Undeserving Grace

School Planning

2009-05-22T10:03:00.009-06:00

I LOVE to plan. Have I said that before? I plan stuff for FUN. Not so good at implementing, but that's the fun of it. When the implementation goes awry, back to the drawing board to plan again.

This morning I am home, mostly alone, to plan for next year's school. This is how I spend my summer vacations. Though we do not really stop schooling over the summer, we do spend half days doing school when we feel like it and when it's TOO HOT to go outside.

I recently read Managers Of Their Schools by Teri Maxwell and whereas I do not think I can implement everything she has for her own homeschool, I have put into use many of her ideas. These have kept us on the ball and not turned into slackers once the weather warmed up.

My first step in planning school is to think. What worked well this past year? What didn't? What changes (Skippito Bambino) will we be facing this year? What does my husband think of this past year? Does he have any suggestions? These turn into general goals for our school year.

For example, this past year, I wanted to develop honesty and independence in the older children so my goal in general was for them to self grade their work. This is one goal that we will continue to work on in the coming school year.

I also think about each child and how they have progressed this year. Where do they need to be challenged? What do they need more of, less of? What does Dad and what do they think they need? This turns into individual goals for each child.

The next step is to plan our school calendar. I usually print a calendar from Donna Young. If the plan changes (read: if I decide I want to scrap it all and do some planning) I can always print a new one. I block out all the days we will not be having school: Thursdays (CBS), birthdays, holidays, spring break, etc. Then I assign each week a number 1 - 36. This corresponds to our history program. Sometimes (like this year) we will do two weeks worth of history in one week. This is so we can take most of Nov and Dec off. :D. I count up the days we will be doing school and write it at the top of the page. I believe state regulations say 170 days or so, but I don't stress on it, because we do school all day, all the time as well as all summer in the heat of the day. I am sure we do WELL OVER the required amount.

At the beginning of last year's school year, I wrote a scope and sequence for all years from Pre K through 12th grade. In it is a rough schedule of what curriculum/skills the children should be using/learning. It is not a plan I set in stone, but rather a money and time saving device. It has prevented me from changing curriculum in mid year and kept focus of what was to come.

It IS just a guide, however, because this year when I looked at what one child should be working on, I realized that this particular child was not ready for what was appropriate for when another child was at the same level. We will simply go back a year and set a firm foundation for learning rather than push this little love to keep up. (This is the beauty of homeschooling. Children working as they are able without the shame of being thought of as "behind").

Obviously the next step is to look at the scope and sequence and see what, if any, of the skills/curriculum are appropriate for each individual child.

Changes to be made this year:

Reading:
This year, I have learned from the mistakes of last year. Last year we did literature from Tapestry of Grace in addition to a reading program. I seems this was a bit overkill for those who were reading well. Their time (and mine) would be better spent simply reading and discussing good books and spending more time with the emerging readers.

Science:
Two years ago, we did Rod and Staff science as a family. We purchased a book that was in the middle of the two who were doing it. We shared the reading, took notes and did the experiments together. This was ok, when we got to it.

This past year, each child had their own Rod and Staff science at their own level. We set one afternoon a week aside for the reading and experiments. Many times they never got to it, and when they did, it wasn't a good an experience as the previous year.

This coming year, I want to do the literature/nature study approach (very Charlotte Masony). When cleaning out the book closet the other day I realized just how many cool science books we have at our home. My children LOVE to read books from the book closet, but usually the science books are out of reach. I think this year, if Tapestry doesn't have science in that weeks' readings (moon landing, creation, flora and fauna of Ancient Egypt) I will have a day set aside for science reading. If they are inspired from their reading to do more (experiments, add to nature journal etc) they certainly can. The library, too, can be a wonderful resource for cool science books. It will be sporadic, but definitely a delight directed year of science. I may even just get my act together and record exactly what they study. Dad, I know, will enjoy this kind of science.

Grammar/Writing:
For the past two years, we have tried to do Tapestry's writing program in addition (as per Tapestry's suggestion) a grammar program. This seemed again, like overkill, since Tapestry's writing includes a bit of grammar. The children didn't seem to learn from their grammar curriculum; it was just busy work. In the meantime, we were trying to do grammar so much, there was never time for writing. TOG writing is supposed to be independent, but the children were lost. Year before last, we took TOG and did it together. I combined and taught it directly. They seemed to really enjoy this, so I plan on making time each day to do this and do away with the grammar program. Instead we will do dictation/copywork (as per TOG suggestion. dictation teaches spelling, grammar and penmanship)

Bible

We will continue to use the scripture box, CBS (Revelation) and AWANAS. We try to do scripture memory at breakfast using the scripture box. Then before we start school, we do a bit of Brain Gym or jumping jacks, push ups or do laps in the basement. After this we pray and then settle down and do CBS and AWANAS.

Handwriting

We will continue to use Italics handwriting. Dad will be pleased to know these are the only workbooks we will need to buy this year!

Math

Math is Math. We generally use Rod and Staff. I like to keep math an every day, all the time thing. I also believe in stopping the "book work" to firm up skills (like multiplication facts) that are vital. This means they are generally behind, but it doesn't matter. As long as they keep plugging away and progressing.

Art
This past year we sporadically did a book called How To Teach Art To Children. In it they learned the basic principles of art: line, shape, color, texture, etc. At the end of the book, children learn to find these things (and copy them) from Artistic Masters. We did not finish the book, so we plan on doing that during our Friday afternoons. When this book is complete, we plan on beginning Artistic Pursuits. These will teach them about drawing using the works of Artistic Masters. My ultimate goal is for them to sketch what they see during their nature studies. If they go beyond that, fantastic!

Tapestry has an art appreciation element to it and the children look at art from the period they are studying. (Can you tell why I love Tapestry so much?)

Preschool

Last year we had three preschoolers. This year, we will still have one preschooler and two in Kdg. Kdg is an "ify" year to me. It is a time to gain skills (abc, color, shape, writing, counting etc) which, to me, is what preschool is for only in preschool it happens at a much slower pace. I like to wait until children are really ready to begin reading. We have not set time table. If they need more time, then that is what they need. They don't need Mom to push them to things they aren't ready to do. At the beginning of the year we four began the Preparatory Curriculum from Brightly Beaming Resources. Though they enjoyed it, we never got to it. The preparation time was too much. I needed something simple yet fun and effective. A fellow homeschool mom suggested Little Hands to Heaven. We love it. It's simple, Biblical and the babies love it. Did I say it was simple? :D.

Phonics

I am doing phonics with the eldest preschooler/Kdger. I have owned but never used How To Teach Your Child To Read in 100 Easy Lessons, but have never used it. Each of our children have learned letters/sounds/reading in different ways, so it was a good investment. I knew someone, sometime, would would benefit from it. We have begun it this summer and we have both been enjoying it. It's simple, repetitive (something this little love needs) and effective. Did I say simple? :D

So.....

After I decide WHAT we need to do we need to decide WHEN. This is actually the easiest part. Last year's schedule was pretty elaborate. We had a small baby to entertain/nurse and we revolved our schedule around her needs. Each older child was in charge of her for a short time during their morning. Everyone enjoyed this. She got to hear piano playing, got to do coloring and "shelfwork". As a result, she knows the game when it comes to school time. This year's schedule will be pretty much the same:

6:30 - 7:15 get dressed/animal chores

7:15- 7:45 breakfast/scripture memory

7:45 - 8:00 clean up breakfast (we always do bf dishes by hand...saves room in dishwasher later)

8:00 - 9:00 chores (monday is WHB, Tues, Wed, Fri is zone cleaning, Thurs is mini whb)

9:00 - 9:45 Bible

9:45 - 10:45 Math/Phonics/Preschool

10:45 - 11:00 Copywork

11:00 - 12:00 Projects (History or Science or Keepers)

12:00 - 1:00 Lunch (I like to read to them while we are eating

1:00 - 2:00 Writing/Grammar

2:00 - 4:00 MT History Reading/Lit Reading, W Science Reading/Lit Reading F Lit Reading/Art

Preschool schedule:

The little ones will do their AWANAS during Bible time(they do not have a CBS curric). Then they will do "shelfwork" until I am ready to do preschool with them. Shelfwork is fun, educational, skill building toys. Ever heard of Montessori? I was raised as a teacher on the method. They like choosing their own work, taking it to their space doing it and returning it for another. We rotate the "work" every few weeks. I used to rotate it every week, but that wasn't........simple enough :D. \

After preschool, they can do more shelfwork or bucket time (a bucket with their name on it; it has coloring books, notebooks, workbooks in them). Then if necessary, they can play in the playroom until 11:00. My oldest daughter helped me a great deal setting up this system of occupying the preschoolers in a quality way and also in such a way as to keep them apart. When they got together they would immediately begin running in circles to the entertainment of all.

If Dad is home and they have done their preschool, he may take them upstairs to do jobs with him or let them play outside. The can play outside while the older kids are doing projects. I also might have an older sister do preschool with them if I am occupied elsewhere.

How many hours is that? If you count what we do at meals, it comes to over 7 hours. Not bad, and it's....what's the word? Simple. Just what we need this year with baby coming and eldest daughter going to college.

So all that is left is to get the history all planned. Since this is the first year we will be doing year 1 and since it is literature based, I need to see which books the library has and which activities we want to do. Planning :D. What a wonderful way to spend the summer.

I'm such a nerd.

How We Do What We Do: Laundry

2009-05-03T14:52:00.002-06:00

In the olden days when there was only one child, we used to do all house cleaning and laundry in ONE DAY. We would take all day to vacuum, dust, mop, clean bathroom (yes, just one), and do laundry. It would take a few hours or all day if we let it.

Now I laugh at those days. Laundry for 10 people is a job. Not a hard job, just a consistent job, and an every day job.

The Laundry Room:

Our new home has a much smaller but more assessible laundry area than before. It's nice to have the laundry area a few steps away from the kitchen and bedroom, but it's also in view of the front door which makes me want to keep it picked up and company ready. (Yes, even laundry areas can be company ready)

The Logistics Part 1: Sorting/Starting/Shuffling/Drying

Here is where we store dirty laundry:
Upstairs kids: These chillins are STEPS away from the laundry area. When they disrobe the walk to hamper in laundry room to deposit.
Downstairs dwellers: These three have a shared hamper that they sometimes remember to bring up to be sorted. (If they don't it means they get to be in charge of laundry for the next day!)
Mom and Dad: have a hamper in their closet.

Ideally laundry is sorted in the evening before family devotions. When the children get their pjs on, laundry is collected and sorted.

Sorting: We have a set area for each "color". Lights are next to door, brights are in the middle, darks are across from washer and whites go into the hamper. This makes it easy to teach the children how to sort the laundry.

I can usually get a few loads washed and dried before I go to bed. My husband and oldest and I take turns shuffling laundry before bed.

Shuffling: taking what is in the washer and putting it into the dryer. Cleaning dryer filter and starting dryer, putting new load into washer and starting it. Children start helping with this job when they are young and eager to do it!

In the event of warm weather, I will just wash all the loads and let them sit in the hampers until morning. Then, after breakfast the next day, we will all hang laundry to dry. On these days, all the laundry is dry before noon :D :D :D :D.

In the morning, we will do any sheets or diapers that need to be washed that day. This means that we need to only shuffle laundry once or twice during the school day. The oldest three can start a new load themselves.

Logistics Part 2: Handling The Clothes

Does every piece of clothing get washed after it is worn once? The answer: if I can let the kids know in time.

PJ's . The children know that they get new pjs if 1. the ones they have on stink and 2. if they got new sheets. new sheets = new pjs. This saves us a "bit"

Sunday clothes: Sunday clothes are those we were to church and on special occasions. If they are not dirty or stinky in the three hours they have been worn, they can be hung up and playclothes can be put on.

Everything else: We believe in putting forth our best when out and about. We want to represent a large family well, not as dirty ragamuffins. ( I *totally* get Kate Gosslein's uptightedness at having kids look nice when out of the house) For example, cut offs are generally just home clothes. If we were going somewhere, we would probably have them change esp if they were dirty. This might mean for more laundry, but like I said, if I can catch them in time and have them save clothes that aren't dirty I do.

But then again....*some* of us change socks and undies three or four times a day. Some have accidents, some wear THREE LAYERS of clothing. Theses things need to be addressed and this is one reason why we have a lot of laundry. OTHERS of us have a job which requires a uniform (let's face it....pajamas) and wear two sets of clothes a day.

Folding and Putting Away:

If we have time before lunch (again ideally) we will fold while lunch is being made and put it all away. Sometimes we play the laundry game. If laundry does not get done at this time, we will fold and put away during afternoon chore time or after dinner.

Since we go through clothing drawers about once a month, the children are learning which clothes go where. I try to hand undies/socks/pjs to the little ones separate from the pants/shirts so they do not get confused. I also do not allow the three basement dwellers to carry their clean laundry down in a basket to be put away. Laundry in a basket usually stays in the basket.

Training Children:
Our goal as parents is to have all of our children knowledgeable in the ways of laundry. Not just laundry, LOTS of laundry. That way it will be no big shock if they have a large family on the amount of effort that goes into it. We certainly do not want our boys to have to depend on others for clean laundry!

Start Em Early! Everyone helps with laundry as they are "age able" to do so. So if all you can do is put clothes in the hamper, fold napkins and put laundry away, that's great. The older they get the more they are trained to do. For example, 9 yo son just learned to do the sorting on his own. 6 yo son can sort and start dryer but cannot start washer.

They fight over the napkins (easy) and pawn off what is hard (sheets). Sometimes a child will ask how to fold something they have not had an opportunity to fold. These are teachable moments. I even *gasp* let them use the floor when folding. Whatever works to teach them!

Posters: For those who can read, I have posted all the above information on posters. So they know what temp to wash everything on and which soaps to use.

Character: Some children *love* to fold laundry, really. Some do not. I think it highly character building to have everyone learn to fold every kind of what comes through the dryer ESPECIALLY when the do not want to do it.

The Laundry Schedule:

Monday: Towels (kids towels every other week), diapers, clothes
Tuesday: Little boys sheets, clothes
Wednesday: Mom and Dad's sheets, baby's bedding, clothes
Thursday: Girls' sheets, clothes
Friday: Big boys sheets, clothes, diapers

Bedding gets washed once a month or so on a person's sheet day.

Accidents happen which makes it important to get all the clothing washed and dried in the evenings to free up washer for such accidents and emergencies.

That's it! Not too complicated just very much all. the. time. But with everyone working together laundry really takes no time at all!

How We Do What We Do: Basic Weekly Plan

2009-03-26T11:22:00.002-06:00

I guess I got ahead of myself with my WHB post. I whould lay out how our week runs. Doing the same thing each day of the week helps tackle what does not get done during our big cleans on Monday and Thursday.

Here is how it goes:

Monday: WHB, wash towels (kids towels every other week the take less showers than the rest of us), diapers

Tuesday: Little boys sheets get changed, laundry room (socks, wipe down, iron & mend- the last two seldome get done!), zone chores and office work (update calendars, checkbook, phone calls, plan week).

Wednesday: Our sheets & baby sheets, zone chores/kitchen, grocery/coupon stuff, start to plan school

Thursday: mini WHB, girls sheets, freezer cooking

Friday: Big boys sheets get changed, diapers, zone chores, finish school plan

Sat: Sat chores (sweep sidewalks, straighten yard, dog and horse clean up, clean vans, bake)

Sunday: NUTHIN...I try not to do laundry on Sunday. I try not to do ANYTHING on Sunday!

Does it look like a lot? yeah.

Does it all ever get done? sometimes.

Do I have a lot of help and delegate? Yep! This is how we feel about work.

How We Do What We Do: Weekly Home Blessing

2009-03-23T12:56:00.000-06:00

How to keep house with 8 children?

It's easy. The Weekly Home Blessing.

If you have been a FlyFamily for years like we have been, you learn to perfect it. Well, we're still perfecting it. You learn to tweak it to suit your needs.

What is a weekly home blessing? You can learn about it here: There is no right or wrong way to bless your home. As Mrs. Marla (the FlyLady) says, "Housework, even done incorrectly, still blesses your family." or something like that.

In our home, the weekly home blessing is an hour of time spent on Monday after breakfast but before school. Here are the items we cover:

Floors: sweep, vacuum, swiffer, mop

Dusting

Bathrooms

It would be easy to park all the little ones in front of the tv or lock them in a room or closet while we got our work done, but that wouldn't work for several reasons.

1. It would be wrong.

2. They wouldn't learn how to work

3. The are a valuable part of our team.

So that mass havoc does not occur with four children 5 and under running around, we felt it necessary to "buddy up" and make teams for our WHB. Buddy system is when we pair an older child with a younger child to teach them how to do their job or at least give them "work" to do to keep them out of mischief.

Team 1: The Tub Scrubbers Mom, ds 8,6,4 and the baby. Jobs: vacuum, sweep and wet swiffer wood, sweep and mop tile, dust upstairs.

8 yo vacuums, gets mop water ready and helps mop.

6 and 4 yo move things for 8 yo to vacuum under, fetch stuff like the swiffer, cleaner (get a grip, it's vinegar), broom, dustpan, bucket, mop, towel (for drying tile).

They are also good at moving chairs in dining room and picking up rugs etc for sweep/mop.

We use our FlyLady dusters and some cheapies we bought at the store. I dust what is high (and I can reach...:D) and they dust what is mid and low.

Team 2: Cleaning Tornados dd 17, 10, 5 and ds 3. Jobs: downstairs bathroom, vacuum and dust downstairs.

17 yo cleans the bathroom and sliding glass door upstairs. She help 10 yo if she needs it.

10 yo and 5 yo pick stuff up for vacuuming. 10 yo vacuums then they both put stuff down and dust. 10 yo also deals with the newspapers.

Team 3: Dad Job: Bathrooms

Bathroom job includes, sink, counter, tub, toilet and all the other "stuff": stools, baby tub, trash cans etc.

Dad does the bathrooms sometime on Monday. An ideal day has him doing them at the same time as us. Sometimes Mom does bathrooms w/ help from her team. Sometimes Team 1 and 2 try to race to get it clean when Dad can't. I insist to my husband that I can clean the bathroom in 15 minutes. Really.

When our WHB is done we go downstairs for school. The best part is that the upstairs stays clean all morning long! In a house of 10 that's an accomplishment!

We repeat everything except bathrooms on Thursday. We feel that since we are home all day, every day, our house gets "used up" a lot faster than if the children were gone to school all day. We call it our mini WHB.

In the past, we have tried to do whb on Friday afternoon so we would have a clean house for the weekend. But by Friday afternoon, no one wanted to do anything. So we tried Monday afternoon and had the same result. To take an hour first thing in the Monday gets it done and out of the way. In fact, we take the first hour after breakfast but before school every day to do some cleaning....but more on that later.

The children learn housekeeping skills at an early age. As they age, we will adjust their jobs to be age appropriate. Imagine what we could accomplish when they are all teenagers! They also learn teamwork. I am grateful for our teams! It would take a long time for Mom to do it all alone!

Why We Do What We Do: Philosophy of Family, Work, Fun

2009-03-04T14:47:00.008-07:00

Ok, so I promised I would to this series and then I got busy. Real busy. Like, never home busy. And now that I have put my world in order I have time to write.

Before I get into the fun stuff of how to do laundry for 10 people, there needs to be a foundation of understanding. It's not all chores, you know.

So....

Why do we do all the stuff we do for work, fun, family building etc?

Since becoming a Christian my husband and I have learned (and are still learning) what makes a family a family. At the heart of it, is God and it is God who makes up a family. Each of our children are a gift from God and we can have no doubt that God had a hand in each addition to our family.

What this looks like in real life: Well when we as parents or they as siblings are angry and exasperated and at the end of our patience and kindness ropes we step back and gain some perspective. This comes in the form of long talks, purposeful family devotions and stories and role play. We discuss that each of us are blessings and not burdens, We realize our role in this family is a God given role and to embrace it joyfully. We praise each other for a right heart towards one another.

We also believe that we have been put on this earth by God to work. Work can be hard, challenging and also enjoyable and joyful. In this world of saying yes to each selfish desire, it is a struggle to to deny the self. This is a daily struggle for each member of our family. But the more we stress work (chores, school, serving others) as a blessing to God and to each other, we change our attitude towards work and it becomes joyful.

What this looks like in real life: I don't know about the rest of the family, but I enjoy down times so much more when I have earned them. I like to model working joyfully to all members of our home in hopes that they will take on the same. True, I think we need more out loud conversations about the joy and satisfaction of working. There also needs to be more out loud praises of their help. The idea, for me personally is, that my husband has given me the house to manage for him (and Him). Anything anyone does to help is a blessing to us all. I make a concerted effort to tell them thank you for doing things to help run the household.

Adoptive families are a bit different that other two parent-bio kids only families or even step families. We have felt that the family make up needs to be seamless. No US and THEM...even with foster children. If you are here, you are family whether it be for a few weeks or forever. Each of us has a unique story of how we came to be part of this family.

What this looks like in real life: We are sure to reminisce about how each of us came to be part of the family. We eliminate all the sad parts and focus on all that is miraculous and joyful. We are a story telling family. The children love to hear how they came to be part of the family. We also often tell them (usually when they are feeling fragile) that we are glad God gave them to us. We are glad they are part of our family. They are just where God wants them to be. Most conversations happen at the table, though some just happen in the day to day.

I am bad at the big, big deals, but we sure have a lot of moments that are "just us". No big fancy parties, no company, just us being together being us.

From temp camera

How, What, and Why We Do What We Do

2009-02-19T17:30:00.002-07:00

I love to get new ideas and share good ideas.

Most of my online time is spent reading about other families and how they do what they do. Most of my mommy cup filling time is spent talking about home making and children. I am always looking for ways to bring more peace to our home. What a blessing these Titus 2 mentors have been to me!

Just about weekly I am asked how we do what we do. I don't claim to Have It All Together, but if someone can bring more peace to their home I would be honored to be used by God in such a way.

So I have decided to do a series of posts on What we do, How we do it and most importantly Why we do what we do as a large family.

For my own purposes, writing it all out will hopefully help me weed out the whys of a few non-working aspects of home life.

He Ought To Be A Boy Scout

2009-02-15T19:00:00.005-07:00

Our children sit with us in church.

As to the "why" we prefer this is the fodder for another blog post. Stating such is the basis of our story.

I also give children gum in church. Not it isn't a bribe. Really. It gives their mouth something to do. It expends energy. But, if they think it's a bribe, who am I to correct them?

Today, some children had been banned from gum. Three are banned from sweets for a month and one *just* got gum privileges back today. I won't tell you how he lost it the first time. Let's just say, Mom took care of the mess. The three who were allowed gum were given a small piece as the sermon began.

Also, today, B was Little Miss Grump.

Let us begin.

Today Daddy wrestled with LMG for quite some time until it was time for her to have a New Human. New Human = Me. She didn't ungrump for mommy either so we went to the back to listen to the rest of the sermon.

We sit front and center most weeks so the family seemed speck from my vantage point. But what I did see was 8 year old son who is usually very self controlled during church getting up and talking to Dad and laughing. Six year old son was looking anguished. It wasn't until after church that the pieces were put together.

Dad said son 8 told him that 6 year old son got gum in his hair. The 6 year old was the one who *just* got back gum this week. It seems his gum chewing absence didn't teach him the main rule of gum chewing: Keep It In Your Mouth. Son 8 also handed dad the clump of gum...with hair attached. You see, Mom and Dad forgot their own commandment of Frisking The Boys Before Church. Son 8 had used the scissors of his pocket knife to cut the gum - and hair - from 6 year old son's hair. Son 6 was freaking out -as he is won't to do- in a "quiet we're still in church and sitting front and center " kind of way. His main concern was not the loss of hair...or gum chewage, it was, "Are you going to tell Mom?"

Kudos to son 8 for taking the initiative. He ought to be a Boy Scout.

I about peed my pants laughing so hard.

Sad, Geeky, and A Little Bit Creepy

2009-02-13T08:02:00.003-07:00

So my husband emails me this thing from Google called Latitude. He says...download it.

So I do.

Now my husband can track my movements via MY crackberry on HIS crackberry. Geeky? Yes. Creepy? Most definately. Not that I have anything to hide. But I guess his surprise birthday party this year won't be such a surprise.

(just kidding dear.....maybe ;D)

Truth be told, *I* am tracking HIM as he runs errands this morning.

Now he wants dd17 to download it. Hmm that might not be such a bad thing. Actually we trust her and he trusts me. Now I won't be calling him every how asking how close he is to home (read: do I need to get dressed now? jk), or texting him asking his eta.

I feel soo....sooo.....Jack Bauer.

A 15 Minute Day

2009-01-28T15:55:00.003-07:00

Today I am having a 15 minute day.

It's one of Those Days where the to do list is long and the hours are short. A day when things just don't seem to be happening.

I learned about this type of productivity when I was in college. A dear professor (the Jewish one whom I tried to sell a Christmas wreath and other such foolish things) explained that he had a short attention span and when he was working at home (re grading our papers). He would sit and work for 30 minutes then get up and rake leaves, then back to his work, then walking the dog etc. etc.

I thought he was crazy at the time...until I met FlyLady.

FlyLady taught me that I have an even shorted attention span than my dear professor. I can't try and not accomplish much in a day, but boy howdy I can do ANYTHING for 15 minutes.

Well....she was right. And today is one of those days.

Each day I try to make a list of things that need to be done around the house that day as well as office type work. When we get each one done we wipe it off. This way we have a sense of accomplishment and know what comes next.

Today I need to get my Bible study done for CBS tomorrow, help the children with their schoolwork, do laundry, iron (only 15 minutes...it's a mountain I will climb 15 minutes at a time), fill out some paperwork, do some deep cleaning in the living room etc etc.

This morning was pretty much a loss for getting the list gone through as most of us were out of the house. But after lunch was cleaned up, I sat the kids to work at the table while I worked.

I set the timer for 15 minutes and sat to do my Bible study. It helped that the little ones were napping. When my time was up I decluttered, dusted and Windexed a two cabinets in the livingroom. If I had to leave the room and a kid needed me he/she followed me to get the help.

One load to go for laundry, four shirts ironed, livingroom mission done, school work going, Bible study done, sink shined.

Now it is time to start afternoon chores before dinner.

Guess how I spent this 15 minutes?

How To Make an Easy Ten Bucks

2009-01-23T07:44:00.007-07:00

It's simple really.

Step 1: Have boys. Over the age of 5 would be appropriate. That's when they start getting the big bucks for allowance.

Step 2: Give them clothes. Preferably socks and underwear, though pants and shirts will sometimes do.

Step 3: Show them where above said clothes go and then Walk Away.

Step 4: Walk back...after an hour or a day or a week, it's up to you.

Step 5: Fetch above said clothes from the nook and crannies of their bedroom. Toy box, junk drawer, backpack, pillowcase. Don't bother fetching from their drawers, they aren't there.

Step 6: Count em up! Pairs of socks count as two. Doesn't matter whose shirt belongs to whom. Twenty items is an easy $5. Multiply that x2 or more boys.....x4 boys....ya now we're in business.

Step 7: Pay up. Each item is worth .25 cents. They get allowance....you know where it's at.

Step 8: Splurge. Go to the coffe shop and buy a nice, overpriced, iced latte!

Repeat as often as they leave clothes out or until the Get It. When they run out of money they can owe you by working it off.

Folding laundry and putting it away seems an appropriate job.

And when THEY get it, you can start on the girls!

Sometimes A Person Comes To Their Senses....

2009-01-19T21:29:00.000-07:00

NYRs #3 and 4

2009-01-06T22:41:00.003-07:00

#3 Watch less tv. It's not that I (we) watch a lot. It's just that recently we have been watching a lot. We tend to spend far too many hours in front of the tv when I am sick... more so than when Dad is sick hmmm.

The kids do better when they watch less, of course. Movie night is Friday night with the kids. We make popcorn and Orange Juliuses or Magic Milkshakes.

Saturday Night is spa/chickflick night. Both nights are movable to accommodate events that happen on Fri and Sat nights.

I usually watch an hour then head to bed. Basically I watch the shows I have taped. (Love DVR). And I like to watch tv when I knit or do other projects. I just want to have other options for my evening than watching tv.

So..here is a list of what to do after the kids are in bed:
Listen to a book on CD (and knit)
Read my Bible.....do CBS study and Martha Peace study
Study Esther with my oldest two daughters (then we can watch the movie lol)
Read...in a chair...not in bed and then fall asleep.
Blog
Read blogs
Facebook :D
Exercise
Sewing room (when the weather gets warmer)
Coupon stuff
Office type stuff
Get laundry done the night before
Clear off my computer to get ready for a system restore.
Cha Cha
Go to bed early
play cribbage with my daughter
Play other games
bake
NOT clean :D

Mind you, if "I" don't watch tv, then the OTHER TWO (dd and dh) do not watch either. They will have to make their own list.

I think, however, since my dh is only home for a few nights out of the week, he can dictate what he wants to do in the evenings, though I hope it's not watch tv.

NYR #4 Fifty Six Days

New Year's Resolution #2

2008-12-30T12:59:00.004-07:00

The birth of the New Year's Resolution came about as such:

People were so tired of Christmas parties, cooking, baking, eating, dressing up, shopping, decorating, flitting from here to there and here again that the average person said STOP ENOUGH! I need to do something different! So they made a list of all the new things they wanted to do. Now, the reason NYR's don't last is because people get sick of keeping track of all the NYR's. They say ENOUGH! I need to NOT do something different....and then they're off the hook. Remember a key when making NYR's is the high the standards the less guilty you feel for blowing them off.

Not that "I" would do anything like that...making too high standard NYR's or blowing them off...nope, not me.

So here is #1 A Year Without Eating Out

And #2 is this: Use up all the soaps, lotions and sprays I have gotten over the years to make room for the batch next Christmas.

Not too difficult, eh? I seldom buy this stuff for myself, but I was looking in my medicine chest and noticing the lotions I got LAST Christmas. I really must use it up.

Now What? Sewing Room Rescue

2008-12-29T11:46:00.002-07:00

Now that Christmas is over I am like a ship off it's moorings. NOW what do I do with my time? I am sure things were put aside to be dealt with later, but I don't know what they are.

One thing is for sure, my sewing room became FUNCTIONAL. It functioned as a gift making center, gift storage, mud room annex, and a catch all for just about everything!

We spent an hour or two this last Saturday putting things away as much as we can. We still have the Christmas decorating boxes in here but they will be gone by the end of the week.

I want my room back and I want to know what to do in the room once it's in order. So...I made a list :D

Sewing Room Goals
1. Catch up on ironing (KE is earning a Keepers Ironing Badge :D)
2. Clean
a. Organize Craft stuff
b. Clean File Cabinet
c. Clean Desk
d. Clean Kids Craft Area
e. Wash Windows
f. Clean on and under scrapbooking table so I can uh you know scrapbook
g. Clean sewing cabinet
3. Make a project list
4. prioritize project list

My hope is to make items to sell this summer at the Farmer's Market. KM wants to make items to sell on Etsy and at the FM. But she and I have other projects to finish first. That's what Sundays without football are for I guess :D.

A Very Lovely Christmas

2008-12-29T11:28:00.002-07:00

Our Christmas this year was very lovely. I think, though, that any Christmas is better than last Christmas with it's sickness and just-had-a-baby-and-I-want-to-crawl-into-bed-with-her-and-sleep-all-of-you-just-go-awayness.

I can't say that I was prepared. Some presents were made at the last minute and some not at all. The house wasn't perfectly clean and I was ready JUST in time to head for church Christmas Eve.

But this Christmas was the most laid back I have ever had.
There were no snarling at one another over the decorating of the tree.
We did school and didn't blow it off...much.
We had fun and went ice skating, to the parades and other holiday activities.
We worshiped and talked about the Christmas story at dinner.

Christmas Day brought family and friends. Yes, it was a lot of work and I hope everyone felt welcome and full :D. The children didn't have the gimmies and were content with the humble gifts they were given. One child spent most of his day entertaining an elderly guest.

This Christmas was a very international one...we had guests from Vietnam and Canada...AND we ate Mexican food :D.

Would I do anything different? Of course. . I MIGHT not have made so many cookies and I would have had an easier time had I not been sick. I am happy with the way things turned out

I think the biggest difference was my attitude. I tried to be as pleasant to all about everything as possible. I think it trickled down. Let this be a lesson for the REST of the year!

It was indeed a lovely Christmas.

A Year of Dining In

2008-12-28T09:32:00.002-07:00

My friend Gina has proposed a challenge to help save money and trim out bods. We are calling it "A Year of Dining In".

You can read about it here.

Our family eats out maybe once or twice a month. But still, the cheapest we can eat out for (for 10 people) is $25. If we did this twice a month, imagine the amount of groceries that can be bought for $50!

Our biggest budget buster is eating "late night". It all began on a fateful Tuesday evening way back in the 90's. My husband worked until 11:00 at night, so I would often wait up for him to come home to have dinner together. It just so happened that every Tuesday night he would suggest Taco Bell. This became known as Taco Bell Tuesday. It evolved into one or two times a week of "late night", which got more expensive when our teen joined us. Oh, sure, we had long reprieves of not eating out at all, but we always fell back into the pattern. As I said, imagine the amount of groceries we could have bought with all that money.

So I told my friend that we are in. With the exception of eating out that can be done for free...meaning a gift card or someone else's treat. Also, we are excepting Mom and Dad's birthdays :D. I wonder how this will go over because we usually have Papa Murphy's heart shaped pizza on Valentine's Day. Hmmm Overall I think the not eating late night will have a big and immediate impact on our budget and bodies.

We will see how it goes.

Chicken Enchilada Casserole

2008-12-27T13:21:00.002-07:00

This recipe was given to me by a sweet woman named Jessie Hartke from Majestic church. We made two pans of it for Christmas dinner this year as well as a lunch gift for our Bridges Family. I have been nagged...er asked to post this for all to enjoy.

2 26 oz pkg cream of chicken soup
2 sm containers sour cream
2 4 oz pkg green chilis (we used Pantaleo's Anaheims and Pueblos mixed)
5 to 7 cooked chicken breast cut to bite size pieces or shredded
1 pkg flour tortillas
1 pkg cheese shredded (we use a mixture of MJack and Cheddar)

Mix soup and sour cream. Pour a bit into bottom of casserole dish.
Put down a layer of tortillas.
Layer of mixture, chicken, chilis, cheese
Layer of tortillas
Layer of mixture, etc
layer of tortillas
Layer of mixture etc
Top with layer of tortillas, misture and cheese

NOTE....an alternative method would be to make rolls of chicken and cheese and top with mixture and cheese.

Bake at 350 until it comes to a boil about 30 min.

It freezes well and is good for leftovers...which we know well as we have been eating it the past few days :).

Cowboy Cookies

2008-12-12T17:18:00.002-07:00

Here is a recipe that we make each year to put on the plates we make for the neighbors and take to the library. I think it is the same as the Neiman Marcus cookies but I am not sure. They are RICH and we like them....we get the leftovers for Christmas goodies.

We DO make them other times during the year when we want more than your average chocolate chip cookie.

I was given the recipe by a woman I went to church with. My MIL made a recipe book and put this one in it....just fwi.

Cowboy Cookies (Mrs. Carol Wurtz)
2 C Shortening
2 C white sugar
4 eggs
1 t vanilla
1 t baking soda
1 1/2 t baking powder
12 oz chocolate chips (we always use Toll House)
1 C choppted nuts (we use walnuts)
4 C oatmeal

Cream together first five ingredients. Mix together flour, soda and baking powder. Add to mixture. Mix in oatmeal, nuts and chocolate chips.

Refridgerate for several hours or overnight. (We use it right away and it's fine). Allow to warm slightly to room temperature. Mold with hands to walnut size or larger and flatten on oiled cookie sheet.

Bake at 375 for 10 to 12 minutes. Be sure to not overbake.

We usually let them sit a while on the sheet before we put them on the cooling rack and we hardly ever oil the pan.

This makes a BIG batch...be sure to use a big bowl.

Help For Growing Families - Sort Of

2008-11-25T20:25:00.004-07:00

I wasn't going to post this week as I am trying to take an internet break, but as I was sitting in my sewing room peacefully I had an epiphany of what to share.

Our new home is blessed with a space for sewing. I try to spend a little time there every day ironing, mending and working on projects. Right now we are making Christmas gifts.

Unless my husband is avaliable to be with children in the house, I usually bring them all out with me. And they love it.

For the older children we have a tub of toys (See previous post about toy rotation) as well as an organizer with various craft projects and supplies for them to do. We three older girls have our machines set up. There is a tv, radio and DVD player.

The baby has her swing (which at 11 months she still loves) and the bottom drawer of the craft organizer has toys in it just for her.

But the real thing that the B loves and occupies her time is her own sewing kit. We found a small container and put in empty spools, some ribbon, a tape measure, a fluffy soft pin coushion, a tin or two and some plactic bicycle clips I don't use for sewing. She loves her sewing kit. Right now she likes to take stuff out and put stuff back in. It makes her feel special.

I make use of this time, also, to teach children how to do all the tasks I am doing: ironing, mending, sewing etc. The little ones always want to help me with whatever project I am doing.

Shh don't tell, but the ironing had piled up. I told my son I would pay him 5 cents per shirt he ironed and 10 cents if he did it well lol. He gave up, but today his sister racked up some dough!
Whatever works.

The Laundry Game

2008-11-17T21:11:00.003-07:00

Whenever we have epic amounts of laundry or whenever I Just. Want. To. Get. It. Done. and motivation on all our parts is low, we play THE LAUNDRY GAME!

Basically it's sanctioned running through the house :D.

I station myself at the numerous baskets and fold fold fold. The children line up, I hand them an article of laundry and they're off. If it's theirs or the baby's they put it away, otherwise they put it in the general vacinity of the dresser/closet.

When it's all folded they each go to their rooms to put their clothes in drawers etc.

The kids LOVE the laundry game. It really motivates them to get it done.

We started this game last year when I was pregnant :)

You Know You've Listened To Too Much Hairspray When:

2008-11-13T18:55:00.003-07:00

Your six year old says

I'm a checkerboard chick!

To which you ask him if he knows what that means.

Dad: Son, do you know what a checkerboard chick is?

Senor: No

Dad: Then you shouldn't be saying it.

(Which opens up a whole conversation)

Senor: Why? What does it mean?

(I am supressing giggles right about now)

Mom: Well (giggle) it's a non issue with you.

Senor: Why?

Mom: (laughing now) Well, for starters you aren't a girl.

Senor: ::blank stare:::

Mom: (sighing) And uh.....Well the time in which Hairspray is set is during a time
when people who have different colored skin were treated badly. They had to even had to have their own baseball teams (something I know he can relate to).

Senor: ::::getting that glazed over look:::::

Mom: And it was considered bad for a girl and a boy of different colored skin to date. (I'm hitting my stride with this one) And the whole story of Hairspray is that Tracy wanted to just be herself and wanted to like the people she wanted to like without anyone not liking her

Senor: :::totally glazed over::::

Mom: And she just wanted for all the people of a different color to be treated better. So see? Being a checkerboard chick isn't a bad thing, it's just that Penny was glad to like the boy she liked even though he was a different color. It's a non issue because you aren't a girl and as a family we want the same thing as Tracy.

Dad: Yeah and you aren't going to date.

Which pretty much ended the conversation. Whew!

Now we just need to work on Old Yeller's singing "Momma I'm a Big Girl Now".

The Short Bus

2008-11-12T10:44:00.002-07:00

We're saving MUNEE........We're saving GASSSSS.

The hospital where my husband works is offering a shuttle from PW to the hospital. They have built a new Emergency Center here in PW that is very near our house.

This means that we lose precious minutes with Daddy because he has to leave earlier than he would if he were driving himself. This also means that dinner needs to be on time . But since he does most of the supper cooking this is really dependant on him to do, though I am sure there are things I can do to help make dinner get done easier.

The one drawback is that the parking lot is not lighted and we don't want to leave our car there overnight, so for the time being we will drive Daddy to the bus. BUT! This also means that -providing my oldest is home to watch the littles- we get a mini-date as I take him to the shuttle. It's only about five minutes but every minute counts. We get to, you know, have a conversation. Perhaps later, Daddy can bike to the bus stop...after he buys a bike....and the weather clears up....and he can stay awake in the morning to bike home.

Now that gas has gone down to almost $2.00, our gas budget will stretch farther. Wouldn't it be nice to only spend $100 on gas a MONTH? It's possible, verrrry possible.

Before you offer the hospital sainthood (that's the other hospital in town), realize that their motives are purely congestive ;). The hospital sits in a historic part of town near the park and there is little room for parking. There IS a parking garage, but most of it is reserved for valet parking (FREE valet parking I might add, a fact in which I am truly grateful when I need to go to the hosp for something). The garage sits near the medical building so it is usually full of cars of patients and doctors.

Also, they are redoing part of the hospital (again) and construction is eating up parking on the streets, and the construction crew has to park somewhere.

The kids were so excited to go with me last night to see Daddy's bus. They are so happy for him lol.

Managing Toys

2008-11-11T12:38:00.003-07:00

When our oldest child got too old for her toys, we sold them, gave them away and threw them away. When dear children #s 2 and 3 came (at the same time!) we had to buy the same age appropriate toys that we had just gotten rid of. Now, we seldom get rid of toys, but keep them in storage tubs.

We have a "room" in our house designated as a playroom. It has no window so we do not use it for a bedroom. Our toys (thanks to the hard work of our oldest and my husband) are arranged by type of toy: the trains are in one tub, Little People in another (actually two very big ones!), dress up clothes in suitcases etc.

We labeled each tub with what was in it. Each bedroom gets a laundry basket or cabinet for their toys. We also keep toys in the sewing room and a few out in the playroom. Once a month we gather and sort what is in the rooms and the children who share a room get to choose "new" toys for their room. For the sewing room we try to choose toys that are safe for the baby.

The playroom gets one active toy (green tube, pop up bus/tent, sit and spin), something constructive (duplos) and one other tub of toys. The rest of the tubs are stored in the playroom behind "walls" made of 1x2 and muslin attached with hinges.

We try to go through them once a year and purge what no one likes or we as a family feel is an inappropriate toy or just plain "junk". If we do not have a garage sale, we give it to our local clothing/food closet.

Pros of keeping, storing and shuffling toys:

toys are always "new" to them

we can care for them better (less breaking and getting lost)

if we need something in a tub we can usually find it

This has been especially helpful in teaching them that "there is nothing new under the sun" and to not want what they don't have because they have plenty.

Living With Four Boys

2008-11-09T08:40:00.002-07:00

The top five joys of living with 4 boys:

#5 Endless lost socks and underwear.

#4 Washing sheets each week because boys sweat!

#3 Keeping tabs on their constant movement

#2 Legos, cowboys, policemen, footballs, basketballs, baseballs and more Legos

#1 My husband says before church, "Remind me to frisk the boys before we leave the house."

I love having boys!

I didn't know you were going to kill it!

2008-11-04T13:04:00.001-07:00

Last Sunday, we carved a pumpkin.

We grew our own pumpkins this year and couldn't bear to cut them up for compost - the fate of most carved pumpkins.

So we trekked out to "the county", to the farm to buy some chilies and a pumpkin. We made an afternoon of it: finishing school early, getting supper on to cook, packing up needed supplies (a wagon), and getting on some "picture worthy" clothing. You see at the farm is a quaint yellow farmhouse with the cutest ever porch where we like to take our family picture. That is providing we can find someone to do it for us.

And there was.

This little old man whose son was the farm owner roasted our chiles for us (a bushel of Pueblo and a bushel of Anaheims mmm). There is nothing that says fall like the smell of roasted chiles bought at the farm. Roasted chilies at Wal Mart is cheating.

Anyway

We asked the little man if he would be so kind as to take our picture. He said yes he would try because he only had one working eye.

So after arranging our crew in a picturesque manner on the porch and praying he would take the pic fast before the bedlam ensued ( the farm had cats.....our kids love animals and some have never seen a real live cat in their lives) we got a pic. But.....but....someone's head was cut off. Our photographer kept saying he couldn't see anything. He kept putting his eye up to the camera but could not see anything. Those pesky digital cameras........

My daughter quietly laughing at her mother who had once done the same thing patiently tried to show the man the screen he should look at, but technology is just waaaay too much for some people. We were thankful for his help and told him we would do it a different way.

I wonder if someone actually lives in that house?

We set up the camera and arranged ourselves, threw some cats far away from us, and snapped the pic. It only took a few tries of MOM cutting off the heads of the family before we got the money shot - or rather the Christmas card shot.

On to the pumpkin patch! Some of the kids just didn't understand that we were only getting ONE pumpkin and that they could get whichever size they wanted: hence the wagon. Some claimed one for themselves but were met with disappointment when we reminded them. The B DID get her own pumpkin..after all it's her first fall. The children picked a big nice round one for carving.

Sunday afternoon was the time and the kitchen was the place for the festivities. We allowed each child to paint one of the pumpkins from the garden. When we got ready to carve the big boy we all agreed as to how the face should go and drew it on with a marker. Next came time to carve. My oldest daughter gets the knife and begins to stab at it to which my 6 yr old son says, "I didn't know you were going to kill it!" He is such a mimic. They had watched Charlie Brown the night before and this is clearly a line from that show, though at the time I didn't know it and was semi-counseling him and laughing at him. Poor fella gets such mixed signals from his ma.

We put all our pumpkins on display in our wagon near the front door. It looked so cute!

October 31st rolls around and as we head out the door my oldest son suggests that we put on the pumpkin (meaning electric). I said sure to which my husband panicked. You see he thought we meant putting a candle in the one outside...you know....fire....flame...... We have had a bad spell of things catching on fire.......

And now? Now our ten dollar pumpkin is fodder for our future farm.