Welcome June and a New Habit of the Month

Getting Organized:
In your Home and Homeschool 
 

Dear Friends,
Welcome a new month and a new Habit of the Month to practice. During the month of June, we work on drinking the proper amount of water daily. Each of us has a different need for daily water intake. It’s already hot, hot, hot in North Carolina, so I have added 20 ounces of water to my normal intake daily.
How do you figure out how much you need to drink daily? The simplest way I can tell you is to take your weight and divide it by 2. If you weight 150 lbs., then you should strive to drink 75 ounces of water per day. If it is hot where you live and you sweat, you need to add 15 to 20 ounces to that. If you exercise and sweat a lot, you need to add enough water to compensate for your sweat loss.
You need to also be aware of how you feel if you sweat a lot in the summer. Your electrolytes can become imbalanced. I use more salt on my food in the summer, and I add enough that I can taste it. I am usually salt depleted if I cannot taste the salt on my food.
We are going to roll through two zones this week, so pace yourself and do what needs to be done the most.
Zone 1 and 2 Missions: The Front Porch, Entryway, Dining Room, and Kitchen
Monday – Take care of the Hot Spots in Zone 1.
Tuesday – Declutter from your kitchen pantry. Reach all the way to the back and pull out stuff that has been there a long time.
Wednesday – Declutter leftovers from the fridge.
Thursday – Declutter from under the kitchen sink.
Friday – Declutter items from the freezer that have been in there too long. Use this opportunity to see what you can use in your menu planning for next week.
Set your timers and then take a break when it goes off!
The beginning of June may signal you that it’s time to dive into a project that you were not able to do during your homeschool year. I typically do this in my home. My caution to you is to break down your project into manageable steps and work on it a little at a time. Don’t neglect your daily routines and Home Blessings in favor of your project.
If you have a large project, use your slow cooker or electric pressure cooker to help you with your meals. You can set either of these kitchen appliances up to cook for you, and you can spend time on your project.
Be sure to schedule in some fun time daily, too. You and your children do not need to constantly check off boxes on your to do list and not have some fun, too.
Look around your area or find a local calendar that lists free or almost free activities in the summer. There are many things you can do in your local area that are fun, and you do not have to spend a lot of money on them.
Plan a picnic lunch and play time at the park with friends. See of your area has free summer bowling for kids. Check out programs at your local library. If you have a local science center, see what they offer in the summer.
Each day of the week can have a theme for your activity, or you can have a theme of the week. Either way, don’t get so caught up in your summer projects that you neglect summer fun.
Weekly Menu Plan
Monday – Chicken and Rice
Tuesday – BBQ Pork Roast
Wednesday – Spaghetti and Salad
Thursday – Chicken and Salad
Friday – Fish Fry
Enjoy your week! Keep your routines simple.
Your Home Blessing for today is to wash the sheets.
Your Zone Mission for Monday is to deal with Hot Spots in Zone 1.
My menu plan for Monday is a chicken and rice.
Have a blessed day!

Finishing Up May Strong

Getting Organized:
In your Home and Homeschool 
 

Dear Friends,
Happy Friday! It’s the last day of May! We are wrapping up our zone missions in the living room today. Today’s mission is easy. Do something decorative to your living room. You can move things around. You can put some things away and bring out different things. It’s nice for a change of pace to change your décor occasionally.
Since it is the last day of the month, take a few minutes to think about the past month. What went well for you? Where did you struggle? What can you do to make June better?
If the end of school caused you to have some interrupted routines, maybe you need to post your routines where you can see them. It will help your family, too. I have the three daily routines posted on my cabinet in the kitchen.
If you have a hard time remember the zone missions or the Home Blessings, you can use your paper calendar to help you keep track of them. You can jot down a few words on your calendar for the zone missions. It doesn’t have to be a long description.
The summer is a great time to work on your FlyLady Control Journal. It will help you stay on track with your routines.
Have a wonderful weekend!
Today’s Zone Mission is to decorate in the Living Room.
Your Home Blessing for today is to take off the trash, sweep, and mop.
My menu plan for Friday is take out.
Have a great weekend!

How are you doing with Moving in May?

Getting Organized:
In your Home and Homeschool 
 

Dear Friends,
Thank you for your emails this week! I appreciate hearing from my readers. It helps me to feel like I am not talking to myself. (smile)
You have two more days left in May. How did you do with your daily movement? This has probably been one of my lowest step counting months since I started keeping track of my daily steps. I had knee surgery two weeks ago. This week I am able to walk a little more each day, and I also added back indoor biking and lap swimming. Two more weeks of this, and I will see the surgeon again.
If your May has been less than you wanted it to be for daily steps and movement, it’s not too late to get started. The monthly habits are meant to carry on to the next month and the next month. Start today with 15 minutes of purposeful movement.
Throughout the time of my knee injury that happened in December, I found different ways to exercise other than running. Over the course of my life, I have done different things for daily exercise. You can be creative and find something that suits your needs and your time available.
This late spring has been very hot in North Carolina. If I were just starting my exercise routine, I would find something that I could do indoors consistently. Over the years, I have used exercise videos at home, and I have gone to the local YMCA. One year, I went to a kick boxing class for moms at a local martial arts dojo. I have an assortment of free weights and can do strength training in my garage.
If your early mornings or late evenings are pleasant, get a walking partner and go for a walk. I started my running journey 6 years ago with beginning to walk daily. That led me to walk/run. Which led me to running. I look forward to getting back to running when my knee is healed.
Find something your family can do together! You are setting the example for your children. Start including them now!
Your Zone Mission today is to go sofa and chair diving.
Your Home Blessing for today is to toss paper and magazines.
My menu plan for Thursday is chicken and salad.
Have a blessed day!

Summer Menu Planning

Getting Organized:
In your Home and Homeschool 
 

Dear Friends,
Who has some great summer menu items they want to share? The summer brings us fresh vegetables and fruits. How do you incorporate these into your menu planning?
This year, I have joined a local farmer’s co-op. Each week we get a share of fresh fruits and vegetables. We won’t know what’s in each share, but we pick it up on Thursday. Then, I can make the rest of my shopping list based on what we have on hand.
A couple of years ago, I did a big batch of freezer meals for the slow cooker. It saved me time and money, but I did find that it took me longer to prepare the meals than the plan called for. If you want to read more about it, here are a couple of links to my posts that year.
If you want to see more in this series, just use “slow cooker” in the search box on my blog. It was a fun series of cooking and writing about the results. You could do a freezer meal swap with some friends, too. Each of you could sign up to prepare the same dish, and you would decide how many portions to make based on the number of participants in the swap.
If you have been feeling ho-hum about your menu selections lately, talk to your family. Ask each person in the family to sign up for a night of the week to plan the menu and cook.
If you plant a summer garden, I would love to hear from you, too! How do you decide what to plant?
Your Zone Mission today is to detail vacuum the Living Room and/or Family Room.
Your Home Blessing for today is to wipe windows and mirrors.
My menu plan for Wednesday is soup and sandwiches.
Have a blessed day!

Making Time in Your Day for Play

Getting Organized:
In your Home and Homeschool 
 

Dear Friends,
Happy Tuesday, friends! If you had a Holiday yesterday, write down a quick list of things you need to do today and don’t try to put down two days’ worth of things. Pick the most important things today.
Some of you may not be quite finished with your school year, and I don’t want you to feel rushed to finish. We have finished our year because it coincides with the schedule of the private school where my children’s friends attend. Public schools in my area have a couple of more weeks of classes.
For those of you with younger children who need to keep up their reading skills in the summer, I encourage you to look into your library’s summer reading program. That was a great way for me to encourage reading for my children each summer.
For helping maintain math skills, I would often pick up little summer enrichment workbooks. I would assign a page or two per day for my children to do each morning before they could play. We often went to the community pool in the afternoon or went bowling. In the late evenings, we would go fishing. Having the afternoon activities planned gave them the incentive to do their morning routine and small amount of reading and math.
On Monday evening, they had a game of basketball in the driveway with friends after dinner.
You can ask your children for ideas of things they would like to do this summer and make a plan for rewarding them and yourself. It does not have to be complicated or cost a lot of money.
If you have really hot weather and can’t get out, you can have an afternoon of board games or puzzles. One thing I have learned over the years is that my children want me to spend some time playing with them.
This summer I want you to keep in mind that life is not just about checking off boxes on your To Do List, but it is also a time to enjoy your children and play with them, too.
Tell me about your favorite summer activities.
Your Zone Mission today is to declutter items that do not belong in your living room.
Your Home Blessing for today is to dust and vacuum.
My menu plan for Tuesday is taco Tuesday and a salad.
Have a great day!

Let’s Talk About Summer Routines

Getting Organized:
In your Home and Homeschool 
 

Dear Friends,
Happy Memorial Day, friends. Take a few minutes to pause and thank God for those who gave their lives in service for our country. We are a blessed nation with freedom that came at a high cost for many.
We will be spending the whole week in the Living Room and Family Room, if you have one. If you have both rooms, you can alternate days or do both each day. Use your timer and don’t go overboard in your mission time.
Zone 5 Missions: The Living Room (Family Room)
Monday – Evict the dust bunnies that are in your living room.
Tuesday – Declutter items that do not belong in the Living Room. Put them away. Throw them away. Give them away. You choose.
Wednesday – Detail vacuum the Living Room.
Thursday – Go Sofa and Chair Diving.
Friday – Do something decorative in the Living Room.
Set your timers and then take a break when it goes off!
As summer break is approaching, I keep seeing graphics on Facebook for a summer routine for children. Summer is a great time to work with your children on learning new skills around the house or refining the skills they already have.
Children (and adults) need routines, and The FLyLady routines work year round. What we tend to see in the summer is later nights and later mornings. That can be determined by you, but what can stay the same are the routines themselves.
Morning routines start you off with forward progress in your day. If you are setting limits on screen time for your children this summer, use the routines to help you structure the day.
Even young children can have a routine that they do. You might have to assist with some of it, if they are under age 5.
Our Morning Routine looks like this -
1)  Make bed
2)  Eat breakfast
3)  Take care of your dishes
4)  Brush teeth and get dressed
5)  Swish and swipe the bathroom
6)  Start a load of laundry
Once this is complete, we check to see the day of the week and daily Home Blessing.
They can have a short amount of screen time after they do the things listed above, a quick math practice, and read something.
I encourage them to get outside early in the morning or late in the evening. When my schedule allows, we will go to the pool in the afternoon.
Having activities helps me combat the pull of electronics, but as most of you know, it’s a tough battle these days.
What are some of your favorite summer activities?
Weekly Menu Plan
Monday – Graduation Cookout
Tuesday – Taco Tuesday
Wednesday – Soup/Sandwiches
Thursday – Chicken and Salad
Friday – Take out
Enjoy your week! Keep your routines simple.
Your Home Blessing for today is to wash the sheets.
Your Zone Mission for Monday is to evict the dust bunnies.
My menu plan for Monday is a graduation cookout.
Have a blessed day!

Happy Memorial Day Weekend

Getting Organized:
In your Home and Homeschool 
 

Dear Friends,
Happy Memorial Day Weekend! Spend a few minutes today telling your children what Memorial Day is, and why we honor those who gave their lives in service to our country.
Memorial Day often is treated as the gateway to summer breaks and vacations. It’s a time of getting together with family and friends. We often have cookouts and enjoy being with others.
If you know of someone who lost a military spouse, take time to call them or visit them. Go to a veteran’s memorial or cemetery and leave flags at a service person’s grave.
In the United States, we enjoy freedoms that many countries do not have. These freedoms have come at the cost of lives of our military service men and women.
My family is a military family. My grandfather and his brothers served in World War 2. They all came home from the war alive. One of his brothers was injured and had life-long health issues.
After World War 2, my grandfather joined the Air Force and served 20 years. My father and my uncle also served our country in the Air Force for 20 years. Both of them served during Vietnam.
I am very proud of my military heritage and for their bravery in protecting our country.
Currently, one of my cousins is serving in the Army. He is a young father, and they sacrifice a lot for him to do his job in protecting our country.
It’s important that you teach your children the difference between Memorial Day and Veterans’ Day. We honor the memory of those who gave their lives in service to our country on Memorial Day, and we honor those who served our country in the service on Veteran’s Day.
Have a wonderful weekend!
Today’s Zone Mission is to wash your bedroom windows.
Your Home Blessing for today is to take off the trash, sweep, and mop.
My menu plan for Friday is take out.
Have a great weekend!

Planning Ahead for Your Errand Day Helps You Save Money

Getting Organized:
In your Home and Homeschool 
 

Dear Friends,
Thursday is errand day on the FlyLady’s weekly plan. Even if today is NOT the day you are doing errands, it is still a good day to check your supplies and make your lists.
Last week I had knee surgery on Thursday morning, and I was able to make my shopping list on Thursday night with the help of my family. We planned the menu for this week, and with their help, I put in an order online to pick up our groceries at two stores and scheduled the pick-ups for Friday morning.
While we were making the list, one of the boys said he never remembers seeing me just go to the grocery store and shop without a list. He also said he could not remember a time when we did not have a menu plan posted for the family.
My menu planning routine has been in place for many years, and I see how it has impacted my children. As they grow up and move out, they understand that menu planning and making a grocery list helps save time and money.
Doing my order online and picking it up last week also saved me time and money. There was one substitution made in one order, and it was fine with us. On the other order, an item was left off completely. If I had not checked the order, I would not have known it until I was ready to use the item in one of our meals.
What I learned is that the pick-up system is great when you are pushed for time on errand day or if you are physically unable to go into the store. However, I enjoy grocery shopping and picking out my own items.
How are you doing with your menu planning?
Your Zone Mission today is clear off your bedside tables.
Your Home Blessing for today is to toss paper and magazines.
My menu plan for Thursday is chicken and salad.
Have a blessed day!

5 Things We Tend to Put Off

Getting Organized:
In your Home and Homeschool 
 

Dear Friends,
Happy Wednesday to you all! Today is anti-procrastination day, and if you have not participated before, I want you to start something today that you have been putting off. For those of you who have been participating in anti-procrastination day, I want to hear what you are doing.
The zone missions each day are designed to help you clean your home in small, consistent steps. If you have been busy with end of year school activities, I don’t want you to put off your zone missions. They are important to helping you maintain your home. Jump back in today!
Your home blessings sometimes start to slide on your priority scale when you get busy ending your school year. Your homeschool is important, and so is ending your year and celebrating. It’s also important to keep your home blessing routine going. If you have had a busy few weeks, jump back into them today.
As you start looking at the structure of your days/weeks during the summer, you might change your home blessings from one or two a day to doing them all in an hour once a week. If my schedule allowed me to do mine once a week, I would go back to that format. I love that feeling when I finish all seven parts of the Home Blessing in the same day.
Do you have hot spots that are burning? Little piles of clutter attract more clutter, and before you know it, the flat surfaces in your home have more piles than open places. Spend a few minutes today dealing with hot spots.
Are there stacks of mail, bills, and cards that you need to deal with? Paperwork in the home is a constant need. Set aside time daily to deal with your mail. Set aside time weekly to pay bills and file paperwork.
Are you putting off your self care and daily movement? I have found it to be true that if I put off my self care and exercise, I do not get it taken care of daily. It has to be a priority in the early morning for me, and it is done after my morning quiet time.
These five things are not the only things people put off, but they are things I hear over and over again from my readers. Don’t try to change everything you are doing all at once. Pick one of these and develop the habit. Then move onto another one.
Remember that The FlyLady says the only wrong way to do her system is to do nothing at all. Housework done incorrectly still blesses your family.
Your Zone Mission today is to declutter items from the Master Bathroom.
Your Home Blessing for today is to wipe windows and mirrors.
My menu plan for Wednesday is soup and sandwiches.
Have a blessed day!

Caring for Your Bedroom

Getting Organized:
In your Home and Homeschool 
 

Dear Friends,
This week we are focusing our decluttering missions on the Master Bedroom. Do you feel restful in your bedroom, or are you surrounded by clutter?
The Master Bedroom can become a dumping ground for things that need a place. When you pick up around the house, sometimes you take items that don’t have a place to your bedroom. Then it just stays there.
Some of you dump your laundry on your bed with every intention of folding it and putting it away. It sits there until bedtime, and you push it to the side or on the floor. If you have a flat surface that is not piled high, you put the clothes there.
Laundry baskets are used by many to hold clean clothes until they are worn. Usually, these baskets end up with both dirty and clean clothes in them. Then you wash both already clean clothes and dirty clothes. This causes you more laundry and costs you precious time.
Today, for your zone mission, I want you to put up all of your laundry. If you cannot put it away due to lack of space, you need to declutter some clothes. Before I left for a trip last week, the boys decluttered clothes that don’t fit them any longer. This only took them a few minutes, and they filled up a half of a black trash bag.
When we bought a few new shirts and jeans, they had room to put them away. I do the same thing in my closet and dresser drawers monthly. I declutter items I am not wearing or that don’t fit.
If I find a great deal on clothes for me, I get rid of the same number of items I am bringing home.
Your laundry will be much easier to do, if you declutter the extra clothes. You won’t have as many things to wash. Your children won’t have as many clothes to choose from. Most of your children wear only a fraction of the clothes they wear regularly.
If you have a mountain of laundry to fold and put away, use your timer and do it a little at a time. Fold it and put it away.
Your Zone Mission today is to put your laundry away and declutter stuff from the top of your closet.
Your Home Blessing for today is to dust and vacuum.
My menu plan for Tuesday is chicken and a salad.
Have a great day!