This evening, I am typing from our church office. It's LONG after suppertime.I've executed Plan XYZ (which I execute quite often)...Plan XYZ being "hep yourself to anything in the fridge...momma's gotta work." And no "hep" is not a typo.
I do speak hillbilly.
I did have taco salad on the menu (it is Tuesday, after all), but ding dong it! I've got stuff to do and the minutes are running out in my day.
You feel my pain? I figure you would.
Oh...and why am I typing up this blog post from the church office.
Last week my laptop just plain died. I have no words.
So then I transferred my energies to the home office computer (Josiah uses this one for school). Said home office computer is slower than molasses. I spent 10 minutes staring at the log-in screen.
I don't have time for pokey log-in screens.
It's REAL LIFE here, my friends.
One of the biggest struggles in my homeschooling has always been juggling my housework (and all that goes with it) with our schoolwork. Because contrary to popular belief, Homeschool Momma's don't sit around eating ice cream and playing Candy Land all day.
Though there have been those days...
I have discovered a few tried and true Tips over the years to make things work. After all, my guys will only go with Plan XYZ for so long.
Tip #1 - Treat Yourself to a Super Simple Menu Plan
When I say "treat yourself," I mean it. 9 times out of 10 your family will not care if you hand breaded all of those chicken tenders. Keep It Simple Sweetie.
This is how meal planning goes in my house (and keep in mind that I am SUPER picky about our food choices and I am on a really strict meal plan).
Monday is supper at the church. Our church provides a community meal so Josiah and The Muffin eat there. I help serve, but don't eat there. I eat something I have made ahead.
Tuesday is always Taco Night. Or a variation on the theme. For example, I make Taco Salad a lot.
Wednesday night is Bible Study. I always have something in the crockpot.
You get my drift? I have a handful of meals I rotate through. I might make them differently (for example, Lasagna instead of Spaghetti), but I try not to stress out about it.
Tip #2 - Embrace the "15 minute pick-up habit"
Oh. My. Friends. This little habit might save your life. I am serious.
This is all you do. Assemble all those people who live in your house. Tell them that they are going to have 15 minutes to go around and pick up all that they can. You can assign chores. You can have a random item pick-up. You can do this 2 or even 3 times a day.
I even make myself play along. When I have lots to do, I even set the timer for 15 minutes at a time. In between the 15 minutes, I might even rest for 15 minutes.
You can do a lot in 15 minutes.
Tip #3 - Teach Those Kiddos How to Clean!
If you aren't teaching your kids to contribute to the daily running of the household, shame on you! Sorry to be so blunt, but there it is sister. Your kids will thank you in the end. Even the littles can fold towels and set the table. Consider it part of their education.
And no. They probably won't do it to your particular specifications. This is what learning is all about. Bite your tongue and just set the timer for another 15 minutes. AND...make sure they know how to do something right. These things don't come naturally.
And for goodness sake...Teach those babies how to cook and do laundry. Don't send them off into the old world without some tools in their great toolbox of life.
Tip #4 - Find a Mentor
If you have trouble with motivation, try and find someone whom you can emulate. They probably have a system and don't even know it.
YouTube is a wonderful resource for inspiration. I have several youtube channels I follow. These ladies inspire me to keep a clean and peaceful home. I might not be able to use all their practices, but I am always motivated. I like to stream while I am cleaning!
Tip #5 - Purge. Purge. And Purge Some More!
For the first time in many years we have a dedicated school room. Yay!
However, this doesn't mean that I can keep accumulating stuff. I still have to be fairly brutal in letting go of homeschool books, old art supplies and random clutter. Homeschoolers just seem to have more stuff. Take time to periodically go through that "stuff" and get rid of it.
And sometimes having a dedicated school room doesn't help at all with keeping those schooling items from taking over the house. Today we had friends stop by the house AND...you guessed it...my table looked like Easter and a Homeschool Store had exploded all over it. Green Easter grass...a plethora of gel pens...an abacus and possibly a cat (no judging, please)...there was more, trust me.
Anyhoo. I was embarrassed. WHY DOESN'T ANYBODY EVER STOP OVER WHEN IT'S CLEAN?
This is one of those great mysteries of life, my friends.
So that's all I have for today!
What do you do to keep everything under control?
As usual, I want to leave you with a few resources that I use and like.
YouTube...Not only do I use YouTube to follow ladies that motivate me to live a beautiful (and cleaner) life, but I listen to audiobooks (For FREE!) and I even have a housecleaning playlist I've put together filled with peppy music that makes me want to move my groove thing.
YouTubers that I watch frequently?
How Jen Does It
Andrea Mills (she is ammaazing!)
The Daily Connoisseur - I also have 2 of her books that I LOVVEEE!
ClutterBug
MyFreezeEasy.com - This site is one I have reviewed. It is a monthly subscription, but has a lot of neat features. I still use a recipe or two once a week. I can't even tell you what having a meal ready in the freezer makes a difference for me. I don't even have to resort to Plan XYZ as much!
Yep! Like this plan. Recently, I hadn't had time to get supper going so I told my two oldest they had better get a sandwich for supper before they had to get out for the evening. My daughter (11) didn't want a sandwich so she asked if there was something else she could have. She ended up fixing chicken nuggets for everyone and even made a salad. That was a win for me that day!
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