How We Homeschool Preschool & Kindergarten

Over the years, how we homeschool has changed as we've changed in our philosophy and style. One of the biggest changes has come in the area of how we school our preschoolers and kindergartners.

I began homeschooling when my oldest was 4 1/2. I sat him down at the table with a long and involved (and rather teacher-intensive, I might add) curriculum and purposed to teach him to read within 2 months or else. We made every craft, took every field trip, and read every book that curriculum suggested. By the end of the year, he was reading and

I was exhausted.

However, my next child threw me for a loop. She's the polar opposite of my oldest and so I figured I would wait to school her until she showed more readiness. However, one day she announced she could read the word "office" (and every other word for that matter) and we realized teaching her was going to be an absolute mystery. She still just suddenly learns things and hates having someone actually "teach" her.

Now, I've added #3 to the mix. She's somewhere in between. But, there is something they (and all children) have in common...

They are sponges.

My first child is the kind of sponge that wrings himself out quite often, so you are never in doubt as to what he knows. My second child is the kind of sponge that rarely wrings herself out, only to suddenly and without warning get you all wet. My third child is just happy to be a sponge.

So, how has this knowledge changed how we homeschool?

Well, we've relaxed...A LOT, and we've learned to school them through everyday LIFE.

So, here's a taste of how we homeschool our preschool and kindergarten aged children...

Organization:



Each child has a black crate ($2.50 ea) with their name on it. The crate contains their books, their pencil box, and a folder with each subject velcroed to it.



The preschooler's crate has 1 coloring book and his pencil box which contains washable markers, 2 fat pencils, crayons, glue stick, and preschool scissors.

The kindergartner's crate contains her folder with 1 math sheet and 1 handwriting sheet tucked inside, her reading book (Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons), and her pencil box with the same contents as the preschooler's.

On the outside of the kindergartner's folder are these velcro tabs:
AM CHORES, CHORES, MATH, HANDWRITING, PHONICS
As she completes each one she moves the velcro tab from the outside of her folder to her chart on the pantry door.




Her completed worksheets go back in the folder and the folder goes into the COMPLETED box where I can check them and reload them each night.


(This system began as a modified Workbox System for large families that I found at Peace Creek on the Prairie blog. I have since modified it even more to fit my family's needs and preferences.)

Workbooks:
My kindergartner has only 2....Horizons Math - K and A Reason for Handwriting - K.
My preschooler has a coloring book. (The $1 kind from WalMart)
I load one sheet per workbook, per day into the kindergartner's folder (the preschooler has free rein of his coloring book). If she wants to do more, all she has to do is ask and I tear out another for her.

Schedule:
I hesitate to even call the way we school our littles a "schedule", but for lack of a better term, this section describes the basics of what their "school day" looks like.

After everyone finishes chores, we begin school. Usually that means everyone starts in on their workbooks. The bigs do their independent work while I work with the kindergartner on her 1 math sheet and her 1 handwriting sheet. Occasionally, one of my older children helps her if I am busy with baby or finishing up in the kitchen. My preschooler works at the table alongside everyone else cutting and coloring and gluing his coloring book. (yes, I allow my preschooler to cut AND glue)

After the kindergartner finishes her workbook lessons, she and the preschooler and I move to the couch to read. They love this time and I cherish the snuggle time I get with them. Usually we begin with Leading Little Ones to God, followed by child-friendly books I've gathered from various book lists (more on those sources in a bit). By the time I am finished reading to them, the preschooler has had enough of sitting still and goes off to play. At that time, I do 1 reading lesson from 100 Easy Lessons with my kindergartner.

That marks the end of anything resembling formal schooling. It takes about 30 minutes from start to finish.

Life Lessons:
Here's where the true schooling takes place. My littles spend copious amounts of time with me in the kitchen, outside, and on the couch. We cook, measure, talk ingredients and life while we work in our teeny-tiny kitchen. Outside we make contraptions from rope and buckets, build campfires, read, and explore nature (yes, there is nature in the city!) On the couch we cuddle and read and read and read. Life is a running dialogue with God's awesomeness at the center of it all.

That's what homeschooling is all about.

You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up.
Deuteronomy 6:7

Now, for the book list sources I promised to talk about.

I'm a book junkie...a bibliophile, if you will. Since I was in grade school, I've made lists of books I would someday read. I still have some of those lists! (this LIST being one of them)

For my littles, I use lists from several different sources. Here are a few of those sources:
1. Honey for a Child's Heart (I got my copy from Paperback Swap!)
3. Old Fashioned Education book list
4. Ambleside Online book list
5. The Well-Trained Mind resource list
6. Five In A Row Series List

It's very easy to use lists like these. Simply take the list to your library and find several of the titles listed. As you read them to your children, check them off the list. Also, don't forget to engage your child as you read...point out things in the pictures, ask questions, have them tell back to you what you read. You will quickly see a LOVE for reading develop, and reading opens all sorts of doors because books can be about so many different subjects.

As you can see, homeschooling preschoolers and kindergartners need not be daunting and scary. Grab some good books, find a place to curl up together, and enjoy each other's company. There really is very little extra they need.

(Micah "snacking" on the the name tag from his older sister's crate)

The 12-Week Holiday Planner

About a year ago, I received an email from Marilyn Moll at The Urban Homemaker that caught my attention. It was concerning a 12-Week Holiday Planner from Sheri Graham at Graham Family Ministries. It didn't take long for me to decide I NEEDED this planner!

Not only did it keep me focused for the holiday season in bite-sized pieces, but it was a LIFESAVER concerning the fact that I was due with little Micah right smack dab in the middle of it all!

I printed off all the pages (cuz it's an e-book ;o)), put protective covers on them, and put them in a green 3-ring binder labeled Holiday Planner. It wasn't difficult at all to keep up with and I had everything in one handy locale. Plus it motivated me to stock my freezer and pantry for the holiday and the baby!

In addition to the planner itself, you get a Jesse Tree Devotional from Ann Voscamp and recipes from Ann, Marilyn, and Sheri. (For more on the Jesse Tree Devotional, see THIS POST from last year.)

I cannot say enough good about this Planner! In fact, I can hardly wait until October 1 to pull it back out again!!!

If this sounds like something you could use this coming holiday season, consider purchasing your copy NOW! You can get a $4 discount from now through the month of September by entering in the code augsale at checkout.

Mmmmmmm....I think I can almost smell cinnamon and cedar in the air!

My Closet Makeover

Remember my post about Feelin' Frumpy? Well, one of my lovely readers (Julie @ Ice House to be exact--thanks a million, Julie!) left me a comment about the website Missus Smarty Pants. For a fee, Missus Smarty Pants will help you rework your wardrobe. She has some basic ideas and then builds off of those using your body shape. Because I needed some very specific help in putting together a workable wardrobe, I went ahead and paid the fee with some birthday money. I am so glad I did.

One thing that stemmed from the use of this service was my closet makeover. If you take a look at the free Closet Organization section of the website, you'll see in the 2nd picture from the top a closet very similar to what mine used to look like: full of clothes with nothing to wear.

I was back down to prepregnancy weight, so most everything fit, but still I could find very little that I wanted to wear and felt good wearing. I spent copious amounts of time on Sunday morning trying on outfit after outfit looking for something that was both suitable and looked good. In fact, any time I had to go somewhere that required me to look put together, I found myself in a quandry. Even my every day clothes were frumpy and ill-matched. I never felt good about what I had on.

While Missus Smarty Pants' suggestions for what to wear were exactly what I needed, I found I needed to bring what she teaches about closet organization down to a very simplified level; one that reflects the fact that I am a stay at home mom of many littles who love on me in living color. What I came up with has REVOLUTIONIZED my day beyond my wildest expectations!

First off, I decided my every day clothes needed to be nicer and more put together. The fact that I spend the day in the house teaching school and changing diapers does not necessitate a wardrobe made up entirely of sweats and t-shirts two sizes too big for me. But, I do have to take into consideration the "living color" factor. No, this does not mean I can only wear baby poo yellow, but it does mean a print is a good thing and fabrics that wash well are a bonus.

One thing that is imperative is that I do not have my everyday clothes mixed in with my nicer "going-out" clothes because, let's face it, accidents happen and things get icky. I needed a special distinction in my closet between the clothes that stay home and the clothes that go out. So, my closet now has two sections:

Play Clothes

and

Dress Up Clothes

I went through my closet just as she tells you to do HERE and I seperated the clothes that made "the cut" into either Play Clothes or Dress Up Clothes. I then made a list of articles of clothing, using the Missus Smarty Pants suggestions for my body type, that would make each of these sections well-rounded and user-friendly. For instance, on the Play Clothes side of the closet I had a pair of black capris and a pair of denim capris. I purchased a patterned shirt that matched them both.





On the Dress Up Clothes side of the closet, I already had a black and white skirt but nothing to wear with that skirt. I purchased a shirt that matched and a cardigan that could be worn with several different outfits.





The Dress Up side of the closet has not only my church clothes and evening attire, but also my casual going-out clothes. Much of what I consider "casual" items can be made dressy enough for business dinners and church simply by adding a nice necklace, or changing out the shoe. (I'm still working on the shoe issue...anyone else have a shoe dilemma?)

So, now when I get up in the morning, all I have to do is consider what my day is going to be like. If I'm at home for the day, I choose from the Play Clothes section. The wonderful thing is even my Play Clothes are nice enough to have company drop in or run to the store (and I AM wearing an apron in the kitchen, ladies ) But, if I'm going on business with my husband or I have a doctor's appointment that requires me to look a little more dressed up, I choose from the Dress Up section. I don't have to think too much about either section once I've decided what my day looks like because everything works together. There are very few outfits that stand alone with nothing but one thing that works with it. I can literally grab and go!

Here's a picture of the final product. There's no real clear cut division (and no, the hangers are not color-coded!), but I know where the line is.

All the Play Clothes are on the left side going in this order from left to right: skirts, jeans/capris, shirts. All of the Dress Up Clothes are on the right side going in this order from left to right: shirts, jeans/capris/slacks, skirts, dresses, accesories (like purses and shawls)


I really want to stress here that this is not about vanity. If anything, reworking your closet in this way helps to prevent vanity since you will no longer be spending countless hours standing in front of the mirror trying to find just the right outfit.

God is in the little things. This, in the overall scheme of life, is a little thing, but we cannot deny the fact that we are a reflection of our Savior. We would do well to keep the mirror polished (with modesty and moderation) as best we can so the Lord's grace might shine through all the brighter.
Blessings,

What to Pack for a Family Day Trip

We are a family who likes to take impromptu day trips. It's not uncommon for us to tag along with Daddy on business or decide last-minute to travel a couple of hours to a museum or wildlife refuge. With all this "running around", I've been questioned as to how, logistically-speaking, I manage to make these day trips enjoyable.

First of all, be thankful. Be thankful you have the opportunity to go somewhere as a family. If you see windshield time as a blessing, then you are less likely to disdain your trip.

Next, grab a backpack or other bag. In it, you will need jammies for each child and a change of undies and pants for any newly potty-trained toddlers (accidents happen, my friends--especially when they fall asleep in the car!). Throw in a shirt for you and your husband as well and some extra diapers. This may take 2 bags depending on how many children you have and how old they are...older tends to mean bigger clothes! ;)

This takes care of any clothing issues that may arise. Yes, you can go with the "more is more" approach, packing each child an extra change of clothes, but I'm a "less is more" kind of gal with the philosophy that if a child has to wear jammies to get by the rest of the day because of some freak accident that left their clothing ripped to shreds (because frankly, that...and NOT something like stains...is what it will take for me to consider changing a child out of the clothing he or she is currently wearing), then so be it. (And hey, there are people out there who wear jammies out and about on purpose!?!) The only time I pack another full outfit for the children is if we will be attending a dressy function and I don't want them to be in their dress clothes all day. The idea behind packing jammies is that if we will be arriving home at a past-bedtime hour, then the children can be carried (or guided) straight to their beds with the least amount of disturbance.

Next item...if you have a baby, pack a smart diaper bag. (If you don't have a baby, pack any of the relevant items from the list below in your backpack or consider keeping a "Day Bag" on hand with these items pre-loaded into it)

Your diaper bag should be fully loaded at all times so that all you need to do to be able to take off on your day trip (or on any excursion) is to quickly give it a once over. What does a smart diaper bag look like? Here's what my diaper bag contains...

*diapers/wipes/changing pad

*small bottle of hand sanitizer (I love, love, love the Bath & Body Works PocketBac travel size of these. They make diaper changes almost fun!)

*Fever-reducing medicine and room for any other current medications

*1 small toy per toddler/baby

*scratch paper and a pen

*small photo album of children--this was originally given to me by Lynnette @ Dancing Barefoot as a place to keep Emily's picture for those times when I HAD to be able to look at her. Anyone who has lost a child knows this feeling and I am forever grateful for this wonderful and thoughtful gift.

*small zippered bag containing a couple of menstrual pads--these can serve more than one purpose...think nose bleeds ;)

*a wrap or mei tai--the all fabric, homemade kind are very easy to pack into a diaper bag b/c they aren't so bulky.

*one change of clothes for baby--once again, accidents happen!

*1-2 small lightweight blankets

*A couple of dollars cash for "emergencies"

*camera

*wallet--I haven't carried a purse in years. I have a wallet that easily fits in a side pocket of my diaper bag because my diaper bag IS my purse!

And in case you are wondering what diaper bag I use, it is actually a backpack style that is now discontinued from Baby Gap, but similar to THIS ONE. Over the years, my favorite diaper bags have been backpacks. You don't have to spend a fortune either. Just look for one that has plenty of pockets and is roomy in the interior.

Once you have this diaper bag loaded, you have to just learn to be in the habit of checking your supplies (or teaching one of you older and more responsible children to check it) and restock as needed.

Next, pack a Community Bag. This bag is something like a satchel or backpack that contains 1-2 "busy" items per child. Think books, notepads, small toys and the like. I allow the children to pack this bag on their own as long as they stay within reason and the bag is not overflowing.

Now, make sure you have a First Aid Kit in the van. You can buy relatively inexpensive ones from places like WalMart that are compact and fit nicely under a seat. I can't even begin to count the number of times that kit has been needed by my family or someone we've met along the way.

Lastly, pack a Snack Bag. I recently purchased a small soft-sided cooler to put drinks and Micah's baby food in so I could use my own baby food on trips. Nalgene bottles and/or the bottles with the built-in ice packs are a great choice. I usually pack 2-3 large ones and we share (I imagine there are some of you grossing out right now, but if you kiss your kids goodnight, you might as well drink after them too! lol)

Our van is also where we keep our Jonathan Park and Adverntures in Odyssey cd's. This is pretty much the only place these cd's get listened to, so it's a real treat!

A few things I always keep in the van are my Bag o' Baby Wraps that contains all my baby carriers, a zippered blanket that functions as anything from a picnic blanket to something warm to throw over all the kids in the back seat on a cold winter night, a small tool box that contains a hammer, a screwdriver, needle-nose pliers, gloves, a flashlight, and tape and some odds and ends. These things all sit off to one corner of the back of our van. They are not used often, but they are there if we need them.

Finally, get your game face on. Adjust any bad attitudes YOU might have, throw a smile on your face, and RELAX! No matter what happens, remember most of it is NO BIG DEAL. As my husband says,

"Don't sweat the petty stuff and don't pet the sweaty stuff."

Memories aren't made when everything goes right, but when everything goes wrong and you still have fun!


Looking for more travel tips?  Try these links:
Travel Games...Without Pieces
15 Passenger Van Organization
How to Pack for a Large Family

One Step Forward, Two Steps Back

feet

I've been a bit sparse these days due to the phenomenon of One Step Forward, Two Steps Back. It is one that has plagued me off and on for years. Lately, I haven't even managed the One Step Forward of the equation...it's been more like Two Steps Back, Sit Down and Lament the Fact That I'm Not Getting Anywhere, Two Steps Back, etc.

There's probably a few of you out there who totally "get" what I am talking about, but for those of you less challenged by daily life, let me elaborate...

Last week was the homeschooling convention. Great fun as usual. With the homeschooling convention comes a buying spree of next year's curriculum and other needful things (and a few wantful things as well!) **One Step Forward**

Nearly a week and a half later, my purchases continue to litter my living room floor. The reason for this is because we use a classical homeschooling model and for months I've been trying to formulate a way to separate all of my resources into a Year 1, Year 2, Year 3, Year 4 format. I had decided on using bookshelves, but I didn't really want them lumped in with my other bookshelves. I also had this wierd Type A thing going on...I wanted all 4 bookshelves to be uniform in size and color. I wasn't too keen on purchasing 4 more bookshelves, so I was desperately trying to make what I had on hand work. Yet, all I had managed to do so far was to go downstairs each and every day and stare at my bookshelves and sigh an overwhelmed sigh. **Two Steps Back**

Many of you have probably heard Elisabeth Elliot's famous quote, "Do the next thing." I've often wondered what happens when the next thing can't be done until you do something else that needs to be done first, but you can't do that thing because there is something else that has to be taken care of prior to that, and on and on and on in a backwards fashion until you've completely lost sight of what that "next thing" truly was.

This is the reason I've not been blogging (or even spending much time on the computer at all) of late. I'm just too busy walking backwards!

After doing this over and over again, I have become sick of myself. Today I decided I had to just DO SOMETHING! If it was the wrong something, I could redo it, but at least I would have done something.

Rather than bite off the ambitious goal of organizing 4 bookshelves, I decided to start working on Year 1 (the year we are ready for this coming school year). The house is in utter disarray, and there is an appraiser coming by in the morning, but at least I did SOMETHING! I took care of something that was causing me to have to backtrack. And while it may not be the perfect solution, at least it sets me in motion to move forward for a while.

I've begun looking at many things in this way. What ONE thing can I do to make this problem area less of a problem? Why is this one area ALWAYS messy? Would a basket fix this problem? Maybe I have too much of something and need to declutter. Why am I ALWAYS discouraged when I think about this certain thing? Maybe I have too many unattainable expectations and need to let go of some of those. Maybe there is some sort of stumbling block in my way.

So, my motto has become, "Just do something!" It doesn't have to be perfect or right, but it is so much better than doing nothing and wishing all day long you had done something.

Problem Solved!

I love simplicity and the solution to my dilemma has been answered in a very simplistic way by a fellow MOMYS and SpringMeadowsMama.

I now have an IN basket and an OUT basket sitting on my bar. The IN basket contains anything that comes INTO my home that will need my attention. Unsorted mail, things that need to be copied, things that need to be filed, etc. The OUT basket contains items that need to leave my home as well as anything that needs to go downstairs, so I can easily grab it on my way down (the bar is very near my staircase).

I periodically go through the baskets to make sure I'm taking care of what needs to be taken care of (and to insure that they themselves do not become hot spots!) I already had a bill basket and a file on the wall for papers and medical type stuff and those will remain as they are.

So, I now feel as though my dining room is finished, and yes, I am Keeping it That Way! ;o)

Homeschool Mamas Need a Planning Period Too!

Sunday nights for the past year have been my designated planning period time.  I figure if the public school teachers get one, so should I!

I began doing this in response to a blog post I read from a homeschooling mama who took a couple of hours every Sunday evening at a local coffee shop to plan her week.  This concept sounded like something that would be ever so helpful, but alas, where would I find the time to sit at a coffee shop and organize my life? 

That's when I decided I could have my planning period at home.  On Sunday nights, my wonderful husband herds all the children downstairs to watch a Western and I gather up a mountain of books, some notebook paper, and a cup of coffee (so I can pretend I really am at a coffee shop!) 

During this planning period I am planning much more than just my school week.  Because of this, I have 5 separate divisions for my plans:  Meals, School, Homekeeping, Activities, and Miscellaneous. 

I take a piece of scratch paper and I write down every single thing I want to accomplish in the coming week.  I write down people I need to email, I write down websites I need to visit, I write down all I want to accomplish school-wise, I write down places we have to be and people who are coming to visit.  Both the fronts and backs of my notebook pages end up covered in frantic scribbles.  It is wonderful to see my week pouring out in front of me!

Next, I transfer everything into their correct sections.  Lest you think I have some fancy scheduling template, let me reassure you, my pages are simple notebook paper--nothing fancy there! 

On the Meals page I write out only a couple of days worth of meals since life is rather unpredictable here.  I fill in the rest as I go. 

For School, I write down all the things I want to accomplish each day. In this section I also list books I'd like to buy, books I'd like to sell, and projects I've been meaning to have the children work on. 

On the Homekeeping page, I write down our daily cleaning routine and add things to be decluttered and reorganized. 

On the Activities page I write a day-by-day listing of any places we have to be or things we will be doing. 

The Miscellaneous page I leave for those to-do's that don't 't fit anywhere else.  This includes things to blog about, thank yous to write, people to call, etc.

In the mornings, I open my planning notebook on the counter with these pages laid out where I can readily reference them throughout the day.  Everything is right there and I can add or subtract from them as I please.  It makes for a much smoother flowing day!

So, grab a pen and paper and a cup of coffee and join me for a planning period!

Declutter Me

A little over a week ago, I was sitting on my mother's couch telling her how I felt I needed to completely purge my house, declutter every nook and cranny. Now, I am sure some of this is nesting, which begins very early for me, but I also know myself well enough to know that *something* was stressing me out.

I declutter to de-stress. Oftentimes, the decluttering mode goes hand-in-hand with a need to feel in control of something. But, for the life of me, I could not figure out what it was that felt so out of control.

My mom, who thrives on tidying up, gladly offered to come help. So, bright and early Monday morning, we hopped to it. She would be spending Monday and part of Tuesday here and then return on Thursday and stay until Friday. The reason for this is that I am rather pregnant and she tires rather quickly due to post-polio syndrome. We both knew we would both need a break.

The grand plan was to tackle the upstairs the first part of the week and then tackle the downstairs the latter half of the week. We worked ourselves silly and almost met our goal by the time we tired out on Tuesday. The house looked great, I knew exactly what lurked behind nearly every door and drawer, and I thought my feeling of discontentment would disappear as the clutter left the house in boxes and trash bags. But, it didn't.

As I looked around at my neat and orderly home, I still felt uneasy about something. I felt there was still too much stuff in my house. I felt as though I could get rid of everything and still not feel satisfied. WHY?

Mom left and I found myself mulling this question over and over in my mind as I continued to work, hopeful that when she returned, we would be able to go straight to the basement and not have to finish anything upstairs.

Suddenly, it dawned on me. An epiphany! Yes, my house DID need decluttering, but what really needed to be decluttered was ME!

For months now, I've felt this uneasiness. I kept thinking when the weekend gets here and Daddy is home, THEN all will be well. But, really all the weekend did was create a diversion from reality. Monday morning all was back to the way it had been. And what, pray tell, was so wrong within our home? Well, no one really knew. We had all talked about it and brainstormed and even considered that it was Emily's death that was causing all of us to feel irritable and discontent. But, I kept telling my husband I just didn't think that was it, and I felt like all the strife was somehow linked to me.

Then came the catalyst that tipped off my need to declutter ~ my 7 year old daughter. Day in and day out I watched her melt down. Day in and day out I continued to press forward with a homeschool curriculum that left her a screaming, raving, page-scribbling mess. Every day had become a struggle. Every day I wanted to scream right back at her. How come she couldn't be like everyone else and make my life easier?

But, wait a second...

God doesn't make mistakes. He didn't accidentally put her in our family. He didn't accidentally make her the way she is. He wasn't trying to punish me by giving me a high needs child. The mistake was in how I was reacting to her and how I was training her. I was messing up the most important job God had given me! But, I felt completely helpless. I knew I needed to change something, but couldn't figure out how.

Then yesterday, it all began to make sense to me. I am the one who is cluttered. I am cluttered with worldly thinking. I am cluttered with feeling like I have to do things a certain way or else. I am cluttered with to-do lists and scope and sequence charts that blind me to who my child really is and what she really needs. I am cluttered with the label "teacher" to the point that "mother" has been shoved to the back burner.

It isn't just my daughter who is suffering from my clutter. I am losing touch with all my children because there is so much stuff in the way. For months I have been allowing seemingly little things to crowd my world. I have writing projects, sewing projects, school projects. I have expectations of myself and those around me that are forcing me to push harder, do more, be more, accomplish more.

I am the frog in the proverbial pot of water. The temperature is rising little by little and I know something seems different, but I literally cannot see the rolling boil taking place all around me. It took my daughter coming to her own boil to wake me up. It was God's way of shaking me to my senses.

I am mom. I am the only mom these children have. God has a Handbook that tells me exactly how I am to teach these precious little ones. Deuteronomy 6 ring a bell? How about Proverbs 22:6? Yes, academics are important, but only in light of the way God's Word commands us to gain knowledge and wisdom.

I had lost sight of my higher calling...not that of teacher, but of mother. Losing a child did not make me immune to letting the world creep in and steal me away from those little ones I hold here on earth. I was not truly enjoying them because the cares of this world were burdening me to the point I felt I could handle nothing else save for surviving each day. I was living by a perpetual to-do list. A list always undone. A list of priorities out of whack.

And somehow I believed that pushing through my to-do list was going to make life better. It was the perfect plan. How could I fail? But as the plates began to spin out of control, I found myself decluttering everything but the plates.

Now, taking those plates down required a drastic paradigm shift. The Lord was gracious enough to put me in the company of a fantastic group of homeschool moms as I worked through the taking down of the plates. They gave me the courage and motivation I needed to start over.

You see, not all those plates are cracked. Some of them most definitely are, but there are others that are simply out of order. Being able to see that you must start over is only half the battle. From there, you must actually begin to place the plates in the right order and discard those that don't belong. This is where godly counsel and diligient reading of Scripture come in. We know NOTHING apart from the Lord. I was ordering my day according to anything and everything EXCEPT what the Lord would have me to do. In the end, everyone suffered from my mistake.

So, I start at ground zero. I clear the rubble, and I begin with the basics.

Titus 2:4 tells the older women to "teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children." There is more in the next verse, but what really catches my attention here is that we young women must be "taught" to love our children. God knows that our hearts and minds are easily pulled away from the things that truly matter.

So, the starting point is to LOVE my children. Loving them means I spend time with them. It means I get to know them. It means I share with them what truly matters for their lives. It's not the times tables or the parts of speech that matter. It's not even how they act in public or how well they clean the table after dinner. These are surface issues, peripherals, exteriors. The heart of the matter is the heart of the matter.

"The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction." (Prov 1:7)

How do I teach them the fear of the Lord? Go back to Deuteronomy 6, verses 7 through 9 to be exact. There is no way to do what these verses command except to spend copious amounts of time with my children. I have to be diligent. I cannot be diligent to my to-do list and expect to sieze those moments when my children are most needing to learn the Lord's commands. In fact, even if my to-do list involves schooling the children, if I am beholden to a list of subjects and a timeframe, I will be hesitant, if not downright negligible in taking the opportunities to truly teach the fear of the Lord. My daughter's meltdowns were not my cue to press on and just get through it, yet that is the way I had been handling it.

What my children need most is a mama who is following the Lord's leading. Simply put, they need me. Not me all cluttered up with worldly advice and skewed ideas of what life should look like, but me...decluttered.

This post is linked to:

Transforming the Mundane Into the Beautiful

The laundry room of most homes is a dreary place, often outfitted with cement walls and pipes in a dank basement setting. Occasionally, the washer and dryer are afforded a secret hideout behind closed doors in a hallway. Some houses even go so far as to honor them with a bit of real estate in the kitchen. But, never ever are these monstrous pieces of equipment considered beautiful, and therefore, the area that contains them, is not seen that way either. By the very nature of their existance, we consider them and what surrounds them to be either dirty or in the process of being made clean. The laundry room is a place for work, not for beauty.

No real creativity is needed to wash clothes. Folding clothes is a rather monotonous task as well. The only thing aspect of doing laundry that even remotely qualifies as an intellectual pursuit is the job of pre-treating stains. If we were entirely honest with ourselves, we would all agree that laundry rarely ranks first as a favorite household chore. So, all this said, it would be utterly ridiculous to expect the room in which the laundry and its various accoutrements preside to be a lovely, aesthetically-pleasing place. Wouldn't it?

Absolutely not! I spend a goodly amount of time in the laundry room each and every day climbing Mount Washmore. Why not make that space something that is pleasing to the eye. Could it be that laundry is even more of a chore when the area of the house we do this task in seems reminiscent of a dungeon?

I was first exposed to the idea of decorating my laundry area after visiting my cousin Tina's home. Her washer and dryer stood off the side of the kitchen and had all sorts of adorable little signs loitering about. I smiled at her ingenuity, and tucked the memory in the back of my mind where I file all those things I really hope to do someday.

Shortly thereafter, we moved. The house we now lived in had the laundry area right smack dab in the middle of the kitchen. I was appalled, but determined to make the best of it. So, with an assortment of functional and froo-froo items, I proceeded to decorate my new laundry area. I added a shelf for soap, a sorting hamper, and for a little hint of playfulness, a "laundry line" with little crocheted dresses that were supposed to be potholders that no one in their right mind would ever use for that purpose. I was pleased with the result.

However, after the next move, my creativity waned a bit. For the first time, my laundry area was in the basement right next to the hot water heater and the furnace. The walls were cement with just a tiny bit of paneling to the right of the dryer. There really was nothing lovely about this space. But, I once again, hung up my little dresses and added 2 new items to the functionality of the space. One was plastic shelving containing the 3 laundry baskets that belonged to my husband and I, the boys, and the girls. The other was another type of plastic shelving that held my soaps and stray socks. I also had started adding Scripture throughout the house, so this spot was blessed with Psalm 51: 1,2

Be gracious to me, O God, according to Your lovingkindness; according to the greatness of Your compassion blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin.

So, this was the sight that greeted me each day...




















It could have been worse. But, the fact of the matter is, it could have been a whole lot better too. But how? How do you "fix" cement and pipes? Well, inspiration came at last! While watching Cat's videos on decluttering, I took special note of her laundry room and what she had chosen to do there. Now, her laundry room is nothing like mine, but seeing hers brought me to a point where I could once again brainstorm ideas for making this space a beautiful one.

So, I took some fabric from my collection (some people collect coins, I collect fabric), and took a quick measurement, cut the fabric and serged up the two frayed sides. Next, I used magnetized chip-clips and clipped the fabric and stuck the magnet to the pipes above my washer and dryer. Voila! Instant coverage of the cement and pipes.

Next, I took a length of ivy I wasn't using about the house (I love foliage because it makes me feel like the outside is inside, and there is something incredibly calming in that for me), and I taped it (yes, I said "taped it") to the tops of my washer and dryer.

After that, I hung some small baskets from the exposed wall stud next to my dryer and placed some ivy picks in those baskets. I cleaned off the top of my dryer and turned a sewing basket no one was using into a dryer sheet holder.

I was thrilled with the results! It has become a place I smile at whenever I walk by! And all this beauty cost me nothing. Everything I used was already in my home!

But, you may still be wondering why. Why go to the trouble of making the area look beautiful when there really is nothing wonderful about doing laundry. You are only there for a little while several times a day. Who cares if it is pretty?

My question would be, "Why not?" Why shouldn't the places I spend my time in as a wife and mother all be beautiful? There is nothing wrong with beauty. Look at all the beauty our Lord created! Why should this little corner of my basement be devoid of joy simply because I am there to do a mundane task? How much better would you feel about fulfilling this task if you were surrounded by things you enjoyed looking at as you worked? Isn't it possible you might even become inspired long enough by the beauty around you to forget the fact that you despise doing laundry?

Start simple: add a throw rug or a picture. Consider how that one little touch makes you feel. Add a little more, and before you know it, you will have created a space that makes you smile, even if the task that is accomplished there, does not.

Tubs O'Clothes

Anyone who has more than one child and lives in a climate that has distinctive seasons can probably relate to the plight of mamas all across America who must wade through large plastic tubs full of clothes to find next season's garments for each of their kiddos. The picture above is my little village of tubs (with a cardboard box of cloth diapers standing sentry.)

Today was the day..like it or not...that I HAD to find next season's clothes. Once upon a time, this was fun for me. I oohed and ahhed over each little outfit I pulled from the masses. I could not for the life of me figure out why my friend w/ 9 children thought this chore was drudgery. I LOVED it! However, as our family has grown to 5 dear children, I am beginning to understand her misery.

I still enjoy looking at the clothes (sometimes I didn't even remember having certain garments), but the sheer quantity overwhelms me. I pick one side of the room, open the first tub, and start piling--

Fits Pile,

Doesn't-Fit-Yet-Needs-to-go-back-in-the-tub Pile,

Can't-believe-I-didn't-send-this-to-Goodwill-or-the-Trash-last -time-I-looked-through-these-tubs Pile.

My tubs are not organized the way some people do..by size. Here is my oh-so-eclectic way of organizing...Baby Tub (contains gender neutral baby items) Too small for DS #2 tub, Too small for DD #3 tub (no one to pass down to yet), Too big for DD #3 tub (otherwise known as Too small for DD #2 tub), Too big for DS #2 tub (otherwise known as too small for DS #1 tub), Too big for DD #2 tub (also known as the Too small for DD #1 tub), Too big for DD #1 tub, and too big for DS #1 (this is actually a trash bag in his closet--don't get a lot of hand-me-downs for a 5 foot tall 9 year old.) In amongst all of this, there are also 2 tubs w/ "normal-sized mama clothes" and 2 tubs of maternity clothes. (NOTE TO THOSE OF YOU WHO DON'T SPEND MUCH TIME ON INTERNET FORUMS AND SUCH...DD means DEAR DAUGHTER and DS means DEAR SON ;o) --and that little thing I just put there at the end of "SON" is a wink--look at it sideways--no, turn your head to the left--there, see it? eyes, nose, mouth? No? Nevermind.)

Now, I had hoped to go through these tubs w/o any help (from little people, that is). I put the toddlers down for naps, got school started w/ the older 2, and headed into the storage room to attack tub town. I think I got a whopping 5 minutes before I was ambushed. The 3 yo announces she is not tired, and the 6 yo whizzed through her studies and wants to help. They both "help" mama by pulling out clothes from the tubs and puting them in the Doesn't-Fit-Yet Pile before I could look at them. My 3 yo was very expressive too. She told me many times, "OH MY! THIS is my FAVORITE shirt, MAMA!"--right before she tossed it out of my reach. My 6 yo kept asking why things in her sister's tub didn't fit HER anymore. And both of them thought climbing all over the tubs was great fun. Eventually, they decided going through 19 million tubs was not all that entertaining, and they left. However, it wasn't too much later when the 1 yo shows up, pacifier in mouth, blankie in hand. My oldest ds was done w/ his math by that point, and decided the toddlers needed to be cowboys and ride buckin' bulls (otherwise known as sister and brother). Of course, all bucking bulls and cowboys need an audience, so they didn't take their antics elsewhere, they stayed right there and played rodeo in a fresh pile of clothes that fit. Do I care? No. Just PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE do not mix them up w/ clothes that DON'T fit!!!

Finally, the chore is finished. I have a HUGE mound of clothes that fit SOME child. (Yes, I gave up trying to keep them sorted according to WHICH child they fit). I call in the troops to haul the clothing upstairs and on to the couch. I would like to tell you that I immediately put all these clothes away in their respective closets and dressers, but that would be a lie. So, here they are...tomorrow's chore.

The Early Bird Gets the Worm

I am the proverbial night owl. I am content to stay up until the wee hours of the morning "doing my own thing" and then leisurely get around to my daily chores sometime mid-morning the next day. However, I've been wondering if maybe somewhere in all of this I am missing the worm. And, in fact, if the "worm" is an organized, productive day, then undoubtedly, I slept in past his appearance.

I know that in Proverbs 31, the lady of the house gets up "while it is still dark."

Now that, my friends, is EARLY!

I'm not sure I can remember the last time I was fully awake during a sunrise.

So, I posed this question on the MOMYS forum:

Do you have to rise early to be effective?

Later, I clarified the word "effective" to mean "organized." (YES, I know ANOTHER organizationally-challenged post!)

I got a variety of responses that ranged from ABSOLUTELY YES to ABSOLUTELY NO.

The reason all of this has been weighing in my mind lately is because summer is half over and the school year is looming large on the horizon and frankly, I AM SCARED! I feel totally unprepared and totally unorganized.

You see, productivity is not my problem...I am very productive-especially during the night hours, just not organized. However, I feel quite often I'm only productive by accident--it was never a planned event! And while school can be accomplished "accidentally" it is usually a good idea to have a bit of structure working into the whole system.

I love the idea of delight-directed learning, but even that takes preparation and the organizational skills to be able to head off on a tangent and not get completely lost!

I was thinking about all of this as I drove to get groceries last week (and returned home at 10pm!). I actually enjoy analyzing myself (saves me a ton on psychiatric bills) One thing I realized during my "session" was that in my head I see staying up late and getting up late as the more "flexible" way to be and all the "fun" people stay up late--Wow! Does that scream regression or what?!

There have been a few attempts in my adult life to get up early. One time I tried exercising to wake up. Well, as soon as I got off the treadmill, I promptly fell asleep in the recliner (found out later people with hypoglycemia SHOULD NOT exercise first thing in the morning!) I've also tried reading in my Bible as soon as I wake only to realize 2 hours later that I never made it past a couple of verses!

But, I digress...

I just can't help but wonder if my disorganization is due to me not getting up early enough or is it due to me just not being organized?

I have met people who envy the way I live (spontaneity, they call it), but I look at them and think, "yes, but look at you--your life is all neat and tidy and you know what to expect next!" I suppose the grass is always greener on the other side...

God doesn't make mistakes, so this haphazard brain of mine wasn't put there to be the bane of my existence. But there are aspects of our personalities that sometimes require a bit of discipline.

Since posting to the forum, I have been rising earlier and I am feeling better about how my day is going. I seem to be more prepared to face the challenges of the day. I've decided to just go ahead and do some work in the mornings (I shut all the kids' doors as soon as I'm up), and quite often I have a toddler and baby in tow, but I am really pleasantly surprised at how much I am getting accomplished.

No, I'm not the organized queen I hope to someday be (actually, I would settle for organized scullery maid at this point ), but I am getting there.

Is this a new leaf? I don't know. But as a safeguard for myself, I ask that everyone refrain from checking the time stamp on my emails or blog entries in order to "catch" me staying up late. If there is something I despise worse than being disorganized, it is being wrong.

Stuff & Things

garage

A couple of nights ago, our family visited some friends from church. While all our friends are wonderful and interesting people, these particular friends are somewhat extraordinary. You see they have 9 children and they currently live in a garage!

Now, before you feel sorry for them, hear me out.

Next to this garage stands a house they are building from ground level up totally debt free. Unless you are independently wealthy (which they are not), this takes time. So, until the house is livable (next year, Lord willing), all 11 of them live in the garage.

This isn't just any garage either. It is a 2-car garage with a miniature "apartment" at the back. It has a fully equipped kitchen, bathroom, & laundry room. The children share the most incredible space within this "apartment." They sleep in bunks that, I must admit, even make me a bit envious! On floor level, there are two mattresses for the littlest girls and then a 2nd and 3rd level that sleeps 3 children a piece. A crib stands at the foot of this monstrosity for the 10 month old. My children thought they had stepped into the pages of Swiss Family Robinson! My oldest daughter even asked if when they left, could we please move in!

The kitchen also shares space with the living room/dining room/master bedroom/school room/office/library/pantry that makes up the front of the garage that will eventually house 2 cars--correction...vans--ummm....correction...busses (remember we're talking 9 children here, with hopes of more!)

Now, the reason I am so awe-inspired by this family is not because they live in a garage. It is not b/c they have 9 children. It is not even because they are building debt-free (although all these things are truly awe-inspiring). What amazes me the most is the use of their space. You would think that the shear volume of things for a family of 11 would more than overload a normal garage, but everything had a place and things were kept tidied up. They do have many of their things in storage, but for everyday living, they have what they need and what they need is really not that much. Yes, the pantry extends to the ceiling, but it is neatly stocked with home-canned items and things they buy in bulk (you should see their juice cubby!) The cupboards are just boards and braces that hold everything from meat grinders to a grain mill to cookware. Tupperware plates, bowls, and cups sit on a lower shelf where they are easily accessible to the helpful hands of her children (the floors are cement, so the lady of the "house" has chosen to keep her nice breakables in storage). She has a beautiful collection of stoneware and cast iron. Their living room furniture consists of a worn couch and chair and a cedar chest that doubles as a coffee table. We ate a simple, yet wonderful meal that truly became like the loaves and fishes b/c they had realized too late there was only package of tator tots for the casserole (this is not the first time we have experienced this phenomena in the home of a "large" family...God does provide!)

As I reflect upon our visit to their "home," I am struck by one thing in particular--the lack of stuff. You know what I'm talking about--the things that just seem to clutter up a home. There were no tiny plastic toys lying all over the floor, there were no unnecessary items invading every inch of available space, and there was no tv which can easily take over the excess room in the home and the excess room in the mind. Here was a family with more than double the number in my family, living in a space that is less than half what I live in. Talk about humbling!

While Mrs. D doesn't believe their household is as efficient as it could/should be and she is always looking for opportunities to pick the brains of women with larger families than hers (which believe me is not an opportunity that comes often!), I find myself watching her and her family and taking note of how they do things, what they buy, where they put things. I do not know if the Lord will bless us with 9 children (although my oldest believes we should make a concerted effort to "beat" this family by having MORE than 9 children!), but I see how even now with our almost 4 children, we are already "out of the norm." This fact requires us to plan and prepare more than I ever did with just 2 children. A trip to the grocery store is not a simple jump-in-the-car-and-take-a-little-jaunt-through-the-aisles. It is a well-orchestrated mess...

Do we have enough diapers? Are we going to hit a mealtime? Do we have snacks that will keep them from asking endlessly to eat out? Has everyone gone to the bathroom? Have they kept their water intake to a minimum? Can I manage to get everything in one cart? Are we far enough away from or close enough to naptime so that no one will melt down?

Mealtimes now require that the older 2 children pitch in because there is more to prepare which equals more to clean up. I could play the martyr and work myself to death, but I am truly blessed by how capable these two little people are. I am so thankful someone told me early on that little people are adults-in-training and can do way more than you realize if you just take the time to train them.

After visiting our friends, I am seeing even more places in my life that can be streamlined. Less stuff & things = less mess, less for me to clean up, less for the children to keep track of, less for the toddler to put in her mouth, less for me to trip over b/c I can no longer see my feet! I can share from the abundance of my home. Magazines do not have to pile up, they can bless another family or they can bless the trash! My children do not need enough clothes to wear something different every day of the month. Why not pass the extra along?

The Lord has always blessed us w/ more than we truly need. We are not well-to-do by any means, but yet we "need" for nothing. Oh yes, there are wants, but most of these are either silly and useless or simply require the "wanting" party to save their pennies until they have enough to own their particular want.

I must say I do have a good start on things. The children each have only 2 toys in the house at a time. There are toys in the garage that they may rotate in, but they have yet to really take advantage of that. They have their favorites and would probably not even notice if the excess in the garage suddenly disappeared (which is probably going to happen after the new year!) I am whittling away at my kitchen cooking and baking ware and appliances--removing what isn't used and replacing it with high quality items that will be used (What on earth am I going to do with a trifle bowl? I haven't used it since I received it as a wedding present 9 years ago, what makes me think I'll use it now?) I continue to streamline closets. I make nearly weekly trips to the local thrift store to drop off bags of no-longer-needed items. I feel good about the progress I have made through the years, but I know I can do better. And as the family grows, there will be the natural progression toward more stuff & things, but that does not mean it has to take over.

So, as I declutter and consider new purchases, I have this thought running through the back of my head...

What if I lived in a garage?