Simplifying the homeschool life?

[Slache]

Over the past few years I've taken steps to make my life simpler so I'm less overwhelmed in the oncoming years. I've lost a significant amount of weight, decluttered about half of our things, and learned how to do once a month prep work as I do not like reheated meals. I've recently discovered the KonMari method which is not just about decluttering, but a more logical method of keeping house. What else do you do, or did you do, that brought more peace to your life?

[Guest]

I do a work box system with hanging file folders. It corrals the school supplies so each kid has a box with all their books, binders, pencils, etc. It also gives them visual progress for what they have done, and assures I actually get in both the work and fun stuff, even for the preschooler.

 

I don't do it nearly as strictly as Sue Patrick, but the modifications I made make it work with my number of children and lack of space :)

 

We also homeschool year round, so I'm never stressed about getting enough days or hours in and have flexibility. I don't make weekly lessons plans, we just do the next thing, again because trying to maintain a rigid time schedule stresses me out.

[Guest]

And meals! I do a two week rotation of meals on a whiteboard on the fridge, and I have laminated grocery lists of our pantry, fresh, and frozen items. I just highlight items on the list as we run out with a dry erase marker and keep up on the main menu, and it takes the thought out of both of those tasks because it is written down, neat, and easily accessible. When I fall behind on meal planning it is noticeably more chaotic!

[Lang Syne Boardie]

When my boys were babies and small children, I created the world I wanted for us all. Our daily rhythms were sane and lovely. I did all the housework myself, as I prefer, and reveled in dishpans, clotheslines, pantries, woodstoves, rocking chairs and quilts. I was in charge of the television, which I kept turned off so we could talk, listen, sing, and be silent. I was the holiday keeper, the dreamer of dreams, the family storyteller, and the family conscience. We worked hard and lived deliberately, and we had peace.

Now that I have a houseful of very active teens and a college student (living at home), and a husband who travels out of state for work, simplicity can only ever be a state of mind.

 

Simplicity in the midst of chaos means...

 

~repeating family jokes and mantras when possible, to remind us who we are

 

~not owning more stuff than we need and truly want, so we have more time to tend souls

 

~protecting family time on the weekend and teaching each family member to prioritize their hours ("number their days")

 

~observing rituals of mealtimes, worship, holidays and daily routines

 

~teaching each family member to feel a personal responsibility to not cause drama, not to shatter the peace

 

~noticing when calm has descended and seizing that moment: drink a cup of tea, sit on the porch and sing the moon up, just be.

 

I do find worth in various methods and I love a good schedule, but for me the real peace and simplicity come from knowing who I am and what I'm intending to do. Single-mindedness is the key...I can get wildly off track during stressful times but the reboot always looks the same...

 

centering, not systems. That's where it's at.

 

 

[lovinmyboys]

I think, for me, keeping extra curriculars down really makes homeschooling simpler. All three of my big kids are playing baseball (on different teams) and doing a strings class and all 4 kids are in swim lessons. I am about to go out of my mind. We had 6 weeks this summer that were blissfully simple-just enjoying summer with no scheduled activities.

[LucyStoner]

My best advice is to just not complicate it in the first place. Your kids are young. Don't commit to more than you want to do. Don't get drawn into the latest and greatest shiny new curriculum. Basically don't overthink it. Keep it simple from the get go and add as needed rather than needing to strip it down and simplify later.

[Jaz]

We set goals each semester. They may be academic or something like learn to drive. If I find we don't have enough time, I keep everything related to our goals then let go of the "least" of the best. It has worked well when the kids were young and continues to work well with teens.

[LucyStoner]

I think, for me, keeping extra curriculars down really makes homeschooling simpler. All three of my big kids are playing baseball (on different teams) and doing a strings class and all 4 kids are in swim lessons. I am about to go out of my mind. We had 6 weeks this summer that were blissfully simple-just enjoying summer with no scheduled activities.

We pile our extra curriculars, classes and appointments into certain days and leave certain days as inviolate nothing on the calendar days.

[arliemaria]

I always grab a few of those paint color strips at the store.  I usually write out a few goals for each child for the month ahead and they are on the fridge.  If it is a habit, like put their shoes away in the cubby correctly, that will be one color on the strip.  Habits is a big thing to me right now.  I hope this will simplify life later.

 

 

[Lucy the Valiant]

When my boys were babies and small children, I created the world I wanted for us all. Our daily rhythms were sane and lovely. I did all the housework myself, as I prefer, and reveled in dishpans, clotheslines, pantries, woodstoves, rocking chairs and quilts. I was in charge of the television, which I kept turned off so we could talk, listen, sing, and be silent. I was the holiday keeper, the dreamer of dreams, the family storyteller, and the family conscience. We worked hard and lived deliberately, and we had peace.

 

Now that I have a houseful of very active teens and a college student (living at home), and a husband who travels out of state for work, simplicity can only ever be a state of mind.

 

Simplicity in the midst of chaos means...

 

~repeating family jokes and mantras when possible, to remind us who we are

 

~not owning more stuff than we need and truly want, so we have more time to tend souls

 

~protecting family time on the weekend and teaching each family member to prioritize their hours ("number their days")

 

~observing rituals of mealtimes, worship, holidays and daily routines

 

~teaching each family member to feel a personal responsibility to not cause drama, not to shatter the peace

 

~noticing when calm has descended and seizing that moment: drink a cup of tea, sit on the porch and sing the moon up, just be.

 

I do find worth in various methods and I love a good schedule, but for me the real peace and simplicity come from knowing who I am and what I'm intending to do. Single-mindedness is the key...I can get wildly off track during stressful times but the reboot always looks the same...

 

centering, not systems. That's where it's at.

 

What a beautiful post. I just wanted to say thank you.

 

 

[FO4UR]

We pile our extra curriculars, classes and appointments into certain days and leave certain days as inviolate nothing on the calendar days.

 

 

I put my in-home commitment on Monday afternoon.  The house is still fairly clean from the weekend blitz and it's late in the day so we have time to complete a school day.

 

I do co-op on Tuesday.  We occasionally have things on Wed.  

 

I leave Thurs and Friday FREE from outside commitment.  I can take off to visit my parents if I want.  We can spend 2 whole days at the lake.  Whatever.  I can breathe.  We can complete assignments missed early in the week.

[Ellie]

Over the past few years I've taken steps to make my life simpler so I'm less overwhelmed in the oncoming years. I've lost a significant amount of weight, decluttered about half of our things, and learned how to do once a month prep work as I do not like reheated meals. I've recently discovered the KonMari method which is not just about decluttering, but a more logical method of keeping house. What else do you do, or did you do, that brought more peace to your life?

 

No outside activities with other homeschoolers before 3 in the afternoon, so no sports day, no dance, no 4H, no gymnastics, nothing. No co-ops. Field trips on Thursday only. One park day a month, and only if it's on Friday.

 

[laundrycrisis]

Minimize social involvement with other homeschoolers, and be very selective about any activities that taken place during the middle of the day.

[Slache]

Hope that makes sense.

Yes. It really resonates with my thinking. I love the new and shiny, but we just aren't shiny people.

[Slache]

I always grab a few of those paint color strips at the store. I usually write out a few goals for each child for the month ahead and they are on the fridge. If it is a habit, like put their shoes away in the cubby correctly, that will be one color on the strip. Habits is a big thing to me right now. I hope this will simplify life later.

Yes, I'm huge on habits. My husband was not raised to do housework so this all began a few years before the kids were born. We have a nightly list that involves emptying the dishwasher, clearing the hallway and nursery, and wiping down all of the counters and tables. You can't wipe something down if there's stuff on it. We also pick up before every meal. I'm a slave driver and had the kids picking up as soon as they could crawl.

[Guest]

Best advice ever, Margaret.

 

We don't have enough clothing storage right now, so I just don't worry about the Army duffels stacked behind my living room couch. They mean that Bigger is home and in civilian mode right now, so as far as I'm concerned, they're beautiful.

 

Rachel, I'm trying to relearn how to compartmentalize: you do the best you can with the time you have and then you move on to the next thing and leave the guilt and perfectionism behind.

 

 

[Haiku]

I'm going to be honest and say I haven't yet figured it out. I see people post all their guidelines or rules for scheduling extra-curriculars and appointments and the like, and that has just never, ever worked for me. I can't designate one day for medical appointments. The clinics my kids are patients at all have different clinic days and hours. I can't say "extra-curriculars only on this day," because the people who provide the extra-curriculars don't really care what I want my schedule to be and rudely make their own schedules. I can't say "park days only on such-and-such day" because there never seem to be any that day. I have found that if I want my kids to be connected to their peers, I have to work to make it happen and be flexible. That means we rarely have a week that looks like the week before it or the week yet to come. It bothers me some, but my kids aren't bothered by it.

 

What I have been able to do to bring peace to my life is focus on enjoying my kids and being flexible with our school curriculum/schedule. If something is not working, we toss it. If we have to go light a certain day, we do. We go year-round so I don't feel like I have to "cram it all in" during a set school year. Our curriculum planning largely consists of "do the next thing." I take the long view and have comfort in the idea that overall my kids are having a wonderful childhood and are being educated well and that they have plenty of time for their hobbies and to devote to their number one love, hockey.

[Professormom]

When my boys were babies and small children, I created the world I wanted for us all. Our daily rhythms were sane and lovely. I did all the housework myself, as I prefer, and reveled in dishpans, clotheslines, pantries, woodstoves, rocking chairs and quilts. I was in charge of the television, which I kept turned off so we could talk, listen, sing, and be silent. I was the holiday keeper, the dreamer of dreams, the family storyteller, and the family conscience. We worked hard and lived deliberately, and we had peace.

 

Now that I have a houseful of very active teens and a college student (living at home), and a husband who travels out of state for work, simplicity can only ever be a state of mind.

 

Simplicity in the midst of chaos means...

 

~repeating family jokes and mantras when possible, to remind us who we are

 

~not owning more stuff than we need and truly want, so we have more time to tend souls

 

~protecting family time on the weekend and teaching each family member to prioritize their hours ("number their days")

 

~observing rituals of mealtimes, worship, holidays and daily routines

 

~teaching each family member to feel a personal responsibility to not cause drama, not to shatter the peace

 

~noticing when calm has descended and seizing that moment: drink a cup of tea, sit on the porch and sing the moon up, just be.

 

I do find worth in various methods and I love a good schedule, but for me the real peace and simplicity come from knowing who I am and what I'm intending to do. Single-mindedness is the key...I can get wildly off track during stressful times but the reboot always looks the same...

 

centering, not systems. That's where it's at.

Wow, that is just lovely:-)

[Guest]

Wow, that is just lovely:-)

 

It really is. I printed it and hung it on the fridge.

[Professormom]

I am a big picture person so for me, it starts with the calendar. We are fussy about activities/school/family time balance. If something outside of the house starts to take too much of family time or academics, the kids know we need to cull. We don't consider sports time "family time" although I know people who do. It works for them, but that wouldn't work for us. We like to sit in the living room and crack jokes and have dh talk about pop culture for hours... Or sometimes he reads out loud - the wrong way. For example, he recently regaled us with "Tom's Lawyer" instead of Tom Sawyer. We laugh a lot;-) That stuff wouldn't happen if we are on the road all of the time. So we guard our family at home time. It just works for us.

 

I just keep eyeballing that calendar throughout the year and have gotten better at estimating time commitments, etc. But I do also guard Mondays. I know it seems weird, but I get so.much.done on Mondays. So do the kids. That is one day that I am crazy-possessive with:-)

 

Also, just saying no. I am so much better at this than I used to be. We get asked to do ALOT of service work, charity events, groups, etc. Other people are never going to be protective of your season of life. So you have to be. Between homeschooling, raising kids, taking care of live-in in-laws, and basic housekeeping and food prep, I am already up to my eyeballs. That doesn't really even include self-care. This is a time of life like no other. My mantra right now is peanut butter. You can have a decent amount of peanut butter, but if you try to spread it too thin, it will just make your bread taste weird :lol:

 

After 3 years of this, people are just now starting to respect my boundaries more, so it may take a while. And you do miss things. But it is worth it to have peace in our home, and a mom that isn't bat...crazy trying to get everything done for everyone else with nothing getting done at home.

[Professormom]

Oh and that isn't to say we don't do sports. We just give the kids choices out of what works for us all. Soccer was out. Hangin going out every Sat in the wet, cold mud (or hot, humid, mosquity-ness) was not my idea of fun. Nor was it dh's. When 1/2 to 3/4 of the family hates an activity, it ceases to be worth it for us. But, sailing works for us (even though some people would hate it) because when they sail, we get to sit on our boat sipping cocktails and hanging with our friends. Not bad. Tennis works too, because we do it through our club, and I get to work out while they are in class. Obviously, tournaments and regattas can still be a pain, but the good outweighs the bad:-)

[Pen]

school mostly organized by time spent on a subject (eg an hour for math) rather than by pages or lesson...    if progress does not seem to be happening then to look at why not, but it keeps things moving along to know that _____ will be done in one hour or one half hour, or whatever is set (and I do usually use blocks like an hour or half hour which are easier to keep track of rather than odd lengths)      a timer to keep track of that set time

 

a main focus --or maybe 2, but not a lot of them--for schoolwork each year     this began due to LDs, but served us well and has continued       so the main focus is like the big rocks and then other subjects are sand that fills in around that

 

letting main family members who tend to call know our schedule so that they don't tend to call in the midst of our work time

 

trying to be gentle on myself when things (usually health issues in my case) get in the way of what I had hoped to do   going with the flow

 

 

not worrying overly about capital letters or other small matters

 

one main away from home extracurricular at a time only

 

a good breakfast that fuels us up for the morning

 

a good night's rest

 

 

 

 

and I was reading the konmari thread....   that looks good      I want to try that

[Guest]

Deciding to stick with a philosophy was helpful to me.  I decided for Classical Education, and that kept me from a lot of insanity every homeschool convention.  I knew I wasn't an unschooler or a rote learner or a STEM educator... 

 

That said, while it served me well in many, many ways, I wish I had also been a better listener about who my son was and what HE wanted as he entered 9th-ish grade.  He has been well served by Classical Education, more than we knew even at the time of his graduation, but I do wish I had listened to his wishes better, starting at about grade 9.  :0)