Replay | Organization – FREEDOM Tools part 5 – FAH episode 18

A Production of the Ultimate Homeschool Podcast Network.

 

How do you respond to the word organization?
Does it make you cringe? Do you feel guilty because you’re hopelessly disorganized and wish you could be more organized?
Does it make you smile, with a happy sigh that all’s right with the world?
Do you think a certain amount of clutter is a sign of a happy home?
Do you resist the whole idea of organization—maybe because it reminds you of a neat-freak friend who labels everything in her household, uses color-coordinated storage containers, and alphabetizes her spices?How do you respond to the word organization?

  • Does it make you cringe? Do you feel guilty because you’re hopelessly disorganized and wish you could be more organized?
  • Does it make you smile, with a happy sigh that all’s right with the world?
  • Do you think a certain amount of clutter is a sign of a happy home?
  • Do you resist the whole idea of organization—maybe because it reminds you of a neat-freak friend who labels everything in her household, uses color-coordinated storage containers, and alphabetizes her spices?

Whatever your reaction, this episode is for you.

Organization is the sixth tool in my FREEDOM toolbox—7 tools for making the most of our time so we can live balanced, peaceful lives. Here’s a quick review of the tools:

Organization is essentially self-discipline applied in an orderly way to free you to focus on what’s most important to you. Organizing your time, tasks, thoughts, and things helps you overcome and prevent obstacles to focusing on your priorities.

How organized you are has a powerful effect on the atmosphere in your home. Disorganization creates chaos, while organization promotes peace. Which do you prefer?

If one aspect of your life is unorganized, it spills over into every other aspect of your life. For example, if you can’t find your car keys, you’ll get flustered and be late for your appointment. If you’re sleep-deprived or running late, you’ll be much likelier to forget things and drop things, which will make you even later.

Organization even affects your relationships. If you’re running late and feeling frazzled, you may become irritated and impatient with your family.

It’s important to remember that there’s no one right way to organize. What helps you function effectively may be completely different from what helps your best friend or your mother-in-law function effectively. Isn’t that a relief?

Ironically, it’s possible to over-organize—to spend so much time on organization that it keeps you from focusing on your priorities instead of facilitating them.

Take some time to reflect on your life to identify areas that hinder you, and commit to becoming more organized if it would help your life run more smoothly.

If you struggle with managing your time and organizing your life to focus on your priorities, you’ll find many more strategies in my book, Flourish: Balance for Homeschool Moms, available at online retailers and through my website at www.FlourishAtHome.com.

final cover

Time Management For Parents | Replay

A Production of the Ultimate Homeschool Podcast Network.

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? 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

 

 

FREE Character Counts: Punctuality Character Planner

A Production of the Ultimate Homeschool Podcast Network.

This month’s subscriber only freebie is perfect for a new school year, and a busy Fall schedule. It is on the topic of punctuality. We all know that homeschoolers are not known for being on time. A big joke is that we don’t send our kids to school because we don’t want to get up early to take them! All joking aside, punctuality is a very important character trait to teach our children. Being late is a bad habit that can be hard to break, and it is important to start teaching them when they are young.

FREE Character Counts Punctuality Character Planner

Why punctuality is important:

The stigma that homeschoolers are always late is not a good one. It really does paint us in a bad light. I know it is extremely difficult if you aren’t used to getting up early, to try to get everyone ready and out the door on time. This is even hard to achieve when you have multiple children of all ages, including babies and toddlers. Most homeschooling families have a lot of small children, so it does make it harder for those mamas. It is important to try to make it on time.

I remember leading a homeschool group once and being so frustrated on field trip days. There would be many families waiting at a business for the rest of the families to arrive so that we could all go in together as a group. It was embarrassing and frustrating to the company that allowed us to come and tour their facility. That’s when we started changing the times to 15 minutes earlier so we could actually be on time!

With this month’s theme being on punctuality, Felice shares her heart and her experiences with you. She talks about how when she was an adult, she struggled with being late and getting her to kids to places on time. She also shares some many practical tips and advice on how she was able to break that habit with her children. This month’s planner provides some serious reflection on this topic. Your kids will have a chance to really think about why it is important to be on time. How being on time demonstrates care and love for others, and how to avoid being late by preparing in advance.

What is in this month’s planner?

The Character Counts planner helps you to easily plan out a 4-week study on the character trait of punctuality.  Like always, the planning is done for you, which makes it completely open and go. It is also customizable, meaning you can pick and choose what you would like to use. The planners are not dated so that you can use them at any time. We like to print ours out and store them in a character training binder. You can easily access them and pull them out when you are dealing with a certain issue that needs to be focused on in your family. They are also a great addition to a morning Bible time. These are designed to be simple and fun, with activities for your entire family to participate in together.

Check out what’s inside:

  • Character Quality Family Checklist Worksheet
  • 4 Week Study Punctualilty vs. Tardiness
  • Analyze and Evaluation Sheets
  • Character Trait Planning Worksheets
  • Flexibility and Your Gifts Journaling Sheets
  • Activity Sheets and Create a Poster
  • Punctuallity Study Worksheets for Kids
  • Motivational Words Worksheet
  • Punctuality Blue Print
  • Create a Punctuality Poster
  • Certificate of Completion

The directions on how to download your free Character Counts Planner are sent in each weekly ezine. The planner access information is always located at the bottom of each email. If you are not signed up, you can sign up HERE.

Incorporating Life Skills

A Production of the Ultimate Homeschool Podcast Network.

Incorporating Life Skills

Podcast #58

In this epidsoce, we discuss incorporating life skills into your homeschool day. It is so important to pass on those life skills to our children. Homeschoolers have a unique opportunity to learn life skills in the home on a daily basis. Incorporating those lessons throughout the day in your homeschool lessons, will help your children be better prepared for adult life.

Some topics we discussed:

  • Time Management
  • Car maintenance
  • Sewing
  • Cooking
  • Personal Finance
  • Meal Planning
  • Grocery Shopping
  • and more!

 

Books we mentioned on our show:

Clean My Space by Melissa Maker

The Organized Homeschool Life: A Week-By-Week Guide to Homeschool Sanity by Dr. Melanie Wilson


Special Thanks to our Network Sponsor, Kiwi Crate!

 

We’d like to thank our Ultimate Homeschool Radio Network sponsor, Kiwi Crate!

KiwiCo has monthly subscriptions of hands-on projects that make learning fun! Their core offering is projects that make learning about STEAM — science, technology, engineering, art, and math — accessible and are designed to spark creativity, tinkering, and learning. Some recent favorite crates are the Slime Lab, Physics Carnival, and Paper Circuits.

Ultimate Homeschool Radio Network is excited to be able to offer you the chance to try them for FREE. To learn more about their projects for kids ages 2 to 16 AND to redeem this exclusive offer, click here to get your first month free today (just pay $4.95 for shipping)


Connect With Us

Find homeschooling information on our website, at www.FPEA.com

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Destressing the Holidays

A Production of the Ultimate Homeschool Podcast Network.

Destress HolidaysDestressing the Holidays

Podcast #37

Join  Florida Parent Educators Association’s (FPEA) Chairwoman, Suzanne Nunn for a discussion on making the holiday season more manageable and fun. She offers tips and suggestions on making the most of your holiday season, Thanksgiving-Christmas.

Please join us as we travel along this journey on our podcast adventure. Let’s get connected! Learn more about the Florida Parent Educator’s Association and homeschooling in the beautiful state of Florida.

Please visit www.fpea.com to learn more about who we are!

 


Special Thanks to our Network Sponsor!


We’d like to thank our Ultimate Homeschool Radio Network sponsor Sony and their new movie, The Star, the Story of the First Christmas – Coming in Theaters November 17th!

Visit TheStarMovie.com to learn more.


Cut the Stress and Mess Out of Your Life this Homeschool Year

A Production of the Ultimate Homeschool Podcast Network.

Cut the Mess and Stress Out of your Life this Homeschool YearDo you consistently find yourself failing in the area of time management? Lindsey has tried every planner and planning method out there to no avail for keeping track of her homeschool and staying on top of all the housework. She needs the accountability but simultaneously craves flexibility for her everchanging schedule. Join Lindsey as she shares two incredible resources to help you cut the stress and mess from your life this homeschool year, and find a special offer for a limited time in the show notes below!

Helpful Links:

FREE 30-Day Trial with FREE LESSON PLAN SPECIAL OFFER for Homeschool Planet (ends 8/31/2017)

Lindsey’s Personal Review of Homeschool Planet: https://www.talkingmom2mom.com/2017/08/homeschoolplanetreview.html

Loop Scheduling Workshop by ProverbialHomemaker.com: http://www.proverbialhomemaker.com/idevaffiliate//idevaffiliate.php?id=tm2m2017_18_1_91

Talking Mom2Mom Links:

Talking Mom2Mom
Facebook

Learning How to Budget Your Time

A Production of the Ultimate Homeschool Podcast Network.

Learning to Budget Your Time | learning budget timeTake control of the time God has given you to have a more productive homeschool year and to cultivate a more peaceful environment at home.  Join Lindsey this week on this podcast from Talking Mom 2 Mom.

Helpful Link from the Talking Mom 2 Mom Podcast’s Blog:

5 Ways to Declutter Your Schedule: Stop Being Busy and Start Being Productive 

 

 

Other Talking Mom2Mom Links:

Talking Mom2Mom Website

Facebook Page 

Podcast Homepage

From the Blog:
5 Ways to Declutter Your Schedule: Stop Being Busy and Start Being Productive!
by Lindsey S
I joke that my days are fueled on coffee, stress, and the grace of God, but honestly, that isn’t too far from the truth. I find myself rarely feeling content to just be still because my mind is always racing to the next thing on the list. If I am sitting with my husband in the evenings, I am thinking about how messy the house is. If I am homeschooling the kids, I am obsessing over all that needs to be completed at work. When I am working at home, I feel guilty because I would rather be with my kids.

I do many things, but I never do any of them well, because I am doing too much.

As women, wives, and mothers we have an unrivaled ability to manufacture guilt about the things we can’t control and we have a debilitating habit of adding more to our plates that only exacerbates the chaos.

Maybe you are struggling with all of the same emotions and thoughts that I have. Have you tried for years to fix whatever is deficient within you to make yourself manage your time more effectively? Do you awake with grand plans for your day but the moment your schedule is diverted you are scrambling for a grip as your day slips through your fingers? Do you battle regret, anxiety, discontentment? Do you feel like your health is failing due to years of unfettered stress?

Busy moms everywhere want a dose of the Proverbs 31 woman’s initiative, a schedule that works, and a nap, am I right? Here are 5 ways to inject some more discipline in your life to render the results that your heart longs for. (Continue…)

HSHSP Ep 54: Conquering Crunchtime Craziness

A Production of the Ultimate Homeschool Podcast Network.

Conquering Crunchtime CrazinessHSHSP Ep 54: Conquering Crunchtime Craziness

Know any homeschool highschoolers who have a tough time managing their time?

  • Overbook themselves?
  • Over amuse themselves?
  • Forget what they are supposed to do until the night before co-op?

Many of us have watched our teens pull all-nighters before their research paper is due for their co-op class, or maybe their history project or lab report.

All-nighters tend to produce under performing teens the next day…also frayed tempers. It is called Crunchtime Craziness.

On the other hand you might know some homeschool moms who fall into the same trap of Crunchtime Craziness.

Want some tips to beat the Crunchtime Craziness?

Join Sabrina, Vicki and Kym for some practical, do-able tips from moms who done craziness and have found some better ways.

Here is the Freebie Scheduling Backwards.

Check Sabrina’s post on Scheduling Backwards.

 


smurfs movie the lost village

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Secrets of Scheduling Success

A Production of the Ultimate Homeschool Podcast Network.

How can we get it all done? If that’s your question, you’ll love this episode of The Homeschool Sanity Show. You will want to grab your copy of the scheduling worksheets as you listen. Scroll down to claim them.

Secrets of Scheduling Success

 

Want to read this article as a blog post? READ HERE Or WATCH ON YOUTUBE

I have to apologize AGAIN! I did not have the code set up correctly for you to get the Nature Study printables via text message last week. You can definitely get them in the show notes here. I’ve learned how to prevent this problem in the future, but I’ve learned something even more important. I have the best listeners! I didn’t get one complaint. Not one crabby email about this. You are my people and I love you. Thank you for putting up with all my foibles. I wish I could promise there will be no mistakes going forward, but I can’t.

What did go very well last week was the Facebook Live inside look and giveaway of Our Journey Westward’s Charlotte-Mason friendly materials. We had a great time! You can join me on Tuesdays at 4E/3C/2M/1P for more homeschool sanity goodness at Facebook.com/Psychowith6. Comments and shares during the live video earn double entries, but you can still comment up to a week later for an entry in the giveaway. If you’re not a giveaway lover, there’s still nothing like seeing resources in person and being able to ask questions about them. I love Facebook Live for this purpose. If there’s a discount available, I’ll share that, too.

Teaching Tip of the Week

Last week was a time of grieving Mandy Kelly and three of her family members. This blogger behind Worshipful Living was a friend to many of us in Christian, homeschooling, and blogging circles. We will miss her terribly, but we give thanks to God for using her to minister to thousands of people. The grief that I and many friends experienced prompted me to do a Periscope video on how to manage grief and then a second Periscope on how to help others who are grieving. The second video, in particular, reminded me that we need to teach our children how to help those in mourning. If we don’t, they are likely to make mistakes that will add to others’ pain.  I also recommend the book The Art of Helping by Lauren Littauer Briggs that I contributed to. This book is for your reference and is a great resource when you aren’t sure what to say or do in specific situations.

Links

2:1 conference

Scheduleing Worksheets

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[LISTEN TO: HOW TO HOMESCHOOL IN LESS TIME]

[READ: A YEAR OF LIVING PRODUCTIVELY]

Panda Weekly Planner

Organized Homeschool Life

How many hours did you have left over when you did the exercise? Let’s chat about it on Facebook.

Time Management Lies Homeschool Moms Believe

A Production of the Ultimate Homeschool Podcast Network.

Do you have more to do than you can possibly fit in a day? Are you frequently overwhelmed? Do you frequently look for new tools to help you manage your time better? If you answered yes to any of these questions, you’ll appreciate this episode. I’ll share six common lies and ways to overcome them.

6 Time Management Lies Homeschool Moms Believe Podcast

[box] Want to read this article as a blog post? READ HERE or SUBSCRIBE ON ITUNES or ON STITCHER[/box]

Links

Great Homeschool Convention Midwest registration

YWAM Biographies

Apple watch

[Related Post: Balancing Marriage, Homeschooling & Business]

I Love Lucy candy gif

[Related Post: Contentment 101: Time]

The Organized Homeschool Life

a year’s worth of weekly experiments

random.org

Our children can also do so much to help

Which of these lies costs you the most? Let’s chat about it on Facebook.

6 Time Management Lies Homeschool Moms Believe