Being a stay-at-home mommy, I find it is ever so important to set goals to keep both myself and my children on track. We set goals and establish routines when it comes to housekeeping, meal-planning, homeschooling, you name it, we have a plan of action!
However, every once in awhile, I decide that making lists and plans is annoying, and I stop. Slowly but surely, my brain gets what I call "fogged up", with ideas and plans, lists and things-to-do, and things-I-forgot-to-do-because-it-wasn't-on-a-list! I start hearing things from my kids like, "Mom, I said it 3 times already, why do I have to keep repeating myself? You said you would listen that time!" Ouch. Yup, I did say I would listen, but my foggy brain got in the way. It can keep me from focusing on the precious children God has given me. I never want the tasks I must complete in order to care for them, to get in the way of showing them I how much I care about them!
Writing things down helps me feel more organized. Yes, sometimes the never-ending-list can also make me feel overwhelmed, but having it all written down at least gets it out of my head. Years ago (and yes, sometimes I can even say last week) I would look at those lists and all the things that hadn't been checked off, and I would feel like a total failure. I'm praying and asking God to help me be thankful for what I CAN accomplish in a day, rather than attacking myself for what I didn't. Setting goals and organizing tasks on paper helps me be more efficient, makes it easier to see where I might be able to enlist the help of my children or sweet husband, and also gives me a sense of accomplishment when something has been completed.
Not long ago, I found a beautiful and inspiring planner as a free downloadable here. If you visit her website, and use this tool, please be sure to thank her for providing it! I am printing several out for myself today.
I am especially in need of this tool as we plan to make a few repairs on our home, clear out the 8 years of clutter we've accumulated, put it up for sale, and (God-willing) pack it all up and move! All of this has to be done while continuing with the "normal things" like homeschooling, meal-planning, driving to baseball practice, raising a teenager, etc. etc. Do you see my need for a plan?
I must remind myself, very often, that my plans are just a way to keep myself on track. I try not to put a lot of stock in them, and as I grow older I am less and less disappointed when things don't go my way. This is mostly because I firmly believe that I am not in control. God says in Jeremiah 29:11, "For I know the plans I have for you", declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you, and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." I take deep breaths as I write out my plans, and remind myself that God has me right where He wants me. I ask Him to remove all my perfectionist ways of thinking and help me to remember that what I accomplish, I do so because of His grace. I thank Him in the midst of all the crazy, busy, wonderful tasks that fill my days because I am blessed to be a wife and mother.
Do you set goals in your home? Are you like me with spreadsheets and lists everywhere that both you and the kids refer to daily? Do your kids roll their eyes at you and ask why you like everything so "perfect"? Hee hee . . . I'd love to hear from you!
I'm linking to: Far Above Rubies, Growing Home, Time-Warp Wife
Showing posts with label Homeschooling. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Homeschooling. Show all posts
Homeschooling Links
So I promised to share some of my favorite homeschooling links, and here they are:
http://amblesideonline.org/ This website is completely FREE and has book lists and curriculum scheduling for Pre-K through 11th grade. It follows the Charlotte Mason, classical form of education and is an excellent resource!
http://materamabilis.org/ma/ - This is very similar to the Ambleside site, only it is Catholic based. Wonderful suggestions for curriculum that also follow Charlotte Mason's methods.
http://www.homespellingwords.com/ I just found this one this week and the kids are LOVING their spelling now. The lists are already created for you. Mom just sets up students, grade levels, and which list to begin with, and the student is ready to go! The free program will keep track of tests and let you know how your child is progressing. I have to drag my kids away for the other subjects!
http://www.worldbook.com/typical-course-of-study?wbredirect=1&Itemid=216 While "typical" course of study is something I try not to worry over, this is a good reference for knowing what your child "should" be learning if you are just starting out. Or, if you've been at it for awhile, and just want to reassure yourself that you ARE covering the necessary material.
http://www.homeschoolshare.com/ Recommended by a friend, I love this site for Unit Study and lapbooking resources.
Now, for some other really creative homeschooling ideas, I turn to my favorite blogs!
http://storyofmyworl.blogspot.com/
http://heartofthematteronline.com/
http://spunkyhomeschool.blogspot.com/
http://www.throwingmarshmallows.com/
Homeschooling takes a LOT of stamina and patience. Your children are with you 24/7, they are with each other 24/7. Instead of setting and clearing the table once a day, we do it 3 times! 1 hour of homework help in the evenings is a distant memory. It takes hours of researching, planning, organizing, teaching, encouraging and grading! However, it also means we get more time for snuggling with pajama-clad children after a pancake breakfast for reading. We can stay up until 11 p.m. playing a mean game of Monopoly if we choose. We can go camping whenever we want. Learning science happens in the backyard in a REAL garden and NOT just on a worksheet. And the list of benefits goes on and on. Everyday isn't perfect, but I hope what I'm doing is making a difference. I believe it will . . .
Happy Homeschooling!
http://amblesideonline.org/ This website is completely FREE and has book lists and curriculum scheduling for Pre-K through 11th grade. It follows the Charlotte Mason, classical form of education and is an excellent resource!
http://materamabilis.org/ma/ - This is very similar to the Ambleside site, only it is Catholic based. Wonderful suggestions for curriculum that also follow Charlotte Mason's methods.
http://www.homespellingwords.com/ I just found this one this week and the kids are LOVING their spelling now. The lists are already created for you. Mom just sets up students, grade levels, and which list to begin with, and the student is ready to go! The free program will keep track of tests and let you know how your child is progressing. I have to drag my kids away for the other subjects!
http://www.worldbook.com/typical-course-of-study?wbredirect=1&Itemid=216 While "typical" course of study is something I try not to worry over, this is a good reference for knowing what your child "should" be learning if you are just starting out. Or, if you've been at it for awhile, and just want to reassure yourself that you ARE covering the necessary material.
http://www.homeschoolshare.com/ Recommended by a friend, I love this site for Unit Study and lapbooking resources.
Now, for some other really creative homeschooling ideas, I turn to my favorite blogs!
http://storyofmyworl.blogspot.com/
http://heartofthematteronline.com/
http://spunkyhomeschool.blogspot.com/
http://www.throwingmarshmallows.com/
Homeschooling takes a LOT of stamina and patience. Your children are with you 24/7, they are with each other 24/7. Instead of setting and clearing the table once a day, we do it 3 times! 1 hour of homework help in the evenings is a distant memory. It takes hours of researching, planning, organizing, teaching, encouraging and grading! However, it also means we get more time for snuggling with pajama-clad children after a pancake breakfast for reading. We can stay up until 11 p.m. playing a mean game of Monopoly if we choose. We can go camping whenever we want. Learning science happens in the backyard in a REAL garden and NOT just on a worksheet. And the list of benefits goes on and on. Everyday isn't perfect, but I hope what I'm doing is making a difference. I believe it will . . .
Happy Homeschooling!
My (Belated) Valentine's Gift to You
I hope all of you had a WONDERFUL Valentine's Day and that your husband and children made you feel incredibly appreciated and loved. My hubby came home with a card and some candy for each of the kids (except for Grant, who HATES candy, he brought a bag of beef bites. Don't ask me what those are, but I sure didn't want any!) For me he brought my favorite - peanut m&m's and a funny valentine card. The funniest part was, I picked out the exact same card for him!! We had a good laugh over what a perfect pair we are.
We never really make a big deal out of Valentine's Day because our Anniversary is on the 20th, so it just seems silly to do a bunch of lovey dovey stuff right before then. We like to pack it all in to one occasion. Of course, I wouldn't have my feelings hurt if he showed up with an unexpected vase of flowers, but I never expect that because we came to an agreement years ago not to celebrate.
Today, I've been focusing on staying sane with all the craziness of life. Do you ever have one of those weeks when your calendar is just so full you can't figure out when you're going to have the time to get it all done? That's me this week. I am usually pretty good at time management, but every once in awhile, I just can't figure out how or when the laundry is going to get washed (or folded for that matter?!)
As a homeschooling mom, it is EXTREMELY important for me to keep a set routine for the kids to rotate through when it comes to chores. Without this handy routine, I would probably go cuh-ray-zee! Even with the routine, the house is never really up to my standards (which my kids will tell you is the essence of perfection, and I would be fibbing if I tried to disagree).
Anyhoo - I thought I would share this handy little set of spreadsheets that have brought the sanity back into my life in the hopes that you might be able to utilize them in your own household. Homeschooling or not, what mom wouldn't like a helping hand (or few) around the house? My children are 7, 9 and 13 years old and most of these jobs require little or no supervision from me. They are learning responsibility, teamwork, and most importantly, that when a mess is made, if they don't clean it up then, mom will NOT be cleaning it up later. They have become more conscious about cleaning up after themselves, which makes a WORLD of difference around here!
Ok darn it, after several tries I cannot for the life of me figure out how to get the image of the spreadsheet on here - I guess I have a lot more to learn about this computer stuff - ha!
So I am just going to do the best I can, bare with me (or is it bear, cause you want to growl in frustration?) ugh!
I'm going to start off with one spreadsheet and we'll continue this in a later post, um-kay?
In the bathroom, we have:
Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday
Wipe counters Grant Grace Reece Grant Grace
and sink
Wipe mirror and Grace Reece Grant Grace Reece
around toilet
Swiffer the floor Reece Grant Grace Reece Grant
Do you get the idea? I have the spreadsheet actually printed and posted inside the linen cabinet in the kids' bathroom. They know exactly what they are supposed to do every morning. No need for arguing, no need to tell me who did or didn't do what yesterday, no haggling with them. It's wonderful!
As promised, I will share more of my housework spreadsheets in a later post. I will also be filling you in on the progress we've made on the Love Yourself, Lose Your Junk Mission in Grace's room.
If you have any ideas on how to run a smoother household, I would LOVE to hear them!
Blessings to you,
Dafne
I hope all of you had a WONDERFUL Valentine's Day and that your husband and children made you feel incredibly appreciated and loved. My hubby came home with a card and some candy for each of the kids (except for Grant, who HATES candy, he brought a bag of beef bites. Don't ask me what those are, but I sure didn't want any!) For me he brought my favorite - peanut m&m's and a funny valentine card. The funniest part was, I picked out the exact same card for him!! We had a good laugh over what a perfect pair we are.
We never really make a big deal out of Valentine's Day because our Anniversary is on the 20th, so it just seems silly to do a bunch of lovey dovey stuff right before then. We like to pack it all in to one occasion. Of course, I wouldn't have my feelings hurt if he showed up with an unexpected vase of flowers, but I never expect that because we came to an agreement years ago not to celebrate.
Today, I've been focusing on staying sane with all the craziness of life. Do you ever have one of those weeks when your calendar is just so full you can't figure out when you're going to have the time to get it all done? That's me this week. I am usually pretty good at time management, but every once in awhile, I just can't figure out how or when the laundry is going to get washed (or folded for that matter?!)
As a homeschooling mom, it is EXTREMELY important for me to keep a set routine for the kids to rotate through when it comes to chores. Without this handy routine, I would probably go cuh-ray-zee! Even with the routine, the house is never really up to my standards (which my kids will tell you is the essence of perfection, and I would be fibbing if I tried to disagree).
Anyhoo - I thought I would share this handy little set of spreadsheets that have brought the sanity back into my life in the hopes that you might be able to utilize them in your own household. Homeschooling or not, what mom wouldn't like a helping hand (or few) around the house? My children are 7, 9 and 13 years old and most of these jobs require little or no supervision from me. They are learning responsibility, teamwork, and most importantly, that when a mess is made, if they don't clean it up then, mom will NOT be cleaning it up later. They have become more conscious about cleaning up after themselves, which makes a WORLD of difference around here!
Drum roll . . .
tap your fingers . . .
here come the spreadsheets . . .
are you tired of waiting yet?
Ok darn it, after several tries I cannot for the life of me figure out how to get the image of the spreadsheet on here - I guess I have a lot more to learn about this computer stuff - ha!
So I am just going to do the best I can, bare with me (or is it bear, cause you want to growl in frustration?) ugh!
I'm going to start off with one spreadsheet and we'll continue this in a later post, um-kay?
In the bathroom, we have:
Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday
Wipe counters Grant Grace Reece Grant Grace
and sink
Wipe mirror and Grace Reece Grant Grace Reece
around toilet
Swiffer the floor Reece Grant Grace Reece Grant
Do you get the idea? I have the spreadsheet actually printed and posted inside the linen cabinet in the kids' bathroom. They know exactly what they are supposed to do every morning. No need for arguing, no need to tell me who did or didn't do what yesterday, no haggling with them. It's wonderful!
As promised, I will share more of my housework spreadsheets in a later post. I will also be filling you in on the progress we've made on the Love Yourself, Lose Your Junk Mission in Grace's room.
If you have any ideas on how to run a smoother household, I would LOVE to hear them!
Blessings to you,
Dafne
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