Do you have a weekly calendar?

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Dear Friends,
Someone asked me last week about my weekly calendar. I think what she was asking was about each day having a certain thing that I do. If you have been reading my emails, you know that I share my Zone Mission, Home Blessing, and menu plan with you each day.
On Monday, I typically stay home, so I can start my week off with washing my sheets, doing the laundry that was not washed on Sunday, cook in bulk for first part of the week, and get school off to a good start for the week.
On Tuesday, I check my paper calendar with my digital calendar to make sure they have the same appointments down. I will do a quick review of my lesson planning. This is important if we have a science experiment coming up or a hands on activity. For my Home Blessing, i do a quick dust and vacuum. One of the boys will do his bedding.
On Wednesday, I will declutter paper that has found its way to my school area. I will also give the boys a decluttering mission in their rooms. This is the day I like to schedule appointments, when possible. My Home Blessing is to wipe the windows and mirrors. Another boy will do his bedding.
On Thursday, I will start taking inventory of what is in the fridge that needs to be used at dinner. I will jot down items we have run out of. I will start my menu planning for the next week. My Home Blessing is to declutter magazines. I also added paper to this mission, since I always have paper to declutter. It only takes a few minutes if you are consistent with getting paper out of your house. Someone will do his laundry and wash bedding.
On Friday, I finish off my menu planning, make a grocery list, and pay bills. My Home Blessing is to take out the trash, sweep, and mop. (I don’t have carpet, so no vacuuming.) The boys help with the floors and trash. The last person in the house will do bedding and their laundry. I will do my grocery shopping in the afternoon.
Saturday is family fun day. We try to plan something each week. If it is winter, we typically have an easy meal and play some board games. In the warm weather, we usually do something outside. I usually do laundry on Saturday, but it is not an all-day event since I have done laundry throughout the week.
Sunday is church day. We try to rest and relax. I do some of my writing for the week on Sunday. I don’t do a lot of laundry on Sunday, but I have had situations where I had to do a load or two. I will sometimes do a load of towels on Sunday night.
Most of my weeks flow like this. I am not a slave to my schedule. I do have my routines, and if we have something that takes us out of the house for the day, I do a quick, basic routine that day.
Do you have certain days of the week that you do a specific thing?
Your Zone Mission today is to declutter in your closet.

Your Home Blessing for today is to wipe your windows and mirrors.

My menu plan for Wednesday is chicken alfredo.

Have a great day!

Weathering the Storms of Life

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Getting Organized:
In your home and homeschool

 

 

Dear Friends,
Yesterday, I shared my heart deeply with you. I want to be a help and encouragement to you. Some of the storms in my life have happened so I could encourage someone else going through the same thing. There have been days when the only thing I could do was pray and step out in faith.
When things looked impossible, God took care of it.
This is where it is important to write the good things down. You need it when you are in a storm.
Get a pretty notebook or composition book. Call it a Joy Journal or a Happiness File or Blessings.
You will use this to write down the good things when they happen. You can add in Scripture verses and maybe some drawings.
When you see the cover of this book, it will bring you a smile. You know it will have something happy in it for you.
If you are in a storm right now and cannot think of one thing to write down, I want you to remember that you are special. You are blessed. You are loved. You have not been forgotten about.
Write down some basic blessings that you have. Your family. Food. Clothes, Shoes, Shelter.
If you are facing a physical challenge, be thankful for what you can do. Don’t focus on the difficulties for a few minutes.
You can write this in your journal.
If you are facing disappointment, write down one thing that is going well.
If you have issues with your children with attitude or behavior, look at how you are communicating with them. Some children feed off negative responses from you. Sometimes they need to know you love them. They need your love and boundaries.
Use your journal to write down positive character traits in each of your children. The next time you are frustrated with them, read over the list. Talk to them. Tell them what you love about them. Then address the issue. Finally, reiterate that you love them. Think of it as a cookie with cream in the middle. The middle is what you need to address with them, but you are going to sandwich it with the good things about them.
Your Joy Journal can become an intricate part of your life. It will help you see the good stuff on the hard days.
Your Zone Mission today is to declutter 1 drawer of your dresser.

Your Home Blessing for today is to dust and vacuum.

My menu plan for Tuesday is spaghetti and a salad.

Have a blessed day!

Hard Days and Discouragement

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Getting Organized:
In Your Home and Homeschool

Dear Friends,
Thank you for sharing your hearts with me. I am encouraged by those of you who send me notes about how well things are going in your home with your routines. I am touched by those of you who share with me the struggles and disappointments.
The hard days can discourage us. They also teach us that the routines do work, If you are having a hard day, stop everything for a minute and breathe. Just breathe, Relax for a few minutes. Then I want you to think about a great day in your home.
What made it great? What can you do right now to make the hard day better?
Some of you have not even started your school year, and you are already tired and discouraged. You don’t know how you are going to add in school work with an already busy life.
The next thing I want you to do is to be really honest with yourself. Get out a piece of paper. Write down the stressors in your life. What is pushing you to your tipping point?
Now that you have identified it, what can you do to correct it or remove it?
Many of you have too many things on your plate. I recognize this pretty quickly in my life, and then I correct it.
Some of you are sitting here saying that I don’t know the circumstances, and if you back out of an obligation, you will disappoint someone or will make them mad. This is your perfectionism.
Let it go if it brings you stress.
That class you signed up for. That co-op you decided to do this year. That volunteer activity that is taking way too much of your time. That committee you chair or participate in. That Bible study that you wanted to do.
There are so many good things to do, but you have to remember that you have decided to homeschool. You will have hard days. You will be tested. You need to be ready to ask for help when you need it. You need to be ready to say, “No.”
Some of you reading this right now wonder how I know this about you.
I am one of you.
Being a veteran homeschool mom has given me a lot of perspective. I learned to stand up for myself and decline opportunities. I am not called to do everything that is put before me. Sometimes, the right answer for me was to say, “No.”
That is a hard two-letter word to say. We want to say, “Yes.” We want to please others. We want people to like us. We want to do it all.
Remember that the homeschool years are a season in your life. For some of us, we have a longer season, and for others, it is a shorter season. One day all of your students will be grown and gone from the nest. You will look back and wonder how that happened.
On the hard days, reflect back on a great day. What can you do to get there again?
Your Zone Mission today is to declutter the flat surfaces in your bedroom and dust.
Your Home Blessing for today is to wash sheets.
My menu plan for Monday is BBQ.
Have a great day! Enjoy the eclipse if you can view it from your house. Stay safe!

 

Journaling in Your Homeschool

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Getting Organized:
In your home and homeschool

 

Dear Friends,

Do you and your children have journals that you write and/or draw in regularly? Recently, I found some of my children’s early nature journals. What a precious thing to see their writing and drawings. As you know, I don’t keep a lot of their school materials when they finish, but I do keep their journals.

A journal can be an extension of your school day. Your children can draw while you read to them or play music. They can go outside and sketch things they observe in nature. You can help even young children look up information to add to their drawings. Nature journaling helps develop a love for science and nature.

A writing journal can be an extension of your current writing program, or it can be used for creative writing. A journal is a place to put ideas and thoughts down on paper. It helps develop their writing skills, but I want to caution you to NOT take a red pen to these journals. Do not grade them for content or grammar. Let it be a fun place for them to write.

You can give them ideas for stories, poems, or make lists of things they are thankful for. If your child struggles with writing programs, a free-form journal can be the thing that draws them to writing.

If you have analytical children, a journal can bring out some of their creativity. Even if they are resistant to the idea of creative writing to begin with, keep trying. I found that silly starters for stories got their attention when I first introduced them to journals. It’s quite funny to see them read these stories now that they are much older.

You can benefit from this type of journaling, too. You might tap into some artistic talent or writing talent that you have not had time to develop. Turn on some nice, classical music and sit down with your children and have a journaling session next week. You know you like pretty notebooks and school supplies, too. (smile)

Today’s Zone Mission is to shine your tub or shower.

Your Home Blessing for today is to empty the trash, sweep, and mop.

My menu plan for Friday is chicken and a salad.

Have a wonderful weekend!

How do you organize your homeschool books?

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Getting Organized:
In your home and homeschool

 

Dear Friends,

When you get a few homeschoolers together, the conversation usually goes to what curriculum do you use? Then, my next question is, “How do you organize it?”

I am an eclectic homeschooler. Our homeschool curriculum is chosen with care depending on the student’s skill level and interest level. My children are hands on learners, and I have one who is dyslexic. So I cannot buy boxed curriculum sets. I have found materials that work for a variety of children, and I have had to find specific materials to help my son learn to read, spell, and write in a way that worked with his dyslexia.

My kitchen is the main homeschool area, but you can also find my children spread out around the house doing school work. They use textbooks, workbooks, and the computer. So there are a variety of things that are pulled out for each school day.

Part of their training has been to get materials out for one subject at a time and put those books away before getting out the next subject. I check them right before they put them away. I do not have piles of books and materials scattered all over my house. When it is time to do school, their materials are in one place.

We each have different set ups for organizing our school books. I have a cabinet with doors that close. I love this! Before I had the cabinet, I used heavy-duty plastic crates for each student.

Some of my friends use rolling carts with drawers to organize. Some use file cabinets. Some use plastic tubs with lids. There is no shortage of ways to store your books.

Tell me how you organize your books.

Today’s Zone Mission is to do a 15 minute room rescue.
Your Home Blessing for today is to declutter paper and magazines.

My menu plan for Thursday is taco soup and a salad.

Have a great day!

Do you use a check off sheet for your kids?

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Getting Organized:
In your home and homeschool

Dear Friends,

How do you help your children keep track of their routines?

Children are often eager helpers, but they do not like to have an unending list of things to do. When my children were young, I used check off sheets that I made on the computer. I kept it simple.

Download the Check Off Sheet

Daily
Check it off!
Pick up Behind Yourself
Sun
Mon
Tue
Wed
Thu
Fri
Sat
After dinner, put your stuff at your Launch Pad
Sun
Mon
Tue
Wed
Thu
Fri
Sat
MORNING ROUTINE
S
M
T
W
Th
F
S
Make bed
Get dressed for school
Swish & Swipe
Eat breakfast
Put your dishes in the dishwasher
Brush your teeth
Ready for School
AFTERNOON CHECKLIST
S
M
T
W
Th
F
S
Finish any school work
Drink your water
Pick up your stuff for 15 minutes
5 minutes exercise
AFTER DINNER/BEFORE BED ROUTINE
S
M
T
W
Th
F
S
Check your calendar and forecast
Lay out your clothes for tomorrow
Put things needed for tomorrow at the Launch Pad
Spend two minutes picking up behind yourself
Check the kitchen sink. Put dirty dishes in the dishwasher
Wash face/brush teeth/bathe
Go to bed at a decent hour. Yes, this means YOU! J
You can print something off and put it in a page protector. Then, they can use a wipe off marker to check off daily.

Your Zone Mission today is to declutter old towels.

Your Home Blessing for today is to wipe your windows and mirrors.

My menu plan for Wednesday is hamburgers and tater tots.

Have a great day!

Download the Check Off Sheet

How do I motivate my children?

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Getting Organized:
In your home and homeschool

IMG_5632

Dear Friends,

Yesterday, I had several great homeschool questions for the live Facebook video I did as a guest of The FlyLady.

You can watch it on her YouTube channel at the link above, if you missed it.
One question was, “How do you motivate your kids?”
With a large family and many personalities, I put into practice what I learned from The FlyLady. I use rewards to motivate my children.
If I had a child who dawdled over his school work, I would use incentives and rewards to encourage him to be diligent. If he finished all of his school work before lunch, he had free time to play in the afternoon. If he didn’t finish before lunch, he had to sit with me in the afternoon and do his school work while his brothers played.
It only took a couple of times for this child to see that it was better to just get his school work done and not dawdle.
Each Monday, I review with each student the weekly goals for their school work. I go over how many lessons, pages, or units I need them to complete for the week. It is up to them if they spread it out over 4 or 5 days. They prefer to get it done in 4 days, and then Friday can be for a day for field trips or fishing. I also grocery shop on Friday afternoons, and they enjoy that, too, since a trip to the sporting goods section is usually a part of our Friday errands.
It is rare that I have to use negative consequences for a child who does not complete routines or school work. But I do control electronics, car driving privileges, and cell phones for the teens. So I have the ability to take privileges if needed to motivate someone to do what is expected.I refer to this as my super powers.
I also praise my children liberally for doing a good job, and that motivates them to do well. I use positive reinforcements as much as possible to motivate my children.
What do you do to motivate your children?
Your Zone Mission today is to declutter 1 bathroom cabinet or drawer.
Your Home Blessing for today is to dust and vacuum.
My menu plan for Tuesday is venison roast and a salad.
Have a blessed day!

A New School Year

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Getting Organized:
In Your Home and Homeschool

Dear Friends,

At the end of the spring, I did a series of videos on ending your school year. For 5 days, I decluttered and filed important papers. Several of you have asked for a video to help you get started with your school year.

Today, I will be hosting a Facebook Live Session on The FlyLady’s Page at 2:00 pm Eastern. If you have questions, email me now. You can ask questions during the session, too. It will help me to have some of your questions ahead of time.
The boys and I started school the first week of August. I prepared for the first day of school in the two weeks prior to starting, and we started back by adding a subject at a time. We started with Math and Reading.
This week we will be adding Science and History. I like hands on learning as much as possible for these two subjects. No matter what curriculum I use with the boys, I can add in hands on activities.
For History, we can do projects based on the period of time we are studying. We can add in field trips of interest. They can do a final report each semester. There are many ways to add in hands on learning at any age.
For Science, we use experiments to bring action to what they are reading about. In school, I never really enjoyed science. As a homeschool teacher, I love science, and it is because of the experiments we do.
I use simple composition books for planning purposes. In the past, I have used resources, such as Homeschool Manager. You can try it for free for 30 days.
If you have not closed out your last year of homeschooling, do that this week. You can watch my  decluttering your homeschool videos on YouTube.
This week we are detail cleaning and decluttering in the Main Bathroom and one Extra Room. You can use this time to help you with organizing your homeschool materials.
Your Zone Mission today is to declutter your bathroom counter and wipe it down.
Your Home Blessing for today is to wash sheets.

My menu plan for Monday is Skyline Chili (Cincinnati favorite).

Have a great day!

 

Back to Homeschool

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Getting Organized:
In your home and homeschool

 

Dear Friends,
Happy Friday! We made it to the end of the week! This ends our second week of our homeschool year. We started slowly on August 1, and I enjoy adding in a subject at a time over the course of a few weeks. This helps everyone adjust better.
Have you got your school year under way, or are you planning to start soon?
We don’t start with a lot of fanfare, but we will have a Back to School Party with our homeschool group in September. We plan a potluck lunch and let the kids play. We can start planning our group activities, and the teens enjoy making some plans, too.
We use a mix of technology and books for our homeschool, and that seems to work well for us. The boys use DVD’s for math lessons, and then they do their lessons. They read their history and science independently, but I do projects with them as a group to tie it together. They have their language arts programs for their respective grades with reading, writing, grammar, and spelling.
We started homeschooling in 2000, and it is hard to believe that this is the beginning of year 18. It’s strange to be down to 3 students, too. I remember when I had 6 students. They grow up fast!
If you are homeschooling little ones, I encourage you to read with them daily ann incorporate playtime and hands on activities. They will learn so much from playing and experiencing learning.
If you are homeschooling upper elementary and middle school, you can still provide project-based learning and hands on projects. It takes a little planning and creativity.
High schoolers can still do hands on learning for science and history. Their reading will be more prominent than younger years, but they will remember their projects and experiments.
Enjoy each stage of the learning process with your children!
What do you have planned for Family Fun Day tomorrow?
Today’s Zone Mission is to declutter cleaning supplies under the kitchen sink.
Your Home Blessing for today is to empty the trash, sweep, and mop.

My menu plan for Friday is pizza and a salad.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Using Your Timer to Help You Declutter

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Getting Organized:
In your home and homeschool

 

Dear Friends,
How many of you have a kitchen junk drawer or two?
Kitchen junk drawers become a catch all for stuff. Usually, you decide to clean it out because you can’t open or close it easily. I want you to be proactive with your junk drawer. I want you to clean it out and purge deeply. I would guess that most of it can be trashed.
Get your timer and trash can out. Set the timer for 15 minutes, Start taking things out a little at a time. Either put it in the trash, in a put away box, or in a giveaway box. Resist the urge to dump it on the counter. I know that is what you want to do. But you are going to do this for 15 minutes and walk away.
I want you to practice working on projects a little at a time to help you overcome perfectionism. If you don’t finish, just leave your boxes there. You can go back later in the day and do another 15 minute session.
Currently, I am cleaning out and decluttering my kitchen cabinets 15 minutes at a time. That is all the time I have to work on decluttering each day. I do not have all day because then my routines will not get done. I can only work on one cabinet at a time.
Many of you have talked to me at homeschool conferences about struggling with keeping your routines going when you homeschool and do other projects. This is how I do it. I use my timer and am disciplined to move on when it goes off.
If I decided to do a big, 8-hour clean out project, I would not get laundry done or food fixed, and I wouldn’t have time to move other things along. I also wouldn’t have time to homeschool my kids either.
Learning to add in decluttering projects takes patience with yourself and with that voice in your head that wants you to stop everything and do it from start to finish right then.
Today’s Zone Mission is to declutter your plastic wraps, foils, etc.
Your Home Blessing for today is to declutter paper and magazines.

My menu plan for Thursday is chicken, potatoes, and a salad.

Have a great day!