One Down, Lots To Go

Making a little progress on our to-do list. I did all the school bookshelves today. I think they look great and I can think a lot more clearly now that I know where to find everything. Let's see how long we can keep them this way! On to the next project tomorrow.... :)

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.

Homemaking and Homeschool Freebies

This link has some really cool downloads for use for the home and for homeschool.

Menu planner sheets, blank grocery sheets, handwriting paper, Scripture memory system, etc. Lots of goodies!

Enjoy!

What are you doing today?

Whenever I post about what I am doing on any given day I always wonder what other people are up to on that same day. So tell me everyone, what ARE you doing today? :0)

Today I have one big project to tackle. I am going to sort our clothing and take out all the things that done fit the girls any more any all the things that hubby and I have been hanging onto that either don't fit or are worn out. I'm doing the same for the linen closet. Then all the drawers and closets will be organized when we put everything back.

This morning I put a roast in the crock pot for dinner and started some yams baking in a smaller crock pot. I'll use those for muffins later on this week. Later on I'm going to start a batch of yogurt in the tiny crock pot. (Yes, I know I have a LOT of crock pots, LOL!)

The girls are playing Speed Stacks in the front room and 2 yo is filling any and every things she can find with water from the water cooler and pouring it all over the floor. I often wonder why someone doesn't invent a lock for those coolers to prevent little ones from flooding the floor. Hummm... maybe I should invent one! :0)

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!

A Tour Of Our Home

I was visiting Candy's blog today and had so much fun seeing all the blog posts, photo slide shows and videos from ladies sharing tours of their homes. Candy asked that if anyone wanted to do a home tour that they send her a link of a tour to their home. So, that is what this post is all about. Thanks Candy for allowing us into your home and organizing all the posts for all to enjoy!

Since my family is visiting us from out of town this coming weekend, and two of the girls are sick today, I had planned to do a good cleaning today. A prefect day to shoot some pics of our lovely home! So here is the tour, I hope you enjoy visiting with me at home today. :0)

Here is our front entry way. This is exactly what you would see if you came to visit me today, as soon as I open the door this little cutie would be right there to greet you. She just loves having company.

As you entered my front room you would see a couple more cutie pies (both sick) resting on the sofas.
There is one additional sofa so you can sit down and visit with us and relax.

Here is our TV, hutch and a play kitchen set area . Not quite my idea of good decorating but it's functional this way so we like it :0)


The next stop is the kitchen.

I am still working on the dishes so a few are awaiting me, soaking in and right beside the sink. I will get those done later on when we are done with the rest of the house cleaning.

We've got a great little island in the kitchen which is a perfect place to prepare salads and work on cookie baking.

On the other side of the island is my sewing nook. Lots of projects in the works!

This is our dining and homeschool area.

It has a nice little sofa and chair for the kids to sit and read.


Here is my helper for the day, she's doing a great job helping Mama clean!

OK, now down the hall way.

Here's the laundry room.


And this is our office/guest room.


Here is the girls bathroom.

And the girls bedroom.

Now on down the hall again to the master bedroom.


This is also our 2 year old's room (until we get a bunk bed for the big girls and make room for her in their room).


And finally our master bathroom.


I hope you enjoyed visiting with us today, we loved having you!

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...

A Blessed Mess

Have you ever looked at your house when it was messy and thought of how blessed you are? Normally, that is not my first reaction. But last night it was. We had a very long day, running errands all over town and came home to quite a mess which it was much too late to tackle. I just stood there and thought of how much God has blessed us. The fact that my kids have all these toys that many children only wish they could have... the fact that there were lots and lots of groceries to put away that many families cannot afford... the fact that the laundry was piled up reminded me of all the people who are in need of clothing in the world. I didn't see the mess, I saw the blessings bestowed upon us by a mighty and awesome God!

We spent a lot of time last week organizing things. Bookshelves were sorted and reorganized in anticipation for several packages of brand new books that are due to arrive any day to add to our homeschool library. Closets were sorted and organized in anticipation of an upcoming shopping trip for new winter items, the kitchen was cleaned and organized for yesterday's shopping trip.

This morning the house is still a bit messy and my girls and I are off to clean it right now so we can spend the afternoon learning.

It's easy to feel down when faced with the never ending job of keeping your home in order, but when those kinds of thoughts try to get you down, just remember that all that needs to be cleaned up and kept in order are true blessings from God.

Pray you are having a blessed day!