Friday, May 30, 2014

Scheduling

Homeschooling, church, homesteading, running a business, keeping house, errands, appointments, odd jobs, family time, extra projects and maintaining relationships with those we care for....

That's a lot. That's our life.

How do I fit it all in each day? 

Simple. I don't.

I've accepted that no day will ever be complete. But I can keep moving in the right direction. I can make progress, but completion is for when I've gone home to be with the Lord.

Until then, there's time management. There's avoiding my breads of idleness. There's prioritizing.

 I have this cute little poster on the wall. Its a daily schedule for each family member to follow Monday through Saturday. In six months we've achieved this twice. Thats 2 out of 180. Those aren't great odd.

When that bugs me, I hear Michelle Duggar's voice in my head saying ''at least we have a goal!''

That's the point. A goal. Not perfection.

What does our goal look like?

-Wake up, dressed and ready, family bible and prayer time
-Breakfast, clean up, morning stewardship (otherwise know as chores)
-School or errands
-Lunch, bible reading, clean up and afternoon stewardship... this is when nappers get laid down
-Free play for kids (or more school for those who want to) while I do business stuff or work on mending and sewing
-Dinner, family devotionals, clean up, baths and evening stewardship
-Bedtime for the munchkins and I catch up anything I need to, do my bible study and work on custom orders

And sometimes we toss the whole thing to visit those we love or because I've had extra work that requires us to be outside the house for an entire day.

Decide what your priorities and goals are and build your day around those, but always be flexible!!!!

Sunday, May 25, 2014

Weekly Goals ~ May 26

Well, not the most impressive week.
But when you toss in that we had the stomach flu for half the week, I think I kicked butt!

Here's how the week played out...

Finance
~Earn $250 this week (only made $85... I had to cancel 2 jobs the days I was sick)
~Evaluate budget to account for job loss... doesn't look too bad, not good or easy but nothing to panic about

Animals
~Sell 2 drakes... a few people were interested, but no takers
~Find a new source of free feed... found!

Food
~A "buy nothing" week... I spent $5 on bananas while we were sick, we were all on the B.R.A.T diet
~Start many seeds... started as many as I'll be doing until that rabbit is gone!
~Start potato tower... didn't happen.

Sewing/knitting/crochting
~1 item from mending/alteration basket each day... success!
~baby shower gift... is almost done.
~20 rows on Afghan... 25 actually

Reading
~Bible 2 Chronicals 32- Nehemiah 6... I made it to Ezra
~Clean House chapters 3-5... done
~Sheparding a Child's Heart Chapters 4&5... done

Business
~Post at least 3 flyers... printed but not posted
~List at least 2 ready made items online daily... I managed 2 post most days, but at least one each day

Homeschooling
~Catch up grading and filing... about 50% caught up
~Help oldest 2 through work... their back on track
~Organize school corner... it's so pretty!!

Projects
~Secure fence line so ducks can free range... check
~Clean up green house... did I mention the stomach flu?! Yeah, didn't happen
~Price water barrels... check and no
~paint laundry room... check, even painted the storage room

Additional accomplishments
~turned off pilot light for furnace
~found $5 shoes for me for church
~cleaned and organized most of my room (the sewing table isn't done, but that's a full day project)

It bothers me that in each category there is at least one task I didn't accomplish. This week I'm aiming just as high, but I want to see at least one category complete... hopefully, they'll all be completed!

For this week....

Finance
~Earn $300 this week

Animals
~Sell 2 drakes
~Post buck for sale
~Check with 2 businesses about waste produce

Food
~$20 budget
~Continue to try to catch wild rabbit
~Start potato tower

Sewing/knitting/crochting
~1 item from mending/alteration basket each day (yeah, it's a full basket!)
~finish baby shower gift
~20 rows on Afghan

Reading
~Bible Ezra 1- Job 4
~Clean House chapters 6-8
~Sheparding a Child's Heart Chapters 6&7

Business
~Post at least 3 flyers
~One Facebook post per day
~Set up Etsy shop
~Make 10 business cards
~Make 15 ribbon tags

Homeschooling
~Catch up grading and filing
~Refill Chey and Dakota's baskets

Projects
~Clean up green house
~Paint and install screen door

Here goes Nothing!

Wednesday, May 21, 2014

Homeschooling Plans and Curriculum

I like to plan things... clearly.

But I've learned that all my plans need to be flexible or I go a little crazy because the plan isn't working.

Our homeschool plan has to account for last minuet work opportunities, nice days spent outside working the garden, animals and yes, enjoying it, sickness that never seems to end and a myriad of other things that make being a single parent, homesteading, homeschooling family rather interesting.

First of all, curriculum.

I had big dreams of finally buying the Rod and Staff curriculum I so greatly adore. Unfortunately at this point, that's not an option. Back to dream land goes that plan.

The back up plan is to create my own curriculum.

I'm sure there are 100 million ways to do this. My way works for us, so I'll stick with it.

Everyone works on what they have and I give them harder packets (of free printables) or workbooks as they complete what they had with competence. I pay little attention to grade level, I just increase the difficulty as they master a skill.

Sometimes that means someone is doing basic subtraction or coin values for 6-8 weeks until it clicks and then they may get the next skill down in a week or 2.

For things like introducing government and history topics we get age appropriate books from the library (we go every other week) and read them together. I answer any questions they may have that wasn't covered in the book. Some questions I can't answer, because even Google doesn't give you Abe Lincoln's favorite color.

I plan to do a homeschooling post every Wednesday. Next week I'll cover how homeschooling fits into our day!

Tuesday, May 20, 2014

Meal Plan for May 19-24

Meal planning is an important aspect of not only staying on budget but staying sane around here.

I plan our meals for the week on Sunday night. I only plan Monday-Saturday. Sunday we have cereal for breakfast, leftovers for lunch and dinner at grandma's.... so no planning required.

This week's meal plan looks like this:

Monday
B: pumpkin cake with fruit
L: PB&J with cucumbers
D: leftovers

Tuesday
B: cereal
L: GF burritos and pizza rolls (my mom dropped them off for the kids as a treat)
D: curry and rice with mixed veggies
Wednesday
B: loaded scrambled eggs (What they're loaded with depends on what needs used up)
L: mashed potatoes with gravy
D: taco rice and left overs

Thursday
B: pumpkin cake (we have tons of pumpkin and this recipe is a hit!)
L: PB&J with applesauce
D: fried potatoes, veggies and soup

Friday
B: oatmeal with fruit
L: tuna, crackers, pickles, granola, dried fruit (what my kids call a picnic lunch)
D: salad and leftovers

Saturday
B: loaded scrambled eggs
L: fried potatoes, fruits and veggies
D: chicken and rice with gravy and veggies

For snacks we have fruits, veggies, some snack bars I got for $0.95 a box, nuts and pretzels.

Next week will hopefully be another no buy week, but I foresee milk and some veggies on the list.

Sunday, May 18, 2014

Weekly goals ~ May 20th

In an effort to help me stay on track with how many things I have going on and to shed some light onto some of the behind the scenes work that keeps my household running, I've decided to set weekly goals and post them each Monday.

These goals will cover many areas of life, but all are central to the flow of our lives.

At the end of the week, I'll post some of my accomplishments.

Finance
~Earn $250 this week
~Evaluate budget to account for job loss

Animals
~Sell 2 drakes
~Find a new source of free feed

Food
~A "buy nothing" week
~Start many seeds
~Start potato tower

Sewing/knitting/crochting
~1 item from mending/alteration basket each day
~baby shower gift
~20 rows on Afghan

Reading
~Bible 2 Chronicals 32- Nehemiah 6
~Clean House chapters 3-5
~Sheparding a Child's Heart Chapters 4&5

Business
~Post at least 3 flyers
~List at least 2 ready made items online daily

Homeschooling
~Catch up grading and filing
~Help oldest 2 through work
~Organize school corner

Projects
~Secure fence line so ducks can free range
~Clean up green house
~Price water barrels
~paint laundry room

Each of these tasks helps move my family toward our ultimate goals.

Saturday, May 17, 2014

An Increase

I've been a very good girl lately.

I've been looking and looking at animals... but I haven't bought any in MONTHS!

In fact, I've sold several over those months!

This is big for me.

But today... I bought.

I bought exactly what I've been looking for... a pair of buff ducks!

*squeeeeeeeaaaaaallllllllll*

They're so perfect!

That leaves only a few more duck hens and I'm done buying animals.

I haven't done a critter count in awhile because it just doesn't change as often lately. So where are we at now with our critters?

4 goats. 1 buck and 4 does.

10 chickens. All hens.

6 ducks. 3 drakes and 3 hens. Which is a problem... so hopefully the Cayuga and Swedish Black drakes sell soon!

Grand total of 20... which is nothing compared to the 50-60 the rabbits kept us at!

I'm hoping to get some Ancona ducklings this week and be done with critter collecting.

We'll be left with only multiplication and not addition.

One of our goats, Butterscotch, is due to kid in the next month. Trixie is due in September and I just finished drying up Pepper Rose and put her in the breeding pen.

We have a broody hen and we got some fertile duck eggs under her, but something got the eggs. But we'll try again, because she's still trying to sit a nest with nothing in it!

Now to get the garden going and I'll be one happy little farmer girl.

Friday, May 16, 2014

Trust

I'm a goal setting type person... clearly.

The problem with that is remembering that life isn't a race to check off all the "to-do's" on your list.

Life is a process. It changes. It has seasons. Sometimes you knock it out of the part and sometimes you fall on your face.

Both are okay. In fact, both are vital.

If not for my "failures" I wouldn't have the chance to work harder, test my mind and abilities, and show those around me that impossible means nothing when God is with you.

Those are the moments when I can give God all the credit and no one argues. The moments people are saying "I don't know how you do it!" I can say "God works all things for His good and glory for those who serve Him. He provides strength, energy, motivation and opportunity that this world can't."

No one argues.

They either agree or get quiet.

Either they're faith is contented and the glory of the Lord more firmed in their mind.

Or they're thinking. Because everything I said challenges what they believe and the stance they've taken on spiritual issues.

Do I think what I do is that amazing? Nope.

I think what I do is mundane, repetitive, "old school", rewarding and different than what most people are seeking. But more importantly, I think it's exactly where God wants me.

He has a plan for my good and His glory (anyone else start singing?) and it's my job to trust that His plans are better than mine.

3 years ago my plans involved living happily-ever-after, babies, a dog, buying a house and selling knit and crochet items in my free time.

Now... well, now looks very different......

There is no happily-ever-after. The divorce process has started.

My baby is 2! What? How is he 2? I've been in denial.

A dog sounds like a lot of useless work. If my kids want a pet, they can have a hermit crab or claim a chicken!

I did buy a house... but it's not at all what had been in my plan. I can see my neighbors (many of them!) and I don't even have 1 acre, let alone the 6+ I dreamed of.

And what the heck is free time? There's bible time, church time, kid time, critter time, cleaning time, school time, volunteer time, fellowship time, work time and sometimes I even have sleep time! None of my time is free... its all been delegated to a useful purpose.

For me it marks a huge point of growth to say "I had this plan, it went ABC. But God's plan is different than mine, and I'm going to trust Him. He made me, so He knows what's best for me."

I'm still going to keep prayerfully  making plans, but hopefully I never again dig my heels in the sand like a stubborn fool because God didn't follow my plan.

I'm going to do my best to trust the Lord with all my heart, soul and might. That's part of loving Him, we trust those we love.