Large Family Organization: the notebook

Welcome to Large Family Organization Wednesday!  Today, I decided to repost one of my earliest posts on how I organize my time, commitments, grocery lists, etc. all in a notebook that I fondly call my "brain".  haha.  Without this "brain", I would be totally lost.  And, the times that I get lazy and don't write things down or don't check the calendar in my "brain", I end up missing something that I had intended to go to or do.  

So, without further ado...

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 I would like to introduce you to my brain.  It's not what you think.  My brain is purple, has three rings, lots of paper and dividers in it, and every thought that I deem important.  (That is, if I remember to write it down...haha.)

I didn't always have this notebook.  As a matter of fact, my "brain", is a relatively new addition to my attempt to be organized and together.  It has been a process, to say the least.  It all started a few years back.

I noticed that one of my friends frequently carried a 3 ring binder with her.  I was impressed at her organization but thought little of it...until my sixth baby made his appearance.  Still tunneling through stacks of boxes from a recent move and unpacking from several weeks vacation in Texas, I didn't feel like I was coming up for air.  After taking care of all the needs of my little ones, spending special time with them, and schooling them, there was little time left for getting caught up.

Then, I noticed another friend of mine with a 3 ring binder and she made a comment about having all of her important things in there.  I knew that I must be missing something really important here because neither of these mommy friends had time for frivolous notebook creating:)  I decided to dig deeper and find out just what was in these three ring binders.  A few conversations later, I was hooked and decided that I should give this 3 ring binder thing a shot.  It definitely couldn't hurt and maybe my friends were on to something:) I really did need something...anything...to help me keep it all together without reinventing the wheel...definitely don't have time for reinventing!

So, first I went shopping...always my favorite part of any project:)  I picked out a purple (my favorite color...hoping I will be more inclined to actually use it!) binder that had not only the three rings in it, but also several files and a place to keep pins and small items...and most importantly, a zipper to keep it closed.  (In this house, it won't last very long if it's not zipped closed.)

Years ago I used to keep a notebook next to my bed so that if I thought of something important when falling asleep, I could write it down and sleep peacefully knowing that I would not forget that ever important thought...haha.  I am always amazed by the number of the things that I think of or remember when I am falling asleep!

This notebook is a larger and more in depth version of that same thing.  Included in my "brain" 3 ring binder is my monthly meal planning, ongoing grocery and shopping lists, house cleaning schedule and rotation, daily schedules for school, things that I want to research, writing projects, anything involving my kids, a calendar (home made...of course), and things that I organize like events for my local homeschooling support group, church potlucks...and anything that I would like to remember.  As Henry Loftin, director of Glowing Heart Ministries used to tell us college kids many years ago, "The weakest ink is stronger than the strongest mind."  I totally agree!

Amazing the difference!  My brain can actually rest now and not have to remember every detail of everything going on.  I just run and check my "brain" when in doubt...and I run to it quite often these days.  I can rely on my "brain" to remember for me.  And, as long as I write it all down and check the "brain", I stay on track:)

What things do you do to organize and remember all the details?

Science at the Zoo...classification

Today was another zoo day. We love to use the zoo as a resource for learning and this year it actually fits nicely with the Science that we are already studying.   On this trip, I decided to have the kids classify animals.

I found this great site for classifying animals with kids.  It gives a simple explanation of each group in kid friendly language.  We read and discussed these groups and then played this online game to test our knowledge before the trip to the zoo.

I created a page with the five categories for them to classify the animals.  There was a column for mammals, reptiles, birds, amphibians, and fish.  Here is what it looked like.  This time I created each child their own page!  Haha.  I also decided to have the kids start keeping these pages in their MFW folders as part of their learning portfolio.  So, it makes more sense to have one for each child.

 
As we walked through the zoo, the kids would write down the names of animals under the correct category.  (I view this as a creative writing exercise so I don't worry about spelling...especially since I want to have  light, fun, creative learning experiences...and none of us love spelling...haha!)

Wesley really wanted to participate so I had him draw pictures of the animals under each category.  How cute is that! This one is going in his art file to keep.

We always practice some map skills while at the zoo.  This is one of their favorite parts.

Wesley was really serious about his "school" and wanted to take the time to draw his pictures well.

On the way out, the boys found a turtle that they enjoyed touching and were amazed watching it swim around.

 Just had to include this sweet little face.

Then at the end of the trip, when the desert heat had warmed us up, we stopped by a "splash pad" for the kids to cool off.

 
The boys found more turtles to watch in this area too.  They were all so amazed by these turtles.  Maybe it's time to invest in a tank and turtles...maybe...haha.

After we were back home, we tried this online game again to review what we had learned.  It was fun to see how scores improved after the day at the zoo.  So we had a great time laughing, researching, and learning together about classification of animals "hands-on" (which they are more likely to retain long-term), and never opened a book.

We will open books next week:)

The Zoo: An Outdoor Classroom

I simply love using the zoo for enriching our homeschool experience.  It is out in the fresh air and sunshine and it is "hands-on".  It seems that we all learn new things about God's creation with each trip to the zoo.

This year we are studying the days of creation and we have just completed day six...animals. So, I thought this would be a good year to renew our zoo membership.  Here are some of the things that we have done and a few new ideas that I am planning to do in the next few weeks to add a little salt to our zoo field trips.

Some have links to specific posts here on this blog.

1. Have each child create a book of their day at the zoo as they are walking through.  

2. Have each child draw a cartoon map of the zoo with a little dotted trail showing the path we took.

3. Keep a list of the animals that they saw and list details about each animal.

4. Classify the animals they see by fish, amphibian, bird, reptile, mammal (or by other attributes like walks on two or four legs, has fur, scales, or feathers, etc.).

5. Go on a zoo scavenger hunt.

6. Draw pictures of zoo animals or plants.

7.  Write a structured report about several things they saw or did at the zoo.

8. Write a poem about the zoo or a specific animal.

9. Paint a zoo mural.

10. Make finger print animals with ink pads.

11. Take a zoo map and let the kids take turns picking the next place to go and leading the family there using the map.

12. Have the kids write a creative writing paper about what they would do all day if they were an animal at the zoo.

13.  Have the older kids use a concordance to see how many verses they can find about specific animals in the Bible.

14. Print off coloring pages of animals for younger kids and color them while watching that animal...and while older siblings sketch in their Science notebooks.

Some of these things we did years ago and we are going to recycle the ideas.  As we do them, I will post and link it here.  I thought I would get these ideas out there sooner rather than later so that they could be utilized this spring.

How many of you have a zoo in your area?  What things do you do to learn at the zoo?

Happy zoo learning!!

Meal Planning, Food Budgeting, Grocery Shopping...How I Manage the Details

I have had a request to blog about how I handle meal planning, grocery shopping, and budgeting for food. I'm not sure that my method is the most efficient, but here it goes...


I will start with meal planning.  Every two weeks, I sit down with a chart that is really a calendar that I keep in "My Brain" and plan out the meals for the next two weeks.  Here is my meal plan for October.  You can see that we were eating out every Thursday.  We try to plan for eating out and not eat out unless planned.  (This is a budget category outside of groceries.)  In October, Thursday afternoons were quite busy.  We were going from PE to the library and then straight to soccer practice.  This means that we were out of the house from about 1:30-7:00pm.  So, we decided for the soccer season just to eat out Thursday evenings.  We have a favorite family friendly pizza place just around the corner that has a great "family meal" that is really cost effective:)  Now that soccer season is over, we are not eating out weekly.

Breakfast:  I don't plan individual breakfasts but have things available that the kids can get independently such as instant oatmeal, whole wheat bagels, whole grain cereals, bread for toast, fruit, etc..  Or, I will have steel cut oats in the crockpot...so good on a cold morning.  It has taken a little trial and error to understand just how much we will eat in a two week period but I have it down to a science...for now...it will change over time as kids grow and eat more:)  I will add a few things like eggs that I can make on Saturdays when we have a more relaxed schedule and we can all have fun cooking in the kitchen together.  I also buy fresh and frozen fruits and greens to make green smoothies (which I have exclusively for breakfast on a normal school day). 

Lunch: Lunch planning is much like breakfast in that I ensure that we have supplies for sandwiches and salad to last the two weeks.  I also get supplies for mac and cheese to make a few days as this a favorite in our house.  Some days the kids will eat dinner left overs instead of sandwiches and salad, but I stick to spinach salad most days as I have so much more energy and actually feel less moody when I am eating all of those raw veggies:)

Dinner:  Dinner gets the most planning.  However, even this is a really simplified process.  I need to plan fourteen dinners, but I really only plan seven and then repeat the next week.  For example, this next two week period, we are having soup & wheat bread on Mondays, tacos (taco salad for the adults) on Tuesdays, baked potatoes on Wednesdays, spaghetti and meatballs on Thursdays, waffles or pancakes on Fridays, fish and veggies on Saturday, and a crockpot meal that I can put on Saturday evening and wheat bread that I can bake on Saturday for Sunday lunch.  We usually have a movie night with popcorn for dinner on Sundays.  I also plan some kind of dessert and buy grape juice as part of our Sabbath Celebration...just because everyone loves these:)

I create my lists by store, so I will have a Costco, Wal-Mart, and Sprouts list every shopping trip...but all on the same page:)  Occasionally I will have other stores listed that I need to visit, but these are the staples.  I also try to list things according to the path that I take through the store (because it is hard to backtrack with six kids!).  For some reason, I tend to make a counter clockwise circle in the stores and rarely go down the center isles.  I guess the basics are around the edges:)

I have a general "base" list of things that I buy every trip or every other trip that I can jot down by memory.  For example, I know that at Costco I will buy three boxes (2 gallons each) of milk, one gallon of orange juice, and so on every shopping trip.  But eggs (5dz) and butter I buy every other shopping trip.  I put the date of the shopping trip on the top of each list so that I can have multiple list going at once.  This way I can jot down things that I will need to get on a later shopping trip for a specific event.  I can also add items to these lists that I notice are getting low around the house like olive oil, trash bags, etc. right when I notice that they are low...because I won't remember later:)  I can also add occasional items like little boy's socks that need to be purchased soon (these items can be adjusted to a later list if I am tight on the budget that trip).

Here is the list that I have started for my next shopping trip...pretty bare but it will fill up!  The numbers that you see in this list are how many I need of that item but I do put the price also...more on this later.

After I have the basic items listed, I add the items that I will need for meal planning.  So, for my shopping list, I know that I need to add double items for soup, wheat bread (berries that I buy in bulk every few months), tacos, baked potatoes, spaghetti and meatballs, waffles, fish, veggies, two crockpot meals, and popcorn.  Then I add in the breakfast items, and lunch supplies. 

I usually run back over the meal planning for each day thinking about each meal and the items needed and check that against my list to make sure that I am not leaving anything out.  Then I do a quick check in the pantry and kitchen drawers for things like paper plates, ziploc bags, etc..

Now that I have my list, I am ready for the budgeting.  I start by going through my shopping list and putting a small number next to each item.  This number is an estimate of how much that item costs.  Sometimes it is exact because I have purchased that item hundreds of times (like milk) and sometimes it is the most that I am willing to pay for an item (like socks...so I might end up buying a smaller package of socks to stay within budget and then buying more later if needed).  I then add up what I am spending at each store and write the total at the top of the list...total the totals...and compare to my budget.  If I am over budget, then I look back over the list for things that I can remove (like black olives for tacos...not a must).  There are months (like around the holidays) when we purposefully increase the budget to buy special treats or items to take to events.

If I end up under budget, then I can add in any "extra" things (like socks) from the next shopping list...this rarely happens:)

Now for the actual shopping.  I do most of my shopping with all six kids at this phase of life.  I don't have any kids old enough to babysit the little ones and I like to spend time together as a family when Peter is home.  So, we will take a morning field-trip to Costco and Wal-Mart every two weeks.  Sprouts I do in the evening either alone or with just one of the older kids for some one on one time:)

I LOVE the shopping carts at Costco.  I can put my two littlest kids in the front of the buggy.  I have one of the older boys be the "list master" and read off the next item to purchase.  Because the list is already in order (for the most part) of our path through the store, we can walk together and the little kids can be sent to grab the items that we need.  This works well for Costco and Wal-Mart because I am buying very little produce (I get mine at Sprouts when I have just one child with me and I can teach them how to pick out good produce).  As an item is placed in the buggy, it is crossed off the list and the "real" price (rounded up to the nearest dollar) is exchanged for my "estimate number".  This is the job of the "list master".  See...it really is a learning experience worthy of being called a field-trip!  After I get all of my items I do a quick count of what I am spending to ensure that I am not going over and then check out.  (I have a small calculator in my purse.) 

It can be difficult to keep kids behaving in a store but getting them involved in the process helps so much.  It seems like it takes longer at first but it is SO much quicker and more peaceful than dealing with melt-downs or fighting from bored children!  I will post later on different age appropriate jobs and entertainment ideas for kids while shopping:)

So, now I have made my list, checked it twice...well really once:), budgeted and adjusted the list, gone through the store and purchased what we will need for the next two weeks.  I repeat the same thing at Costco and Walmart although I usually have the baby in a backpack at Wal-Mart as their buggies have only one seat and I despise the huge "train" style ones (I mean really...It's hard enough to shop without trying to manage bushing a train too!.  I did push one the other day when I was out with only the little ones to get a few items for Lit. Club because they begged me.  They loved it and I enjoyed saying yes to their pleading little faces:)  But, it is not the norm.)

I have all the kids help with the unloading when we get home and then I put things away in the pantry, fridge, freezer, etc..  It is usually time for lunch at that point:)

Feel free to post any ideas that you use to get your shopping done.  I'd love to hear other ideas!

There is NO secret ingredient...or is there?

I remember going to a session at a homeschool convention that was going to be about how to "get it all done" (I put this in italics and quotes because we all know that moms never really have it all done).  I can't remember the name of the session but just that I was excited to finally get the answers that had been alluding me all these years (as if there were some magic formula).  I had four little ones five years old and younger and felt that I was always a few days behind in everything that needed to be done.  And, I had long since given up on perfection and decided to go for survival...haha.  Still, I was having trouble getting it all done.  With great anticipation, I watched the speaker go up on stage as I balanced my newborn baby on my lap with paper and pen in hand.  I was ready to jot down the secrets.  This was going to be my breakthrough.  The secrets to the universe would soon be mine...haha.  The first words that the speaker said went something like this..."I'm not going to talk about how I get the dishes and laundry done.  I'm going to focus on how I get the schooling done."...or something like that.  I felt the wind go out of my sail.  I wasn't so worried about how to get the school done.  My kids were still little and we were having a great time going through the Science based theme units that I had designed around the days of creation.  What I really wanted to know was how to get it ALL done...the dishes, house cleaning, laundry, grocery shopping, time with preschoolers, individual tutoring with older kids, grading, quiet time, time with my husband, staying in touch with family members, writing "thank you" notes, etc.  I can't remember anything else but the opening line from that session.  However, over time I have had different moms share with me some of their secrets to "getting it all done".  The biggest secret is that there is no secret...haha.  It took me years to finally learn that.  I was really looking for that one secret or magic formula.  It is much like the line in Kung Fu Panda "There is NO secret ingredient".  Although in my case, there is no magic...but there is a secret ingredient...or several actually:) 

Through the years, I have taken suggestions from other moms, changed a few around, and finally pieced together a good reliable plan that works for our family and will allow me to get it all done...well, most of it anyway...on a good day:)  I wanted to share them here in the hopes that somewhere out there in cyberspace is that young mom with four kids five and under, that was me a few years ago, looking for some "ingredients" that will help to create a smooth and workable homeschool experience.  So, take the ones that work for you and leave the rest behind.  As my dad says "Eat the watermelon and spit out the seeds"...or eat the soup and spit out the noodles...or something like that:)


I have a great deal to get done EVERY day.  I know you are all shocked upon hearing this...haha.  I get up, have my quiet time, feed the baby, get little boys diapered and dressed, wake older kids, start laundry, get breakfast, adjust laundry, check to see if chores are done, adjust the laundry again, get out the curriculum that we will be going through that day...and did I mention laundry?  And, this is all before nine in the morning.  Whew.  I get tired just listing it all.  Here is what I do to "get it all done"...the vitals anyway.

1. I have a daily schedule.  I used a great book "Managers of their Homes" http://www.titus2.com/ecommerce/products/prod_listing.php/1100 to help me put together a workable schedule.  Every child has a place to be and an activity (sometimes free time and yet scheduled) to be doing all the time.  Our days are scheduled from wake up to go to bed.  Now, I can see you all running for the hills.  Come baaaack!  It really isn't that bad.  I can choose to NOT follow the schedule any day.  But, it is there for me and if I stick with it everything will get done...most days:)  When we stick to the plan, I get to have time alone with each older child...and Peter does too.  And honestly, the days go much smoother when we stick to the plan.  Everyone knows what to expect and the little ones get to stay in a good routine.  Here is a picture of the detailed schedule that we follow...most days:)

Notice all of the white blank spots at the beginning of the day?  I am NOT an early riser:)

2. I have lists...yes the plural is intentional.  There is a list on my bedroom door telling me what to do before I go down stairs and another list telling me what to have done before retiring to upstairs at night.  (I really want to minimize the trips that I make up and down each day.)  There are several lists by the washroom door leading to the garage telling me what I need to have packed in the van for...PE, church, park outings, water play, etc.  It is basic enough that the older kids can read and then pack the van for me.  Believe it or not, the older ones usually like it when I trust them with an important job like this and are pretty willing to help...especially my organizer.

3. I have a chore list and Saturday cleaning rotation for the kids.  Each child has a chore to complete after breakfast every morning of the week, except Sunday morning, and another just before dinner (the evening chores are mostly related to picking up the mess of the day so that Peter comes home to a peaceful environment).  The two little boys are buddied up with an older brother and "help" them with their chore.  For example, Nathan puts the dishes away each morning and Wesley "helps"...the Padawan learner.

  Nathan puts away glass dishes and has Wesley put away the plastics that mom conveniently stores in low cabinets.  On Saturdays, rooms are cleaned (this is more in depth than the daily pick-up) and then everyone works together on one large chore from the rotation.  It may be yard work, or cleaning out the cars, etc.  These are jobs that can be done once a month or less.  After this, Saturdays are "free days".  The list below is old and needs to be updated.  From time to time, change is needed and I adjust when I see that one thing isn't working.

4. I have a daily cleaning and laundry rotation for me.  
The laundry rotation means that each morning I do a different category of laundry.  So, Monday is little kids laundry, Tuesday is Peter's and mine, Wednesday is towels, etc.  So, including cloth diapers that I do every day, I am usually doing 3-5 loads of laundry every day.
The cleaning rotation means that every afternoon, I clean one or two rooms of the house.  If I keep it up, the house stays in good condition...livable anyway:)

5. I have a biweekly menu planned along with an ever growing shopping list.  I do grocery shopping every two weeks so, I plan a detailed menu for two weeks at a time.  I plan every meal.  For breakfast, I normally have foods that the kids can help themselves to such as whole wheat bagels, cereal, instant oatmeal, or something in the crockpot.  (My current favorite crockpot recipe is steel cut oats.)  I make green smoothies for myself and four of my older kids will drink that as well.  Lunch is usually salad and sandwiches or leftovers from the night before.  I have a different food planned for each night of the week.  For example, Monday nights are leftovers, Tuesdays are tacos...or taco salad, Wednesdays are baked potatoes, etc.  We do fun and exciting recipes Friday through Sunday when there is less or no school, schedules are free, and Peter is home.

So, there you have it.  These are my "secret ingredients" that really aren't secret but, when put together help our home run more smoothly.  Most of this information I keep in a three ring binder that I lovingly refer to as my brain:)

I would love to hear other ideas on how to "get it all done".  What do you do to "get it all done"?

Where did I leave my brain?

I would like to introduce you to my brain.  It's not what you think.  My brain is purple, has three rings, lots of paper and dividers in it, and every thought that I deem important.  (That is, if I remember to write it down...haha.)

I didn't always have this notebook.  As a matter of fact, my "brain", is a relatively new addition to my attempt to be organized and together.  It has been a process, to say the least.  It all started a few years back.

I noticed that one of my friends frequently carried a 3 ring binder with her.  I was impressed at her organization but thought little of it...until my sixth baby made his appearance.  Still tunneling through stacks of boxes from a recent move and unpacking from several weeks vacation in Texas, I didn't feel like I was coming up for air.  After taking care of all the needs of my little ones, spending special time with them, and schooling them, there was little time left for getting caught up.

Then, I noticed another friend of mine with a 3 ring binder and she made a comment about having all of her important things in there.  I knew that I must be missing something really important here because neither of these mommy friends had time for frivolous notebook creating:)  I decided to dig deeper and find out just what was in these three ring binders.  A few conversations later, I was hooked and decided that I should give this 3 ring binder thing a shot.  It definitely couldn't hurt and maybe my friends were on to something:) I really did need something...anything...to help me keep it all together without reinventing the wheel...definitely don't have time for reinventing!

So, first I went shopping...always my favorite part of any project:)  I picked out a purple (my favorite color...hoping I will be more inclined to actually use it!) binder that had not only the three rings in it, but also several files and a place to keep pins and small items...and most importantly, a zipper to keep it closed.  (In this house, it won't last very long if it's not zipped closed.)

Years ago I used to keep a notebook next to my bed so that if I thought of something important when falling asleep, I could write it down and sleep peacefully knowing that I would not forget that ever important thought...haha.  I am always amazed by the number of the things that I think of or remember when I am falling asleep!

This notebook is a larger and more in depth version of that same thing.  Included in my "brain" 3 ring binder is my monthly meal planning, ongoing grocery and shopping lists, house cleaning schedule and rotation, daily schedules for school, things that I want to research, writing projects, anything involving my kids, a calendar (home made...of course), and things that I organize like events for my local homeschooling support group, church potlucks...and anything that I would like to remember.  As Henry Loftin, director of Glowing Heart Ministries used to tell us college kids many years ago, "The weakest ink is stronger than the strongest mind."  I totally agree!

Amazing the difference!  My brain can actually rest now and not have to remember every detail of everything going on.  I just run and check my "brain" when in doubt...and I run to it quite often these days.  I can rely on my "brain" to remember for me.  And, as long as I write it all down and check the "brain", I stay on track:)

What things do you do to organize and remember all the details?

The Hunt is On...

This is the time of year that I really start hunting for the curriculum that I want for next year. So far, I have been able to find most of it at used curriculum sales...YEAH! So, after all of the lists and searching, I am down to a few basics that I need to get at the AFHE Convention. However, I'm sure that won't stop me from spending hours sifting through all the different curriculum and educational tools.

I am also beginning to try to fit together a daily schedule that we will follow when we start the new school year. Working around naps and meals we will be going to an all day schedule. Hopefully this will actually be less stressful than trying to finish up before lunch. So, leaving the lists behind, I move on to charts and scheduling..haha. I actually LOVE it...I know! It is most helpful for me to have our daily schedule posted so that I can refer to it and try to keep to our goals...other wise I feel lost...weird I know...haha. This year I am making chore charts for my older three so that they can start becoming more independent and begin to learn some self-monitoring skills. I am expecting to do lots of monitoring myself and teaching and re-teaching on how we do out chores. We are going to start into the morning routine the week before we start school to help with the adjustment.

So, what are the schedules that have worked well...or not so well for your family? Share. I would love the new ideas as I am working through the scheduling:)

Happy charting!