To Do List

Ever have one of those days when it seems like there is just not enough of you to go around? That is what today was like. I have all 4 girls sick with colds today so you would think it would give me more time to focus on other things since we are not doing any school work today. But it was quite the opposite.

I walked around and felt almost overwhelmed looking at all the projects that I need to tackle. Most of them are long past due. So where do I start?

When I am in a situation like this, I like to make a list. Or should I say LISTS. Having a list of what needs to be done always motivates me and keeps me on track. Even if I have a hounded things to do, I feel accomplished if I have a list and get to one or two things each day. So, that being said, I have added me "To Do List" to the left sidebar here. I hope to get the majority of it done by the end of this month. My goal is to tackle one item (at least partially) each day.

A Great Teaching Opportunity

Today was a prime opportunity to take the morning off from school for a practical lesson on idols, spending our time wisely and setting priorities.

Now, let me say, I am not talking about the kinds of idols that compete for your attention on TV nor the ones that were made of wood and worshiped by civilizations of old. No, I am talking about the things of this modern age which take our focus away from the things of God.

Idols cam come in the form of anything from too much TV or computer time, too much emphasis on sports or in our case, too much STUFF!

This morning I was looking around the house realizing that not only were behind on some much needed daily cleaning tasks, we also were beginning to suffer from a case of "stuff-itis". A.K.A. clutter and junk that needed tossing. I made a note to myself to tackle this mess over the next several days but my main objective today was to get the girls bedroom done and get them in the proper mindset to be on board with me on this cleaning mission.

I began by telling them that the mess in their room was not acceptable. Our oldest two are very good at cleaning and really know better than to shove things under the bed or in the closet instead of tossing them or putting them away (which is what I found today). I reminded them of what then need to do when they do clean up. I went on to explain that if we own to many things or fail to toss our trash out, we are creating an idol for ourselves because we will be spending way too much time on managing our mess than on the things of God. I also told them that my job as their mom is to train them how to manage their things and we then went on to start the cleaning project together.

I accepted no arguments on why they wanted to keep any particular item. I decided what to keep and what to toss. They quickly were on board with me and happily tossing things that were honestly just trash and needed to go.

The room is now looking much better and the girls are happy that they now won't be wasting their time on sorting and managing all the things we threw away.

My husband and I area also planning to have a family meeting with the girls this weekend. We are going to discuss these things in more depth as well as setting some new guidelines on the things we will be keeping or bringing into our home. We really purpose to keep "things" to a minimum around here as to have a better learning environment and more time on our hands to serve others and spend our time on things that honor God.

When Mommy Is Sick

I've been sick for several days now. Not the runny nose, coughing kind of sick. Actually I pulled a muscle or a nerve (or something) in my upper back. I have been trying to take it easy but it's hard to do when the days are busy and full. Tomorrow I will finally see the doctor because it will be almost a week since this started and I'm still in quite a bit of pain and feeling very fatigued.

I'm sure any mother knows, it's tough around the house when mom is sick. Yesterday I had a bad flare up of pain right around my 2 year old's nap time. I asked my 9 year old to help her get into the crib for her nap as I lay down on the sofa with a heating pad. I explained to 2 yo that mommy is not feeling well and her sister would help her to bed for a nap. She seemed fine with this at first but the crying began as soon as 9 yo left her room. It took us about 15 or 20 minutes to get her down for a nap with me calling out to her from across the house to quiet down and take her nap and I would see her when she woke up.

Even though times like this can be trying, it is a great opportunity for learning and training your children. My 7 and 9 year old have taken over most chores the past three days. I have been very tiredand achy so after just an hour or so of housework I am spent and have had to lie down with my heating pad. The big girls took over with no problem and had a great attitude too. My 4 yo enjoyed playing "baby-sitter" when 2 yo was awake and felt like such a big girl watching and playing with her baby sister. My 9 yo was so happy when I had one pretty good day and went out shopping for groceries. I told her that even though I was fairly ok, I would need a helper to lift things and put large things under the cart. She was a huge help! Daddy watched the youger three girls and reported that they had been extremely well behaved when we got home.

I also believe that when mom is sick it really teaches children to learn how to serve others. Parents naturally serve their children all day but children don't always get a chance to really serve their parents, especially when they are young. When my girls see their daddy helping me when I am unable to do something or when I ask them to help and compliment them when they do a good job or have a good attitude, it really helps them to learn to have a servant's heart.

Prayerfully, I will be just fine after tomorrow's consult with my doctor but in the meanwhile it gives me such peace and joy to see the love of Christ shine through my children.

Making Use Of The Summer Months

Older women likewise are to be reverent in their behavior, not malicious gossips nor enslaved to much wine, teaching what is good, so that they may encourage the young women to love their husbands, to love their children, to be sensible, pure, workers at home, kind, being subject to their own husbands, so that the word of God will not be dishonored.

Titus 2: 3-5

I belong to a few different email loops and local homeschool groups. It's so wonderful to have like minded people to fellowship with and to share ideas with. Over the past couple of weeks most of these groups have been winding down for the summer as many take the time to take a much needed vacation or embark upon projects other than the normal school related grind.

I was kind of surprised, however, to hear several people saying that they would like to know who would like to participate in different activities on a daily basis this summer to "get out of the house" because they don't like to "sit around all summer." HUH??? :0(

Don't get me wrong, I am not one for idle time either. I don't enjoy just sitting around my house either doing nothing. But there is SO MUCH to do at home that I can't imagine being bored. For my family once or twice a week is plenty of time to get out of the house. The rest of the time we spend doing activities at home.

So what IS there to do during the summer? Well, whether you homeschool your children or they attend school away from there is much to be done at home during the summer. Here are a few ideas...

Gardening - depending on where you live, it's not too late to start some plants for the summer. What about a vegetable garden? That is not only a nice fun activity for you and your children, but it's healthy to go outdoors and get some sun every day. The fruits of your labor will also help supplement your family's grocery budget.

Sewing - it's a great time to make some nice decorative items for your home or some clothing for yourself and your children. Older children can also be taught to sew. Even boys should know how to mend or sew on buttons!

Cooking - stock up your freezer! Take the time to make a recipe you have been wanting to try. If you don't like to cook or don't' know how, it's a great time to learn or practice your skills. Baking is a great all day activity for children, they love to make things that are good to easy. If you have a garden, use the end of the summer to do some canning or freezing of your summer bounty.

Organizing - sort and organize your closets, drawers, shelves, etc. You'll feel like your home is brand new. If you find a lot of items that are still good that you don't use any more, have a yard sale or start an Ebay store.

Clean - if you didn't get a chance to deep clean your home in the spring, now is the perfect time. Give everything a good scrubbing and get your kids to help.

Read - Take a weekly trip to the library or order some favorites from an on-line book seller. Read books that you have been wanting to read and haven't had time for or better yet read out loud to your children from a well loved classic. When you finish the book have the kids make up dress up and act out part of the story.

Play a game - break out those dusty board games and have some game time each day. Your children will thank you :0)

Exercise - put on some fun music and get moving as a family. This is great to do early in the day so that the little ones will have a nice sound nap in the afternoon.

Practice hospitality - have friends over for the day. Have lunch together and enjoy a visit. Have friends over for dinner on the weekends. Host a tea party for your children and their friends. Have an ice cream social. Have a BBQ. Invite out of town friends or relatives to visit with you for a few days this summer.

Swim - if you are blessed with a backyard swimming pool take the time to use it. Better yet, host a pool party.

Plan for school - if you are a homeschooling mom, now is the time to order your items for the next school year and make a daily school schedule. Plan your activities and field trips. Do your on-line research. Ask your kids what they would like to study next year. If your kids go to a traditional school, start planning what supplies and clothing you will need to get them for the next school year.

Write a letter or make a phone call - get in touch with friends and family members that you haven't spoken to in a while. Encourage your children to do the same.

Charity work - see if there is any way you can serve your church or your community from home. Make baby blankets or baby hats for a local woman's shelter or Right To Life organization. Pack up canned goods or other items for a local food bank or other charity. Make hand made blankets or quilts for a local homeless shelter.

Do some crafting - if you have a craft that you enjoy spend time working on it. If you make a lot of hand made items, consider starting an Etsy store.

Watch a movie - It's pretty hard to find a good, quality movie any more but there are still some out there! Instead of going to the movie theater, make a nice cozy pile of blankets on the floor in your living room, pop some popcorn and watch a movie as a family. Not only will this save you a lot of money at the theater, it is much more realizing for younger children to enjoy a movie at home where they can doze off if they get sleepy.

This is by no means an exhaustive list. There is so much to be done at home. When you do go out for grocery shopping, errands or just for some away from home fun, make good use of your time so that you can be at home the majority of the time. Spending too much time away from home can cause exhausted kids, frustrated mothers, undone chores and too much money spent. Remember that God calls mothers to be keepers at home and we should take pride and joy in our calling. Let's honor God in all we do this summer!

Listening, Waiting and Living For Him

In his heart a man plans his course, but the LORD determines his steps. Proverbs 16:9

It's amazing how clearly God speaks when He talks to us in our daily lives.

For the past three weeks or so the girls and I have been just chugging along around here, keeping up with chores, taking care of my husband as he healed for an injured knee and returned to work, and trying to keep up with school... all at the same time. The days have been very busy and often tiring but of course we continue on because things have to get done. Through all of this, I kept hearing God's voice in the back of my mind, that I needed to take a break. I don't mean a break, as in physical rest, I mean a break as in a chance to mentally regroup. I kept ignoring God's voice, thinking that as soon as the end of May arrived we could shelf the school books for a while and take a little time off. God continued to speak to me. And finally I listened. After discussing this with my husband, I announced to the girls last week that we were done with school until August. Unfinished books and all, I put everything aside.

Since then I have been taking time each morning to pray. Sometimes I read from the Bible, other times I just focus on the Lord in thanksgiving and praise, in prayer and just in awe of His awesome power and love. I take my time and listen for His voice.

These past days we have spent "taking care of home". Getting rid of clutter, making plans as a family, spending time with friends and just decompressing.

I think it's so easy to get into the "flow of the world". Just because the world does things a certain way I often feel that I have to as well. School is from August to May. Wake up time is at 6 am. Lunch is at noon. Too often I fall into this and in the haste of it all I miss God's voice. He has so much for us and often we need to obey. Time has been scheduled on man's clock, not God's. Often He wants us to stop everything jut because it is His will.

In just the span of almost two weeks not only do the girls and I feel more refreshed but I am starting to have a new vision for the next school year. We, as a family, also have new visions for our future, as far as how God is leading us to work for His kingdom. All of these wonderful happening all because I chose to listen to God. To cut MY plans short and to just sit back and listen to Him. So we are now taking our time about things and are not putting ourselves on a strict schedule.

My husband and I are just praising Him right now and waiting on Him to see where he is leading. We are making plans but waiting on Him to lead us where He will.

New Homeschool Daily Schedule

Here are my revised schedules and charts...

MORNING AND BEDTIME LISTS FOR THE GIRLS

Morning List

Rise and shine!
Make your bed
Put on glasses (9 year old)
Brush teeth
Get washed up and dressed
Put away your PJ’s
Put your Pull-Ups in the trash (7 and 4 year old)
Put any dirty clothes in the laundry room
Take your water cups to the kitchen
Straighten your room
Straighten your bathroom
Turn off your nightlight


Bedtime List

Brush your teeth
Turn on your night light
Put on PJ’s and Pull-Ups
Put dirty laundry in the laundry room
Get 2 dolls or stuffed animals and a book
Get a cup of water
Use the potty
Kiss everyone good night
Say your prayers
Get in bed, under your covers
8 pm is time for lights out and go to sleep!

DAILY BLOCK SCHEDULE

Morning Block (6 am - 10 am)

--Me--

Wash Up/Brush Teeth/Dress/etc.
Prayer/Bible/Devotion Time
Clean Up 2 year old/Dress her
Wake Kids
Make Bed
Start a load of laundry
Start a load of dishes
Make breakfast
Eat Breakfast/oral Bible Lesson or read-aloud while we eat
Table Clean Up
Dinner/Food prep
Chores (varies by day, see chore chart)

--9 year old--

Morning List (see morning list)
Quiet Reading Time (Bible Devotion)
Breakfast
Table Chores
Daily Chores (varies by day, see chore chart)
if done with chores early then start school work

--7 year old--

Morning List (see morning list)
Quiet Reading Time (Bible Devotion)
Breakfast
Table Chores
Daily Chores (varies by day, see chore chart)
if done with chores early then start school work

--4 year old--

Morning List (see morning list)
Quiet Reading Time (Bible Devotion) - with an elder sister
Breakfast
Table Chores
Daily Chores (varies by day, see chore chart)

--2 year old--

Wake up/get washed up/dressed
Baby Bible (look at or read to by a sister)
play time
breakfast
"Quiet sitting training" during Bible Study or read-aloud

Morning School Block 10 am - noon

--Me --

Help kids with lessons

9 year old - Bible, Math, Language Arts, quiet reading
7 year old - Bible, Math, Language Arts, quiet reading
4 year old - play with 2 year old, color, blocks, Sunshine Market, books, play kitchen, baby dolls, doll house, etc.
2 year old - play with 4 year old, color, blocks, Sunshine Market, books, play kitchen, baby dolls, doll house, etc.

Lunch - noon- 2pm

me - make lunch, eat lunch/read-aloud during lunch
kids - free time while I make lunch, eat, listen to read aloud during lunch

Afternoon Block - 2 pm - 5 pm

---Me---

Help kids with lessons
Change laundry load
Blog/email/make grocery list/sort a box/rest/phone calls/sew/etc.
Make dinner if needed or warm up leftovers, make side dish for crock pot meal

---9, 7 and 4 year old---
History, Science, Art, Etc.
finish up any un-done chores
play time

---2 year old---
nap

Evening Block - 5 pm - 7 pm

--Me--

Make dinner
Wash a load of dishes
Change laundry load
Eat dinner
Table/kitchen chores
Bathe little ones
Talk time with husband when he arrives home from work
family time

---9 year old---
shower
dress for bed
eat dinner
table chores
play time/story time/Daddy time/family time
bedtime list (see bedtime list)

---7 year old---
shower
dress for bed
eat dinner
table chores
play time/story time/Daddy time/family time
bedtime list (see bedtime list)

---4 year old---
bath
dress for bed
eat dinner
table chores
play time/story time/Daddy time/family time
bedtime list (see bedtime list)

---2 year old---
bath
dress for bed
eat dinner
play time/story time/Daddy time/family time
bedtime list (see bedtime list)

Night Time Block 7 pm - 9 pm

--me--

change laundry load
put two year old to bed
shower/prepare for bed
prep for next school day/check papers
make husband's lunch for work for next day
time with husband
in bed by 9 pm

---all children---
go to bed

CHILDREN'S CHORES

9 year old

(Daily) - help fold and put away laundry (30 minutes)
- help clear table
- if needed - help with dishes or with 2 year old

(Weekly or as needed) - Clean girls bathroom

7 year old

(Daily) - help fold and put away laundry (30 minutes)
- help clear table
- if needed - help with emptying trash or with 2 year old

(Weekly or as needed) - Vacuum front room and hallway

4 year old

(Daily) - get Daddy's clothes for work and lay them out for him with a fresh towel

(Weekly or as needed) - Vacuum dining area

I'm still working on a daily list for each child. I am going to combine all the applicable portions of each of the above into a separate sheet for 9, 7 and 4 year old and print them out for them to have... probably tape them up in the girls bedroom or our hallway.

I found some great scripture verses to print here.

I might have to tweak this a little more but we will see how it works this week.

House Cleaning Thoughts

Today is a big chore day for us so I thought I would take some time to share my thoughts on the subject with you...

A clean house can be one of those elusive things in the life of a homeschool family. On one hand, when you are at home, it's easier to get things done than if you are out and about all day. But, on the other hand, when you are at home most of the time, more messes can happen more quickly than you have time to keep up with. So what do you do? Here are some things that help us keep things in control and get them back in order when they get out of control. A clean and neat home always helps us get more done in less time and gives us more time to have fun!

Keep things simple. We try to keep our meals, the kids toys, the clothing we own and all else very simple. Clutter can be your biggest enemy when you need an organized environment. Take some time each day to toss things you don't need, donate items that are still useful or if you have LOTS to get rid of, why not bless your family with a little extra cash and have a yard sale or sell some things on Ebay or Craigslist?

Be Realistic. I don't aim for a perfect home. Sure, I would love a picture prefect, magazine style home every day but that is just not practical when we are here working on school art projects, baking bread and chasing an almost two year old from things to thing all day. I try to focus on what matters most like making sure the kitchen stays clean, our clothes are clean, the bathroom is presentable in case we have visitors, etc.

Make It Fun! We make up all sorts of games when we clean and the girls love it, it makes them want to help instead of procrastinating all of their chores. We always get done quicker when we play a game. Music is also good. We like to play one of our favirite CD's and sing along as we clean. It makes the time pass much faster.

Delegate. We have designated chores for each child. My husband and I also have certain chores that we each do during any given week. During times when I am sick or things are more busy than usual my husband always chips in on the day to day chores as well and the girls do a little extra as well. Ask your husband and children for extra help if you need it, I know mine are always happy to help me!

Keep a positive attitude. Daily chores can feel like drudgery if you don't have the right attitude. We like to think of our home as a blessing from God and also everything in it. We strive to remember that God expects us to respect the blessings he bestows upon us and we should be joyful in taking care of them as well as taking care to have a joyful attitude in serving others as well.

Praying your day is a blessed one...

New Chores System

Chores can be a tricky thing to work out in a household. I am always changing how we do our chores. For the most part we have always just worked together to get things done. My girls help according to their ability. However, that doesn't always work well. My 8 yo will get upset because the 6 and 4 yo are not doing as much as she is. This also often leads to children taking it upon themselves to be "in charge" of their siblings to make sure that things are coming along "fairly". Which always leads to spending more time settling arguments than actually getting the chores done.

I have also tried having a rewards system for chores, however this often leads to children asking if they can earn a reward for things like brushing their teeth or throwing our their garbage. My husband and I feel as if those are not things that they should be rewarded for, but instead they are things that they need to learn to do as training for their adult lives. However, we do like to offer rewards of some sort for other chores as an incentive for them and to make things more fun. How can we find a balance?

This week, since I have been working on the homeschool schedule and charts we will be using for this school year, I decided to re-vamp our chore system. Here is how we will work our chores.

First of all, the girls have two lists on their bedroom wall. One is called the "Morning List" and the other is the "Bedtime List". Those lists are for things that each girl needs to do each day and these are not things that will gain them some kind of reward, but things they just have to do. They are also required to pick up after themselves throughout the day, there is not a reward for doing that. The lists I made look like this:

Morning List

Wake Up and get up
Make Your Bed
Put on glasses
Brush Teeth
Get Dressed
Put away your PJ’s
Put your Pull-Ups in the trash
Put any dirty clothes in the laundry room
Take your water cups to the kitchen
Straighten your room
Straighten your bathroom
Turn off your nightlight


Bedtime List

Brush your teeth
Turn on your night light
Put on PJ’s and Pull-Ups
Put dirty laundry in the laundry room
Get 2 dolls and a book
Get a cup of water
Use the potty
Kiss everyone good night
Say your prayers
Get in bed, under your covers
8 pm is time for lights out and go to sleep!

I made the lists on MS Word and added a cute graphic on top of each list.

The next things we will be doing is a reward system for chores not listed on this list. I made a master list of all of our household chores (daily, weekly and as needed). I will now assign a point value to each chore.

Each of my girls have a sticker chart to keep track of their points. For each point earned they will get one sticker. At the end of the week they will be able to cash those points in for "Daddy Dollars" and "Mommy Money". These "play money" bills that I will design on the computer and print out will be able to be cashed in for various things that the girls enjoy such as picking the movie we watch for a family movie night, a turn on the computer to play games, a chance to choose the family treats when we grocery shop, etc. I will have a list of what I will offer for the Mom Money and my husband will have a list of what he will offer for the Daddy Dollars. We will assign a point value to each of these special things.

We will also have a list of things that the children will be "fined" for if they don't do as they are supposed to such as having a bad attitude towards parents or siblings or leaving a mess for others to clean up or not finishing their school work.

My girls really thrive on these kinds of rewards systems. They love the competitive nature of it as well as the excitement of a fun reward at the end of it all. My husband and I think it is great teaching tool as well.

I can't wait to see how this all works out! We have been doing a sort of trial run of this type of system for the past few days and the house has never been cleaner and the girls are getting along really well with very minimal arguing!