Already Behind in Your Homeschool? What to Do When the Plan Falls Apart

October 5, 2026 by Leave a Comment

Already behind in your homeschool by week three? Felice Gerwitz on routine over rigid schedules, counting what got done, and dropping the busy work — Vintage Homeschool Moms PodcastDo you already feel behind? It doesn’t matter if this is week one, week three or even week twenty-three. Sometimes we feel like we’ve accomplished nothing when, in reality, homeschooling is so much more. Tune in for this episode of Vintage Homeschool Moms.

Already Behind in Your Homeschool by Week Three? ~ Episode 587

I hear this every fall. A mom writes me, or it happened to me more often than I care to admit… It is week three and the school year does not look like the plan I made in the summer!

Life happens. Sometimes unexpected company (I live in Florida) or someone was sick. Math books were lost more times than not or took forever. A well-meaning person at church asked how school was going, and I looked at my husband and thought, help! When he asked me what was wrong, I told him, we are already behind!

Hey friends. Thanks so much for joining me. I homeschooled five children for more than thirty-two years. Some weeks were peaceful, and some not so much. There might be the threat of putting them on the next shiny yellow bus that stopped at the end of our street, and I am not proud to admit that. But, even that day was a good day. I’m looking at this from a long lens now, but building character is not just for our kids but for ourselves as well.

Thanks so much to our sponsor for helping keep this show on the air.

One-page printable: http://vintagehomeschoolmoms.com

So – why are you behind?

That is what I had to ask myself, after enough years of doing this. Behind the week I wrote when I planned my six week unit study, when I felt hopeful. Behind a close family friend with older kids and no toddler. Behind an imaginary goal I had for myself that didn’t account for my father, who moved in the year my daughter got married?

I used to treat the planner like it was the boss. If I wrote math at a certain time and we missed it, I felt like I had failed. That is a hard way to live. And it is not how a home school works.

Routine Rather Than Rigid Schedule.

I am more routine rather than a rigid schedule. I have said that for years. After breakfast, we start school, and sometimes school in the form of a Bible story or a continuation of a read-aloud takes place. Then we do chores, the ones that take little time, and then school starts. If breakfast is late, we still start. If math happens after lunch because the morning fell apart, math still happened.

Our goal was to get the kids’ check-off sheets completed in a week’s time, but if it took longer, the subject and page went to the following week.

Did You Have School This Week?

If you prayed, or you opened the Bible. If somebody read. If math got done even once. If you had a conversation with a child that was not about a missing pencil. Then you had school. It may not look like the week you planned. Yet it was still a week of school.

I used to try to make up every page we skipped. All that did was make everyone miserable. If a skill matters, come back to it. Don’t invent extra work just to feel better. The shortcuts that worked for me were a selection of math problems. If the child had mastery, they could move on. Sure, practice makes perfect, and sometimes they need more practice, but we used math books that had a spiral approach; skills were retaught lesson to lesson, so if it was something they knew, we skipped those problems or added more if it was something that didn’t make sense to them or they found difficult.

If you use a Morning Crate (I did a podcast about what to pack in it for multi-aged students), then pack it for the week you are in – if it is going to be a very busy week, make it short. Take things out or leave them in for another day. Ten minutes is still a start. Do not skip the activity just because you cannot do the long version. Consistency is important.

I think that is the key. Skipping things makes us feel guilty, and truthfully, skipping is okay as long as it isn’t chronic. Tackling the hard subjects first is always a good thing, and my older teens did this before breakfast on their own! My second oldest and co-author on the Truth Seekers Mystery Series would rather write than do math. So, she did Math first thing in the morning before she came down for breakfast so that later in the afternoon she could devote herself to writing. Finding your child’s passion is another key.

If You Feel Stuck

Take a minute, with a nice cup of strong coffee if I have it, and reanalyze your curriculum. Look at what you are doing and ask, what is worth keeping? What can wait two weeks, and what may get tabled until the new year? What did I buy in August that is making it hard to complete my school day? One year I purchased a composer’s curriculum. I love Classical music, but I am not musical. I had grand ideas for teaching my children the classics: letting them listen to the music, pick out the instruments of the orchestra, and identify composers from their most notable pieces.

A great idea, but the wrong time to implement. I decided this would be a great unit for Christmas break. Let’s just say it wasn’t. I ended up keeping this for an end-of-year activity when things were winding down, and it was the perfect lesson for when the math books were completed for the year and projects were finished.

At different times, we had a four-day week. This shorter week was wonderful! It was a goal we could keep with one day to “make up school” or have an outing if we were caught up. Four days instead of five is a stretch; it made things go so much better, and yes, some days it was just three.

The thing is, school still got done, and my kids learned differently than most. I had the high achievers and the high achievers who struggled to read, to spell, or to do math. Yet all my now-adult children are successful. Three graduated from college with top honors and my math-before-breakfast daughter graduated college in three years. The other two own their own business.

I wish someone had told me that it was more important to spend time with my kids than to chase an elusive curriculum that isn’t going to get them to heaven!

If Someone Asks About Standards

Thankfully homeschooling is here to stay (please, Lord) and no one is as shocked about it like they were when I got started. You don’t owe anyone any details about how things are going, not at church or in the grocery line. I would say something like: we are covering what my child needs this year. We keep records. Thank you for caring.

I was with my daughter, who had four little ones, and someone rudely asked if they were all hers. I closed my eyes, waiting for her to say something snarky like, “No, there is a sale on aisle five.” Instead, she smiled sweetly and said, “Yes, all mine, and we homeschool, too!”

Friends, you homeschool for your kids, and it is a decision you and your spouse made together; it is no one else’s business. If you must, write down what your kids learned at the beginning of the year and what they know now at different times of the year. This is not for anyone but you.

Every year I thought we accomplished nothing was a year we did the most ever. We compiled a sampling of the children’s work one time a year – and when we did I couldn’t believe all we’d done – the next year we saved special papers or pictures from events during the year so I didn’t feel that way again!

Your life, your homeschool is your own. If that goal is weighing you down, move it back, you have my permission. Get rid of the busy work. Sometimes it is wonderful to have copy work, but other times it gets in the way. Focus on the most important things, family, relationship and God the rest will come into place.

Scripture

“The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is thy faithfulness.”
— Lamentations 3:22–23, RSVCE

God’s love never ceases, and our love for our children is why we, as homeschool parents, make sacrifices. The blessings way outweigh anything we put into it. Just watch: week four will be amazing, and the next day and the next? Why? Because you have a new attitude. Attitude sets the tone. It starts with you and with me.

Join the Sweet 13 Birthday Giveaway
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Resources from Media Angels

More at https://mediaangels.com.

More Listening

  1. Morning Time for Mixed Ages
  2. Time Boosters for the Busy Homeschool Mom
  3. Fine-Tune Your Homeschool Day
  4. The Best Homeschool Scheduling Advice
  5. Avoiding Homeschool Pitfalls

If this helps, share it with a friend. Until next time, be blessed. Have a blessed homeschool week!

 

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Time Management for Homeschool Parents: Finding Balance That Actually Works

October 20, 2025 by Leave a Comment
📚 Part of our guide: Homeschool Burnout

time management for busy parents Time Management Parents Episode 412

There is hope! Are you ready for time management that will help you to reclaim your day and feel good at the end? Is this too good to be true? No, it is a reality, and if I can do it, you can as well. How does it happen? Well, very easily with one sheet of paper and four squares. Today I will help you figure out the main issues that steal your time and the hope on how to reclaim it.

Thanks to our sponsor CTCMath, a wonderful Math curriculum for the entire family of school-aged children. This one-stop shop has grades K-12; check it out. Homeschoolers can save 50%!

Let’s get our time management back!

Does your day lack focus? Are you overwhelmed with the shuffling of papers, trying to get school “done,” and keeping up with the household chores? You can see why there is such burnout among moms, especially moms who homeschool. Even at the beginning of the year! I have to say I struggled with this for many years, and it left me feeling tired, defeated, and like I wasn’t getting anything accomplished each day. I felt like a young mom with little children. If I kept everyone safe by the end of the day, it was a win!

However, I wanted so much more. Especially for those who are new to homeschooling or even if you are a pro, you need the help that comes from getting all of your ducks in a row. Let me cut to the chase here. I was out of time because my time was managing me instead of the other way around. What was interrupting my day? What’s getting in the way of time management?

Easy, three things:

  1. Talking on the phone (substitute social media here and texting).
  2. No set schedule for household chores.
  3. Disobedient kids

I had a defeatist attitude and could not wait until my husband came home so I could dump all of my daily woes on him, and guess what? That didn’t work out too well. My husband ran his own business and often needed my help to do the payroll or help with management and the details of filing payroll taxes, filling out forms, and so much more.

Fast forward, and we raised five kids and have not one but three businesses that we run out of our homes successfully. How did this happen? Believe me, it was not overnight, but now I can share those tips and techniques with you, and these are even better than what I had in my toolbox at the time.

Rules are made to be broken, but sometimes you can look at them as good suggestions, so take heart as I share some quick ones with you.

  1. Just because you get an idea, it does not mean you have to act on it right now. Write it down and look at it at lunchtime or after dinner, and plan for it. Quickly one thing I do not do, even with a business, is looking at emails in the morning – emails such the life and my day away from me. Unless I have planned for this, I don’t do it until after lunch. People who really need to get hold of me quickly know how to do this. Everything else can wait.
  2. I learned my time wasters. See number one – but there were others. I let myself get sidetracked, and once I learned the keys to keeping myself on track, it worked.
  3. Make a plan and stick to it – I know, for those of you kindred spirits that are spontaneous. But believe me, it works.
  4. Every self-help book or how to get organized is not going to help you get organized if you refuse to do what it suggests (same with this broadcast)
  5. Seek help when needed.

I think that is important to note that many times we think an issue is one problem when it is really something else. Another issue with time management is that we have false expectations or, perhaps, no expectations at all! So first, it is homework time. I am going to encourage you to stop this recording and write out your most pressing need and what you hope to accomplish. What is your main expectation? Is it a peaceful home? Does happiness that surpasses all understanding? Is it kids that get along, laundry washed, dried and folded, and put away in one day? Is it meals planned? What is that? What is important to you?

So the first thing to do is look at your expectations, hopes, and dreams and break them down into a day, week, month or even a year. Remember the old saying, “Rome wasn’t built in one day.” But I am going to add my Felice twist here –  “But the fires that destroyed Rome were set on purpose.”

What fires are you setting for yourself? I’ve looked at my expectations and goals and realized that they were so grandiose and my expectation so unattainable that I was setting myself up for failure. It wasn’t going to happen even with a household of full-time employees! So, let’s get realistic. I’m not going to tell you the platitudes I’ve read like, “make every minute count,” or “delegate,” or “make easy-to-serve meals.” This is a duh, duh, and double duh. We are talking about surviving the day here. But what I will tell you is that you need to use what you have on hand.

I’m an author, which I do believe most of you know, and years ago, my daughter wanted to write a novel. I told her, “Christina, I don’t know how to write a novel,” and she said, “Mom, we are homeschoolers. We will figure it out.”

Moms and Dads, if you are listening. You may or may not be homeschoolers – but if there is something you want to do, you can figure it out. The one novel turned out to be three and sold in catalogs such as Christian Book Distributors, currently on Amazon and my website, MediaAngels.com, and have been around the world. We figured it out.

Time management is what is important to you. The list usually looks like this:

  1. Need to manage the kids.
  2. Need to manage the home.
  3. Need to teach school (for those who are homeschooling.)
  4. Need time with my spouse.
  5. Need to keep my sanity.

Kids always seem to be number one when they should not hold that revered position. As a Christian, the first thing that should be on the list is a time of prayer. I’ve talked about this before, but the days I did not wake up, grab a cup of coffee, my Bible and have a short prayer session with the Lord was the day that all heck broke loose.

So, we need to rearrange the list and have it look something like this.

  1. Keep my sanity. Begin the day with God.
  2. Time with my spouse – figure out when to have a meaningful conversation, spend time and date night even if it means to put the kids to bed and grabbing some popcorn and watching a movie at home.
  3. Manage my home. What is pressing? Laundry? Food? Use your weekends, bulk cook, and freeze. Just like a copy machine is a blessing to every homeschool family, so is an upright or chest freezer.
  4. Manage my kids. Mean what you say and say what you mean. Follow through. Practice good behavior. If this means having your kids repeat after you, do it. I have several audios on this topic, and I also have audios I have created for the kids. See the links below. Have your kids listen to them. Side note here – Tell your kids you are on the same side. Sometimes I think we are in a battle, and the kids need to know there is one leader, it is you as a parent, and the troops need to file in… if you do not have a set of consequences this is important to think about. Ahead of time.
  5. School! Yes, this is last. My kids learned despite my beautifully created curriculum or lessons. Read, read, and read. If you want your kids to learn life lessons do it in books, if you want your kids to learn math get a curriculum. I have a series of character-quality free downloads I give away every month on the Ultimate Homeschool Podcast Network, you can sign up to get them and past sets are for sale on my website at MediaAngels.com. Why is this? Because prior to the 1960s, character was infused and morality in schools, families, and churches. Now, it is all revisionist and secular. Interestingly I read a quote recently from a past president that shocked me. In the words of John Adams: “Our Constitution is designed only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate for any others.”Friends, this is the key; we must bring morality and all that is good and holy into our homes. If that means restricting screen time, do it – if it means only watching good movies, get Pureflix. I realize this is a challenge for some of you, but I have faith in you. You can do it!

Lastly, the key here – how to do it how to get organized. Fast Track.

  1. One week at a glance. Take a sheet of paper and draw a horizontal line and a vertical line. So, it has 4 squares. Faith, Kids, School Household. You can use different headings on each of these squares for whatever you want. This is an overall sketch of what you are going to do and accomplish. The weekly goals if you will. You will not get detailed with the kid’s schooling, other than maybe to put a time frame, or perhaps books you are going to read as a family, etc.
  2. Square one: Faith you can add spouse there as well. But first, you need to get right with God. You need to be filled up before you can pour into others. My show – AFewMinutesWithGodPodcast.com
  3. Square two: Kids – what are your overall goals – is there something in particular or one kid, in particular, that is the squeaky wheel that needs help. Whether it is academic or discipline. At a time of war they always went after the leader, so if there is one child that is leading the others astray begin there.
  4. School. Once again the overarching here – do you have a field trip, are you going to do a science experiment, watch a specific video -put this on your list.
  5. Household. When are you doing the laundry, prepare meals – you can have a start time, etc … list it here:

Whatever you use make it work for you! Make it your own. I really do believe you can figure this out and reclaim your time. Time management is you managing time and making an effort to not allow it to manage you!

Resources: Past Vintage Homeschool Moms Podcasts and Show notes to help you!

  1. I have several past podcasts and if you look at the show notes page, you will see links to download a bunch of forms!
    1. Here is one on Homeschool Forms and another on
  2. Last-minute Christmas prep – contains a 4-square planner
  3. Running Your Home Like a CEO
  4. Easy Way Planning link here

 

 

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How to Build a Weekly Homeschool Schedule That Works (Replay)

June 30, 2025 by Leave a Comment

Weekly Homeschool Schedule | Your weekly homeschool schedule is perhaps one of the most important aspects of an easy flowing and on track homeschool year. #homeschool # #homeschoolschedulePlanning Your Weekly Homeschool Schedule Episode

Your weekly homeschool schedule is perhaps one of the most important aspects of an easy flowing and on track homeschool year. Yet, I have a love-hate relationship with all things scheduled. In this podcast, I share tried and true methods, the difference between schedules and routines and how to mesh a free-spirit with a paper-trail that validate that yes, you did homeschool this year.

Please share and subscribe to this podcast! 

Sponsor: Harper Collins NIV Application Bible

Your next Bible is the Harper Collins NIV Application Bible. Learn more here.

When you think about planning your homeschool you think big picture. The overall goals of your homeschool as well as the books and subjects you will cover that year. When you consider your weekly homeschool schedule, now it is time to break it up into manageable bits that can be accomplished in a day, and ultimately in one week. You can easily manage this plan with a good planner. I love the Well Planned Gal planners and wish these were available when I began homeschooling.

Planning means asking yourself specific questions before you plan your weekly homeschool schedule:

  1. Do you like specific schedules or are you a routine planner?
  2. If you like schedules – will you make an overall schedule of your homeschool day, and then break it up for each of the kids?
  3. Or if you like routines. Will you set up some daily routines – an overall and for the kids?
  4. Or if you like some scheduling or some routines, how will you combine this in your overall and daily homeschool plan.
  5. Does your student have extracurricular activities such as dance, art, music lessons, sports that they need to practice or train for?
  6. Do you have multi-aged children? I’ve included a screenshot of my daughter’s homeschool planning sheets and how she incorporates the older children’s school with the younger ones. Having specific school only learning toys for the younger children is a wonderful way to keep them occupied as you school.

Once you answer these questions it will be easier to make a plan. As you probably realize without me telling you is that homeschoolers rarely fit into one, nice, neat box. There are things that overlap our day. Besides school, we have the busy life of a mom with all the household chores and obligations. I will share some ways to simplify this with you – and hopefully, it will take some of the stress of planning away.

The most important take away in this podcast is to realize that you can change and tweak your plan all year long. If something does not work don’t think you have to continue it all year long. *Listen to this podcast as Felice shares her math curriculum nightmare her first year of homeschooling her son, Neal.

Depending on the method you use, there will be a different emphasis on how you set up your day and your weekly homeschool schedule.

Here is an example of several methods and how you might structure your week – and then work on your daily schedule. One thing I have not discussed is homeschooling co-ops. I have a love-hate relationship with co-ops because as you’ve probably guessed I’m an overachiever and many times the bulk of the teaching and planning. I did like co-ops for teaching lab sciences such as biology especially and when the children were younger with group projects such as history—studying a period of time, or an indebt unit on creation science. (Listen to the CreationSciencePodcast.com).

If you are involved in a co-op your daily schedule will work around co-op times. Some co-ops are very involved where the main bulk of the teaching is completed at a paid facility on Monday and Wednesday and the parent homeschools on Tuesday, Thursday and Friday or vice versa. If you are part of a co-op you will plan with the organization or your group of homeschool friends and work out the details of what you will be responsible for teaching at home.

One thing – and I plan to do a podcast on the role of a homeschool teacher. A teacher is a facilitator –someone who engages your child in learning in a way that is interesting and enticing a child’s natural curiosity to learn. We all hear stories of the teacher’s that love to “blow things up,” to gain a child’s attention. We as moms with so much on our plate, especially if we are teaching multiple children or grades may feel this is too much. One bit of advice, allow your child time to explore and delve into the things that interest them, and you can provide these things through time. Again, I don’t have the time I’d like to explain more in this podcast, but it is upcoming soon!

My advice, if you are not using a set curriculum is to look at what you’d like to accomplish for the week, and then break it down into days.

Obviously, if you are unschooling it will surround your child’s interests as the basis of studying. If you have a budding chef, you may plan your day around a food shopping list, time to experiment, the chemistry of foods and mixtures, temperatures and how the effects cooking, nutrition and foods effect on the body.

So planning for your weekly homeschool schedule may look like this:

  1. Monday – decide on what you want to cook, collect different recipes, compare them and make a list of ingredients.
  2. Tuesday – studying the nutritional effects of the ingredients and how to make a healthier version –editing the ingredients list.
  3. Wednesday—look at the temperatures needed to cook. Study the effects of chemical reactions in the food.
  4. Thursday – Friday – purchase and create various versions of the recipe – tweak and enjoy.

While unschooling is allowing your child time to explore a subject or area of interest, those who do it well have a loose organization of skills that can be compiled before or after your child has experimented, researched or learned.

Those who use Thomas Jefferson or the Classical Method will have particular books or studies and a well planned day filled with reading and study that builds upon itself year after year.

Unit Studies:

For unit studies, your days will look different as well. You may have a Monday – Wednesday schedule as well as a Tuesday – Thursday schedule that are the days for reading or hands-on projects. Friday will be the catch up day. With unit studies, you will incorporate routines such as daily math and perhaps reading. Or your reading and writing will surround your subject topic.

Unit studies are immersion at it’s best – a study of a topic such as American History or Government with a culmination of a visit to a history museum or political office in town. It can center, as my curriculum does on Creation topics such as Creation science – a general overview or Creation Geology, Creation Astronomy or Creation Anatomy.

Specific Weekly Homeschool Schedule: Using books or text books/ workbooks

How many hours will you homeschool? Is it three, four or five times?

  1. What days will you homeschool
  • Monday through Friday
  • Monday through Thursday
  • Friday – catch up day
  • ix weeks of study and one week break, year round?

2. Daily Routines/ Subjects

  • Pray each morning
  • Bible reading or copy verse
  • Journal

3. What subjects do you want to cover each day or every other day?

  • Math – daily
  • Reading – daily
  • Writing/ Language Arts –spelling, vocabulary (two or three times a week)

Other subjects

  • History – two or three times a week alternating with …
  • Science –two or three times a week
  • Music – one time a week
  • Art – one time a week
  • Physical Education – daily
  • Health – half-year, first or second semester
  • Technology – coding or using technology in the classroom

4. Additional Assignments

  • Projects such as Science or History Fair
  • Writing or term papers
  • Training or Practice
  • Schedule in your child’s practice time

5. Creating a family schedule of important events.

  • Holiday or Special Events
  • Schedule planning time
  • Plan for holidays upcoming
  • Children’s events – sports, dance, etc.
  • Birthdays and family celebrations

 

Be sure to print out the schedule sheets on the podcast page and I hope you enjoy your new school year!

 

 

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Time Management for Homeschool Parents (Replay)

August 19, 2024 by Leave a Comment

time management for busy parents Time Management Parents Episode 412

There is hope! Are you ready for time management that will help you to reclaim your day and feel good at the end? Is this too good to be true? No, it is a reality, and if I can do it, you can as well. How does it happen? Well, very easily with one sheet of paper and four squares. Today I will help you figure out the main issues that steal your time and the hope on how to reclaim it.

Thanks to our sponsor CTCMath, a wonderful Math curriculum for the entire family of school-aged children. This one-stop shop has grades K-12; check it out. Homeschoolers can save 50%!

Let’s get our time management back!

Does your day lack focus? Are you overwhelmed with the shuffling of papers, trying to get school “done,” and keeping up with the household chores? You can see why there is such burnout among moms, especially moms who homeschool. Even at the beginning of the year! I have to say I struggled with this for many years, and it left me feeling tired, defeated, and like I wasn’t getting anything accomplished each day. I felt like a young mom with little children. If I kept everyone safe by the end of the day, it was a win!

However, I wanted so much more. Especially for those who are new to homeschooling or even if you are a pro, you need the help that comes from getting all of your ducks in a row. Let me cut to the chase here. I was out of time because my time was managing me instead of the other way around. What was interrupting my day? What’s getting in the way of time management?

Easy, three things:

  1. Talking on the phone (substitute social media here and texting).
  2. No set schedule for household chores.
  3. Disobedient kids

I had a defeatist attitude and could not wait until my husband came home so I could dump all of my daily woes on him, and guess what? That didn’t work out too well. My husband ran his own business and often needed my help to do the payroll or help with management and the details of filing payroll taxes, filling out forms, and so much more.

Fast forward, and we raised five kids and have not one but three businesses that we run out of our homes successfully. How did this happen? Believe me, it was not overnight, but now I can share those tips and techniques with you, and these are even better than what I had in my toolbox at the time.

Rules are made to be broken, but sometimes you can look at them as good suggestions, so take heart as I share some quick ones with you.

  1. Just because you get an idea, it does not mean you have to act on it right now. Write it down and look at it at lunchtime or after dinner, and plan for it. Quickly one thing I do not do, even with a business, is looking at emails in the morning – emails such the life and my day away from me. Unless I have planned for this, I don’t do it until after lunch. People who really need to get hold of me quickly know how to do this. Everything else can wait.
  2. I learned my time wasters. See number one – but there were others. I let myself get sidetracked, and once I learned the keys to keeping myself on track, it worked.
  3. Make a plan and stick to it – I know, for those of you kindred spirits that are spontaneous. But believe me, it works.
  4. Every self-help book or how to get organized is not going to help you get organized if you refuse to do what it suggests (same with this broadcast)
  5. Seek help when needed.

I think that is important to note that many times we think an issue is one problem when it is really something else. Another issue with time management is that we have false expectations or, perhaps, no expectations at all! So first, it is homework time. I am going to encourage you to stop this recording and write out your most pressing need and what you hope to accomplish. What is your main expectation? Is it a peaceful home? Does happiness that surpasses all understanding? Is it kids that get along, laundry washed, dried and folded, and put away in one day? Is it meals planned? What is that? What is important to you?

So the first thing to do is look at your expectations, hopes, and dreams and break them down into a day, week, month or even a year. Remember the old saying, “Rome wasn’t built in one day.” But I am going to add my Felice twist here –  “But the fires that destroyed Rome were set on purpose.”

What fires are you setting for yourself? I’ve looked at my expectations and goals and realized that they were so grandiose and my expectation so unattainable that I was setting myself up for failure. It wasn’t going to happen even with a household of full-time employees! So, let’s get realistic. I’m not going to tell you the platitudes I’ve read like, “make every minute count,” or “delegate,” or “make easy-to-serve meals.” This is a duh, duh, and double duh. We are talking about surviving the day here. But what I will tell you is that you need to use what you have on hand.

I’m an author, which I do believe most of you know, and years ago, my daughter wanted to write a novel. I told her, “Christina, I don’t know how to write a novel,” and she said, “Mom, we are homeschoolers. We will figure it out.”

Moms and Dads, if you are listening. You may or may not be homeschoolers – but if there is something you want to do, you can figure it out. The one novel turned out to be three and sold in catalogs such as Christian Book Distributors, currently on Amazon and my website, MediaAngels.com, and have been around the world. We figured it out.

Time management is what is important to you. The list usually looks like this:

  1. Need to manage the kids.
  2. Need to manage the home.
  3. Need to teach school (for those who are homeschooling.)
  4. Need time with my spouse.
  5. Need to keep my sanity.

Kids always seem to be number one when they should not hold that revered position. As a Christian, the first thing that should be on the list is a time of prayer. I’ve talked about this before, but the days I did not wake up, grab a cup of coffee, my Bible and have a short prayer session with the Lord was the day that all heck broke loose.

So, we need to rearrange the list and have it look something like this.

  1. Keep my sanity. Begin the day with God.
  2. Time with my spouse – figure out when to have a meaningful conversation, spend time and date night even if it means to put the kids to bed and grabbing some popcorn and watching a movie at home.
  3. Manage my home. What is pressing? Laundry? Food? Use your weekends, bulk cook, and freeze. Just like a copy machine is a blessing to every homeschool family, so is an upright or chest freezer.
  4. Manage my kids. Mean what you say and say what you mean. Follow through. Practice good behavior. If this means having your kids repeat after you, do it. I have several audios on this topic, and I also have audios I have created for the kids. See the links below. Have your kids listen to them. Side note here – Tell your kids you are on the same side. Sometimes I think we are in a battle, and the kids need to know there is one leader, it is you as a parent, and the troops need to file in… if you do not have a set of consequences this is important to think about. Ahead of time.
  5. School! Yes, this is last. My kids learned despite my beautifully created curriculum or lessons. Read, read, and read. If you want your kids to learn life lessons do it in books, if you want your kids to learn math get a curriculum. I have a series of character-quality free downloads I give away every month on the Ultimate Homeschool Podcast Network, you can sign up to get them and past sets are for sale on my website at MediaAngels.com. Why is this? Because prior to the 1960s, character was infused and morality in schools, families, and churches. Now, it is all revisionist and secular. Interestingly I read a quote recently from a past president that shocked me. In the words of John Adams: “Our Constitution is designed only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate for any others.”Friends, this is the key; we must bring morality and all that is good and holy into our homes. If that means restricting screen time, do it – if it means only watching good movies, get Pureflix. I realize this is a challenge for some of you, but I have faith in you. You can do it!

Lastly, the key here – how to do it how to get organized. Fast Track.

  1. One week at a glance. Take a sheet of paper and draw a horizontal line and a vertical line. So, it has 4 squares. Faith, Kids, School Household. You can use different headings on each of these squares for whatever you want. This is an overall sketch of what you are going to do and accomplish. The weekly goals if you will. You will not get detailed with the kid’s schooling, other than maybe to put a time frame, or perhaps books you are going to read as a family, etc.
  2. Square one: Faith you can add spouse there as well. But first, you need to get right with God. You need to be filled up before you can pour into others. My show – AFewMinutesWithGodPodcast.com
  3. Square two: Kids – what are your overall goals – is there something in particular or one kid, in particular, that is the squeaky wheel that needs help. Whether it is academic or discipline. At a time of war they always went after the leader, so if there is one child that is leading the others astray begin there.
  4. School. Once again the overarching here – do you have a field trip, are you going to do a science experiment, watch a specific video -put this on your list.
  5. Household. When are you doing the laundry, prepare meals – you can have a start time, etc … list it here:

Whatever you use make it work for you! Make it your own. I really do believe you can figure this out and reclaim your time. Time management is you managing time and making an effort to not allow it to manage you!

Resources: Past Vintage Homeschool Moms Podcasts and Show notes to help you!

  1. I have several past podcasts and if you look at the show notes page, you will see links to download a bunch of forms!
    1. Here is one on Homeschool Forms and another on
  2. Last-minute Christmas prep – contains a 4-square planner
  3. Running Your Home Like a CEO
  4. Easy Way Planning link here

 

 

Filed Under: Vintage Homeschool Moms Tagged With: , , , , ,

Time Management For Parents | Replay

May 15, 2023 by Leave a Comment

time management for busy parentsTime Management Parents Episode 412

There is hope! Are you ready for time management that will help you to reclaim your day and feel good at the end? Is this too good to be true? No, it is a reality, and if I can do it, you can as well. How does it happen? Well, very easily with one sheet of paper and four squares. Today I will help you figure out the main issues that steal your time and the hope on how to reclaim it.

Thanks to our sponsor CTCMath, a wonderful Math curriculum for the entire family of school-aged children. This one-stop shop has grades K-12; check it out. Homeschoolers can save 50%!

Let’s get our time management back!

Does your day lack focus? Are you overwhelmed with the shuffling of papers, trying to get school “done,” and keeping up with the household chores? You can see why there is such burnout among moms, especially moms who homeschool. Even at the beginning of the year! I have to say I struggled with this for many years, and it left me feeling tired, defeated, and like I wasn’t getting anything accomplished each day. I felt like a young mom with little children. If I kept everyone safe by the end of the day, it was a win!

However, I wanted so much more. Especially for those who are new to homeschooling or even if you are a pro, you need the help that comes from getting all of your ducks in a row. Let me cut to the chase here. I was out of time because my time was managing me instead of the other way around. What was interrupting my day? What’s getting in the way of time management?

Easy, three things:

  1. Talking on the phone (substitute social media here and texting).
  2. No set schedule for household chores.
  3. Disobedient kids

I had a defeatist attitude and could not wait until my husband came home so I could dump all of my daily woes on him, and guess what? That didn’t work out too well. My husband ran his own business and often needed my help to do the payroll or help with management and the details of filing payroll taxes, filling out forms, and so much more.

Fast forward, and we raised five kids and have not one but three businesses that we run out of our homes successfully. How did this happen? Believe me, it was not overnight, but now I can share those tips and techniques with you, and these are even better than what I had in my toolbox at the time.

Rules are made to be broken, but sometimes you can look at them as good suggestions, so take heart as I share some quick ones with you.

  1. Just because you get an idea, it does not mean you have to act on it right now. Write it down and look at it at lunchtime or after dinner, and plan for it. Quickly one thing I do not do, even with a business, is looking at emails in the morning – emails such the life and my day away from me. Unless I have planned for this, I don’t do it until after lunch. People who really need to get hold of me quickly know how to do this. Everything else can wait.
  2. I learned my time wasters. See number one – but there were others. I let myself get sidetracked, and once I learned the keys to keeping myself on track, it worked.
  3. Make a plan and stick to it – I know, for those of you kindred spirits that are spontaneous. But believe me, it works.
  4. Every self-help book or how to get organized is not going to help you get organized if you refuse to do what it suggests (same with this broadcast)
  5. Seek help when needed.

I think that is important to note that many times we think an issue is one problem when it is really something else. Another issue with time management is that we have false expectations or, perhaps, no expectations at all! So first, it is homework time. I am going to encourage you to stop this recording and write out your most pressing need and what you hope to accomplish. What is your main expectation? Is it a peaceful home? Is it happiness that surpasses all understanding? Is it kids that get along, laundry washed, dried and folded, and put away in one day? Is it meals planned? What is that? What is important to you?

So the first thing to do is look at your expectations, hopes, and dreams and break them down into a day, week, month or even a year. Remember the old saying, “Rome wasn’t built in one day.” But I am going to add my Felice twist here –  “But the fires that destroyed Rome were set on purpose.”

What fires are you setting for yourself? I’ve looked at my expectations and goals and realized that they were so grandiose and my expectation so unattainable that I was setting myself up for failure. It wasn’t going to happen even with a household of full-time employees! So, let’s get realistic. I’m not going to tell you the platitudes I’ve read like, “make every minute count,” or “delegate,” or “make easy-to-serve meals.” This is a duh, duh, and double duh. We are talking about surviving the day here. But what I will tell you is that you need to use what you have on hand.

I’m an author, which I do believe most of you know, and years ago, my daughter wanted to write a novel. I told her, “Christina, I don’t know how to write a novel,” and she said, “Mom, we are homeschoolers. We will figure it out.”

Moms and Dads, if you are listening. You may or may not be homeschoolers – but if there is something you want to do, you can figure it out. The one novel turned out to be three and sold in catalogs such as Christian Book Distributors, currently on Amazon and my website, MediaAngels.com, and have been around the world. We figured it out.

Time management is what is important to you. The list usually looks like this:

  1. Need to manage the kids.
  2. Need to manage the home.
  3. Need to teach school (for those who are homeschooling.)
  4. Need time with my spouse.
  5. Need to keep my sanity.

Kids always seem to be number one when they should not hold that revered position. As a Christian, the first thing that should be on the list is a time of prayer. I’ve talked about this before, but the days I did not wake up, grab a cup of coffee, my Bible and have a short prayer session with the Lord was the day that all heck broke loose.

So, we need to rearrange the list and have it look something like this.

  1. Keep my sanity. Begin the day with God.
  2. Time with my spouse – figure out when to have a meaningful conversation, spend time and date night even if it means to put the kids to bed and grabbing some popcorn and watching a movie at home.
  3. Manage my home. What is pressing? Laundry? Food? Use your weekends, bulk cook, and freeze. Just like a copy machine is a blessing to every homeschool family, so is an upright or chest freezer.
  4. Manage my kids. Mean what you say and say what you mean. Follow through. Practice good behavior. If this means having your kids repeat after you, do it. I have several audios on this topic, and I also have audios I have created for the kids. See the links below. Have your kids listen to them. Side note here – Tell your kids you are on the same side. Sometimes I think we are in a battle, and the kids need to know there is one leader, it is you as a parent, and the troops need to file in… if you do not have a set of consequences this is important to think about. Ahead of time.
  5. School! Yes, this is last. My kids learned despite my beautifully created curriculum or lessons. Read, read, and read. If you want your kids to learn life lessons do it in books, if you want your kids to learn math get a curriculum. I have a series of character-quality free downloads I give away every month on the Ultimate Homeschool Podcast Network, you can sign up to get them and past sets are for sale on my website at MediaAngels.com. Why is this? Because prior to the 1960s, character was infused and morality in schools, families, and churches. Now, it is all revisionist and secular. Interestingly I read a quote recently from a past president that shocked me. In the words of John Adams: “Our Constitution is designed only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate for any others.”Friends, this is the key; we must bring morality and all that is good and holy into our homes. If that means restricting screen time, do it – if it means only watching good movies, get Pureflix. I realize this is a challenge for some of you, but I have faith in you. You can do it!

Lastly, the key here – how to do it how to get organized. Fast Track.

  1. One week at a glance. Take a sheet of paper and draw a horizontal line and a vertical line. So, it has 4 squares. Faith, Kids, School Household. You can use different headings on each of these squares for whatever you want. This is an overall sketch of what you are going to do and accomplish. The weekly goals if you will. You will not get detailed with the kid’s schooling, other than maybe to put a time frame, or perhaps books you are going to read as a family, etc.
  2. Square one: Faith you can add spouse there as well. But first, you need to get right with God. You need to be filled up before you can pour into others. My show – AFewMinutesWithGodPodcast.com
  3. Square two: Kids – what are your overall goals – is there something in particular or one kid, in particular, that is the squeaky wheel that needs help. Whether it is academic or discipline. At a time of war they always went after the leader, so if there is one child that is leading the others astray begin there.
  4. School. Once again the overarching here – do you have a field trip, are you going to do a science experiment, watch a specific video -put this on your list.
  5. Household. When are you doing the laundry, prepare meals – you can have a start time, etc … list it here:

Whatever you use make it work for you! Make it your own. I really do believe you can figure this out and reclaim your time. Time management is you managing time and making an effort to not allow it to manage you!

Resources: Past Vintage Homeschool Moms Podcasts and Show notes to help you!

  1. I have several past podcasts and if you look at the show notes page, you will see links to download a bunch of forms!
    1. Here is one on Homeschool Forms and another on
  2. Last-minute Christmas prep – contains a 4-square planner
  3. Running Your Home Like a CEO
  4. Easy Way Planning link here

 

 

Filed Under: Vintage Homeschool Moms Tagged With: , , , , ,

How to Fit Science Into Your Busy Homeschool Schedule

April 27, 2018 by Leave a Comment

How to fit science into your busy homeschool schedule | sample schedules & organization tips

How to Fit Science Into Your Busy Homeschool Schedule

How to fit science into your busy homeschool schedule- start with organization. Ideally science would be taught every day. Realistically that’s not always possible as children grow and have many subjects to cover.

What does organization have to do with science?

Studying the principles of science requires an organized approach. Don’t let the fear of how much time science will take factor in to your decision about whether or not to teach it! There’s no such thing as a perfect homeschool mom. Or perfectly organize done.

How do I get organized?

I’ll tell you what worked for me. I began on my knees in prayer. That’s been the mainstay of our homeschool life and life in general. Yet, what I lacked was an organized approach. I ended up going around in circles and feeling frustrated by the end of the day.  What I discovered is there are a million ways to organize your life and your homeschool. You just need to pick one and start applying the principles right away. Here are some to choose from:

Dealing with Interruptions in Your Homeschool Day

Start by having a basic schedule or routine.  This helps you know where to pick up where you left off when things get hectic. This helps you to have “planned interruptions.” Take the time to work on a simple schedule or check list that you can start using today for success in your homeschool tomorrow. Specifically regarding science, here are some suggestions:

Five Combinations for Teaching Science

  1. First method – textbook / workbook, experiment books
  2. Second method – textbook, questions done orally, research books, experiment book
  3. Method 3 – science as a single subject: scope and sequence, books on the topic to read, and experiment books
  4. Method 4 – unit study approach: books to read on the topic, biography, experiment books.
  5. Fifth method – family chooses topic (as a single subject) books to read on the topic, research books, and experiment books

A Very Doable Sample Schedule for Teaching Science

Three Days Per Week

Remember, these are suggestions. You make the decision that’s good for your family.

Approximate time spent teaching on a three days per week schedule:

  • K-3, 60-70 minutes per day
  • 4-8, 80-90 minutes per day
  • 9-12, 85-85 minutes per day

Approximate time spent teaching on a three days per week schedule:  K-3, 60-70 minutes per day 4-8, 80-90 minutes per day 9-12, 85-85 minutes per day

Two Days Per Week

Again, while these are what worked for us and what I recommend, please do choose a length of time that fits your own family.

Approximate time spent teaching on a four days per week schedule:

  • K-3, 90-100 minutes per day
  • 4-8, 120-130 minutes per day
  • 9-12, 125-135 minutes per day

Approximate time spent teaching on a four days per week schedule: K-3, 90-100 minutes per day 4-8, 120-130 minutes per day 9-12, 125-135 minutes per day

One thing to remember is that when using the unit study approach to science, you’re not just teaching science in this approximated time- you’re teaching several subjects! That’s a time savings!

 

Check out the New Creation Science Podcast!

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Media Angels Creation Bundle Membership Site

 

Get an entire K-12 Creation Science Curriculum for less than $70.

About Our Books:

Why should you teach your children about Creation? Because everything else they read that is remotely science related teaches evolution as FACT. Shouldn’t your children learn there is more than one side to the story? We do and we consider this our mission at Media Angels.

About the Study Guides:

These study guides include a readable outline of the main points in the Creation vs. evolution discussion, the major talking points you should know and ways to educate the children in these points with hands-on activities and experiments. This series isn’t a read-it-one-time and forget it!

If you want a course in Creation Apologetics for kids, this is it!

Additional Resources

Activity Packs for each of the study guides which contain hands on activities you can photo copy for your family.

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