Blessings From Home

Putting off 'til Tomorrow....

What can be done today! I have always been one to put things off, not just little things either. I am always waiting for the bigger, better thing to do what I need to do. What I mean is....I'll take better care of my house when I'm living in a house that is ours.....I'll lose weight when the weather's warmer and I can go walking....or I'll do "this" when "that" happens. Crazy, huh?!

The problem is that when that "thing" finally happens, do you think I follow through, usually not. The big one I'm facing right now is taking care of my house and all the duties it entails. No, this isn't "our" house, it's  a rental, but it's where our family is living right now, and that's what matters. I really need to focus on growing where I'm planted. Taking care of the things that are right in front of my face. Doing the things that need to be done today and not waiting until tomorrow or the next day, or the next month. This has been on my heart all weekend and I just wanted to share.

Blessings, sara

Managers of their Homes

Someone recently told me about the book at Titus 2 called Managers of their Homes and also Managers of their chores. With my recent worries over homeschooling and getting it all done, it looks like something that would be very helpful. I realize a self help book like these are only helpful if you're willing to get up and do what they say, but I'm hoping that this is what we're looking for. Has anyone here ever used these books and if so what were your thoughts on them?

Sara

Decluttering

Well, today, I threw out all thoughts of going through my house and decluttering in any kind of organizational fashion (yeah right, what was I thinking). And I did the box method. You know what I'm talking about, the keep box, yard sale box, the belongs in another room box, and a trash bag for all the trash. And I didn't start in a room that I'm in all the time, like the kitchen or the den, I started in the room that bothered me the most. The back room of my house. The room that has no real purpose, except for the storage of my many, many sewing and crafting supplies and miscellaneous junk. In other words, the room where everything that doesn't go anywhere gets put.

And right now, it is also the room where we are gathering everything we can to have a yard sale. So as you can probably tell, the room is just jam-packed with stuff. So I went in there with 3 boxes and a trash bag, and I went through every ounce of stuff in there and got rid of quite a bit. Now if that were all I had to do, that would be great, but now I need to go through and organize all the keep stuff, which will be my hope for doing tomorrow. I'm hoping if I can get through in that room, then I can make lots of room for all the yard sale stuff I'm going to have. xxfingers crossedxx

Tomorrow we will be going to church in the morning, and I will spend the rest of the day organizing what I've gone through, while hubby watches the superbowl game.

I'm going to organize the stuff into categories of what all is in the room. From what I can tell I've got:

Fabric

Sewing notions(buttons, thread, elastic, etc)

Embroidery

Crocheting and knitting(needles, hooks, yarn, etc)

Painting supplies

Office and school supplies

And of course all the miscellaneous stuff that doesn't really have a specific category. I'm off to bed for now. More updates on my "mission declutter and organize tomorrow." Have a blessed night!

Working on a new routine

I haven't been posting as often as usual because I think I've finally learned to put God, my family, and my house first. Don't think it came easily or naturally, because it didn't. I had to learn to ask the Lord, please help me prioritize my life as you would have it. That along with the fact that my ever surmounting duties are piling up on me like Mount Washmore. One day I just stopped and looked around and I was shocked at what I saw. Laundry piled everywhere, kids running a muck, a disorderly house, and a husband who was none too pleased about any of it. I don't know how my house got into that state. I was usually at least keeping my head afloat. I know a lot of it has to do with the little boy I've been babysitting and the many extra duties that he brings. My husband told me though that it would make him feel so much better if I kept watching him, and I will. I've just got to prioritize and work my schedule around so that all things are getting done. Not an easy feat, but if it makes my husband happy, then I'm happy.

So far my schedule looks something like this...

6am-wake up, get hubby up, and help him get out the door on time, get dressed, fix breakfast.

6:30am-wake up kids, eat breakfast, get them dressed and ready for the day.

7:15am-Maddy leaves on the bus for school. Little boy I babysit arrives. His grandma always brings dry cereal and milk and that's what he has for breakfast every morning. I clean the kitchen from breakfast.

7:30am-I usually have time for a little computer time, but if I'm not done with everything else, then it has to wait.

8am-11:30am-I spend this time doing my daily chores, working on laundry, etc. Oldest son helps and does his own chores while my youngest and the little boy stay close by and help me with little jobs, and I keep an eye on them.

11:30am-12:30pm-This is when I fix lunch for hubby and kids and then we clean up.

12:30pm-Quick pick up. The kids and I take this time to do a quick clean up around the house picking up toys, trash, etc.

12:45pm- Get the quilt out and get the two little ones ready for a nap.

1pm-2:45pm- Nap time for the littles. Schooltime with son. Most of the time we don't get done before the little ones wake up. So we usually finish up what we're doing and stop until later.

2:45pm-Maddy arrives home. Pick up blankets from nap. Snack time.

3:30pm-Get little boy ready to go. Shoes on, bag ready, etc.

4pm-Homework time. We finish up any homeschool work and I spend some time with Maddy reviewing her schoolwork and doing any homework with her.

5pm-Start dinner (if it hasn't already been started in the morning. )

6pm-Eat and clean up

7pm-Family time

8pm-baths and bedtime. After all are in bed, I usually take my shower/bath and spend some time with hubby or on the computer or working on a project. Then I try and spend some time in prayer and in God's word.

10pm- mom's bedtime...at least sometimes. Sometimes I end up staying up late on the computer or working on something.

I know all of that looks like too much. But honestly most days look like this. The problems occur when the little ones don't want to play nice or behave themselves and I'm not able to get all my housework done, or when one of them won't take a nap and I end up not getting schoolwork all done until close to bedtime.

I'm not sure how much longer I will be babysitting. I know I have spring break off and the summer off as the little boy's grandma works for the school system, but we may be looking to move sometime in April if the Lord sees fit to find us a better, cheaper rent house. April is when our lease is up. We'll just have to see how it goes. I actually do not have him most of this week because my youngest is sick with what her little grandson had. Imagine that? And we've got a lot of other to-do's going on. I'm just going to keep on praying God's will in this and all things in our life. I know He has plans for us and will lead us in the right direction.

Blessing,

Sara

Time to get to work....

So I went and got the boxes today for the big pack up of toys and things. And let me tell you, with our 50 mph winds, this was no small feat. My little sister helped me, and I think she nearly got airborne a couple of times and one of the boxes smacked her in the face. lol. I felt bad, but couldn't help but laugh out loud about it. So the boxes are now here and tomorrow I will set to work.

I'm still working on a plan as to how to go about this, but I'm thinking that I will go ahead and start with the clothes. Hopefully this will help me as well. I've decided to go ahead with 5 outfits, 5 pairs of underwear, 5 socks, 1 pair of pjs, and 1 church outfit. Everything else will go straight into garage sale box or an earn back box. I'm actually planning on doing this for myself as well. I think it will help me get a handle on the laundry, and after all is said and done, we may be able to go down to just a few outfits for each person. But more than anything, I just want to be able to get a handle on everything and for us to all learn how to take care of our belongings.

The clothes alone may take me a couple of days, especially since I'll be sorting to be gotten rid of and to pack away, but I'm not going to stop until I'm done, except to take care of my other household duties and ofcourse to sleep. Then I'll move onto the toys, and books, and puzzles. Each child will get to choose 1 toy, 1 book, and 1 stuffed animal, and maybe 1 puzzle, but I'll have to think about that. I'm trying my best to be as realistic and as organized as I can about this, and want my children to understand that they will not just be given "things" anymore, that they must earn them from here on out. This whole process may take me as much as a week, but once it's done, the lesson begins. I'm going to take pictures before I get started and after I'm done as well.

I've decided, after some much needed self evaluation, that my children aren't the only ones in need of a major overhaul and I will be packing many of my own belongings away until I can learn to take care of them, mostly my sewing and craft stuff that tends to get out of hand.

In other news, the house that I spoke of yesterday that we may be moving into may be a while before we actually get to move in. I got to look inside it today, and it needs a lot of cleaning. It's just plain filthy, and there was mold in a couple of places. eww! I'm afraid if they don't fix it up, then we may be out of luck. Hubby and I talked and decided that we would just wait it out here until the Lord showed us where he wanted us. I figure if this is where He wants us for now, then He'll help us find a way to keep paying the rent. Hubby and I will be taking a homebuyers class on the 12th which should help our credit rating. Maybe by the time our lease is up, our credit will be a lot better.

So tomorrow starts day 1 of Operation Overhaul. Let me know if you're joining me in this big endeavor. Ladies, let's start our engines.

Major Changes

I found this link through Deanna's blog, and have just loved looking through all of the wonderful archives. One thing that definately stuck out to me here lately was the post where she spoke of helping her children learn to care for their things little by little. Meaning, she cleared their rooms of everything except the basic needs and gave them only 3 outfits and their bed to care for and once they were able to care for those things properly, she gave them more to tend to. This is something that I am going to be doing...for several reasons. First of all, because my children have become incapable of taking care of their things, chaos has ensumed, and mom's not happy about it. And secondly, as we are striving for a more simpler life this year, I think it will help them to appreciate their belongings a bit more, and give me a chance to do a major decluttering. So over the next few weeks, I am going to be doing a major overhaul. I am going to go out tomorrow and find some boxes, as many as I can find, and then I am going to start going through their rooms. Everything will be packed away, except for one set of bed linens, one pajama set, 3 outfits, and one toy. As I pack everything away, I will keep one box for garage sale/give away and another box for toys to be earned back, and another box for clothes to earn back. I am hoping and praying that this will give my children the chance to respect their parents and their belongings a lot better.

And while I'm at it, I will be decluttering throughout the house. I plan on getting rid of so much stuff, not just out of want, but out of need. The clutter in our life takes up too much space, not only physical space but mental space. I'm tired of spending all my time worrying about what I'm going to do with all this "stuff". Laundry, for instance, it's piled a mile high on my dryer, and why, because I don't know what to do with it. Why do we do this to ourselves? I want so many things for my life and for the lives of my family? But I know we will never accomplish these things, if we don't simplify and organize what we have, and if we don't have respect for the belongings that we do have.

While reading through the Little House books over the last weeks, I often wonder how these families were only able to pack what they could get on their wagon. It's because they only had what they needed, not what they wanted. That's not to say that we shouldn't have things we want, but we need to really consider why we want these things. Is it because somebody gave it to us and we would feel guilty if we got rid of it, even if we don't love it, need it, or use it? For instance, my MIL gave me this creamer that looks like a cow, that's ok, but it is painted in these awful colors that makes it look, well, nothing like a cow. I don't love it, need it, or use it, so why should I keep it. Would my MIL be mad if I got rid of it, well maybe, but I think she would be happier knowing that I'm happier without it.

I will be blogging about some major changes in our life in future posts. We've made such significant changes just since last year, and we have grown so much. I think that this next step of major decluttering will help us grow even more. I'll try and post daily about how much I've gotten done and what I've done to simplify our lives and to save us money.

In other news, today we rung in the New Year with some blackeyed peas and cornbread. We did some cleaning and a little decluttering. We are supposed to talk to somebody tomorrow about getting financing for a house. We'll also talk to the realtor about looking at that house that we found that we have both fallen in love with. Please continue to pray for us as you see fit. This seems so right for us, but may just be out of our grasp. Blessings,

Sara    

Where's my Motivation?

Well, if you saw in my house right now, you would think I should have plenty of motivation, but for some reason, I just don't. My house is a wreck, we're completely off schedule, and I'm just not sure where to begin. I feel so guilty for not taking care of my home and family the way I should be. So what am I going to do? How about getting off my rear and just doing it!

I long so much for a simple life...One in which I have a clean, clutter free home and a happy family. But I know I can't get that by just sitting here hoping it will happen on it's own. My lack of energy and self discipline is dragging me down and taking my family with it. I know what I need to do, so why do I keep sabotaging myself.

My husband said something to me the other night as we were talking about finding another home and my hopes and dreams of having a few small farm animals. He said, you can't take care of what we've got, so what  makes you think you can handle more responsibility...ouch, that hurt! But it was the truth. I realized right then and there that I would have to prove myself to him and show him that I'm capable of doing what's needed of me. But what did I do the whole next day....nothing. So last night, I sat there trying to formulate a plan. I decided my first step would be to decide what my husband wants and what I want...our goals and dreams. So I've been working on a list (yes, those darn lists again) of things that I know are important to both of us. Things such as a clean home, a simpler life, etc. I'll post more on that later, and then I decided I needed to figure out how I was going to attain these things. And then I'm going to post it on my refrigerator, so it's there to stare at me every day, making me ask myself what have you done today to attain your goals? But for now, what needs to be done is I just need to get off here and get some work done. I'll post later on as I have time about things I'm going to be doing to get these things done. Praying your day is a blessed one!

Sara 

HMB-Section 2-Basic Weekly Plan

Ok, I'm finally back to this, and my computer's working, so when I get through I'll post a picture of it all. Today, I'm going to share my Basic Weekly Plan. It's what I do everyday to keep up with weekly tasks.

Basic Weekly Plan

Monday-

1. Weekly Home Blessing

   a. change sheets

   b. cull and toss mail and school papers

   c. dust

   d. clean mirrors and doors

   e. vacuum

   f. sweep/mop

  g. take out all trash

2. Zone work

3. Laundry-towels, sheets, diapers, and fabric

Tuesday-

1. Sewing/Handwork

2. Work at mom's house for 1-2 hours helping clean

3. Zone work

4. Laundry-darks

Wednesday-

1. Clean out fridge

2. Make menu and shopping list

3. Homeschool Prep (I like to do this on Wednesday so that I can list any extras we might need for a project before I go shopping.)

4. Prepare letters and packages to be mailed

5. Prepare bills

6. Review budget

7. Zone work (This is my main zone work day. I usually only spend 15 minutes a day on whatever zone I'm in, but on Wednesday, I try and spend at least 30 minutes.)

8. Laundry-denim and diapers

Thursday-

1. Errands-library, bills, post office, shopping

2. Zone work

3. Laundry-lights

Friday-

1. Clean out vehicles

2. Clean out purse/diaper bag

3. Pet care-fish, cat, dog

4. Straighten desks

5. Straighten laundry room

6. Zone work

7. Laundry-whites and diapers

Saturday-

1. Sewing

2. Baking (I like to do the bulk of my baking, canning, etc on Saturdays, but do still do some during the week)

3. Yard/garden work

4. Family Fun Day

5. Projects (projects are things that really need working on that I don't usually get around to in my zone cleaning, like the shed this weekend.)

6. Get ready for Sunday

Sunday-

1. Church

2. Family dinner (I try and make a big meal on this day and invite close family and friends when we can)

3. Rest

And that's my basic weekly plan. Up next I think will be my zones. I'll get to that in the next couple of days. Be blessed, Sara

HMB-Section 1-Schedules & Routines

Ok, I've been putting in some work on my Home Management Binder & here's what I've got so far.

Master Schedule

Time	Mom	Nicholas	Madelynn	Emily
6:00 am	Morning Routine Begins	Asleep	Asleep	Asleep
6:30 am	Morning Routine	Morning Routine Begins	Morning Routine Begins	Morning Routine Begins
7:00 am	Morning Routine	Morning Routine	Morning Routine	Morning Routine
7:30 am	Mom’s Morning Break	Morning Chores	Off to school	Playing
8:00 am	Home school Begins	Home School Begins	At School	Playing or doing “school” with us
11:00 am	Finish up/Clean up	Finish up/Clean up	At school	Clean up
11:30 am	Lunch Prep	Lunch Prep	At school	Lunch prep
12:00 pm	Eat/clean up	Eat/clean up	At school	Eat/clean up
12:30 pm	Outside time/ Fun time with kids T-cleaning at mom’s Th-Errand Day	Outside/Fun time with kids T-Cleaning at nana’s Th-Errand Day	At school	Outside/Fun time with kids T-Cleaning at Nana’s Th-Errand Day
1:00 pm	Mom’s daily chores	Free Time/Helping mom	At School	Free time/helping mom
2:00 pm	Mom’s Daily Chores	Resting/Reading/ Playing Quietly	At school	Nap time
3:00 pm	Afternoon Routine	Afternoon Routine	Afternoon Routine	Napping
4:30 pm	Prep for dinner	Helping with dinner	Helping with dinner	Helping with dinner
6:00 pm	Dinner	Dinner	Dinner	Dinner
6:30 pm	Before Bedtime Routine Begins	Before Bedtime Routine Begins	Before Bedtime Routine Begins	Before Bedtime Routine Begins
8:30 pm	Tucking kids in bed, take shower	Bedtime	Bedtime	Bedtime
9:00 pm	Free Time	Asleep	Asleep	Asleep
10:00 pm	Mom in Bed, reading	Asleep	Asleep	Asleep
10:30 pm	Lights out	Asleep	Asleep	Asleep

Home Management Binder~Getting started and Sections

I'm working on my home management binder this week, and I wanted to first share what I am using for my binder and what sections I have all in my binder. I wish I could share a picture but as I said in an earlier post, my main computer is on the fritz and I'm working from my laptop.

I have a 3 inch ring binder with pockets on the front and back cover. On the front cover I typed up a page that says Home Management Binder then spaced down aways and then typed up one of my favorite inspirational scriptures, Proverbs 31. And then where the space is, I glued down a family photo of all of us.  On the back cover I have various pictures of my kids. 

On the inside, I have one of those little zipper things to keep my pencils and stuff in. And now on to the sections.

~Schedules and Routines                    ~Basic Weekly Plan

~Zone Work and Cleaning                  ~Homeschool/Child Training

~Health                                            ~Sewing and Crafts

~Budget                                            ~Goals and Dreams

~Holidays and Gift Giving                  ~Miscellaneous

Over the next few days or weeks (as time permits), I will share what I add to my Home management binder, and hopefully share some pictures. If you are working on your HMB then please let me know so I can check out what you're adding to yours. Candy's  Blog has some great info on HMBs. Have a blessed night!
Sara

A Hitch in my Plans

Don't you just love the unexpected whenever you try to make big plans. Well, my big plans were to get this house in order, and my plans have gone under, so to speak. I started strong in the bathroom, and the next day as I was ready to tackle the next area of my house...we got sick. My kidney problems are flaring up and giving me much pain, I have lost my voice and have got a sinus headache. My middle daughter is also sick with a kidney infection and a horrible cough. So we have put things on hold for just a bit. So that we can heal ourselves. I also realized that I won't be able to get things done as quickly as I hoped to as I have so many other things that I have to do daily and only have a couple of hours during the day  to really work on deep cleaning my home. So I have to be realistic in this, but I still really want to work on my home. I will post later when I have more time about what I will be doing to get it all done. Until then,

Sara

Mission Clean and Simplify-Area 1-Main Bathroom

Well, I chose to start with the smallest room in the house, because I have a lot going on today, and it won't take too much effort to get it done. There's nothing like instant gratification to get you going. Here's my before picture as promised.

I am setting a goal of 1 day to get this room complete top to bottom. Sorry the photos not the best, my camera is acting up. Behind the door to the left is a large linen closet as well.  Yes, there's clothes laying in the floor and stuff piled on the cabinet. I told you, I was ready to share the good, the bad, and the ugly. So my goals for this room are:

~General pick up and put away

~Laundry, including clothes, towels, and rugs

~Scrub toilet, tub, and sink

~Take mini blinds down and wash them in the tub and hang to dry

~Wipe down walls, windows, doors, baseboards, and mirrors

~Wipe down fixtures and towel rods

~Declutter, clean, and organize the linen closet

~Declutter and organize the abundant hair accessories

~Declutter, clean, and organize bathroom cabinet

~Scrub down trash can

~Vacuum really good (using crevice tool and getting in corners, etc)

While I'm at all this cleaning and decluttering, I've got a special notebook that I'll be writing my goals list on and I'll be taking notes while I'm in each room for things like...things I need to buy or make for this area, decorating ideas, etc. I should say that we are renting this house, so like for instance, as much as I hate the wallpaper in the bathroom, and in several areas of my home, I have to decorate around it, but I see no reason not to decorate the areas of my home as I would in a home of my own, so that when we do buy a home, I'll have everything but the wall color to decorate. Know what I mean? If you can't see in this room, my theme of decorations is rubber ducky with a little country mixed in.

So far on my notes for this bathroom, I already have:

~ make a curtain for the window

~get some more baskets for organization and decorating

So there you have it my first goal to accomplish. I will probably post pictures tomorrow or else right before I go to bed. If I don't get it done for some reason today, that's okay, but it just gives me a goal to shoot for. If you're joining in with me, I can't wait to see how you're doing!

Also on my to do list for today is:

~homeschool

~keep up with kitchen chores

~laundry

~quick pick up during our afternoon routine

~go work at my mom's house ( This is something new I am taking on. I will be going over to my mom's house to clean her house for a couple hours every Tuesday to help her out and to earn a little extra money.)

~Cub scouts tonight

~pay gas bill

And that will be my day. I pray your day is amazingly blessed beyond measure!

Love,

Sara

Rutt Buster Monday and my plan of action

Well, Joanne and Rashel have got me motivated to get out of this rutt I have been in. Unfortunately today, I have been having bad kidney stone and UTI pain, but I still managed to get a lot done around my house, just not as much as I'd have liked to. The good news though is I have a plan of action in mind of how I am going to get this house organized and cleaned up and here's how....

I have got 14 areas of my home that need attention. Those 14 areas are:  Outside (meaning the front porch, driveway, back patio, and yard), the shed, the attic, the family room, the den, the laundry room, the girl's room, the dining room, my son's room, the main bathroom, the master bedroom, the master bathroom, the kitchen, and the sewing/storage room. Now some of these areas need more attention than others. So I am going to look at each area and make a goal for how long that room is going to take me. I am going to choose one area at a time. I will take before and after pictures, even of the most horrible areas of my home.  I'm ready to share the good, the bad, and the ugly.

The rules are that I have to work on that area until it's done, but I also have to perform my daily routines and duties such as homeschooling my son, dishes, cooking, laundry, etc, as well as keep the areas clean that I have already worked on. But I will put my main focus on that area and get it done as close to the specified amount of time as I can.

In the area I'm working on, I will do everything from decluttering to decorating to deep cleaning. This is not something I do often, and is desperately needed. My main goal is to get it all done by the end of the month (23 days starting tomorrow), and to maintain it by following the Flylady zones. I will not work on the areas in any specific order. I will just pick the area that is bothering me the most, and then move on to the next area when I'm finished. I would love it if someone would like to join me in this "mission organization" (for lack of a more original name) but if not, just enjoy the ride, because I have had my fill of this mess.  If you've had your fill of messiness and are ready to get ready for the holidays without having to worry about it, then join in with me. I'll be starting tomorrow. I'll post which area I am working on, the before picture, and the goals I have for that area. I'm ready and motivated, and off to bed for now. I pray your Monday was blessed, and I'll "see" you all tomorrow!

Love,

Sara

My Home Management Binder

So where do I keep all this information that I have shared with you. Well, I didn't care for the name "Control Journal", I preferred the name Home Management Binder. It's a huge binder where I keep all my most important information, which includes...

My Calender

My Routines and Schedule

My Basic Weekly Plan

My Zones and Detailed Cleaning Lists

Menu Plans with Grocery Lists(still working on this one)

Finances(This is where I keep track of financial goals and reminders)

Children(This is where I keep track of things I want to remember about my kids, something funny they said or did, the kids chores, and also where I keep track of doctor's visits, and more recently where I've started putting homeschooling info)

Recipes( Actually, this section got so big, it got it's own binder. I keep not only my favorite recipes off of the internet in there and other favorites, but also all the recipes I use to make homemade cleaners and laundry detergent. It stays in my kitchen)

Family and Friends (This is where I keep my list of gift ideas for different people)

Special Projects( I keep my list of projects to complete here)

Personal Section (I keep a list of personal goals here, weight loss, spiritual, etc.)

Important Phone Numbers

That's about all of the sections I keep in my home management binder. I do have other binders I keep for special things such as my recipe binder, a holiday binder, my big financial binder, where I keep more info on things such as loans, payoffs, etc. Something I am currently working on is making my children their own binder with things like their routines, their bedroom zones, special chores, personal section, etc. More on that later.

Zone Cleaning

One of the last areas I wanted to share with you is my zones. Once again this is based off of Flylady.

Zone 1-Front Porch, Entry, and Dining Room (First week of the month)

Zone 2-The Kitchen (Second week of the month)

Zone 3-The Bathroom and one extra room (Third week of the Month)

Zone 4-Master Bedroom and Bathroom (Fourth week of the month)

Zone 5-Living Room and Den (Fifth week of the month.

My extra rooms include-the laundry room, the girl's room, my son's room, and my sewing room. Those get alternated out each time I get to zone 3. I spend 15 minutes each day on whatever zone I'm in, except on Wednesday when I do my big jobs in my zone. My 15 minutes is spent decluttering, organizing or deep cleaning. On the zones that I have more than one area to work on, like Zone 5, I spend either 15 minutes in each room per day or I alternate them throughout the week, whichever I have more time for.  This week is a short week for zone 5, because I only work on it from the 28th through the 31st, Tomorrow I will work on Zone 1 and it will be a short week for that also. Meanwhile, I've been working on getting my kids their own zones for their rooms which I'll talk about more later. All this may not make sense to much, but it works for us, so I like it.  

My Basic Weekly Plan

Hello all, I've been enjoying posting my schedules and routines and decided to keep on with some more on how things run in my house. I also wanted to thank the people who commented on my schedule. I do realize that it looks too rigid, but really it's just a starting point for me. I know I'll never get it down to where I follow it perfectly or that it will be the same way every day. It's just there more or less to help me focus. So anywho, on to my basic weekly plan. My BWP is what I try and get done during my morning chore time, or at least most of it done by then. Like I said, I generally follow Flylady's guidelines for routines and that's where I got my BWP. So here it goes.

Sunday-Renew Your Spirit

1. Church

2. Family Dinner

Monday-Weekly Home Blessing

1. Home Blessing Hour

  a. change sheets  b. cull/toss old mail and papers  c. take all trash out  d. dust  e. sweep/vacuum 

  f. mop

2. Do zone work

3. Laundry-wash sheets and towels

Tuesday-Free Day

1. Work on projects

2. Spend Time with kids

3. Water/ Fertilize plants

4. Do zone work

5. Laundry-Darks

Wednesday-Cleaning and Partial Desk Day

1. Clean out fridge

2. Thank you notes, letters, and packages ready

3. Make menu and shopping list for tomorrow

4. Do zone work-This is the day I do my big jobs in the zone

5. Laundry-denim

Thursday-Errand Day

1. Prepare bills and deposits

2. Errands-bank, post office, library, other shopping(gifts, etc), grocery store

3. Do zone work

4. Laundry-lights

Friday-Cleaning and Partial Desk day

1. Clean out car

2. Clean out purse/diaper bag

3. File papers

4. Prepare for next week homeschool

5. Do zone work

6. Laundry-whites

7. Clean out laundry room

Saturday-Family Fun Day

1. Have fun with family

2. Work out in the yard together

3. Game night

4. Movie night

That about sums up my basic weekly plan. If any of you have one you would like to share, I'd love to hear it. Blessings,

Sara

Free Time and Quiet Time Activities

Here is a list of some of the activites I let my kids do during their Free time. I call it free time, that way they can feel like the get to do what they want, but I still have some control. I'm working on writing these up on poster board so the kids can refer to them when I tell them it's free time.

Free Time Activities

-Puzzles

-Playdoh

-Computer time-15 minutes per peson-mom's choice of website

-Coloring

-Painting

-Outside-weather permitting

-T.V.-30 minutes-1 hour-educational-mom's choice

-Free Play with their toys

Mom's Free Time Activities

-Computer Time-30 minutes

-Sewing or other project

-Catch up on chores

-Play with Kids

Quiet time is a bit different as that is when the youngers take a nap. So at free time the choice are...

Quiet Time

-nap

-reading

-quiet activity in your room-mom's choice

Well that's all for now, more to come on my zone cleaning and basic weekly plan.

Blessings,

Sara

Schedules and Routines

In an effort to get more organized for homeschooling as well as just daily life in our home, I sat down today and rewrote our schedule and daily routines. I enjoy the way Flylady teaches about routines and basic weekly plans and even zones, but that's where my fascination stops. I don't care for her long and plentiful emails that tend to do nothing but try and sell her products. So I use her system as a basis for my family. So our tentative schedule is as follows....

-6:00am-Wake up-Morning Routine

-8:30am-Homeschool begins( we're starting with Bible stories, devotionals, and hyms, we'll add more as we go along)

-10:00am-Morning Chores(the kids will have a list of chores to do as well)

-11:30am-Fix lunch-eat-clean up

-12:30pm-Free time( I have a list of free time activities)

-2:00pm-Quiet time( I also have a list of quiet time activities)

-3:00pm-Afternoon Routine

--4:30pm- Start dinner

-6:00pm-Dinner time

-6:30pm-Before Bed Routine

-10:00pm-Mom's Bedtime

Now like I said, this schedule is tentative...there are days that will look nothing like this. Like on T-ball nights, our before bed routine is a bit later than usual because we leave at 5:15 and don't get home until 7:45. So dinner is usually late and all else follows. I'm able to schedule our appointments into our Free time when possible. My morning chores are different every day of the week. Also as our homeschooling subjects grow, our homeschooling time will expand. I'm not exactly sure how much time will be needed for a full homeschool curriculum. This schedule is just our general guideline to follow. If we get behind we just start where we need to to get things done around here.

Now for our routines...

Morning Routine

1. Rise and Shine~

   a. Wake up-mom's Bible and devotional time

   b. Make bed

   c. Get dressed, brush teeth, fix hair and face

   d. Swish and swipe our bathrrom

   e. Start a load of laundry

2. Kitchen~

   a. Unload dishwasher

   b. Feed critters

   c. Fix breakfast-Eat-Clean up

3. Kids~

   a. Kids up-Eat-Vitamins-Get dressed

   b. Make beds

   c. brush teeth, comb hair, wash face

   d. Swish and swipe kid's bath

4. Think about day~

   a.  Check calender

   b. What's for dinner?

   c. Check to do list

5. Think about me~

   a. Take meds and vitamins

   b. Sit down with some water

   c. Computer break-15-30 minutes

Afternoon Routine

-Snack time

-Zone cleaning

-Finish up laundry

-Quick pick up

-Finish up chores

-Finish up homeschool

Before Bed Routine

1. Clean House-

   a. Kitchen-clean it, sweep it, clean rags, clean sink

   b. Living areas-pick up toys, clothes, trash, etc

   c. Clear hotspots

2. Think about tomorrow-

   a. Check calendar

   b. Work on to do list

   c. Lay out everyone's clothes for tomorrow

3. Focus on Kids-

   a. Bathtime and brush teeth

   b. 15 minute pick up in kid's rooms

   c. Bedtime story, prayers, and lights out

4. Focus on Self-

   a. Bath or Shower

   b. brush teeth, comb hair, wash face

   c. Clean bathroom

   d. Pajamas and all ready for bed

5. Reflection-

   a. Journal, read, listen to music, or work on a project

   b. prayers and lights out

Well, that's all for my schedule and routines. I'll post more about my basic weekly plan and my list of quiet time activities and free time activites, which I'm still working on, a bit later.

Sorry that got so long, I hope it helps someone.

Blessings,

Sara

Plans for today

For today, my plans are...to get all my dishes caught up...to do at least 3 loads of laundry washed, dried, and put away, also sorting out what we don't need anymore...to make some cinnamon chex mix and some salty chex mix...to make some of Crystal's(over at the family homestead) peanut butter granola...maybe make some muffins, if I can get to it...to make me a list of things I need to do over the next several weeks, such as preperations for a yard sale, calls that need to be made, etc...start by packing one box of things that we don't need right now, while sorting for yard sale things...work on projects when time allows... I'm going to attempt to also declutter and organize at least one area in my house a day, I think today I will work on our main computer desk...All this sounds like a lot, but I know that if I don't get my act together and really get some things done, then this move is going to be another nightmare, like all the other times have been. So I'm praying for God to provide with enough energy and self discipline to get these things done.

For dinner tonight, we'll be having baked pork chops, loaded mashed potatos, and green beans. That's all for me for now. I better get to work, if I intend to complete all this. Hugs to you all!

Got some things done