Managers of Their Homes... has anyone used this?

[Aileen E.]

I'm interested in getting some feedback from people who have used this system, whether or not it worked.

 

 

I need something that is easy to put together and is already all laid out for me; I don't want to spend a lot of time planning, filling out forms/spreadsheets, organizing pages, creating charts, etc. (I tend to get caught up in all the planning, rather than the actual doing). :rolleyes:

 

 

Also, did you find it inspirational/motivational? Like with most people, I think the hardest part for me is not the planning, but the implementation. I can have all the charts, lists, stickers in the world, but if I don't feel motivated to use them... well.

 

 

Does it include plans for menus, budgets, house-cleaning, etc., not just homeschooling plans and chores? I only have one child living at home (a 6yo granddaughter) so creating lesson plans and scheduling her chores is not a great hassle, it's getting everything else done and organized without feeling frazzled that is proving to be a challenge.

 

 

I'd really appreciate everyone's input and suggestions.

 

TIA,

Aileen

[Orthodox6]

I bought it once, and quickly decided that the author was unrealistic and despotic. Never used the system at all.

[coffeefreak]

I'm interested in getting some feedback from people who have used this system, whether or not it worked.

 

 

I need something that is easy to put together and is already all laid out for me; I don't want to spend a lot of time planning, filling out forms/spreadsheets, organizing pages, creating charts, etc. (I tend to get caught up in all the planning, rather than the actual doing). :rolleyes:

 

Then this is not the program for you. The first time you do it, it will take you HOURS of planning and organizing. The first step is to list all your activities and all your kids activities on separate sheets. You list the activity and the amount of time it takes to complete. Then, you start organizing. I like it because it showed me (5 years ago) that I was expecting myself to complete 26 hours of work in a 24 hour day with NO SLEEP included :D Now that I've had it for several years, it takes me an hour of my time.

 

 

Also, did you find it inspirational/motivational? Like with most people, I think the hardest part for me is not the planning, but the implementation. I can have all the charts, lists, stickers in the world, but if I don't feel motivated to use them... well.

 

UMMMMM. . . Yes and no. Teri Maxwell can be very tough. She leaves no room for arguing in her writing. However, I was ready to try anything and she has very clear and concise instructions that are easy to follow.

 

Does it include plans for menus, budgets, house-cleaning, etc., not just homeschooling plans and chores? I only have one child living at home (a 6yo granddaughter) so creating lesson plans and scheduling her chores is not a great hassle, it's getting everything else done and organized without feeling frazzled that is proving to be a challenge.

 

It has separate chapters for chores and menu planning, not budgeting. She also has a newer book, "Managers of their Chores" that goes more indepth on the chores scheduling (I don't have that one, I don't think it's needed with only 2 kids):001_smile:

 

 

 

I like her book because it IS a help and it DOES work. However, I use the schedule as more of a "to do" list. I still sit down every year and write out my "tasks" and the times to go with it. I also use times to schedule, but , I don't beat up on myself for not doing things according to the schedule. Just the work of writing everything out helps. The other thing I LOVE is the menu planning help. I still use a master grocery list because of her and life is so much easier with a list of meals everyone in the family likes. Hope that gives you a good idea of how it works!

 

Blessings!

Dorinda

[BakersDozen]

I have used it for the last 11 years and it has really helped us have order and sanity in our home. I don't schedule to the extreme the Maxwells do (scheduling toys on certain days, for example) and I already was organized with my menu/chores. What it helped me most with was seeing where my time went in my day. I remember the first day I implemented the program and called my dh at 10:30 just to tell him how smoothly our day was going! I had 3dc age 2 and under so for me it was a good program.

 

I didn't use the chart with all the different colored paper that it comes with, though. I prefer excel sheets and my own homemade lists/charts.

[LNC]

Did you look at the website? There used to be samples on there. I think it is most useful for homeschoolers with 3 or more children. Especially when you are including toddlers and/or preschoolers into your day! Once I put my special needs son in public school our detailed "schedule" quickly became a simple routine. I didn't really need the book anymore. Jmo!

[BamaTanya]

but spent hours and hours planning and didn't get anywhere.

 

It just doesn't fit with my personality. I wish I were more like her in some ways, but I found it too rigid and confining.

 

I'm glad I read it, but I should have borrowed it before buying.

[Tree House Academy]

I went through the program. It took me WEEKS of thinking, planning, and reading. I went slowly, though, and I made sure to do little chunks and consider things prayerfully as well as discussing them with my dh as I went along. With school starting back, we are just about the put the schdule to use. I am very proud of it. :) I call it the "Micromanaging my life" schedule. I say that because I do find that the author is very detail oriented and she seems to micromanage a bit. However, I was able to adapt her method to something that will work me me and my family. Now...if I could ever get the umph to get started on Managers of their Chores...

Edited July 17, 2009 by Tree House Academy

[yslek]

I checked this out from the library last year, made a schedule (which did take HOURS) and implemented it...for maybe 2 days. Gah! It made me crazy. I do need more discipline/order in my life, but for me, MOTH is NOT the answer.

 

According to this book: http://www.organizedworld.com/index.html I am an "Innovator" (dominant part of brain: Right Front.) My guess is that MOTH works really well for "Maintainers" (Left Back brain preference), which my brain type is farthest away from. :D

[herbalgirl]

I tried this, but found it WAY too constricting, regimented, and micromanaged! I felt like she wanted me to schedule in when I breathed, too! :glare:

 

I have 4, soon to be 5 children, and found that it was best to just sit down, think of chores they could complete daily and make a simple, rotating schedule. It works best for us.

 

I really don't think MOTH is worth the $$ they charge, IMHO...

[Orthodox6]

My thoughts will be controversial; however, I thought her infant care regime was ludicrous.

 

 

I tried this, but found it WAY too constricting, regimented, and micromanaged! I felt like she wanted me to schedule in when I breathed, too! :glare:

 

.

[herbalgirl]

I don't think your thoughts are controversial, I totally agree with you!! I would suspect that most ladies here would also agree...

[PineFarmMom]

I use it. I tweaked it to make it more flexible, and we like it!! It basically got us to the point where when school is going we know what to do when and without thinking so much about it. I say use it and make it your own. If you don't start exactly on time each day, be a little more flexible and use it as a guide instead of a strict schedule that completely owns you.

[Aileen E.]

I bought it once, and quickly decided that the author was unrealistic and despotic. Never used the system at all.

 

This is discouraging, but good to know. Maybe this program is not what I'm looking for. Thank you for sharing your insight. :)

[Aubrey]

I LOVE Teri Maxwell, this book, & the others I've read that she's written. I borrowed it, then bought it, still love it, & don't really do it--just to get which camp I'm in out of the way. I don't do schedules well, & despite having read & loved the book, I still don't. I think to try to smoosh myself into that particular mode would so defy my personality that I'd actually accomplish less.

 

First, why I love it. She's got really practical ideas for streamlining what you're already doing, with or without a schedule. She's got revolutionary ideas (for me anyway) about how to juggle a mess of kids, & esp in the early days after #4 was born, this was a real life-saver.

 

Others have said she's tough--I thought she was pretty gentle. She doesn't tell you you're a big time-wasting slob, & she doesn't tell you to just. work. harder. She says to prioritize & pray. If everything doesn't fit into the 24 hrs you've got, pray & prioritize some more, because something's got to go, & rather than have something go because you just ran out of time (& you will, if there's too much), you might as well get to CHOOSE what's going to go.

 

That said, her book does remind me of the episode of I Love Lucy where Ricky tries to get Lucy on a schedule. LOL

 

Ok, so whether it's me, the baby, or the toddler, I haven't been able to do a full-blown schedule, & the time I'm tempted to spend planning it is...silly. BUT I have been able to adapt her ideas. Here's what I do:

 

8-10AM Checklist--this is when we're waking up, getting dressed, changing diapers, fixing breakfast, eating, & picking up the kitchen. If I can squeeze something else in there, great, but I don't need a checklist for these things--I've got crying babies to remind me, lol.

 

This is what I do every day anyway, & it's almost always nearly 10 when I'm done. So now I don't have to feel guilty about losing the 1st 2 hrs of school time. See? I'm just sort of acknowledging what my day already does & it helps me focus on where I'm supposed to be when. First 2 hrs: kitchen duty.

 

10-12 Checklist--baby's going to get a nap, but he naps better in the afternoons if I limit it to 1 hr in the AM, so around 10, I'm going to lay him down & turn on Sesame St or Baby Einstein or something for toddler, & do math w/ the bigs. Toddler can color afterwards, & somebody's got to slap some pbj on bread, if we didn't do it in the morning, but that's all I expect from those 2 hrs.

 

This would be a good spot for me to work on keeping baby occupied after he wakes up, so we can do more, but once it cools off, this is when I'd take them outside, so I guess it's good. Plus, this leaves me some squishy time to hang clothes to dry, put some dinner in the crockpot (if I didn't do it earlier, which I probably didn't), etc. Or come play w/ you guys, lol.

 

I forget the 12-2 checklist. That's really bad. I imagine it involves a rotation of kidlets through the lunch table & school table, but between hand, foot, & mouth disease & VBS (the week before!), um, I dunno. It's a transitional time. :001_huh:

 

2-4 The babies take their afternoon naps about this time, for about 2 hrs. We cram as much school as we can in this slot, & I'm pretty mean about HURRYING before they wake up. But this is also when I serve brownies & cookies occasionally, so it's all good, I think.

 

4-6--pre-dinner. Pick up the house (we've got a specific chore list from Managers of their Chores, which is just about the BEST book I've ever read--most cheerful doing of chores by kids AND dh EVER, but that would be another thread), fix dinner, manage crying babes.

 

6-8--eat dinner, bathe anybody who needs it who didn't get bathed in the 4-6 timeslot, read stories if there's time, clean up some/all of the kitchen.

 

I haven't been going to bed w/ a clean kitchen lately, but I've realized--that's something I can easily do when the kids are up. Once they're in bed, time is precious, so I've stopped feeling guilty about that. I also do pretty well about washing as I cook, so it's not usually too bad, but that fills up our mornings. We don't have a dishwasher, so that's a 3-4x/day thing anyway. We'll get to it, lol.

 

HTH. I'm sure it's not for everybody, & I definitely agree that it's probably most useful for families w/ over 3 kids...that point when you realize you're having to juggle to get everything done instead of just form straight lines.

[1bassoon]

That's a great post and a great perspective, Aubrey.

 

For us, MOTH has worked much better when I think in chunks of time, like you do.

 

But really, I think the best part of it is what you said:

 

Pray and Prioritize.

 

I also took away the concept of, you can do anything in little blocks of 30 minutes. If you wait for a three-hour chunk of time to magically appear - well, in my world, it's just Not. Going. To. Happen.

[dangermom]

I got Managers of their Chores and do a very relaxed version. It really helped me think of a zillion little jobs my kids could do and divide them up, assign them out, etc. I would never dream of scheduling myself the way she has it designed, but I'm glad I bought the book; I got a lot out of it to use in my own way.

[BlsdMama]

We use a very tweaked version of this. Using a schedule by the 30 minute increments they suggest makes me grumpy. Our tweaked version has it divided by routine and marked off by certain times.

 

For example I wake at 5 AM. That's set. I wake the children at a set time when we're doing school. That's set. We eat breakfast and start school at a set time. But between the SET times, there is just routine. For example if I start Bible at 9:00 AM, the kids then have a block of school immediately following. You can see the schedules (if you can read them, I had to reduce them) here:

 

Blog Post on Scheduling

[ladydusk]

I like and occasionally follow my MOTH (am reinstituting it Monday, again. LOL). There are things about the Maxwell's theology and practice that concern me (but not too much). My friend who introduced me to them always reminds me to "Please remember they are not Classical homeschoolers." They are very textbook oriented, so their days (probably) won't look like yours, in general. I have MOTH and MOTC, but probably won't buy the school one.

[BlsdMama]

"Please remember they are not Classical homeschoolers." They are very textbook oriented, so their days (probably) won't look like yours, in general. I have MOTH and MOTC, but probably won't buy the school one.

Just as a sidenote:

 

Oddly if I remember correctly :confused: Terri tried several literature based approaches. It was a few years ago when she tossed her hands up in the air, sent out an email or was it on her boards, and said we're going to textbooks. You have to remember that this book was written for a REALLY large family and as much as I love ya'all you simply can't compare juggling 3 children to juggling 8 and in quite a variation of ages. :) There are those of us who have gone onto teaching in ways that are less than ideal because at least then it gets taught. Back then Tapestry and other easily combinable, quality, curriculums simply didn't exist. And so to make sure her children were adequately prepared and educated she used textbooks. I

[melis108]

MOTH was far too overwhelming for me and it wasn't inspiring at all. I just felt inadequate after reading it! But, I know many people absolutely love it and it works great for them!

[ladydusk]

You have to remember that this book was written for a REALLY large family and as much as I love ya'all you simply can't compare juggling 3 children to juggling 8 and in quite a variation of ages. :)

 

I agree! I wasn't trying to make any sort of judgment statement about it, just her philosophy of ed doesn't match mine and so my MOTH won't be much at all like hers. My friend, who I quoted originally, is expecting her 6th and actually makes MOTH work well with a neo-Classical Ed (but she did recently switch to TOG [smile]), but it takes almost all day because they're all little (under 9).

[Jane]

Does it include plans for menus, budgets, house-cleaning, etc., not just homeschooling plans and chores? I only have one child living at home (a 6yo granddaughter) so creating lesson plans and scheduling her chores is not a great hassle, it's getting everything else done and organized without feeling frazzled that is proving to be a challenge.

 

I'm trying to remember if it includes plans for menus. I know it doesn't include plans for budgets. It's not even well designed for scheduling housecleaning chores other than to list a block of time as "chore time" or "cleaning time." Really, Aileen, I don't think MOTH is what you're looking for. Try posting a new thread and see which books or websites people prefer for creating those types of schedules.

[Aileen E.]

I'm trying to remember if it includes plans for menus. I know it doesn't include plans for budgets. It's not even well designed for scheduling housecleaning chores other than to list a block of time as "chore time" or "cleaning time." Really, Aileen, I don't think MOTH is what you're looking for. Try posting a new thread and see which books or websites people prefer for creating those types of schedules.

 

Thank you, everyone, for all your thoughtful and informative responses. What first attracted me to this system is that it is based on Biblical principles, it's designed specifically for homeschoolers, and it includes a 'kit' to put it all together, not just a 'how to' manual, but after reading and carefully considering all of your responses, I think Jane is right – it's not what I'm looking for.

 

It seems to be geared more toward large families with a lot of children and individual schedules to juggle, and it's a little bit more detailed than what we need. I thought that the 'kit' would make putting the whole thing together a cinch and would save me loads of time, but it sounds from the responses like putting the kit together is a large project in and of itself! :confused:

 

Just today I found a stack of household planning forms (pre-made grocery lists, menu planners, lesson planners, weekly calendars, etc.) that I downloaded from donnayoung.org a long time ago! I think it's just a matter of me sitting down and making a list of everything that needs to be done, and assigning each task a day and a time.

 

I used to have a pretty well laid-out daily schedule and system back when my kids were little, but once they grew up and moved away I just let it go. (It wasn't necessary with just dh and I at home). Now with our little granddaughter moving in and me starting to homeschool again, I'm just having a hard time getting back into the swing of things.

 

Again, thank you, everyone, for your invaluable help and insight. God Bless.

 

Aileen

[HSMom2One]

I'm so glad I ran across this thread. Somehow I missed it when it came up originally.

 

I use it. I tweaked it to make it more flexible, and we like it!! It basically got us to the point where when school is going we know what to do when and without thinking so much about it. I say use it and make it your own. If you don't start exactly on time each day, be a little more flexible and use it as a guide instead of a strict schedule that completely owns you.

 

Yes, I like this approach too; incorporating some discipline into the day, yet allowing grace when grace is needed.

 

Even though I only have one child at home, I still have a lot to manage. Along with dd we have an elderly mother living with us, plus I teach part-time. (If I could count students, that would add a mere 125 more to my list!) Even so, considering the caseload I have at home, I bought the MOTH book to learn from a mom that has to manage even more than I do. As I am reading the book I find myself inspired by the parts that I know would make a difference for us. I have skipped over several sections that don't apply to us, but there is still a lot for me to consider that is helpful. From this, I have a customized day planner for myself and am going to make one for my dd to use, that will include her weekly school assignment lists. We won't be using the big charts either. That is a bit too far over the top for me.

 

After being a free agent with my time for so long, God is speaking into my heart about being a better steward in these days. My guiding scripture is Psalm 90:12, "So teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom." I can't change the past, but I can make the most of the time I have going forward. So as I prepare for the new school year I am incorporating more structure into our days. The goal is that in time we will become more disciplined and have better habits.

 

Blessings,

Lucinda