Simply Homeschooling with Tami Fox

Getting Organized:

In your home and homeschool

Tell me how you use a calendar in your home. My paper calendars are like a historical record of my life. I keep them from year to year. I write down important events, birth dates, appointments, menu plans, and more. I do keep a digital calendar on my phone, but it is mostly for appointments and events. I don’t have birthdays on it. I don’t add a lot of extra stuff on it. It is just a way for me to keep track of appointments, so I can schedule things and not over-book myself.

A paper calendar can also be used to help you plan your school days. In North Carolina, I have to check off a sheet provided by the state for 180 educational days. My paper calendar helps me keep track of field trips. I count those as educational days. I typically do not take off for snow days, but I do give the children time off from school if they are sick. My paper calendar is an important part of my school records.

My paper calendar is posted on my refrigerator for everyone to see. This helps us know at a glance when an appointment is coming up. I spend a few minutes each week updating the paper calendar from my digital calendar. I typically do this when I am doing my weekly menu planning. This is my “office” time.

Sometimes I do pull out a previous year’s calendar to check a date or refer to an appointment date. We think that we will remember things, but as time passes, we forget things. A paper calendar is a nice way to look back at past events. When I was pregnant, I tracked my weight and blood pressure on my calendar. This was important because I suffered from high blood pressure during pregnancy. My blood pressure would get dangerously high, and I would retain water. My calendar was my health log during those times.

Children need to know how to use a calendar. By having a paper calendar on display, you can teach them from a young age how to use the calendar. You can teach them about the days of the week and the months of the year. You can teach them to count from a calendar. You can use it as a count down for a special event.

If you have not been using a paper calendar because you have a digital calendar, I want you to think about the ways you can start using a paper calendar again.

Have a wonderful day!

 

Happy Friday!

Getting dressed down to your lace up shoes each morning serves several purposes. Putting your shoes on first thing in the morning tells your body and brain that it is time to be productive. Putting them on also helps take away one excuse you have on daily exercise. Putting on shoes also helps your feet stay healthy. There are so many benefits to wearing good, lace up shoes throughout the day.

Let’s talk about the benefits of daily movement time for you. Walking and purposeful movement helps your circulation. It helps you with weight maintenance. It helps you feel better physically and mentally. It can help you with healthy bones.  It can help reduce stress.

Over the years, I have done a lot of different types of exercise. When you have small children, you have to find ways to exercise that works with their schedule. I used DVD’s in the Living Room for years. The little ones could watch from the pack and play safely. As they got bigger, I would find toys and games that occupied them for 15 to 30 minutes. I could get up before them and exercise before they woke up. (Though this is hard to do sometimes if they are not sleeping through the night.) I have exercised in the Living Room during naptime.

As my children got older, I could do more kinds of exercise outdoors with them. We have gone hiking, bike riding, play basketball in the driveway, and more. Kids need daily exercise, too.

Four years ago, I started running. I wanted to lose weight and reduce my stress, and I decided I wanted to run. I was not great at it, and I am still not the fastest. But I am so happy with my progress. I feel good. My weight is managed. My doctor has reduced my medications. I have more energy. My kids run with me sometimes. Mostly, I run without them. I plan my schedule in a way that allows me to run daily and still do all the other things I have to do in a day.

If you are not doing any purposeful movement daily, start with walking for 15 minutes. You will start to feel better as you do it consistently.

Have a great weekend!

• 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:

• Have a fun day!

• 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
• Loving movement for 15 Minutes

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 at your launch pad
• Shine Your Sink
• Clean Off a Hot Spot
• Go to Bed at Decent Hour

Getting Organized:

In your home and homeschool

How do your school books and papers look right now? If your students have books spread out in several places, talk to them about where their designated place is for school books. If you do not have a designated place, make one. I have a school cabinet with doors that open and close. Each of my children has a designated place for his books.

When we first started homeschooling, I had to figure out a way to handle books and papers. We spent too much time trying to find books and pencils. I moved an open bookshelf to my kitchen, and we used that for a time.

My husband did not mind that everything was visible, but he found a great deal on a TV cabinet. We put it in the kitchen and moved all of the daily use books and supplies into the cabinet. I have had up to 6 students. I have been able to fit everything that we use daily in this cabinet. Now, that I am down to 4 students, I have room for more of my teacher resources.

Some of my friends use rolling carts. Others use plastic crates. There are many ways to organize your daily use materials.

Besides this cabinet, I have three other bookshelves that hold my additional homeschool resources. I had four bookshelves of additional books, but I decluttered an entire bookshelf one school year.

My record keeping it pretty simple. It is based on state requirements for my homeschool. I also keep track of high school courses and grades for a transcript. I don’t keep everything they produce.

Spend 15 minutes decluttering and organizing your homeschool materials.

Have a great day!