The Good, The Bad, The Organized

Trying to keep everything running smoothly while homeschooling can be a challenge, at least it is for me. I have a detail oriented brain that's really OCD, so my "brain hurts" when things aren't the way I like them. That being said, I have children and a life, so my house doesn't always look the way I wish it would. I found that tasks were getting overlooked or given up on, and that made me even more frustrated and overwhelmed. I wanted time for personal reading and reflecting, homeschool planning, and just some hang out time with the kids and my husband. So I decided to make a master schedule that would help me see what had to be done and when.
First off, I had to make a list of everything I wanted on my schedule. All the jobs, chores, tasks, etc. that I wanted to be done on a regular basis. Then I had to divide them up into frequency lists. There are lots of master lists for these on the internet, but I made up my own using a grid. I divided the tasks into daily, weekly, 2x a week, monthly, 2x a month, quarterly, annually, and semi-annually. Finally, I put them all on a grid so I can see what needs to be done and when. This also allows anyone else (such as my husband or a visiting relative) to quickly assess what is required of the day. I have the grid posted on the inside of one of my cabinets so it can be checked quickly. I plan on making a Household Binder with all sorts of good info, and this will be in it. But I wanted a copy I can check off, so I put it in a page protector and taped it up.

Daily/Weekly Division

Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday	Sunday
1 load laundry quick clean dishes empty trash clean bathroom	1 load laundry quick clean dishes homeschool planning clean kitchen/vacuum	1 load laundry quick clean dishes flush drains clean living room special projects (ASQ)	1 load laundry quick clean dishes sort bills empty trash clean upstairs	1 load laundry quick clean dishes ironing vacuum kitchen clean BR2 special projects	1 load laundry quick clean dishes change kids sheets clean BR1 special projects	quick clean dishes take recycling out

Quick clean: pick up stray items and return, wipe kitchen and bathroom surfaces, straighten couch and beds

Monthly	Monthly x2	Annual	Annual x2	Quarterly
wipe down ceiling fans dry cleaning mending	clean out car change upstairs sheets clean basement blog sort recipes into binder shark wood floors	clean pantry and cabinets  (remove items)	wash windows, blinds switch and sort wardrobe wash dust ruffles wash carseat covers wash light fixtures sort toys	clean oven (inside) clean out refrigerator wash comforters (as needed) flip mattresses

The first page lists out the tasks and frequency of each. I included some "definitions" in case it is needed by a third party. Each day I can see what needs to be done. I am not a person who wants the hour by hour schedule right now, so I just have the list and I get it done when I can (during nap or morning reading, sometimes after the kids go to bed). You will notice "special projects"  and "special projects ASQ" on some days. Special projects are the monthly and 2x a month projects that need to be fit in during the week. These include wiping fans, mending, and cleaning out the car.  So on Friday and Saturday, I look at the "special projects" list for that week and see what I need to do during that time. Special Projects ASQ are special projects from the Annual, Semi-annual, and quarterly list. These include cleaning the oven and washing the windows.

Monthly Breakdown into Weekly Schedule

	1x a Month Special Projects: Fridays	2x Month Projects: Saturdays
Week 1	wipe fans	clean, car, change MBR sheets, clean basement
Week 2	dry cleaning	mop wood floors, sort recipes, blog
Week 3	mending	clean, car, change MBR sheets, clean basement
Week 4	catch up	mop wood floors, sort recipes, blog

Annual, Semi-Annual, Quarterly Special Projects (ASQ)

January wash comforters sort toys	February clean fridge flip mattresses	March clean oven wash windows, blinds	April wash comforters clean cabinets
May clean fridge wash dust ruffles & carseat covers	June clean oven wash light fixtures	July wash comforters sort toys	August clean fridge flip mattresses
September clean oven wash windows, blinds	October wash comforters clean pantry	November clean fridge wash dust ruffles & carseat covers	December clean oven wash light fixtures

I know what you may be thinking...crazy train!! My mind really works best this way and this system has really helped. Some days I miss a few items, but they all get done by the end of the week. Good enough. I found that since I am cleaning more often around the house, it doesn't look as dirty to me anymore (yes, Mom, you were right). I do miss the "whole house is clean at one time" look, but I just can't dedicate the time to that. This way, it's mostly clean, most of the time.  I get a lot more laundry done, since it's not been piling up for days. Some of the items on the list are the children's chores (such as taking out recycling and emptying trash), so I get to check those off too..yeah! All in all, this system really helps keep the house on track so I can focus on homeschool, family time, and (gasp!) some personal time as well. I'd love to hear what works in your home to keep everything on track. Happy organizing!

The Homeschool Home part 3

In this section of the Homeschool Home, I will focus on bedrooms, laundry, and storage. I will discuss schedules and cleaning in a later post. Keeping your home running smoothly while maintaining your sanity can seem like a major challenge on some days. Having a plan is key. It always seemed as if laundry is/was going to take over my life. I have tried several options, and have found that doing a little each day works the best, setting aside a day to iron as well. We don't do a lot of ironing, so it's not a huge chore. However, it was getting overlooked when I didn't plan for it. I combined bedroom organization with laundry and storage because in my mind, they have to sync. Here is the plan we have for our family:

Bedrooms: children's bedrooms have clothing "boxes" or bins that are labeled with what goes inside. I sort clothing by: tops, bottoms, pjs, socks/underwear. In the winter, I add bins for sweatshirts/sweaters, mittens/hats/gloves. Children are responsible for putting away their laundry once I sort it. Older children will need to help sort laundry as well. Since I refuse to iron children's clothes, and folded laundry just gets "unfolded" we went to the bin system and it has been heaven. My two year old can put away her laundry. Adult laundry is sorted into his and hers laundry baskets and taken upstairs to our bedroom, where my husband and I each put our own laundry away. "Hang up" items are hung up in the basement, right out of the dryer. My husband and I take turns bringing it up to the closet. This helped alleviate the pile of laundry needing to be hung up. This is a good example of what I mean:

Once all of my children are in Middle School, I am seriously considering moving all the bins to the basement (where the washer/dryer is), sorting clothes downstairs, and everyone can pick out clothes from the basement.

Laundry: I do at least one load of laundry a day, and usually a special load for towels, potty accident bedding, or my husband's work clothes, which have to be washed separately. If I wait and try and do a "laundry day" I end up with a mountain of clean clothes piled on my couch for two days. As I mentioned before, I have a day set aside for ironing, and one day a month for mending. I hang up clothes right next to the dryer so they have a better chance of making it to the closet. Clothes are then sorted into piles that match the bins in the kids rooms, and they put their laundry away as part of their chores. Another good example:

My husband and I take our laundry baskets upstairs and put them away. All done.

Storage: Confession: I have more storage bins than anyone I know. When I moved this last time I re-worked my system and I love it. All clothing is swapped out twice a year for spring/summer and winter/fall. I don't have the closet space to store it all. Children's clothing that needs to be stored will go into a bin marked (as an example) "3T-4T tops, Boy" and given a number. I sort the clothes by tops and bottoms because my children seem to be different sizes in each. Dresses., Pjs, and Snowbibs go in the "tops" bin. Anything worn out is recycled into cleaning cloths or discarded, anything usable but not needed or wanted is given to charity or friends. Our budget is tight (like most SAHMs) and we choose to buy one high quality pair of shoes per child per season. Mostly, I buy Keens using a coupon or on sale. They are rugged, wash well, and are easily handed down. If they want flip flops or special dress shoes, they put them on their birthday list for my sister to give them (she loves to buy shoes) or they get hand-me-downs from their cousins. Adult clothing is sorted and then moved into the bins the current season's clothes came out of. Shoes are also sorted this way.
All other storage items (such as party platters, homeschool curriculum I don't use right now, holiday decorations, etc.) are placed in a bin with a number on the front. I keep an inventory on my computer (and on Dropbox for my phone) so I can search and find exactly what I am looking for without opening a million boxes.  Like this:

Having the inventory on my phone is great. When I am down in the basement or in the garage and need something, I don't have to go all the way upstairs/inside to my computer.

I hope these tips give you some food for thought. The next post will be our schedule! I'd love to hear some of your ideas and tips in the comments. Happy organizing!

The Homeschool Home Part 2

Keeping life organized is an often difficult and overwhelming task. Add homeschooling to the mix and it's tempting to throw in the towel. I touched on some organization ideas in part 1 of this post, now I will focus more specifically in some "hotspots" around the home. This post will focus on the kitchen. In later posts, I will focus on bedrooms, laundry, and storage. As a former teacher and overall OCD organized freak, I come to the table with ideas that I have honed over the years. Keep in mind: everyone has their own comfort level and every space is different. Really think about problem areas and what your level of "organized" looks like. Think about what you want to gain in that space and work from there. Also, knowing yourself is key. My brain just does not function when the house is in chaos, but as I have children, I have to re-evaluate what I want to spend my time on and what I need organized vs. what I can live with. Case in point, I moved a few months ago and am still working out the organization plan for this house. I use the same principals, but I have to customize how they will work/if they will work in our current space.
The kitchen can be the center of daily activity. Fun, food, and laughter can fill the room. It can also be a nightmare to organize. I am using the broad term of "kitchen" to include cooking, groceries, storage, and meal planning. One of the first things I do when I move into a space (I have moved soooo many times) is walk the room (s). Before items are moved in I visualize where I want things, what the space will be used for, etc. Currently I have very little counter space, no dishwasher or disposal, cabinets that go to the ceiling, and a small pantry with shelves and cabinets. I labeled each cabinet with a post-it before I moved items in so I remembered where I wanted to put things and then evolved those spaces as the months have gone on. I set up additional storage in the basement so I didn't need to use precious cabinet space for my seasonal trays, platters, and rarely used appliances (like a panini press). The key here: be flexible. Are there other areas you can use for storage such as under the guest bed, a basement or garage shelf? Are you better off borrowing some items rather than storing them (like the Ronco rotisserie? You know you have one). Utilize walls for vertical storage by using a railing system to hold cooking utensils and cookware.

Moving on to food. The best place to start is with meal planning. Three main options here (excluding ignoring it altogether until 4:30pm each day) are planning each meal (on a weekly or monthly basis), making individual items that can be combined in many ways, or a hybrid of these. In our house, we use a hybrid. I do not have the storage space right now to buy a month's worth of food (need another refrigerator), so we buy two-three weeks at a time. Eventually, I will shop just once a month. I plan the weeks in advance, using a "two weeks on, one week off" approach. I plan 14 dinners, and then one week of  "cooked ingredients". I plan only dinners, and as mentioned in another post, we have the same thing for breakfast everyday. Huge time saver. Lunch consists of leftovers in quesadilla or stir fry form (no microwave), with the occasional sandwich. We also get meat from a farmer in bulk and store it in the extra freezer. We will buy a whole hog and cow at a time and work from that, adding chicken and lamb as we go. I do not use coupons as a regular rule. We live primarily a chemical free lifestyle and there are rarely coupons for non-processed food and household goods. Finally, we buy produce at the farmer's market and/or grow our own. We supplement from the market as needed.
So, what does it look like? This month I made a grid with 14 dinners, ranging from orange chicken to spaghetti and meatballs. I try and put a stir fry meal in at the end of the week to use up leftovers, and we do a soup and baked potato night one day each week. Breakfast for dinner or sandwich night is also included. The third week, aka "the week off" begins as kabob or a big mess of grilled meats (chicken breasts, burgers, pork steaks, etc.) that we use as the basis for our meals for the next week. I make a batch of beans in the  crock pot, a pot of rice in the rice cooker and/or a pot of noodles. I make sure we have  a big bowl of green salad made, tortillas and fresh or frozen veggies (always a staple in our house) and we are good to go.

For the first two weeks I will process all food when it comes home from the store. All fruit/veggies are washed and cut up if needed (carrot and celery sticks, onion chopped, strawberries hulled, etc.) I try and partner some meals during the week so I can make mega batches of things. For example, if I plan for meatloaf, I will also plan for meatballs and burgers. I make a master mix, and divide it into zip bags and freeze. If I have extra, I will pre-cook some meat to add to spaghetti sauce or cheeseburger macaroni. If meat is purchased fresh (lamb and chicken) I buy in bulk, split into servings for our family in zip bags with a marinade, then freeze. We have seafood and/or a vegetarian meal once a week, sometimes both. When I make vegetarian lasagna, I do it later in the week to use up veggies and make extra to freeze for my husband to take to work. We make a double pot of soup a week, so we can freeze individual servings for lunches and variety in the weeks to come. If I roast or rotisserie a chicken, I save the bones and make stock for soup. Then freeze in appropriate sizes for later use.We also have a juicer, so we can use up veggies and fruit that way as well (think celery tops, leftover pineapple, beet greens, etc.)
Since my children have food allergies and we don't eat processed food, I make most of what we eat. That is why getting everything processed when it arrives home is so helpful. It saves time when I need to get lunch on the table or takes the "what are having for dinner" problem out of my mind. The kids see the "food calendar" posted on the 'fridge and they know what we are having without asking. I do swap some meals around if I don't feel like having "broiled fish and orzo" on Monday, but the structure is there. The third "week off" begins by grilling all the meat and veggies we plan on using. We will have kabobs or grilled chicken usually that first night. Following nights are put together using the pre-cooked ingredients, so we might have burritos one night (beans, chicken, rice and cheese), stir fry one night (rice, meat, veggies), burgers or patty melts, grilled chicken and pasta primavera or grilled chicken parmesan with noodles. It is a great way to take a breather in the month where I don't really have to cook that much, just warm up some ingredients. You can also do this with the crock pot. I will make a pork shoulder in the crock pot and have pulled pork sandwiches one night, pork tacos another night, Cuban sandwiches, etc. I usually break this up by broiling fish one night or having BLTs. When I make a pot roast, I make double the gravy and freeze it, so I don't have to make it each time I have a beef dish, or I can pull it out for hot open faced sandwiches. I also make some sweet treats to eat for the week such as cookies (make a double batch, freeze the dough in smaller portions) or cheesecake bars.
Sometimes we use the "make in advance" idea for breakfast/lunch, and boil a bunch of eggs in advance and my husband will smoke a salmon for lox and salmon salad sandwiches. You can also make a double batch of pancakes and freeze them, warming them up in the toaster. If I know I will have a super busy week, I will make a batch of pasta salad on Sunday, along with some tuna salad and some grilled chicken. I will make a big bowl of green salad and that will allow me to make any number of lunches and/or quick dinners on the fly. This is where the frozen soup comes in handy as well.
As for the pantry, I would love to organize that by grouping items together and labelling it all, but right now I have it grouped by what my two year old won't break or open (on the bottom) and what she can break or open (on the top). I hope these ideas give you "food for thought" (couldn't resist) and would love for you to share your ideas in the comments section. Watch for Part 3!

One of "those people"

Many times in my life I have been labeled as one of "those people", especially now that I Homeschool. My children have allergies, so I am "that mom" who has to read every label of every food anywhere near my kids. I have to explain to people why we Homeschool (a whole different post). And at least once a week, I have to explain "about the food". The other day I was waiting for the doctor and passed the time reading a book. When the doctor came in, she asked me if I was reading anything good. I showed her the cover of the book (Food, Inc. How Industrial Food is Making us Sicker, Fatter, and Poorer-And What You Can Do About It. Edited by Karl Weber) so she could judge for herself. She then looked at me with a raised eyebrow and what I call the “so you are one of those people” looks. 

Friends, I am proud to say, I am one of those people. I care about what I eat. It matters to me the true cost of what I put in my body. I am an informed consumer. I am one of “those people” who will not feed my children fast food. I am one of “those people” who buys produce at the farmer’s market and quizzes the farmer about pesticide, migrant labor, and fertilizer. I am one of “those people” who picks and chooses which vaccinations to give my children. I am guilty as charged.

Now, please don’t get the wrong idea. I am not touting myself as a pillar of health. I admit I do not run several miles each day or that I abstain from mac and cheese. I do try and make the best choice possible. I buy organic, whole wheat mac and cheese (or make it myself) and use organic milk and butter (local if it’s not loaded with pesticide) and it tastes fine. Was this an easy change over? Sometimes yes. I found a few brands of organic mac and cheese that I like and stick with it. Conversely, I had to try at least 50 different kinds of wheat bread and force myself to eat it for a year before I would willingly make a sandwich with it. That one was more painful. I do miss squishy white bread. But when I think of the true cost of cheap bread, it’s easier to make the choice. Not only am I making a positive choice for my health but for the planet and the people.

When my husband and I began this quest for better food and informed buying, we thought that just buying organic was enough. After a few visits to the “Whole Paycheck” we decided we had to find other options. It has been a journey filled with wonderful surprises and some disappointments. When I talk to people about becoming and informed consumer, most often I get the following comments:

·        It’s too expensive

·        I don’t want to know what’s in my food

·        They are animals, who cares

·        What are you, some kind of conspiracy nut?

I admit, getting to this place took time and effort. I read many books and asked many questions. I spent a lot of time reading labels in the stores. Now, I have it streamlined, but it’s still not a quick trip to the grocery store. I’m ok with that. When I look at my children and know that their immune system hasn’t been compromised by pesticide, I can live with a little more time at the store. According to the FDA, half of the produce tested in grocery stores contains measurable amounts of pesticide. Lab tests of baby food show the presence of sixteen pesticides including carcinogens. Looking at blood samples from children aged two to four, concentrations of pesticides are six times higher in children eating conventional foods vs. organic foods. Pesticides are found in blood samples of ninety five percent of Americans tested. These levels are twice as high in children. Exposure to pesticides can lead to hyperactivity, learning disorders, and cancer. Have we seen an alarming rise in these areas? You bet. The EPA reports that children receive fifty percent of their lifetime cancer risks in the first two years of life. That’s a figure that should keep us up at night. I don’t care if it costs more initially, what will it cost my children in the long run, much less myself?

That’s the real question we should be asking ourselves when we shop. What is the real cost? Like everyone else, I live on a budget. I go where the bargains are for organic produce (all within short distances) and buy meat from a local farmer I have interrogated. If it’s out of season and comes from another country, I don’t buy it. I also try and buy the majority of my food from local sources and/or Michigan owned businesses. The good news is that many more stores are adding to their organic lines. The bad news is, you still have to be vigilant. After all, greed is greed. A little research will tell you that the USDA is more focused on good PR than stringent organic standards. If it says “USDA Certified Organic” I look for a second certifying agency on the back or I pick something else. 

Same goes for vaccinations for my children. Do they need five vaccinations at a time? Do they need all of them? I am not going to be bullied or cowed into doing what “they” say I should. How many times have we seen medications touted on TV and then recalled because they are unsafe? I research everything before making a decision. I am an informed consumer. Again, what is the real cost? Brand A milk might be cheaper now, but what will the pesticide and hormones do to me or my family in the long run?  It’s not conspiracy, it’s common sense. Which brings me to the point: be an informed consumer and use common sense. Most people know that when a woman is pregnant or nursing she cannot drink alcohol because it passes through her bloodstream to her child. Yet the majority of Americans willingly drink milk from cows that have been shot up with hormones, fed antibiotics, and given feed loaded with pesticide. Can you honestly say that those residues don’t end up in the milk? How about the meat? (Yes, you eat dairy cows. Not one to waste anything, commercial dairies sell used up cows for cheap hamburger. Yummy) If you aren’t willing to drink it from the bottle (i.e. pesticide) why will you drink it in milk? Same for your pasta or your veggies. Do you really think that the pesticide just sits on top of the plant? Better yet how much of it is washed off before it is sold? Pesticide is not supposed to wash off in the rain, so my bet is not a lot of it is removed during the rinse cycle. And don’t get me started on genetically modified foods. That’s a whole ‘nother blog.

The next time you are in the fast food line, consider the following:

Beef: that cheap hamburger came from a commercial feedlot where your friendly cow was packed into pens and fed a diet of corn, antibiotics, and other good stuff like chicken manure, feathers, concrete dust, and garbage. Why corn and not grass as cows have been designed for? Corn packs on the fat and after all, “marbling” is key. This leads us to antibiotics. Cows weren’t made to eat corn, so they get ulcers and stomach infections. The antibiotics keep the cow from dying but it is still in massive pain all while crammed in the feedlot. The antibiotics are passed on to the consumer. Cows aren’t allowed to be fed certain cow parts like spinal cords, because this can lead to mad cow. But, chickens can be fed these parts, and then the chicken manure is scraped up and fed to cows. Finally, this cow was forced to stand in their own waste, (which gets on their hide and in the meat during slaughter) and runs off into waterways and poisons local animals. The slaughterhouse is no picnic either, but you get the idea.

Chicken: that nugget has approximately thirty six ingredients, one of which is butane. Yes, like what’s in your Zippo. Chicken life is much like the cow, except they get so heavy their legs break under their weight.  And the grind up The. Whole. Chicken. The nugget sauces? See High Fructose Corn Syrup below.

Salads and veggies: not to be left out, those veggies (especially lettuce) need to be harvested by hand. This requires a huge labor force of…illegal immigrants. The migrant workers are paid slave wages and forced to work without shade, water, or breaks to harvest by hand. They are exposed to massive amounts of pesticide (again, going on your food) that leads them to high rates of cancer. They don’t have insurance or legal status, so they don’t get medical treatment when they collapse out of heat stroke or pesticide related illness. Ask yourself: do I not care about the human cost because I didn’t know or do I not care because people who aren’t citizens don’t count.

Ice Cream/Shakes: dairy cows have to mature in order to be able to be pregnant and thus give milk. Not wanting to wait, the dairy industry loads them up with hormones and keeps them pregnant. Putting aside that these cows are never able to nurse their young, these hormones make the cows mature faster and gain weight. Then you and your children drink the milk. Wonder why our girls are developing earlier and our nation is getting fatter? The cheeseburgers don’t help, nor does our lack of exercise. I’m sure we don’t need any more help from the hormones. Finally, sugar is expensive and high fructose corn syrup is not. HFCS spikes your insulin levels much more than sugar and is just bad for you. Also, HFCS is in existence because we had way too many farmers growing corn (see beef above) so we had to find something to do with the excess.

After you have considered the true cost of that value meal, what are you going to do? What choice will you make? As an informed consumer, only you can decide. My role is not to judge, but to get you to think about what you buy and it’s true cost. For me, the cost is too great and I pull out of line.  Am I perfect? No. Am I sometimes in the position to eat commercial food? Yes. But I make as many “true cost” decisions as I can. I am “One of those people.”

The Homeschool Home Part 1

Part of the homeschool life is running your home. I am a SAHM and my husband can work anywhere from 10 - 12 hours in a shift. His schedule can change from week to week, so we have to be flexible. I need to be able to maximize the time the kids can spend with Dad and also get everything done. Thankfully, my teaching experience and OCD are a big help here. Right now I don't have a set "homeschool" time, though I can see this evolving once everyone stops taking naps. We fit in homeschool lessons at small intervals throughout the day. That way we can be flexible around appointments and routines. Both my children have food/environment allergies so we have several doctor's appointments. My son also has a skin condition that requires wet therapy and wraps twice a day. We live a fairly chemical free lifestyle, so we make/grow a lot of our own food as well. To work around this, and other activities, I just block out 30 minutes of time, multiple times a day, to work on "lessons". I also try and work lessons in while we are grocery shopping or traveling.
So, to begin, I have found that putting the kids in the shower/bath right when they get up is a great way to keep us on schedule. Otherwise we end up in pjs at 11am. I keep breakfast pretty routine as well, so we can stay on track. Breakfast usually consists of a whole grain, a protein, and a fruit. Usually a cereal bar, some raw milk cheese, and a banana. I have noticed that since I have been feeding everyone the same breakfast (minus the occasional pancake) there is less arguing, less time I have to spend polling everyone on what they want, and less time spent playing at the table. This also helps offset the time needed to get everyone dressed, since we have to do wet therapy first. I don't have a dishwasher, so I decided that we will use paper plates for breakfast and lunch. This was a hard decision since I hate to add to the landfill, but I also weighed in my time and the water needed to wash all the dishes. I multi-task during breakfast as well so I can move on to other things when the kids are finished. I eat while they are in the shower and then finish up any leftover dishes from the night before (I have limited counter space so sometime it takes a few cycles to get them all done) and quick clean the counters and bathroom. If I'm making good time, I'll start a load of laundry too. And we are off and running.
If we don't have appointments in the morning, we can do a 30 minute block (sometimes 2) of homeschool and then go outside for playtime before lunch. I am pretty fastidious about the kids getting outside/strenuous play at least once if not twice a day for 45 minutes. This is our PE time. Dad usually goes out with the kids while I make lunch. During the winter we do yoga tapes I get from the library or kid's music and movement activities if we can't go out. There is a park at the end of my street so we will walk there to keep everyone interested. Finally, we have memberships at several area museums, zoos, etc. so that we can get out and walk or have an indoor place to run around during the winter. We are a one car family, so we walk in town whenever we can.
Lunch is usually leftovers that follow the protein, whole grain, fruit and vegetable formula. Naptime is next. Everyone naps/rests because this is my time to either rest, or catch up on planning, laundry, or making food. My husband goes to work during nap, and so this is a nice bit of time to myself. When the kids get up we have a quick snack and then move into another 30 minute block or we go outside, depending on what we accomplished in the a.m. Once or twice a week we have "specials" at our community center or in the form of lessons in the afternoon (art, soccer, piano, etc.) I will be so happy when we finish the basement in the next month so we can put all the toys downstairs and have room for a piano. While I am putting together dinner I usually let the kids watch an educational video (we don't have TV) such as Magic School bus or a Veggie Tales DVD. After dinner (on plates!) that again follow the protein, whole grain, veggie and fruit formula, we will either talk a walk as a family (kids like to razor scooter as well) or we will go sit on the front porch while the kids play in the front yard. During the summer, we let the kids play in the sprinklers if it has been super hot that day and we didn't go out much. The kids will shower, deal with wet therapy, get pjs on, review behavior sheets, etc. and we will read the Bible and a story. My oldest child used to stay up a bit later so that we could work on handwriting and some extra practice items, but now everyone goes to bed at the same time. I am trying to find another time period for this one-on-one time, maybe when the nap is gone. Once everyone is in bed I use this time to read scripture, mend clothes, or work on the internet.
So this is the basic schedule, and I foresee that it will evolve as everyone gets older, but we also have to contend with my husband's schedule so I like the flexibility. Another reason we chose to homeschool is that with one car and my husband's sometimes erratic schedule, working outside the home was a major scheduling nightmare. Part 2 will deal with the behind the scenes organization and food prep that makes it all easier!

Homeschool Curriculum, yes or no?

I have already written about why we chose to homeschool in a previous blog, but the next question I am inevitably asked is "what curriculum do you use??". It is always asked in a rushed and almost illicit fashion, as if it is a trade secret. For me, since my husband and I are former teachers, I don't use a specific curriculum. One of my beefs with our current education system is that we are married to "the curriculum". I go to our state's education website and look at the state standards for the grade levels I am teaching. I transfer these standards into an empty document so I can cut and paste them as I need to for the year. I begin with the science and social studies standards and work backwards. For example, if the social studies standard is "can differentiate between city and rural areas, identify what belongs in a city vs. what belongs in the country, lifestyles, etc." I would then devise a unit around that topic. Even better, try and fold in a few science ones while I'm at it. I teach smarter not harder.
Formal curriculums are too much work. You end up teaching so many lessons for too few standards. I want more bang for my buck. So, using the above example I devised a unit about New York. I picked New York because it has well known and defined city and rural areas. We learned about New York city, tall buildings, taxi and subway rides, high rises and central park. We ate NY style pizza, gelato and most importantly, wrote travel journals about it all. When you start with science and social studies, writing and language soon follow. We read books by NY authors and looked up statistics on the Internet. We met with friends who used to live in upstate NY on a horse farm, and wrote letters back and forth to "city" and "country" cousins describing what we found there. Using subway maps we calculated trip routes and made budgets for excursions. Covered a whole lotta standards there. There were history lessons, science lessons and more. We got the whole picture, instead of just a few facts. And most of all...it was fun. For everyone.
We homeschool year round, because our adult lives are lived working year round. We take time off here and there like you would for vacation as an adult. I love that I can take the extra time to indulge my children's passions and use them to educate. My son loved the movie CARS and collected all the characters. I used these cars and his obsession to teach colors, sorting, counting, addition, subtraction, reading...all while we played. What a blessing for everyone. No math worksheets, no need to circle the group with the most teddy bears. For now, we enjoy a less formal curriculum model. One thing I learned as a teacher: be flexible. Students change from year to year so maybe in a few years we will have to revisit the model. But it works for us and thankfully I don't have to get it by the school board!

Homeschool 101

I am often asked why I homeschool (followed promptly by "what curriculum do you use??") and I have to say it was for a variety of reasons. My husband and I were both formerly teachers and we both left education because it became a political monster that lost it's purpose long ago. I have taught in public schools and private ones, urban settings and affluent. I have been a teacher and an administrator. My last year as a classroom teacher I taught 1st grade with 35 children. Now folks, I am an excellent teacher. And even I can't give 35 students the one on one time they need each day to be successful. I can't meet their emotional needs, nor can I hope to impart creative and exciting lessons with 35 students in my class. My job was no longer to teach but to referee. Crowd control was king. Students who needed a little more time on a concept or needed extra challenges got lost in the machine that is high stakes testing and reading readiness. No longer allowed to explore topics the students found interesting, we must stick to the textbook. Sad. Add to that the exposure these young minds were getting to x-rated movies, obscene music, and materialism gone crazy at home. My co-workers and I worked early mornings and late nights to make it all work, and our reward was too often being screamed at by a parent who didn't want to come to the parent conferences and doesn't understand why their child is failing. Or, we were given "committee work" by the administration to do at home, on weekends, over the summer. This work was what used to be done by the staff that was cut due to budget constraints. The final nail in the coffin as it were was learning my children have severe food allergies. In every school/district I have taught in, Epi pens had to be kept by the school nurse (or secretary as is often the case) as they are considered "medication". In an emergency, someone would have to track this person down, get the key, get the pen, get it back in under 15 seconds. Not realistic. So my husband and I made some drastic changes and I stay home with them now. Wouldn't have it any other way. The sacrifice is completely worth it.It is such a blessing to be able to do this for my children.I am so grateful to God every day. It isn't always easy, but it's always worth it.