cup milk (2% is what I use)

2 cups fresh blackberries (frozen will work)

Use a small 12″ x 8″ baking dish and lightly grease the pan

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Farenheit

In a medium bowl, measure one cup of sugar and one cup of self-rising flour. Add one cup of milk and wisk together. Add 1/2 cup melted butter and wisk together. Pour into the glass baking dish and add 2 cups of blackberries. Top with 1/4 cup of granulated sugar. Place into oven that is pre-heated to 350 degrees. Bake for 55 to 65 minutes or until top is golden brown.