Toss It Thursday – Getting Organized

Getting Organized this Summer:
In your home and homeschool

 

Part of my summer organization plan each year is to defrost my large, upright freezer. I did not have it on my task list this week, but circumstances changed today. I had to clean out my large freezer and move some of the foods that were still frozen to my two smaller freezers, and I also had several items that had partially thawed. So I had to change my meal plan and preparations for today. I am blessed that the situation was caught when it was. I am blessed that I had already been thinning out the amount of food in my big freezer with freezer cooking and using what I had on hand in my pantry.

I had reduced my grocery budget this summer to help use these items that really needed to be used. Since this situation came about quickly, I enlisted the help of the boys. They helped me sort out what was still frozen solid, and they helped me repack my small freezers. They helped me throw out the things that had been in the freezer too long.

 

One of the items that had thawed to the point of needing to be cooked was a pack of Buffalo Chicken Legs from my Freezer Cooking Plan. I put it in the crock pot. Another item was a pack of frozen field peas, so I put them on to slow cook on the stove top. I had several bags of frozen corn on the cob from last summer, so I will boil those just before time for dinner tonight. Two small pork chops and some kielbasa had also thawed, so I put them in the refrigerator to cook tonight, too. This is not what I had on my menu plan for the day, but it will be okay. I can move my menu plan for the week over as needed each day.

 

Another thing that thawed out was two small packs of deer meat. The boys helped me work it up to make deer jerky with our deer jerky gun (kind of like a cookie shooter) and our dehydrator. So they will have healthy snacks for a few days when this is ready later on.

 

None of this was planned for today, but I was able to handle it easily because the boys helped me. It was also easy to handle because my routines were in place. My sink was shiny. My kitchen counter was cleared off. I had thinned down the amount of food I had on hand. All of this worked together to make this unplanned event not become a stressor for me.

 

Here are a few pictures from my endeavors today:

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Set your timer for 15 minutes for the Home Assignment and 15 minutes for the School Assignment

 

Home:

  • Make Your Bed (Do this as soon as you get up.)
  • Get Dressed Down to Your Shoes
  • Swish and Swipe
  • Start Your Laundry
  • Decide on Dinner
  • Check Your Calendar
  • Start the Day off with a Shiny Sink. Don’t leave the breakfast dishes sitting.

School: Today, purge any papers from previous years that you do not need any longer. I have attendance records and testing records since we started our homeschool in 2000. I only have to keep one year’s records. It’s time to purge those old records. I will always keep a copy of my student’s high school transcripts, but I have it on my computer and on paper.

Afternoon Routine:

  • Eat Lunch
  • Clear off One Hot Spot
  • Reboot the Laundry
  • Declutter for 15 Minutes (Be sure to have your children declutter, too.)
  • Drink Your Water
  • Zone Focus: Front Entrance, Front Porch, and Dining Room – Put away the clutter in your dining room. If you can’t see your table, break it down into zones – one end, the other end, right side, left side.

Before Bed: (This starts right after dinner.) 

  • Check the Calendar for Tomorrow
  • Lay out Your Clothes for Tomorrow (Have your children lay their clothes out, too.)
  • Put things at your launch pad
  • Shine Your Sink
  • Clean Off a Hot Spot
  • Go to Bed at Decent Hour

I post a new post each morning during the week at www.TamiFox.net.

 

Siggie - Tami Fox

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About Tami

Tami Fox is a homeschool mom of 6, who in age from 26 to 11. She and her husband have homeschooled for 17 years and have graduated three of their children from their homeschool. They are currently homeschooling 3 boys who are in grades 11, 9, and 6. They use hands-on learning and unit studies to ignite the fire of learning in their children. Tami is a homeschool author and conference speaker. You can contact her by email at Tami@TamiFox.com. Buy her book, Giving Your Children Wings at https://tamifox.net/giving-your-children-wings/.

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