What small changes have you made as a mom/homeschooler that have paid big dividends?

[Soror]

Life is a work in progress here but when I follow a schedule it makes life so much easier-

 

!) to bed early and up early- a bit of free time, prayer and bible time before the kids is wonderful and starts the day well

2) exercising gets me going

3) little bits of chores each day- I LOVE motivated moms and letting go of) perfection!

4) crockpot and meal plans

5)staying of the comp

6) lesson plans and sticking with them

7)afternoon quiet time

 

Makes for much less work in the end just some organization in the beginning.

[rocketgirl]

cutting the dependence on tv...sounds so minor but i wished i had done that long ago

[rocketgirl]

My new goal is to pare down everyone's clothing. I really think if we own less and purchase more strategically, we won't always have such a mountain of clothes/laundry. Laudry eats my lunch. Really. Especially in the winter when it doesn't take that many pairs of jeans and sweaters to fill the washing machine.

 

 

 

 

I have been thinking this too, we always just wear our faves anyway....and I've also wondered if we had 2 full weeks of outfits and only washed clothes twice a month then wore everything again....that sounds so much nicer than the 2 loads I do & fold everyday but would it work....hmm sounds like i'd need more clothes!?

[Janie Grace]

Teaching my kids how to keep their own planners so that they take ownership for their work instead of constantly having to be told what to do next.

[KungFuPanda]

Adding a photo and signature to this account. I think that will make my school year run more smoothly. Well, it would if I could figure out how to make the signature actually show up :glare:

 

Wait, wait . . . . nevermind. The signature exists :-)

Edited July 29, 2011 by KungFuPanda
computer idiocy

[Rhonda in TX]

HST+ and a daily schedule (kind of MOTH). The schedule has time limits for each class, which keeps us moving throughout the day, rather than getting stuck on one thing. HST+ keeps me focused on what needs to be done. Love it!

[Janie Grace]

HST+ and a daily schedule (kind of MOTH). The schedule has time limits for each class, which keeps us moving throughout the day, rather than getting stuck on one thing. HST+ keeps me focused on what needs to be done. Love it!

 

Wow, so many HST+ fans! I guess I need to check that out.

[FriedClams]

Taking care of me. I know it sounds selfish, but I've been working out, eating healthy, and losing weight. I'm down almost 50 pounds. I feel better. I think better. I am happier. I get up at 6 and get the kids up by 6:20. They do their chores and piano while I am working out. It's great. I'm done working out, they have some things done (and are working toward independence), and I feel so much better. I really has been translating to a nice school day.

 

On weeks when DH is traveling I cook once and feed it to them twice. The kids don't care and it cuts my workload tremendously. I make them up plate for the next night while I serve dinner on the first night. I eat salad for dinner a lot, so it's an easy change that is paying huge dividends.

 

Having a clear focus. This year with a middle schoolers I am focusing on relationship my tween (and tween to be). Our academics are going to be much more efficient and I'll be working on time - really quality time and time in the Word. I know we can be "academic" anytime, but this year I really want to tie heart strings. Knowing our priority has made all the planning so much easier.

 

Rigorous does not need to be tedious.

[LynnG in Arizona]

Lots of great tips.

 

For me, our days go better when:

 

1. I have a weekly schedule printed out by early Monday morning. I love to check boxes, and it really does help me stay focused and productive. If left to my own devices with no goal in mind, I would accomplish only half of what we do with a plan.

2. Start on time. Otherwise it's too easy to make that one last phone call, check Facebook "real quick", poke around on Amazon for that missing book, etc., and before I know it an hour of precious morning time has passed.

3. Look for productive little windows throughout the day. Sometimes I can take a ten minute block of time and get a little subject done. (Yes, my kids are little.)

4. More than anything, I try to take my job very seriously. That doesn't mean 8 hours of seatwork for little guys . . . but it does mean that I owe them a developmentally appropriate, challenging, consistent education. Not my "leftovers" of schooling only if I get to it. I try to make schooling my main focus/priority of the day. My second batch of kids is still quite young, but I have also graduated two young ladies, and I tried to take this approach with them as well.

[Qcaller]

Life is a work in progress here but when I follow a schedule it makes life so much easier-

 

!) to bed early and up early- a bit of free time, prayer and bible time before the kids is wonderful and starts the day well

2) exercising gets me going

3) little bits of chores each day- I LOVE motivated moms and letting go of) perfection!

4) crockpot and meal plans

5)staying of the comp

6) lesson plans and sticking with them

7)afternoon quiet time

 

Makes for much less work in the end just some organization in the beginning.

:hurray:

YES! All of these. I think I'll print this list and call it "How to have a good day."

 

Thanks for summing all these great ideas in one list.

 

Pam

[Soror]

:hurray:

YES! All of these. I think I'll print this list and call it "How to have a good day."

 

Thanks for summing all these great ideas in one list.

 

Pam

 

:blush:

 

It sure helps me! I've found I have so much more free time, guilt free, it is amazing, and the house is cleaner and I'm less stressed the more I follow a schedule!

[mafi39]

I have enjoyed looking at all of these awesome ideas! I am inspired and ready for a great year :):):)

[Heather K.]

These ideas are so encouraging!

I, too, have resolved to do devotions, exercise, and be dressed before starting school this year. And get my girls up at a specific time, and start work at a specific time. After 4 years of starting "whenever" and getting dressed mid-afternoon (embarassing when someone comes to the door) this will be revolutionary for us!!

Thank you all for getting me more excited about starting next week. :)

[kmp]

Great thread! I am so motivated right now. Thanks!

[ereks mom]

• Don't schedule outside activities from 8-1:30 unless you've fully incorporated them into your school schedule--no last minute get-togethers or outings.
  
• Use a lesson planner of some sort and stay on track, even if that means working Saturdays once in a while to catch up.
  
• crock pot!
  
• put all books/notebooks/binders back in the CORRECT SPOT at the end of the school day. This is a HUGE help.
  

 

This. And also:

• I avoid getting on the computer until after school & chores are done.
  
• The kids & I each do a few chores each day instead of having Cleaning Day once a week.
  

 

ETA:

• Schedule a 4-day week, with Friday used for appointments, field trips, and catching up on schoolwork or chores.
  
• Schedule a 1-week break after each 6 weeks of school. This has gone a LONG way to prevent burn-out.

Edited August 16, 2011 by ereks mom

[momma aimee]

love hearing all the BTDT advice

 

 

?? __ I can not get up before my boys. they are both in my bed, and at night i can leave them (and do) but by 3 or 4 am if i stir i have 2 boys up too (trust me i got up to pee at 4:40 this monring, and we have all be up since).

 

I'd love to get up and pray and start MY day -- but they are up so we do food then start school as soon as Daddy is gone to the office -- if i let them stary too much play or other activity then focuse in poor when i do school ...

 

so i am not sure how to balance getting ME together in the am, getting any quiet time for God time to START my day (not end it) and still keeping them supervised and 'reeled in' so that they are not too far gone at school time.

 

course as early as we start school we've been done a cople of days by 9 am LOL

 

AImee

[HS Mom in NC]

-Ruthlessly cutting out busy work

Once a kid gets it, we move on. We don't do all the problems on the page unless the kid specifically needs to do them to master the material-usually they don't. A lot of grammar can be cut out if a child has a trained ear from listening to lots of very high quality literature. If they don't actually make errors (for example, in subject verb agreement or consistently using tenses) we don't do the lessons related to it-we simply point out the rules and discuss them briefly. I have them demonstrate a few examples because they already get it and do it correctly. We don't give them spelling assignments-we harvest spelling words from their errors in writing. Why waste their time telling them what they already know?

 

-Read Aloud outstanding literature

It trains the ear for grammar, develops outstanding vocabularies, and exposes children to ideas, events, and people they otherwise would never meet. It's the single most important aspect of academics and usually one of the most neglected.

 

-Integrating subjects

Our "English" papers are our important science, literature, civics, or history assignments. Since history is the engine that drives our studies, we don't have to go and study the historical background for subject matter (literature, historical documents, scientific discoveries, etc. ) in other subjects because they're already getting it. It broadens depth of understanding so we get more done with less because it's all relevant and reinforces itself.

 

-Teaching them to study independently ASAP

We give a day's worth of assignments, then a week's, then a unit's as they can handle it. By the time they're Jr. High age they can have a unit to work on with specific assignments so they can get to it on their own. If they have a question, they can come ask. They only need me to lead discussions or do read alouds to more than one of them at that age. That frees me up to do more one-on-one with whoever needs it.

 

-Have them record what they do daily

This keeps them accountable and record keeping easy. By the time they're in Jr. High I buy them a very nice planner from Staples (they can pick what suits their needs) and they keep track of it all. They have an office tray with each of their names on it labelled "____________________'s Completed Assignments" so they can turn in assignments as they finish them and I can look at it when I get the chance.

 

-Meal Planning Saved

When I make a meal plan (usually for 2 weeks) I type it out and the grocery list that goes with it. It is labelled and filed and saved in my computer so I can just print it out weeks or months later. After doing this for several months, I have quite a backlog to choose from already completed.

-Train kids to do real chores correctly by age 6

Every kid in house can do real chores properly by the time they start school. I simply keep a list that rotates chores between them on a monthly basis. School, then chores, then play around here.

 

-Once a week laundry day

All laundry is done on Monday. Everyone helps get it to the laundry room and helps put it all away the moment the dryer buzzes. Then can get back to their studies. Dinner is in the crockpot and we make sandwiches for lunch. We do not fold-we hang everything except underwear and accessories. Folded clothes get rumpled when kids dig through them in a drawer. Hung clothes can be rifled through quickly and still be neat and unwrinkled. I rarely buy clothing that needs ironing-life is too short to iron very often.

[Runningmom80]

Thanks for all of the tips!

[CalicoKat]

1. Workboxes for each child. Put in order of how their day should go and a pencil in each drawer.

 

2. Making a Course of Study for each kid each year

 

3. A daily check list for each, and a lesson planner for mom for each, and a count down to the end of the year wall chart to keep them motivated.

 

4. Something we just started this summer that's working well. Each of my older three wash their own dishes for bfast & lunch, by hand, and when the dish rack is full I ask one of them to put stuff away. It's far smaller amount than the dishwasher. And there's never any dirty dishes lying around! I clean up after the younger 2 for now. Dishes are no longer piling up and it only takes 5 minutes to put them away. Everyone's commented about not wanting to use the dishwasher anymore.

 

5. Daily quiet/nap time after lunch. We all read or take a nap. It's refreshing and recharging. The kids ask for that time now.

[TechWife]

Deciding that laundry was never going to get done, that it was an endless process. Realizing this made me remove "finish laundry" from my list and as a result, a lot of mommy-guilt went away. Now I start our laundry cycle on Saturday and we do a load or two each day. Doing it this way, I actually get around to washing the bathroom rugs, place mats, sheets, etc. fairly regularly. I haven't had to wash sheets the same day we change beds in a long time - that spare set is sitting in the closet waiting. If we happen to get everything done before the next Saturday, then we have bonus days where we don't have to do laundry. Doing it this way was almost gaining a day for me because I no longer had to plan a "laundry day" and I could open up that time for other things.

 

The only exception to this is when dh is getting ready to go on a business trip. Then, we must push through to get what he needs ready to go. If we've kept up reasonably, though, this usually isn't too hard because we're not also panicking to wash towels, etc. at the same time.

Edited August 20, 2011 by Ann Brown

[Soror]

love hearing all the BTDT advice

 

 

?? __ I can not get up before my boys. they are both in my bed, and at night i can leave them (and do) but by 3 or 4 am if i stir i have 2 boys up too (trust me i got up to pee at 4:40 this monring, and we have all be up since).

 

I'd love to get up and pray and start MY day -- but they are up so we do food then start school as soon as Daddy is gone to the office -- if i let them stary too much play or other activity then focuse in poor when i do school ...

 

so i am not sure how to balance getting ME together in the am, getting any quiet time for God time to START my day (not end it) and still keeping them supervised and 'reeled in' so that they are not too far gone at school time.

 

course as early as we start school we've been done a cople of days by 9 am LOL

 

AImee

 

I didn't have much am time either when I was co-sleeping with 2. When pregnant with #3 I moved them on to their own bed together. They really were ok with it, I'll move number 3 around 2ish or so with big sister.

 

there is also the option of getting me time during quiet time. Or I think it reasonable to expect they stay on their own for 15 min and play quietly while you get the day started, often my 4 yo wakes up before my time is done, she

plays outside or quietly in her room looks at books. The baby may wake up but she just nurses if she does.

[rlugbill]

Reading at night before bed.

 

My dd loves it and it has helped her really get into reading. Easy, enjoyable for both of us, relaxing, and educational.

[Upward Journey]

Not getting on the internet myself until school is completely over for the day.

[momma aimee]

Deciding that laundry was never going to get done, that it was an endless process. Realizing this made me remove "finish laundry" from my list and as a result, a lot of mommy-guilt went away. Now I start our laundry cycle on Saturday and we do a load or two each day. Doing it this way, I actually get around to washing the bathroom rugs, place mats, sheets, etc. fairly regularly. I haven't had to wash sheets the same day we change beds in a long time - that spare set is sitting in the closet waiting. If we happen to get everything done before the next Saturday, then we have bonus days where we don't have to do laundry. Doing it this way was almost gaining a day for me because I no longer had to plan a "laundry day" and I could open up that time for other things.

 

The only exception to this is when dh is getting ready to go on a business trip. Then, we must push through to get what he needs ready to go. If we've kept up reasonably, though, this usually isn't too hard because we're not also panicking to wash towels, etc. at the same time.

 

I do this, i do DH's office clothing 2x a veek and the rest of the loads (little boy dark, for example) as full. wet clothing goes in the towle hamper and gets done daily (last thing at night).

[momma aimee]

I didn't have much am time either when I was co-sleeping with 2. When pregnant with #3 I moved them on to their own bed together. They really were ok with it, I'll move number 3 around 2ish or so with big sister.

 

there is also the option of getting me time during quiet time. Or I think it reasonable to expect they stay on their own for 15 min and play quietly while you get the day started, often my 4 yo wakes up before my time is done, she

plays outside or quietly in her room looks at books. The baby may wake up but she just nurses if she does.

 

we are workong on the idea of quiet time; like 5 minutes, in the adternoon, but maybe it is my fault, neither of them is very independant.

 

quiet time for momma is after early bedtime, and i do read, school plan and so on -- but it is still hard to hit the floor running with 2 kid ON the same time i open my eyes. LOL but I'll miss these day....

[Jane Elliot]

Another biggie is to have the high school kids' files already set up so we can file as we go along.

 

=/QUOTE]

 

Can you expand on this? What do you file and how do you set up the files? Do you file the work they've already done or the work they will need to do?

[momma aimee]

thanks ladies, anyone else?

[Amy Jo]

Using one of the vertical wall folder organizers for my Monday - Friday + Weekend folders - it's great because I can see if/that the folder is empty.

 

Modifying my MOTH Schedule to be less wordy, including setting the kids' sections to be just 1 word per time frame. I love the at-a-glance style.

 

The file crate system and HST+ are helpful to keep me on track.

 

Great ideas everyone! Thanks!

[Joules]

I have been homeschooling 12 kids for going on 23 years. The biggest change I have made that have changed things for the better is that I have RELAXED as a homeschool mom. I think it is easy to stress out and think we are not doing enough for our children when it comes to academics and that can get us into trouble. When we stress and worry over that we tend to over buy curriculum, get piled under the pressure to use it, things go south and we start over again.

:iagree: with what I put in red. (I don't have 12 kids and have only been homeschooling 9 years!) I just relaxed at some point last year. If it doesn't get done today it will get done tomorrow! You know what...we get lots more done now.

 

I was in the hospital with chest pains a couple of months ago and it really drove it home, life is too short!

 

If there were any advice I could give new homeschoolers that would be relax and enjoy the ride with your kids.

 

I was given that advice by veteran homeschoolers when ds was young. I wish I'd taken it to heart 7 years ago!

[ClassicMom]

It sounds as if many of us are on the same page here. It took me many years to get to this point but we are in a good groove here and routine is the key.

 

- workboxes and 36 week filing system

- starting school at 8:00 sharp

- mom getting up at 5:30

- daily picking-up, laundry and cleaning a chosen area of the house daily

- whenever I am in a room, I will pick something up, wipe-off with Clorox wipes or run things up or downstairs as I go.

- NO appointments or activities until after 12:00

- Getting dressed completely when I get up (keeps me motivated)

-Weekly menu plan and grocery shopping

- I take time for me in the afternoon (30-60 min) to recharge daily. Reading, Scripture, or just thinking.

- We do formal academics in the mornings but afternoons are left for interest-led studies and play. This is something that I didn't do with my older children and wish that I would have. I was so overly concerned with formal academics but now I can see so much fruit from what my son comes up with left to follow his own interests when provided with plenty of books, tools and supplies.

[Oops, duplicate account :/]

OAMC has been the best thing that ever happened to our hs. Just pulling something out of the freezer the night before for lunch and dinner is the best gift I ever gave myself. :001_wub: <-----Seriously.

 

ETA. Actually, dh helps with the shopping and cooking, too.

Edited November 25, 2011 by JENinOR

[JumpyTheFrog]

My son is still young, but here's my best small change:

 

After he did a handwriting practice page, I'd have him pick out his worst couple of letters to re-do and the best couple for me to give star. It helped him learn to see which letters were sloppy and which were done more carefully. His handwriting has improved a lot in six months.

[momma aimee]

My son is still young, but here's my best small change:

 

After he did a handwriting practice page, I'd have him pick out his worst couple of letters to re-do and the best couple for me to give star. It helped him learn to see which letters were sloppy and which were done more carefully. His handwriting has improved a lot in six months.

 

I am stealing that starting tomorrow!!!!!

[melissel]

I am stealing that starting tomorrow!!!!!

 

:iagree: That's genius. I've been giving the best letter a sticker, which was a good motivator, but incorporating the improvement aspect is even better. Thanks for sharing! I love threads like these :D

[ScoutTN]

Great thread!

 

The biggest small change I've made is to give Buster (4yo and not doing any formal schoolwork yet) 30 minutes of my focused attention each morning while DD works independently. He is SO much happier! We do whatever he wants - usually read books, but sometimes art or play with building toys or puppets....

[walkermamaof4]

I think I read this on the RaisingOlives blog and put it into action at our house last year. My kids' each have their own laundry hampers now and their own laundry day. KEY: I NEVER have to sort their laundry anymore bc/ it isn't mixed with anyone else's! We add in their towel and do their bedding as needed... If there is space, I throw in dishcloths, potholders, even my towels. I haven't been faithful to do this perfectly all year, but it is much better than before.

 

Ladies who made the filing system work, can you tell us how? I found that ds wanted to plow ahead in math, but his math was filed in each week with other work so I was digging through files to pull it out. What should I have done?

 

Also, just about a month ago I used my computer's calendar (ical for me). I created a calendar color per kid and for me and for household. (The items for each calendar can be turned off or on the main calendar and then show in the font color assigned to them.) I assigned each kid their favorite color. For every day of the month I assigned chores and then gave them repeating cycles as needed so they would automatically show up on the calendar again and again as needed. Since then, I have added and changed it to get it just right. Now, each kid can make the calendar show daily and just their chores and do theirs without me telling them. We are trying hard to teach them that they aren't "free" till they show me the list and I check after them to inspect their work. As I notice stuff around the house that isn't getting clean, I add it. It has been tempting to want to add it in a monthly cycle, as an example, when it hasn't gotten done in 3 years. So I have to catch myself and just put it on a big cycle. If I find it dirty sooner than that, I can use the FIND feature to find it and alter its cycle to a shorter repeat. At first I put some things monthly and realized that might make them done Saturday or Sunday. We would prefer our monthly be done M-F so I had to change them all to a setting like 4th Friday of the month. Does that make sense? I hope this is helpful to someone. It has been great for us.

 

I posted this on another thread too. But I made it so our group work happens at 9am. The kids must be dressed and fed by then. When we get done group work, if their chores and individual work is done and checked, they are free to play. So they are highly motivated to get these things done before 9am. They are waking earlier on their own than when I was telling them when to rise!

 

Thanks for this great thread. I've been challenged!

[melissel]

Ladies who made the filing system work, can you tell us how? I found that ds wanted to plow ahead in math, but his math was filed in each week with other work so I was digging through files to pull it out. What should I have done?

 

Although I posted about the filing system upthread, in the end, it didn't work for us this year. It really got us on track last year, but I didn't have any plow-ahead issues. In fact, I have the opposite problem, so with the filing holding my feet to the fire, we had a better year than ever before.

 

This year, though, I'm using binders and a lesson planning program called Scholaric, and that's working really well. IMO, if the filing doesn't work for you, find something else! Or maybe file everything but math, and use a binder for that?

[Miss Cornelia Snook]

I missed this thread the first time around, so I'm grateful to the PP who bumped it!

 

The only thing I can contribute at the moment, is spending time with my youngest child before I start any academics with her big brothers. We do a little school together, with her on my lap, and in only ten minutes she is ready to go play on her own and allows me to work, usually uninterrupted, with my boys.

 

I can't contribute anything else right now, as we are simply "unschooling" (and unhousekeeping, hah!) right now while morning sickness has its way with me. But I appreciate this thread and I look forward to being organized and effective in a few more weeks!

[TheAutumnOak]

I think I read this on the RaisingOlives blog and put it into action at our house last year. My kids' each have their own laundry hampers now and their own laundry day. KEY: I NEVER have to sort their laundry anymore bc/ it isn't mixed with anyone else's!

 

I just might have to try this...Sounds like a good idea...

Thanks for sharing! :D

[delaney]

I used to schedule out the days and feel overwhelmed when on Thursday I saw a bunch of stuff not done earlier in the week. Now I write down a list of all they need to do each week. They pick and choose what they want to do. If they do extra in the beginning of the week they know the end of the week will be easier. It seems to be working!

[SweetMissMagnolia]

slowed down.....taking our studies at kiddo's pace.....

[walkermamaof4]

I thought of another along the lines of what some of you have said about meals -- knowing what we are going to have for dinner and having the ingredients on hand is now so easy bc/ after reading about it on this forum, I joined Plantoeat. So I thought I'd point out that it is half off through tomorrow (Monday 11/28/11) with code Giving Thanks. If you sign up through this link, there is some kind of referral program http://www.plantoeat.com/ref/0nal2ekzib

I think it is$15.50 a year with that link and code and totally worthwhile! Importing your recipes is really easy. Then if you double a recipe or triple it, it does all of the compounding for you. And it adds all of the ingredients up together so it totals how many of each thing you need. You can tell it where you want to buy each item and you can add extra items to your list all week. The coolest part for me is you can go to it on your phone and view that shopping list and click off each one as you buy them. They disappear, but you can choose to see them again if needed. As I get links to new recipes, I just hit the import feature and it adds them to my account. I love that! You drag and drop recipes to your calendar and create a meal plan for the day, the next 7 days, a month... or a custom amount of time to shop for. And Clint is always willing to receive input. He is very responsive to questions. I've asked some stupid ones and he has been very kind!

HTH!

[A.J. at J.A.]

I thought of another along the lines of what some of you have said about meals -- knowing what we are going to have for dinner and having the ingredients on hand is now so easy bc/ after reading about it on this forum, I joined Plantoeat. So I thought I'd point out that it is half off through tomorrow (Monday 11/28/11) with code Giving Thanks. If you sign up through this link, there is some kind of referral program http://www.plantoeat.com/ref/0nal2ekzib

I think it is$15.50 a year with that link and code and totally worthwhile! Importing your recipes is really easy. Then if you double a recipe or triple it, it does all of the compounding for you. And it adds all of the ingredients up together so it totals how many of each thing you need. You can tell it where you want to buy each item and you can add extra items to your list all week. The coolest part for me is you can go to it on your phone and view that shopping list and click off each one as you buy them. They disappear, but you can choose to see them again if needed. As I get links to new recipes, I just hit the import feature and it adds them to my account. I love that! You drag and drop recipes to your calendar and create a meal plan for the day, the next 7 days, a month... or a custom amount of time to shop for. And Clint is always willing to receive input. He is very responsive to questions. I've asked some stupid ones and he has been very kind!

HTH!

 

That looks awesome! I signed up but it ended up being $19.50 for the yearly - still seems like a good deal and it says they will refund you if you are not satisfied. Meal planning is something I struggle with - so I'm hoping this helps me.

 

Blessings,

Angela

[silliness7]

● Set out bouquets of freshly sharpened pencils. I have mine in beautiful blue mugs and white flour canisters, and everyone remarks on how whimsical they look. More practically, we always have sharpened pencils for annotating a book, finishing a logic puzzle, jotting down a list, taking a math test, composing music, and so on. I "dead head" twice a week.

 

 

Awwww... Don't you just love New York in the fall? :D

[silliness7]

I echo many of the things already said.

- get started on time (that's 8 for us) but I do NOT get up early. Getting up early on a regular basis makes me physically sick, and then I'm grumpy, and then I'm more likely to slough off on school.

 

- schedule out the day

- know what's for dinner before you go to bed and get those dishes done.

- don't schedule appts. during school.

- school 6 weeks and take 1 week off.

 

 

I'll also add

- work with my highschooler first so he can manage the rest of his day without interruption. He is not nearly so cooperative in the afternoon and during soccer season he wasn't even home. :tongue_smilie:

 

- I moved all of the kids' dressers to my laundry room and had dh hang up a very long, very sturdy clothes bar. I put a TV and a cozy rug and an old thrift store easy chair in there. I really really HATE laundry. I'm fortunate to have a decent sized laundry room to make this work. It's well-lit and cozy and I've turned it into a space that I like spending time in, because I have to spend a lot of time in it. It's very lovely folding straight from the dryer into the dresser. DONE. I don't match boy socks. There is a drawer for white and a drawer for black. I don't fold undies. 2 drawers for undies. Boy undies and girl undies. Kids run downstairs to get clothes for the next day and bring them to their room or run downstairs before a bath to get clothes and a towel.

[TheAutumnOak]

- I moved all of the kids' dressers to my laundry room and had dh hang up a very long, very sturdy clothes bar. I put a TV and a cozy rug and an old thrift store easy chair in there. I really really HATE laundry. I'm fortunate to have a decent sized laundry room to make this work. It's well-lit and cozy and I've turned it into a space that I like spending time in, because I have to spend a lot of time in it. It's very lovely folding straight from the dryer into the dresser. DONE. I don't match boy socks. There is a drawer for white and a drawer for black. I don't fold undies. 2 drawers for undies. Boy undies and girl undies. Kids run downstairs to get clothes for the next day and bring them to their room or run downstairs before a bath to get clothes and a towel.

 

Wow, we need a picture Rebecca! :D

[anneofalamo]

Each child with hamper and day and time to do their laundry(since age 5) from sorting (with help) and folding and put away! Each has day and morning or afternoon time! helps so much!

 

but the best thing that has happen for us, is letting them start school before official start time!

I have an on-line job, so I get it all done prior to 9am (usually 6am to 9am) and then can do corrections, help teach new concepts in math, etc...but I was having them wait to start school.

We are all early risers, so now they are working on the independent work prior to mom's available hours.

This makes our day done by 11am and that is a huge help

 

We also take one hour every Monday (before school starts) to deep clean the house. Each child has a room...and I go from room to room and help teach the task or help them. This makes the house smell good and helps our week.

[HS Mom in NC]

separate account for homeschooling money

 

meal planning for 2 weeks at a time (label and save the plans and matching grocery lists for later and rotate them)

 

grocery shopping for 2 weeks of supplies in one afternoon

 

chore lists (train a child to do real chores by age 6)

 

regular cleaning routine (a little each day is easier than all day cleaning sessions)

 

weekly laundry day (everyone helps gather, sort, and put away laundry until it's all done)

 

try to stack 2 extra curricular activities on the same day if possible (piano and art class for us) and focus on academics uninterrupted for the other 4 days

 

set academic and household priorities carefully (get the most important things done first, then move to less important things if there's time)

[momma aimee]

i know it is an older thread, but i love all the tips -- :001_smile: -- threads like this make and THINK and make me :D

[arliemaria]

-Ruthlessly cutting out busy work

Once a kid gets it, we move on. We don't do all the problems on the page unless the kid specifically needs to do them to master the material-usually they don't. A lot of grammar can be cut out if a child has a trained ear from listening to lots of very high quality literature. If they don't actually make errors (for example, in subject verb agreement or consistently using tenses) we don't do the lessons related to it-we simply point out the rules and discuss them briefly. I have them demonstrate a few examples because they already get it and do it correctly. We don't give them spelling assignments-we harvest spelling words from their errors in writing. Why waste their time telling them what they already know?

 

-Read Aloud outstanding literature

It trains the ear for grammar, develops outstanding vocabularies, and exposes children to ideas, events, and people they otherwise would never meet. It's the single most important aspect of academics and usually one of the most neglected.

 

-Integrating subjects

Our "English" papers are our important science, literature, civics, or history assignments. Since history is the engine that drives our studies, we don't have to go and study the historical background for subject matter (literature, historical documents, scientific discoveries, etc. ) in other subjects because they're already getting it. It broadens depth of understanding so we get more done with less because it's all relevant and reinforces itself.

 

-Teaching them to study independently ASAP

We give a day's worth of assignments, then a week's, then a unit's as they can handle it. By the time they're Jr. High age they can have a unit to work on with specific assignments so they can get to it on their own. If they have a question, they can come ask. They only need me to lead discussions or do read alouds to more than one of them at that age. That frees me up to do more one-on-one with whoever needs it.

 

-Have them record what they do daily

This keeps them accountable and record keeping easy. By the time they're in Jr. High I buy them a very nice planner from Staples (they can pick what suits their needs) and they keep track of it all. They have an office tray with each of their names on it labelled "____________________'s Completed Assignments" so they can turn in assignments as they finish them and I can look at it when I get the chance.

 

-Meal Planning Saved

When I make a meal plan (usually for 2 weeks) I type it out and the grocery list that goes with it. It is labelled and filed and saved in my computer so I can just print it out weeks or months later. After doing this for several months, I have quite a backlog to choose from already completed.

 

-Train kids to do real chores correctly by age 6

Every kid in house can do real chores properly by the time they start school. I simply keep a list that rotates chores between them on a monthly basis. School, then chores, then play around here.

 

-Once a week laundry day

All laundry is done on Monday. Everyone helps get it to the laundry room and helps put it all away the moment the dryer buzzes. Then can get back to their studies. Dinner is in the crockpot and we make sandwiches for lunch. We do not fold-we hang everything except underwear and accessories. Folded clothes get rumpled when kids dig through them in a drawer. Hung clothes can be rifled through quickly and still be neat and unwrinkled. I rarely buy clothing that needs ironing-life is too short to iron very often.

 

I would love to hear more detail about this.