Bite Sized Morsels

I helped lead my Sunday School class this last week.  When I do that, I get to choose what we talk about.  So, I usually try to pick something that really speaks to me.

Normally, I go poke around the Proverbs 31 Ministries site and pick one, but this time, someone had posted one on Facebook that I really connected with.

It was called An Uncluttered Woman, by Gwen Smith.

To really paraphrase here, it talked about simplifying life.  It talked about facing the 10 bazillion things we need to do each day and being left dizzy and sick.  She referenced Matthew 6:33 about seeking God and the devotion closed with this prayer:

Dear God, Thanks for reminding me that I can always come to You and trade in my exhaustion for Your rejuvenation. Please bring order to my day and establish my priorities according to Your will. Teach me what it means to live a Spirit-led life and show me how to become an uncluttered woman.
In Jesus’ name,
Amen.

Trading my exhaustion for rejuvenation sounds fantastic!!!

However, I still have a tendency to twirl around every which way and see all the needs to be done.  I get overwhelmed, both mentally and physically. 

So, what do I do?  Nothing.  

I sit and watch NCIS reruns and think to myself, I will just tackle it all....later.  When later does come everything is worse than it was before.  I get overwhelmed and depressed and give up again.

It is a vicious cycle.

The "uncluttered" part of the devotion reminded me of the decluttering that we had to do before we sold our houses.  Boy, oh boy, was that a pain in the butt.  We packed up at least half of what we owned and put stuff away or threw it away.  The counters were clear.  The toys and books were put away out of site.  Dishes and pots and pans were not allowed to stack up in the kitchen, because you never knew when that call for a last minute showing would come.  We always had to be prepared, or at the very least "almost" prepared.  

The kids came to dread the words "show ready".  But, you know what?  It was also sort of wonderful. The house looked great.  It felt great.  Cleaning hardly took anytime, because it never got really out of control and super messy.

We learned to do silly things like:

Make our bed as soon as we got out of them.

Load the dishwasher right away.

Fill the sink with soapy water and just wash those pots/pans, even if there were only 2 - instead of 20.  
Not let the kids have free reign when playing with any and all of their toys.

Wipe those spatters on the bathroom mirrors.

Don't let the toothpaste get hard and crusty in the sink.


We were able to tackle the little things before they became big things.....and it made things easier.

We talked about the beauty of decluttering and simplifying in my Sunday School class and the fact that even though we all know how great it can be, it just still seems so overwhelming.  One of the ladies spoke up and reminded us of the story of how to eat an elephant.  One bite at a time.

I can handle that, I think.

But, then I start looking around my house (that has gotten completely out of control since my thyroid surgery.)  I mean MY room is an actual mess.  That hasn't happened in this house since we moved in.  But, once again, it has become the place to put the stuff that nobody knows where it goes.

I felt like I was standing in the middle of my life whirling and twirling and seeing all the stuff that needed to be done.  Dirty windows.  Lesson planning.  Mopping the floor (but first scraping the sticky goo off).  Curriculum choices.  Dirty light switches.  Organizing school cupboards.  The blue tape that has been on my wall, marking studs so I can hang some of my family heirlooms.  It has been stuck there since....hmmmm......probably February. (I am sort of funny about not wanting to make too many holes in my walls when hanging pictures - so I try to be really sure before I commit to hanging things!) Then, I started thinking about not reading my Bible everyday anymore.  I thought about not eating right and gaining all my weight that I lost last year back.

Once I started looking around, I saw thing after thing after thing that I should be doing and decided that one bite at a time might be too much.So, I have decided that instead of taking on my world one bite at a time, I am going to do something else.

You know when you take your kids out to DQ for ice cream and they get a cone.  Pretty soon, there ice cream is just dripping and melting down the sides, so you swoop in and grab the cone and take the quick lick and swipe around the edges and hand it back to them to finish quickly?

I am going to do that.  Take things one lick at a time.  Swooping in, taking care of the immediate melting mess and move on.  LOL

So, I decided that I was going to start Monday.

And, I did.

I decided to start by cleaning off the chair in my bedroom....and the pile of clothes that had magically appeared there.

You see, when we got back from our road trip at the middle of July, I never unpacked my suitcase.  I just plopped it on my chair and when necessary, I dug stuff out of it.  Then, when I washed clothes and didn't feel like putting my stuff away right away, they were just added to the suitcase on my chair.  Sometimes when I took my clothes off, I would toss them there too and not into the dirty clothes - so then I wasn't sure what was dirty and what was clean.  Then, I went to visit a friend and she gave me some hand me down clothes - for me.  Yay!  Onto the chair/pile they went and what didn't fit there went onto the floor nearby - so the shadow from the pile on the chair didn't scare me in the middle of the night.

At one time, I had had thoughts of decluttering my closet and going through my wardrobe before I put those things away....which is why everything just sat there.

So, I decided to take it in bite sized morsels....or, my new way....a quick lick around the sides....and just put everything away.  I got out a stack of hangers and put them all away.  As I did this, I kept getting sidetracked by competing thoughts:

I should just go through my closet now.

Look at all these shoes.  I should go through those too.

Hmmm....what are in these bins?

Why do I still have so many sweatshirts here in Georgia?

Wow!  I need to vacuum.

I should rearrange my furniture and put the chair on the other side of the window.

I think you get the general idea, but I kept reminding myself not to get overwhelmed and really and truly just do one small portion of the work I had waiting for me.  So, I hung up all those clothes and put away the suitcase....and walked away.

It felt great.  Yes, I will still need to do all the things that I mentioned above - get rid of clothes and shoes.  But, it is okay that I didn't do it first.  I did manage to easily find 2 shirts that I wanted to give away to charity.  Yay me!  The other ones that will require more thought, or me actually trying stuff on to see if it fits/looks good are going to have to wait for another day.

That was my first attempt at really just giving myself permission to just do a little bit.  It is a foreign concept for me.  I am used to jumping in and getting stuff done and if you are around me when I am in the zone.....look out.  But, I haven't been in the zone for a long time.

But, really, I have had great success so far this week, reminding myself just to take a lick or bite (if I have time/energy) of whatever job is waiting for me.

Just washing pots and pans - and not having to wipe down every surface and clear off the island.  Or, just clearing off the island and wiping it down, but not loading/unloading the dishwasher.  Or, just tackling the pile of books and papers next to my chair....only next to my chair....not every single stray book or pile of papers that exists around here.

Yes, there are still a LOT of things around here that I need to get done, and even though I have 6 kids and there will just always be some sort of chaos surrounding me, things are getting done.  And, really, I will never have a spotless house, nor do I want one.

But, things are getting done.  Little by little.  It just makes me feel better.  Makes me feel like less of a loser.   Bite by bite.  Lick my lick.

Even if it is something stupid like putting my own clothes away.

Yay me, right?

The Busy Homeschool Mom's Guide to Daylight - Review

This was a book for me.  Just me....the "busy homeschool mom".  You can see by the emoticon above how it made me feel.



This book is by Real Life Press.

The book itself is called The Busy Homeschool Mom's Guide to Daylight, by Heidi St. John.....mother of seven...wife......author......homeschool mom.  So, yeah, that sounds like "real life" to me. 



I feel a bit like Jerry McGuire....or whatever Renee Zellweger's characters name was in that movie. The whole "you had me at hello....." part.

I had an inkling of that feeling from the publishers name....Real Life Press.  That was definitely a real precursor or foreshadowing (to stay in the movie mode) of what was to come between the pages of the book.

I got a real, physical, paperback version of this book!  That deserved the exclamation point because, I am just not an e-reader kind of gal.  I keep trying and trying, but it just isn't me.

So, happy I got a "real" copy of the book.

So, why did this book make me  ?


I don't meet a lot of people in my real life that I can truly relate to, or that I know can truly relate to me and my daily struggles and triumphs.  I haven't met Heidi St. John, in person, but, I can tell you that she "gets" me....which is why, she basically had me at "hello", or the Introduction with her "one fancy eye" story." Which seemed like a glimpse into my bathroom when I was trying to get ready to go somewhere - the interruptions - the questions - the kid doing school in there with me - the baby finding gross stuff on the floor - the yelling from the other room.  The details weren't an exact match, but close enough so I knew she exactly how I have felt in those situations.

Relatable.

Real.

I will just share a few of the encouraging....wise......helpful tidbits that I took away from this book.

"Managing your day, is really just about managing yourself."

Let that one sink in for a minute, because it is quite profound, if you let it be.  It isn't about creating the perfect list or routine.  Obviously, those things help, but not if your priorities aren't in order.  Ms. St. John tells me that the first thing I need to do is make my marriage the priority relationship at home.

Let that one sink in for a minute too.

Again, it is one of those things that we "know", but rarely do we really follow through with it....because we are busy....the kids are loud and more vocal with their needs (hopefully) than our husbands.  Most of the time, it is easier to fall into the mom first, wife second order.

Rainman is actually much better than I am at forcing us to take a minute and stop and pay attention to each other.  I am just so busy, that I tend to brush that stuff aside.  I loved when she talked about "That Girl" that our husbands fell in love with still being there inside of us....somwhere.... and still needing to be part of my life and marriage.

Moving onto priorities related to kids.  Another one of her statements really hit home for me.  She talked about her schedules and plans and how a comment from one of her kids that "she wasn't fun to be around anymore" made her stop and realize that she couldn't remember the last time she did something with the kids that wasn't housework related.

Uggg.

Yes, I blame stuff in the more recent months to my thyroid surgery, but, I did used to be more fun. We used to do scavenger hunts.  We used to do baking projects....just because.  Not so much lately. No "just because" fun things are happening around here.  Now, I am just trying to get the house clean and the laundry done.  (Not that those aren't important....but time goes fast and I don't want their memories of me to just be cleaning stuff or making them clean stuff, you know?)

Another point in the book that I both loved and realized is the 100% truth was that every busy homeschool mom needs a break.

True.

Hard to make happen.

But, true.

But, like Heidi's friend Carol told her......."Taking time for yourself is NOT optional".  I think we need to remind ourselves of this and give ourselves permission to not be an option....if there is enough time....if it is convenient.  You know?  I understand this one in my head....but, I will need a little nudge to make it actually work in my life.   And, not to feel selfish when I do actually take time for myself.

I also loved her concept of "white space" in their calendar.  Actual white space that didn't have anything....yes, I said anything....on it.  No doctor's appointments, no lessons, no sports (good luck with that one this time of year, right?).  No obligations.  So, you can either be fun and spontaneous...or rest.  Both awesome things that you can't do without white space in your calendar.(Brilliant concept, but, I am one of those people that will probably have to "schedule" my white space time.  Ha!)

Later in the book, she talked specifically about how she prioritizes her day.  Not to say that we need to just do what she does and we will be fine, but to give us encouragement to simplify and make our own individualized plan.  It is always helpful and good to have examples of what has worked or not worked for other people....even if it is just a jumping off point for your own plan.

She listed off her 3 priorities, which made me realize that I needed to do some work on mine.  Hers are simple:

Spend time in God's word everyday
Spend time alone with her husband everyday
Be intentional and look at each day with specific goals in mind to accomplish

If I compare myself to her, I will come up seriously lacking.  But, if I allow myself to be encouraged by her example, I am left feeling a lot less depressed.  :)

I mean, I wish I could say I spent time in God's word everyday, but the reality is that sometimes, the only bit of God's word I see is if someone puts a scriptural quote or picture on FB.

I wish I could say that Rainman and I spend time alone everyday....but, honestly, I haven't ever even thought of trying to make that a reality.

It is a completely foreign concept to me.  I could let that depress me and take me down into the "I am a horrible wife" rabbit hole, but I am not going to do that.  I am just going to use her idea as just that an idea.  Will Rainman and I magically start spending lots of alone time together every day?  No.  But, I bet we will spend more time together than we did before I started thinking about it.

About half way through the book, she has a section simply titled "Nothing good is ever easy."  Again, for me, this was one of those simple, yet truly profound statements.

It is true, isn't it?  Motherhood?  Good...defnitely not easy.  Marriage?  Good....definitely not easy. School?  Good...necessary....not easy.  Homeschooling?  Awesome.....but, most definitely NOT easy.
It was on page 112, that I really started wondering if Heidi St. John and I were really twins separated at birth.  She sounded just like me.  She loves her children, her husband, even cooking....but, understood the feeling of dread/depression come 4:30ish when I realize I have no idea what is for supper and that I forgot to thaw the chicken.  (which means, once again, everyone having cold cereal for supper....again.)

I loved Chapter 4- Hungry Daylight -  Feeding Your Family Without Losing Your Mind.  I won't say it was my favorite chapter, because I gleaned a lot of good things from the whole book, but this chapter made me realize that I wasn't alone in my food struggles and that I wasn't a total loser (horrible mother) for forgetting to thaw the chicken!

I really, really loved this book.  It was written in such a real, relatable way, that even if you are a homeschool mom that doesn't also happen to have a ton of kids like Heidi and I....you will find lots of good ideas and encouragement for using your daylight in the best way possible.

I will also say that even though the word "homeschool" is in the title, I think any busy mom could get some good stuff out of this book.  I just found it incredibly relatable and helpful because I happen to also homeschool.  Make sense?


You can get a copy of The Busy Homeschool Mom's Guide to Daylight....for $10.  Rainman will be happy to know that I am already planning to pop over and get a copy of the The Busy Homeschool Mom's Guide to.....Romance.  


(I think she is a blonde now.....wonder if that is part of the romance plan?)

Take a look at what other TOS Reviewers thought of Real Life Press and all their offerings.

Lord Heritage - Review

Lord Heritage is a company that has put together a product called HomeSchool Office that I got to try out.


The mission statement for Lord Heritage says, "To preserve and teach God's Truth in education by following His commandments in instruction so that,

"All thy children shall be taught of the Lord;
and great shall be the peace of thy children."
Isaiah 54:13

The HomeSchool Office product is an on-line planning/organizing tool that is designed specifically with homeschooling in mind.
Its premise is wonderful and based on what they call the POWER strategy.

P - Plan
O - Order
W - Work
E - Evaluate
R - Report

Sounds good, but what does that actually mean?  Well, for Planning - that would cover  setting up your lessons and your schedules.  Order would be where you create your lists and reminders (I used this the most!) and the place that you can integrate both sides of your life - school and home.  Work is where you can print schedules and the students can follow their lessons.  Evaluate is where you can keep track of stuff like attendance (if you need to keep track of that where you live), time and grades. Report is the area where you can keep all the transcripts and reports that you may need to meet your local state requirements for homeschooling.  

(Think I could have anymore tabs open on my desktop?!?)

If the idea of the POWER strategy  isn't enough awesomeness for you, each letter also has a Bible verse(that I have paraphrased below) attached to its premise also.

P - Jeremiah 29:11 (This is "my" verse that my parents sent me off to college with! For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future )
O - Corinthians 14:40 (But everything should be done in a fitting and orderly way)
W - John 17:4 (I have brought you glory on earth by finishing the work you gave me to do)
E - Matthew 28:20 (...and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.)
R - Romans 14:12 (So then, each of us will give an account of ourselves to God)

I know.  Sounds awesome and inspiring, doesn't it?

I was so excited about trying this system out.  So excited.

But, I neglected to take into account a few things.  First that I am, at heart, still a paper and pencil kind of gal.  Second, that in order to successfully use this fantastic system, it was going to take some time/effort to get things set up and entered on-line successfully.  The third thing that I failed to take into consideration was that my thyroid surgery was going to kick my butt so badly.

The first thing to do it to get your Team set up.  That is basically getting all your kids/students information put into the system.  This also where you can also put in the "type" of grade you will be giving your students.  For example, grade letter, percentage, or descriptive.  We do percentages around here that we translate into a letter grade....except in Kindergarten where we do our own description and star system.   Inputting all these details on your kids,  will  enable you to see all their different things that they have to do....it can even be color coded on the calendar.

This screen is from the Plan portion.  Notice there are tabs for Subjects, School Year Plan, Master Schedule, Projects and Budget.   LOTS of detail can go in here.  Here is where the time and thyroid surgery issue reared its ugly head.  :(  I just didn't have it in me to enter everything we had going on into this system.  I just didn't.

One of the best things I saw about HomeSchool Office is that you can do (and keep) everything in one place.  You can have each member of your family's schedule there.  You can do all your lesson planning and reminders to yourself about what needs to be reported or turned in for credit.  If I had decided to homeschool all through high school, this would have been a fabulous product to keep track of everything so I could have created their transcripts and not have to rely on my memory of what we had done in years past.

Unfortunately, taking into consideration the 3 things I listed above that I hadn't thought about (love of paper and pencil, time to input our lives/schedule, and my thyroid surgery) HomeSchool Office ended up not being a good fit for me....right now.  And, I just thought of a 4th reason.  Rainman.  Rainman is way less technologically savvy than I am (he still has a flip phone...and is happy about it!).  Rainman is also the one that creates our lesson plans and yearly schedule....on paper.  I just follow and implement them.  I think if he would have had the chance to try this out back in July/August when we were setting up our school year, it would have had a better likelihood of succeeding.  I think.

With that being said, I really do think it is a fantastic premise and there were pieces of it, that even with all my reasons, including my post surgery stupor/brain fog, that came in handy.  My most frequently used portion of this program was the"To Do Lists",  "Reminder" and "Family Messages" features.  That was were I did actually type in things for myself and the kids so I wouldn't forget.  I guess it was sort of a step up from my usual  paper and pencil To Do list...but, it did work.  It showed up on the front page whenever I logged into Lord Heritage.  The other part of this that I almost came to love (and, again....if I would have been able to enter more of our actual lives into) was the calendar section - where you can see as much or as little as you want....and each thing is color coded.

I think if you were already someone who relied on an on-line app or calendar program, you will absolutely be in love with HomeSchool Office, because it has everything you need to run both a smooth home and school.  Everything.

I also think that if you are homeschooling in the high school years, this is something you absolutely need for keeping track of everything to make sure you are complying with laws and creating a great, usable transcript. But, for me to go from my hard copy, paper/pencil versions of everything we do, it was too big of a leap for my first foray into organizing and planning with the help of technology.  Make sense?

HomeSchool Office is web based and can be accessed from any device that has a browser, for me, I just used it on my computer.....plain and simple.

Go take a look and see what other TOS Reviewers thought.

You can try HomeSchool Office free  for 30 days, or go ahead and take the jump for $79/year.

7 Minute Life - Review

The 7 Minute Life is a calendar/organizing/planning solution....or, in their official terms....time management strategies to prioritize, organize & simplify your life. 



I got to try a 7 Minute Life Daily Planner for about a month.....because this was for me....an adult.




The idea behind this planner is, basically, that time management is a process of planning - which means you take time to "think" about what you want to do....then you set goals.....the "what" comes before the "when".....as in, you aren't ready to actually put anything on your schedule yet.  Now, you need to take the "what" and break it down into action steps....the micro-actions that you can actually accomplish.  The point is to keep all of this is on a single piece of paper, so you can see yourself completing the goal.....and not lose track of the goal.

How about the "7 Minute" part of it, you say?  Well, that stems from a study that shows the average attention span of an adult....yes, an adult....is 7 minutes.  I was discussing this concept with my friend Lydia and she was sort of horrified if that was the case.  We were both left a little sad by the idea that we only have a 7 minute attention span.  So, the idea is that you spend 7 minutes a day, planning or prioritizing how you will spend your time to accomplish your goals.

One of the other interesting concepts of this Daily Planner is the 5 before 11 list.  This means you choose 5 high value activities (that you allow in your life) for each day to accomplish by 11:00 a.m.




This video is a mini-breakdown of the whole system and the mentality behind the system by the creator, herself, Allyson Lewis.  It is well worth the time, and will leave you newly motivated to start your own 7 Minute Life.

In case you need a little more assistance getting started, here are a series of little, short videos that will walk you through how to initially tackle The 7 Minute Life.

Let me give you a few key points from the introduction section of the 7 Minute Life Daily Planner. Yes, there is about a 20 page introduction section to the Daily Planner.  You can't just jump in and voila!.....you life is organized and productive.



Nope.  You have to do a bit of homework before you get started.  The first thing Ms. Lewis recommends is slowing down.  Yes.  Slowing down.  She wants you to slow down and think.  Think about what is truly important in your life.

The goal with making yourself slow down and truly think, is that it will help you re-connect with things in your life and rediscover your purpose.  The goal is to cut through the noise of life and end the insanity by clearly identifying your purpose, values, goals, etc.

Sounds pretty lofty, doesn't it.  But, Ms. Lewis does a great job of explaining how you can get there in small, bite sized pieces.

You still have to do the personal work yourself, but she gives you the carrot stick of the possibility of having a different life/day/hour/minute at the end of the work.  You know, the old, Dr. Phil-ism....which, I think, Albert Einstein actually said first....."insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result".

So, yes, you will have to make changes...to get different results.

The first step to your new life is prioritizing your top 10 values.  

Does this have anything to do with time management and planning?  Well, actually, it does....or, more accurately, it should.  You should be spending the majority of your time on things that matter to you....things that line up with your values.  I had never thought of things in quite this way before, but the way it was explained, made a lot of sense to me.

So, for instance, someone's daily planner  whose personal values included values like "achievement", "excitement", and "power", shouldn't be the same as my daily planner, whose value words include "friendship", "joy", and "financial security".  

Once you have your values narrowed down, you jump into discovering your purpose.  You know, what you do for others, or how your use your gifts and talents to change the world.  Little things like that.  

There is a sentence prompt at the end of this section that really threw me.

At the age of 85, I will know I have fulfilled my purpose when.......

See what I mean?  How do you even begin to answer that one.  This Daily Planner takes a lot of thought and......homework.  

One of the best parts of this beginning homework section for me was the Your Highest and Best section where you are asked about what is the best use of your time right now, and to describe what you love the most, your strengths, your highest value activities, AND, how you want to be rewarded.

In this day and age where we are asked to fit more and more into our days....whether it is work responsibilities, personal ones.....or church volunteer activities.  You cannot do everything.  You do have to say no to some things.  Thinking of these things in the "highest and best way"....highest value....best use of your time....right now....is awesome.  Taking on that project or saying yes to teaching that class at church, may NOT be the highest and best for you....and that is absolutely, positively, 100% okay.

I had a light bulb moment when Allyson talked about the evils of "unfinished tasks" in your life.  She quotes from a book by David Allen, where he calls unfinished tasks "open loops" in your brain.  I knew exactly what they were talking about.  These open loops just continually circle in the back of your mind....popping in to the front of your mind every now and again....making you think you need to get that done....now.....sometimes you smack it back into the recesses of your mind, but it will continue to fester and send out distress signals to your mind....making you miserable..... until you complete whatever that unfinished task is.  

I totally, totally, totally got that one.  It is so true.  I am a list keeper by nature, so I do already keep a list of things that I have "To Do", because it helps empty my mind of some of those "open loops" I have going in my brain.   But, I don't keep them in one place....so, I lose my lists....a lot....adding another "open loop" of having to find my latest list....or remembering what is on it!


As much as I agreed with so much of what was said in the introduction of the Daily Planner and after watching Allyson explain things in the video, I was scared to start using it.  I was scared to do the homework.  I was even scared to actually write in the planner.


I took me awhile to get through  the homework.  Longer than it should have.  And, I will be honest, I didn't finished ALL of it (like setting 90 day goals), but, I did enough to learn quite a bit about myself.....and to get started using the Daily Planner.

I like a lot of things about the Daily Planner.  I like that it has everything about your life all on one page.  Look again.....



See?  It has 5 before 11:00, Unfinished Tasks, What I Spent....and even the bottom section that shows how much water I drank, whether I slept enough, exercised, had reflection/devotion time, or even read.  And ends with a simple, but profound question that sometimes depressed me when I had to say "no".  The questions was:  Did I do what I said I would do today?

I did have to answer "No" quite a bit.  But instead of letting myself sink into the depths of despair that I am a total loser that can't get anything done, I just gave myself permission to set smaller goals for myself.  Okay, sometimes, I did let myself sink into the "total loser" category....but I didn't stay there long.

There are sections that didn't necessarily apply to where I am in life right now.  I do work from home, and I do want to grow my business...some... eventually.....but, I don't necessarily need to have contacts or connections or do networking....everyday.  You know?  Yes, I need to make dentist and doctor appointments and even an occasional contact with someone I am doing work for, but until I am at the point where I am going to expand my business, those sections didn't need to be quite so large....or even there.  

There is section on the next page that is for your actual appointments and voice mails.  Right now, the appointments section was too small for me.....because we have a family calendar that we use for all 8 of us.  But, I love the idea of "my" stuff being in one place...so I will be tweaking this.  The voice mail piece I love, because usually, I am scrambling for a piece of paper and pencil wherever I happen to be when I listen to the message.  Again, it keeps things simple.....all in one place....all in one book.  
The look of the Daily Planner is awesome.  I love the green, however, now that I am in my mid-40's, my eyes don't work as well as they used to....so, in the places when the printing is in the lime green.....I had a hard time reading it and usually had to do the dance in front of my face where I moved in closer, tilted it so the light hit it better and figured out what it said.  !!!!  

I like that you can start the Daily Planner whenever you want.....you aren't tied into a specific date, month, or year.  You just write the date on top and start.  





Here is a way to close up some of those "open loops"!

There is a lot of support behind The 7 Minute Daily Planner, like access to free time management strategy tools.  

You can get your life under control, with less chaos, or even just do your own homework to find out your purpose in life, by getting your own 7 Minute Daily Planner for $24.95.

See what other TOS moms thought of the 7 Minute Daily Planner.

Flourish - Review

I kind of like it when I get a book to review that is just for me.


I got that this time with a book from Apologia Educational Ministries called Flourish - Balance for Homeschool Moms.



What is this book about?

From the back cover:

Exhausted?  Overloaded?  Teetering on the brink of burnout?  Flourish includes customizable planning forms, step-by-step exercises, and special chapters for single moms and families who have a home business.  Find peace in the space between the ideal and reality so that you and your family can enjoy the homeschooling journey!

Want to know, up front, one of the nice things were about the book?

The author, Mary Jo Tate, is not the stereotypical perfect homeschool mom, with the perfect children, who all play violin and speak Latin.  Nor, is she the stereotypical homeschool mom with the perfect loving, supportive husband, who has a great job.  In fact, she is a single mom (her husband actually left her), who works from home.

I know.  Shocking and wonderful, at the same time.  She is able to give real world examples of stuff that has worked or not worked.....based on reality.....not a perfect, dream world.



I am not really exhausted or burned out.....in general.....but, I definitely have moments of despair, so finding balance or ideas on how to get things done more smoothly sounded good to me.

I found, to my delight, that I was already doing some of the things the author recommended in the book.

For the most part, I do feel like I am a pretty balanced person.

I try not to be too busy.

I try not to have the kids be too busy.

I try not to put too many challenges or obstacles in our way.

I try not to clean my house too much (hahahaha)....or have unrealistic expectations for what a house with 8 people in will look like.

So, even though I am doing a pretty good job at keeping things in balance, I got a lot of good ideas from this book. (I even think some of you who don't homeschool could pick up a few pointers on how to have a more balanced life!)

I especially liked that it was written to give ideas to stay at home, homeschooling moms that have home based businesses.  That is me.

Who knew that I was a valid demographic?  Not me!

I even feel like the author could have just put together a book of the inspirational quotes and I would have been happy. I kept having little...."Oooh, that was a good one!" moments.

The quotes were great all on their own, but when added into her real life lessons and ideas, they were spectacular!

Like this one from Dr. Richard Swenson, that said, "Interruptions coming to us by way of technology require our permission----we own the technology; it does not own us."  Or, how about one of my favorites from Eileen Roth, "Organized people don't trust their memory ---they trust their lists."  Hahahahaha.....that is so me.  I love my lists.

So, I thought I would just go through a few of my highlights, or "aha" sections from the book.  Maybe you will have a few of your own.  Just so you know, it was hard for me to narrow this down to just  a few highlights.  Take a look at my notes and how many exclamation points and page references I used!

In Chapter 4, Where Did My Time Go?,  Mary Jo talks about all kinds of tips to managing your time better, but I really liked the part where she talked about being paralyzed and overwhelmed by your list of things to do.....which in my case, many times means I don't do anything at all.  Instead of that approach when you are feeling overwhelmed, she says to be a good steward of your time and do what you can, in the situation you are in, with the time that you have.  That is all.  Simple, yet profound.

For me, that simple statement meant, when the living room is trashed, at least pick up the pillows and blankets that are on the floor.  That is okay.  That is enough, right now.

In Chapter 5, What Do I Do Next?,  she talks about goals and "go fors".  Goals, she says, are promises that you make to yourself, and "go fors" are things you would like to accomplish that you know are going to be a stretch.

In this same chapter, Mary Jo introduced me to something that I had never heard of before.

 A Stop Doing List.

Ever heard of it?   It just sort of states that obvious that, you really cannot do everything....so you will have to stop doing some things.  Or, in her words, "Whenever you choose to do one thing, you are choosing not to do everything else.  Edit your life to make space for what's really important."

I am not sure I have explained this clearly here....but it was really an eye opening point for me to think about things in a different way.  Just being given permission to write down things that I need to stop doing instead of just continuing to add things to my" to do" list, or my" must fit it in" list.....was very freeing.

In this same chapter (apparently I really liked Chapter 5!) she has a section where she talks about having dreams for yourself....big dreams.  I am pretty sure that this is something a lot of us moms, especially us older moms....have given up on.....or have just jumped on board with our children's dreams.  I haven't jumped on board my children's dreams.....but I had, until recently, given up on any personal dreams for myself.

She really inspired me with her example of Jan Karon (author of the Mitford series).  Jan Karon left her steady, stable, lucrative career, and at age 50, starting writing.  No, she wasn't successful right away....it took awhile for her to write At Home In Mitford.  But, people, she started writing at age 50!  This especially spoke to me because of what I wrote in Thick Skin and my desire to write.

Here is another in a long list of great quotes from the book.  This one is from Jan Karon, "If God has given you a dream, you'd better get cracking because He wants you to use it."  I do have a dream....and I believe it is from God.....so I am cracking, baby!

I will give you just one more of my personal highlights from the book.

This one is from Chapter 9, Oxygen Marks and Monkey Bread Days.  (Don't you love the title?)  This chapter opened with a bang for me with.....yes....you guessed it....a quote..... from Charles Spurgeon:

"Rest time is not waste time.  It is economy to gather fresh strength.....It is wisdom to take occasional furlough.  In the long run, we shall do more by sometimes doing less."

Aiiiiyiiiiyiiii!  (pretty sure that is not how you actually spell that....but hopefully, my emotion has still managed to come through......)

Rest time is NOT waste time.

Thank you, Charles Spurgeon!

I know we have all heard the phrase, "Nap when the baby naps."  But, somehow when that baby isn't a baby anymore, it isn't socially acceptable to need, or admit to needing, a little rest or nap......unless you are really old.

This chapter goes on to talk about the whole spiel on airplanes where you must secure your own oxygen mask before helping others.  (That whole speech became so much more powerful/scary the first time I traveled with my babies....how about you?!?!)

"Monkey Bread Days" are those where everyone wants a little piece of you.  I refer to those days as when I am getting beaten to death by ping pong balls.  I will officially coin the phrase "Ping Pong Days"....where everyone is just hitting you with little questions all day long and you can hardly come up for breath without someone needing something from you....it feels like you are being pulverized with ping pong balls.

This whole chapter hones in on taking the steps necessary to take care of yourself, so you have energy and something left to give to others.  A good message for all of us.....but, especially moms.

I was inspired by lots and lots of ideas from this book, and I took comfort from other things.  Like the part in Chapter 10, Training Your Children, where she talks about teaching independence.  This is one area where I think Rainman and I are doing a good job with our kids.  They are able to do lots of things around the house from cooking to cleaning.  S-girl is always surprised when she hears about a kid who is older than her who doesn't know how to fold laundry or cook, because she does both of those things and has for quite awhile!

Even if you don't completely, 100% fit the special demographic like I do (.....flips her hair over her shoulder.....), this book is a great read for keeping things aligned and balanced in your life......and it is an awesome quote book too!  

Oh, and there are also customizable planning forms to help you with the organization piece, that are available if you purchase the book.

You can get a copy of the book for $15.00

Find out what other TOS reviewers thought of Apologia's Flourish - Balance for Homeschool Moms.

Keeping It Real....and Perhaps a Little....TMI

This morning, I was standing at our copier making some copies for our school day.  As I waited for the printer to warm up, my eyes wandered to the areas that I could see from my printer.

I started an internal, silent rage.....at my children.

Uggg......

Kids book, bigger kid book, embroidery thread for bracelet making....

Kid book, Ziploc baggie with an unmade craft, plastic golf ball, empty cocoa container, empty plastic bag, and a....knife....

One croc....honestly....the other one was nowhere that I could see....nowhere!

Captain America shield, Guitar Hero guitar (we don't even have any video games), 2 socks....that don't match each other, a pair of broken headphones, 2 box/suitcase thingies....and, well, my shoes.

Body spray/spritzer, the rubbery part of swimming goggles, a Christmas coloring book, a piece of a baby toy and a very old package of baby wipes (seriously...not even sure where those came from....we have been out of diapers for about 2 years now!)


So, you get it, right?  I was silently seething.  I mean, how hard is it to put things back where they belong? Where did they get this idea that you don't need to put things back where they belong?

We finally have a house that has room for us....and our stuff....there are places for just about everything now. Really.

I had worked myself into a really good lather about it.....they were going to get a stern talking to when they got up.

But, then.....I looked at my dining room table.  Those are L-girls' flip flops....ON the table....but that isn't what I saw when I first looked.  I saw the white thingie in front......

Yes, my friends, this is probably a bit of a TMI situation.....but that is my bra neatly folded and left on the dining room table.

No, I hadn't been folding laundry.

I had taken it off last night when we got home from church and wanted that puppy off and soon as I walked in the door....so I did the old Flashdance move and took it off while still fully clothed.....but my room....waaaay down the hall.....seemed too far away.

So, I folded it up and put it there.....just for now....and there it was this morning......saving my children from one of mom's lectures.

I guess I know where they get it from.

Sigh.

Motivated Moms

This is a review for Motivated Moms.....specifically, Motivated Moms Ebooks.



If you are a mom, do you consider yourself "motivated"?

If you are anything like me, the answer is a resounding....

"Sometimes!"

I really am fantastically organized and motivated to get things done....sometimes.

I am a list maker, except when I am not. 

I love my lists!

But, they end up written on whatever I have laying around at the time.

They look like this.

and this....

And, if I don't keep close track of them, I lose them....or a helpful soul ends up throwing it away because it looks like garbage.....because they are usually written on the back side of something.

Remember the movie Jerry McGuire and the line Renee Zellweger says to Tom Cruise..."You had me at Hello"? 

Well, Motivated Moms had me at, "The system is designed to help you complete chores and tasks throughout the year so that you don’t spend your entire day doing housework."  (Italics emphasis from me   )

When I was selected for the review, I got to choose the format that I would prefer.  You know, like half-page or full page....with Bible readings or not.....color.....black and white.

I chose full page, black and white, with Bible readings.  Like this:

(See?  I still made a few of my own notes....plus, I apparently spilled something on this....but, it is still better than my lists, right?)

Here are a few of the other layout options:









I downloaded the full year to my computer, but I only printed a month at a time.  That works well for me because it didn't seem so daunting.  Plus, Rainman and I  sit down monthly and work on our budgets, so it was helpful to have this in case there were cleaning supplies, furnace filters, or something we would need during the upcoming month.

Did I like my Motivated Mom planner?

Definitely.

Did I follow it perfectly?

No, I did not.

Some of the tasks on the lists made me smile, like "Pamper yourself"....because you know we moms need approval/permission to do something nice for ourselves. 

Sometimes, they made me smile because it was so obvious that the things needed to be done, but I wouldn't have necessarily thought of until it was too late.

Things like:

Pull dead leaves off plants.  (something I don't usually do until there is a whole pile of crunchy leaves on the floor)

Replenish stock of toilet paper in bathrooms (something that doesn't happen until we are caught yelling for someone to bring us a roll....to be answered with....we are all out!)

Clean out vehicle (something that doesn't happen until the total embarrassment of the avalanche of falling papers, crayons, books, socks, shoes and jackets reaches epic proportions!)

Clean out purse/wallet (something that doesn't happen until between the kids and I, so much stuff has been shoved in that it won't close anymore!)

Clip the kids fingernails (something that now that I have so many kids usually doesn't happen until I spot their long, dirty, fingernails when we are out in public somewhere and they are pointing something out to strangers.)

The Motivated Moms Planner has the specific daily chores listed, but on the left side of the paper, there is also a list of basic daily chores that probably need to be done.....things that if they were actually done daily.....would alleviate a lot of stress in my life.

• Make beds
• Load/Run/Empty dishwasher
• Sweep Kitchen
• Wipe out kitchen sink
• Plan dinner
• Quiet time

Even though I didn't follow this life planner perfectly, the beauty of it is that it takes the thinking work out of planning.  Yes, I still had to add a few of my own personal things onto my lists, like paying sports fees, or work projects, but, for the most part....it did the "pre-thinking" for me.

I was really looking forward to having the Bible readings all picked out for me.  I had dreams of getting back in the habit of daily Bible time, quiet time, and prayer time. 

The unfortunate part for me was that I happened to join the Motivated Moms planner during the slightly "boring" Bible verse time.  You know, Exodus, Leviticus, and Numbers.  I know it makes me sound like a bad Christian, and I know that God included these in the Bible for a really good reason.  I am just not "motivated" by most of these passages. 

But, what it did do for me was get my Bible in my hand.  So, I would read (or skim  ) the assigned reading and then flip somewhere else with the hope that I would get some new inspiration for the day. 

No matter what, it is better than what I was doing before.  Nothing.

There are a total of 16 choices for Motivated Moms ebook planners, as well as "app" choices.  I don't know....is "app" an actual word?  Could I just use it without the quotation marks? 



Even if you don't end up using one of their planners, the Motivated Moms website has a lot of good information.  Head over to the Additional Resources tab and you will see recommended readings (most are clutter/organization related with some financial planning thrown in too), homeschool products the creators like, baby,children and cloth diapering resources, and lots of miscellaneous stuff that doesn't fall into a neat category.

But, even if you aren't a natural list maker like me, give the Motivated Moms planners a try.  You can go take a look at sample pages from all the different formats.  There might be one that is just right for you.

You can try out one of Motivated Moms Planners for $8.  Or, if you are hi-tech, the apps for iPhone are $1.99 and the apps for Android are $7.99.

Take a look at how other people on the TOS Crew used their Motivated Moms planners.