Keep Your Zone Missions Short and Sweet

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Getting Organized:
In your home and homeschool

Dear Friends,
How does your kitchen look today? The daily Zone Missions are designed to be quick and easy, and I want you to feel successful with them. If you have a co-op day each week, you are doing great with only 4 missions a week. Please see yourself as a success if you are consistently doing 3 or more Zone Missions a week.
Some days you are going to be busy, and you are not going to be able to do much more than your daily routines. I have homeschooled long enough to know that you will have rough days for your schedule. It is okay. It is normal. You are not going to bat a homerun every single day of the week with your routines and missions. You have to give yourself grace on the less than great days.
One of the ladies I talk to each week told me that it helps her when I share that my days are not always easy. They do not always go according to plan. I have had entire school years that did not go according to plan. We got through it anyway. We grew. We learned. We progressed. It was just different than what I imagined.
Having two teen boys and one pre-teen boy in the house keeps me busy. Today I am writing you from their afternoon activity. They are skating, and I am writing to you. It’s loud here. I am interrupted a lot, and I would not change a thing about it.
Someone was talking about putting certain foods away in a different place to keep her teenagers from eating it all. You know what? Sometimes I hide my food, too. With eating gluten-free, I have certain “treats” that I enjoy, and by the time the end of the week rolls around, the boys are less picky about what snacks they eat. They just like to eat! So I keep my gluten-free foods and snacks in a different cabinet. They know not to eat any of them without checking with me.
One of my sons ate an entire pack of cookies once in one sitting! That’s when I decided it was okay to put my treats in a different location.
Today is the last day of our weekly missions. If you have not done a mission this week, I want you to do one today.
Let me know what you struggle with the most. I will talk about it next week.
Today’s Zone Mission is to wipe your stove top and microwave.

Your Home Blessing for today is to empty the trash, sweep, and mop.

My menu plan for Friday is take out.

Have a wonderful weekend!

How do your kitchen cabinets look?

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Getting Organized:
In your home and homeschool

Dear Friends,

This week we have been focusing on the kitchen. Do you have a kitchen cabinet or two that are in disarray? Kitchen cabinets take a lot of abuse from us. We throw things in them. We close doors quickly so things don’t fall out. We duck when we open a certain cabinet. You know what I am talking about.

Last fall, we did a kitchen renovation. I emptied my cabinets to refinish them. In 28 years, I have never emptied my kitchen cabinets. I found things that have sat in the same place for 28 years and never been used.
As I went through my cabinets, I decluttered a lot of stuff. I did not let sentiment dictate that I keep something that I had never used. I donated many things. Hopefully, someone else is using them now.

You do not need to empty your cabinets, but I do want you to pick the cabinet with the most clutter. Set your timer for 15 minutes and purge the stuff you are not using. If you have a large collection of plastic storage containers, try to thin that down. I got rid of half of mine, and I have not missed them.

You might have a cabinet with a lot of your disposable (paper) products. Sometimes that cabinet gets messy. Declutter and organize those items. Then write down the things you are out of or running low.

Each month I will remind you to declutter in one cabinet, so you will have time over the course of the year to work your way through your cabinets. Start with one and work your way down the line each month.

It is possible to declutter in small steps and be successful in getting rid of things.

Today’s Zone Mission is to declutter items from one kitchen cabinet.

Your Home Blessing for today is to declutter paper and magazines.

My menu plan for Thursday is chicken and a salad.

Have a great day!

Are you decluttering a little each day?

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Getting Organized:
In your home and homeschool

 

Dear Friends,
The Habit of the Month with The FlyLady is to declutter a little bit each day. This does not have to be a big event. It should be a part of your routine at some point in the day. It does not matter when you do it. What matters is that you do it.
As homeschoolers, we have a lot of stuff in our homes. We have books, papers, supplies, manipulatives, and the usual stuff you need to run a home.
We have too much stuff. We hold onto things in case we will need them again in the future. Sometimes years pass, and we are still holding onto things. Take a few minutes and go around your home and take some pictures. Take a look at the pictures and see where the clutter is. You will spot clutter much faster in a picture. You have gotten used to seeing certain things in certain places. You grow immune to seeing the clutter.
Make a plan on how you want to attack your clutter. If you have a lot of clutter, you need to declutter separately from your Zone Missions. You will get rid of more clutter quickly if you declutter daily for 15 minutes. Then do a quick Zone Mission at a different time of the day.
Many of you are procrastinating decluttering because you want a whole day to declutter and clean. In reality, you do not have a whole day to do this. You will see small amount of progress if you commit to daily decluttering.
Use your calendar to check off each day that you spend 15 minutes decluttering. Reward yourself with a few minutes of putting your feet up and sipping your favorite beverage. Relaxing is an important part of your day, too. You need to take care of yourself, so you can take care of your family.
Your Zone Mission today is to declutter leftovers from the fridge.

Your Home Blessing for today is to wipe your windows and mirrors.
My menu plan for Wednesday is spaghetti and a salad.

Have a great day!

Do you have a kitchen junk drawer?

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Getting Organized:
In Your Home and Homeschool

Dear Friends,

How many of you have a junk drawer in your kitchen? I used to have two junk drawers in my kitchen. When one drawer was not enough, I started using a second drawer. For years, things floated around in these two drawers. Who really knows what was in there.

In the fall, we did a kitchen renovation, and I emptied both junk drawers. Most of the stuff in these drawers was just dumped in the trash. I sorted through the rest of the items, and I found new homes for them.

Now I don’t have a junk drawer in my kitchen. I put the tools in a toolbox. I put the batteries in another drawer that was easier to control. (If you have children who use a lot of batteries, you know what I am talking about.) I put the pens and pencils in my school cabinet.

Now I have two drawers that I am better using for my kitchen supplies. I also added a wire rack inside of one of the lower cabinet doors. It holds my plastic wrap and aluminum foil. I installed another wire holder inside of an upper cabinet door, and it holds my most used spices. It is handy near my stove, but it is out of sight when the cabinet is closed.

As soon as you finish reading this email, I want you to set your timer for 15 minutes and start decluttering items from your junk drawer. Don’t empty it. Just move the trash can near the drawer and toss stuff into it.

Your Home Blessing for today is to dust and vacuum.

Your Zone Mission for today is to declutter items from the junk drawer.

My menu plan for Tuesday is taco Tuesday.

Have a blessed day!

Where do I start?

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Getting Organized:
In your home and homeschool

Dear Friends,

Welcome to a new week! Are you ready to make your kitchen sparkle this week with me? When your kitchen sparkles, you are going to smile and feel great.

These missions are meant to take 10 to 15 minutes. Please do not empty a drawer or cabinet if it will take more than 15 minutes to sort and organize.

Zone 2 Missions: The Kitchen

Monday – Declutter & Wipe the Kitchen Counters
Tuesday – Declutter items from 1 drawer
Wednesday – Decutter leftovers from the fridge
Thursday – Declutter items from 1 cabinet
Friday – Wipe stove top & microwave

Set your timers and then take a break when it goes off!

Several of my friends are dealing with big things in their lives — sick parents, sick children, sick themselves, and more. One friend said each week brings a new crisis. I can remember feeling that way at times.

There are a few things around the house that are my priorities when life seems to be throwing a lot of curve balls. The first is my kitchen and kitchen sink. If my sink is clean, I feel good. If my kitchen is clean, I feel more peace. So I make it a priority to clean my kitchen even if the rest of the house is in disarray. This is where I start.

When I am sick, my family knows how much it means to me to have a clean kitchen, and they will keep it clean for me. It gives them joy to bless me in this way.

My second priority is the laundry. With a large family, it is not good if we get behind on the laundry. I can throw load of laundry into the washer first thing in the morning or just before bed at night. This is not my preference, but it is how I handle it when life is really busy.

If I start a load at night, I put a sticky note on my computer to switch it to the dryer first thing in the morning. I have not had any issues with it smelling bad from an overnight washing. I have used the delay wash feature, too. That way it finishes the spin cycle right before I get up in the morning.

Just these two things make me feel peaceful when life feels less than peaceful. If you are struggling with where to start, I want you to start in your kitchen. Use your timer and spend 15 minutes. You might not finish everything, but you are taking the first step.

Your Home Blessing for today is to wash the sheets.

Your Zone Mission for today is to declutter your kitchen counters and wipe them down.

My menu plan for Monday is pork chops.

Have a blessed day!

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What’s your child’s learning style?

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Pureflix_blank_typesoflearners-a

 

What’s your child’s learning style?

 

In my 18 years of homeschooling, my six children have allowed me to experience different learning styles as we learned together. Most of us are strong learners in one of these four ways. Some of us are a mix of styles. I am a strong visual learner, and I am not as good at learning by hearing.

Most people learn well by doing things. This is hands on learning. This is often referred to as a kinesthetic learner. I have used hands on unit studies to teach my children history and science. They remember the things they do and experience. So we spent time experiencing history through re-enactments. We have experienced science through experiments. My children have long-term memories from their unit studies.

One of my children is a strong auditory learner. He is also a strong kinesthetic learner. When he was little, I would give him something to occupy his hands, such as playdough or blocks. Then I would read books to him. He would remember everything I read to him even though it seemed like he was not paying attention.

Another one of my children is a strong visual learner. He picked up on reading faster than any of his siblings. He is not as strong in auditory learning, but he is a strong kinesthetic learner. It is interesting to see how the hands on learning is a complement to both my auditory and visual learner. We used videos as a supplement many times over the years. Pureflix has a great homeschool video collection. You won’t have to be concerned about content like you do with other streaming services.

Some children and adults learn through writing. When I am working on something new, I like to write it out. It helps me process what I am learning. If I am taking a class, it helps me to take notes and outline the material.

What types of learners are represented in your homeschool?

 

Siggie - Tami Fox

 

Infographic provided by PureFlix.

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Planning Family Fun Day

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Getting Organized:
In your home and homeschool

Dear Friends,

Each week part of the weekly plan is to have a Family Fun Day. We structure our week so that the Home Blessings are done, and the Zone Missions are completed. This leaves us with Saturday as Family Fun Day. (*Note* Any day can be Family Fun Day if your spouse works shift work.)
What I hear often is that you don’t know what to do on Family Fun Day. You have grown accustomed to spending Saturday as a project day, and you end up not doing something fun on Saturday as a family because you did not decide what to do.
There are many things you can do for Family Fun Day. If the weather permits, plan an outdoor activity. If the weather is terrible, you can have a family game day, or you can plan an indoor activity.
Sit down as a family and make a list of activities from suggestions from each person. Then you can pick from the list and rotate through the choices. Each person will get to do something he or she enjoys as time goes on. You can give guidelines as far as cost and distance traveled.
My family has enjoyed picnics, hikes, fishing, playing in the snow, bowling, skating, games, going to sporting events, board games, and visiting family and friends.
The people I observe having Family Fun Day in their weekly schedule have planned it and set aside time in their schedule for it.
What are some of the things you have done for Family Fun Day?
Today’s Zone Mission is to do a 27 Fling Boogie in the Entryway and Dining Room.

Your Home Blessing for today is to empty the trash, sweep, and mop.

My menu plan for Friday is take out.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Decluttering Daily to Help You Get Organized in Your Home

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Getting Organized:
In your home and homeschool

Dear Friends,

Happy February 1st! As we launch into a new month, you have a fresh start on the Habit of the Month. This month we are going to practice the habit of decluttering daily.

You only need to do this for 5 to 15 minutes a day. Earlier in the week, I talked about how I fit daily decluttering into my schedule. There is not right or wrong time of day to declutter. You just need to find a place in your routines where you can build it into your routines.

For an area that is full of clutter that you want to get rid of, start today. Set your timer. Turn on some music. Start flinging. You just need to have a box or bag handy for items to give away, a box for items to be put away, and a trash bag for items to throw away.
If you have a full garage or basement, you may want to put a reminder on your phone to declutter in that area specifically every day. You are making an appointment with yourself because this is important.
With a lot of paper clutter, set up your shredder near the area you are in the most. Spend 5 minutes a day shredding paper. Resist the urge to sort into piles of paper. Deal with one piece at a time. Set up files that you need.
When I talk to people about paper clutter, they say it with dread. I want you to turn that thought around. Decluttering paper is a good thing. It will bring you peace. It will help you take care of your home. If it makes you feel like you are making progress, weigh the paper you are decluttering. Do a 27 Fling Boogie with paper. It doesn’t take long if you just take the first step in getting started.
Tell me how you are dealing with your paper clutter.
Today’s Zone Mission is to declutter and dust in the Dining Room and Entryway.
Your Home Blessing for today is to declutter paper and magazines.
My menu plan for Thursday is chicken and a salad.
Have a great day!

Top 10 Things Procrastinated Around the House

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Getting Organized:
In your home and homeschool

 

Dear Friends,
Happy anti-procrastination day! Today I want you to tackle one thing you have been putting off. It can be anything around the house. As I have talked to ladies over the past two years, I have heard of many things that they struggle with doing.
Here are the Top 10 things I see procrastinated:
1)      Paper clutter
2)      Making phone calls for appointments
3)      Paying bills
4)      Swishing the toilet and swiping the bathroom sink
5)      Shining the kitchen sink
6)      Folding laundry
7)      Getting dressed down to the lace up shoes
8)      Going to bed at a decent hour
9)      Including children in daily routines
10)    Menu planning
Did I hit on any of the things you procrastinate? Following the FlyLady’s routines and zone missions on a consistent basis will help you with all of these. You don’t have to do everything all at once. You can start with one habit at a time. That is why she gives us a new Habit of the Month to practice.
In January we have practiced shining our kitchen sink at night. This gives you a great way to start your day with an empty and clean sink. It does not have to take you a long time. When I shine mine at night, it is pretty quick. I put any dishes in the sink into the dishwasher. I do a quick wipe and rinse of the sink. I dry it with my daily towel. I put that towel in the wash, and I pull out a clean towel for the next day.
Tomorrow, we will start a new Habit of the Month, so tonight, I want you to finish January strong with a clean and empty sink before you go to bed.
Tell me what you have been procrastinating.
Your Zone Mission today is to put away anything that does not belong in the Living Room.

Your Home Blessing for today is to wipe your windows and mirrors.

My menu plan for Wednesday is beef stew and salad.

Have a great day!

Fitting in Decluttering, Zone Missions, and Home Blessings

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Getting Organized:
In Your Home and Homeschool

Dear Friends,

Are you trying to figure out where your Home Blessings, Decluttering, and Zone Missions fit into your daily routine? Someone asked me how I fit all three of these in with homeschooling.

My day is divided into segments using my Morning, Afternoon, and Before Bed (or Evening) Routines.

In the morning, I will do a Home Blessing. I list them for you each day. That is how I have broken mine down into manageable steps. The boys help me with the Home Blessings, so it moves along quickly. It does not cause a big delay in starting our school day.

In the afternoon, I will do a Zone Mission after lunch. This helps me get the detail cleaning done in each area of the house, and it is only takes 10 to 15 minutes to do. You can also include your children and make it a game. Learning to clean and having joy about cleaning is a great life skill.

After dinner, I will do some decluttering. This can be focused on a Hot Spot that developed during the day, or it can be decluttering wherever needed, such as the boys’ clothes or a stack of paper.

Dealing with with the mail is a daily routine for me. It helps me keep control of the paper coming into the house. It only takes a few minutes if you do it daily.

Depending on the ages and number of children that you have, you can move these around to fit your needs. You might find it works better to do the Zone Mission and Decluttering back to back. Each school year has a different level of need, and I have shifted things around over the years as needed to meet their needs and still get my daily routines completed.
Here are a couple of links to a previous year’s schedule for both me and the boys.
Here are some articles from The FlyLady on Flying While Homeschooling.

http://www.flylady.net/d/gycw/flying-with-homeschoolers/

Your Home Blessing for today is to dust and vacuum.

Your Zone Mission for today is to move the Living Room furniture and detail vacuum.

My menu plan for Tuesday is Cornish Game Hens.

Have a blessed day!