Tami Fox

Mission Monday – Getting Organized

Posted on November 2, 2015 by Tami

Getting Organized:

In your home and homeschool

Welcome to Mission Monday! It’s time to start our Holiday Missions, so we can baby-step our way through the Holidays and not burn ourselves out doing too much at once. If you have not downloaded my Holiday Mission e-book yet, sign up for my newsletter to the right. It has helpful pages for you to do your menu planning, grocery lists, gift lists, and a daily calendar for November, December, and January. I will also put the daily tips in my newsletter and on the blog. The e-book will just help you see the whole picture and give you forms to use.

Holiday Mission – Sweep the Front Porch and Decorate for Fall; Print address labels for your Christmas cards. Remember to update addresses for friends or family who have moved.

Now let’s move on to our daily missions this week:

This week we are in Zone 5 – The Front Porch, Entry Way, and Dining Room.

Monday – Sweep the front porch and declutter anything you do not need on the porch

Tuesday – Detail clean your entry way

Wednesday – Clear the flat surfaces in your dining room and detail dust (Remember to clean the windows and blinds.)

Thursday – Declutter anything you do not need in the entry way and dining room.

Friday – Chec k your holiday china and serving pieces for damage and clean them if needed.

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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.

Weekly Home Blessing Hour:

Spread these out over the course of the week. Put a note on each day of the week with one or two of these per day.

7 Parts of the Weekly Home Blessing Hour from The FlyLady:

Quick Dust
Sweep/Mop
Purge Magazines or Paper Clutter
Change Bedding
Empty Trash
Clean Windows/Mirrors
Vacuum

School:

Do you have some hands-on activities planned for the week? Look for a Thanksgiving Unit Study to work on this month.

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

Family Fun: Have some outdoor time with your children today. Play. Do some nature journaling. The point is to add some movement to your day.

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.)
Lay anything out that you will need first thing in the morning
Shine Your Sink
Clean Off a Hot Spot
Go to Bed at Decent Hour

Fan Friday – Getting Organized

Posted on October 30, 2015 by Tami

Getting Organized

Happy Friday! When you saw the word “fan” in the subject line, you might have thought of sports, but I am thinking of a different fan. Let’s dust our ceiling fan in the living room today. I use an ostrich feather duster, and the dust does not fall back on my head when I dust the ceiling fan. If it’s been a while since you dusted the ceiling fan, you can also use an attachment on your vacuum cleaner. I dust my ceiling fan once a moth, and it does not seem to be too messy to dust it with the feather duster. Look around your living room and see if there is any other areas that need a deeper dusting. Check your windows and mini blinds. Check around the ceiling and baseboards. Make your living room shine!

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:

Time for FUN FRIDAY!

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

Family Fun:

Play a game with your children today.

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

Fifteen Minutes Thursday – Getting Organized

Posted on October 29, 2015 by Tami

Getting Organized:

In your home and homeschool

Do you use the power of 15 minutes in your day? Many times, we find ourselves frozen in inaction because we have so many things to do in a day. We get distracted. We do the things we like to do first. We ignore the “elephant” in the room. It looks too big to do that certain task. So you avoid it. Today, I want you to set a timer for 15 minutes and tackle that “elephant” in the room. You might surprise yourself with how fast you get that avoided task done. If you don’t finish the task, walk away from it. You can always go back later and spend 15 more minutes on it. I find it fun to try to beat the timer, especially when it is a task that is not enjoyable.

Zone Focus: Living Room – Walk into your living room and look with fresh eyes. What can you take out of the room to make space for your Holiday decorations. Start now with decluttering, so when you are ready to decorate, you have a decluttered room.

Quick Dinner Recipe:

Taco Soup

Pre-cooked Ground Beef
1 can Kidney Beans
1 can Whole Kernel Corn
1 can Tomatoes and Chilis
Taco Seasoning (to taste)

Combine ingredients in a pot. Add water if needed to make a soup. Warm until hot.

Serve with cornbread or corn chips. Shredded Cheese. Sour Cream.

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:

Have you done some hands on learning with your children this week? Plan something for tomorrow! Make tomorrow a Fun Friday for school!

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

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

Find It Wednesday – Getting Organized

Posted on October 28, 2015 by Tami

Getting Organized:

In your home and homeschool

Have you ever lost something down in the sofa or in a chair? Today, let’s pull the cushions and clean out the things that have fallen down between the cushions. As a mom with 4 boys in the house, it is always interesting to see what they find down in the cushions. While you have the cushions off, vacuum down in the furniture and fluff the cushions and pillows when you put them back. If you have some fall throw pillows, put them out, too. Just changing a few things in your living room can make a big difference in the look of your room.

Today is anti-procrastination day. What are you putting off? Don’t put it off any more.

Grocery Shopping and Errand Day – Take your list, pack snacks, and water bottles.

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: Is your paperwork caught up? Do you need to update lesson plans or attendance sheets?

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
Errand day: Make your plan for grocery shopping and errands. Pack water bottles and snacks for everyone. Pack up your library books that need to be turned in.

Family Fun: Plan a fun activity while you are out. I am in the habit of checking for free activities that are going on while we are out doing errands.

When you get home from doing errands, have everyone work together to unload and put away everything.

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 the Launch Pad that you will need first thing in the morning
Shine Your Sink
Clean Off a Hot Spot
Go to Bed at Decent Hour

Tidy Tuesday – Getting Organized

Posted on October 27, 2015 by Tami

Getting Organized:

In your home and homeschool

Good morning! Let’s do some more tidying in our living rooms today. Let’s move the furniture and sweep or vacuum under it. Don’t over do it. Ask for help if you need it. We are getting ready for the Holidays while we work in this zone, so see what you need to put away to make room for decorations. If you don’t have fall flowers put out yet, get some and brighten up your living room with some flowers. I have several sets of silk flowers that I rotate according to the season. It makes me smile to have pretty things around my house.

Download my Daily Missions e-book to help you get ready for the Holidays.To get it, sign up for my daily newsletter to the right. Holiday Missions start on November 1.

A friend of mine told me she already has her Thanksgiving menu planned from my e-book. Take the stress out of the Holidays by pre-planning and getting ready one baby step at a time.

If you do a family picture in your Christmas card, it’s time to get that set up. You want to get prints made in early November and avoid the rush. I bought my Christmas cards and stamps over the weekend. I am working the steps with you.

If you need more help with organizing your home and homeschool, you can download The FlyLady’s Homeschool Teacher and Homeschool Student Control Journals for free.

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.
Clean out your refrigerator. Toss the science experiments.

School:

Are you taking time to enjoy the fall weather as a part of your school day? Take some books outside and enjoy doing some school work outside today.

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
Write up a menu plan for the next 7 days. Check your pantry and freezer and make a grocery list. This habit will save you time and money. Try out some new recipes with the slow cooker. It will save you time once you start back to your school schedule.

Family Fun: Take your children for a walk.

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 the Launch Pad that you will need first thing in the morning
Shine Your Sink
Clean Off a Hot Spot
Go to Bed at Decent Hour

Blue Cheese Burgers and Buns

Posted on October 26, 2015 by Tami

Blue Cheese Burgers and Homemade Buns

Makes 6 Burgers and 6 Buns

Burgers:

1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
1 Large Red Onion, Chopped Fine
1-1/2 lbs. Ground Beef
1 Teaspoon Dijon Mustard
1 Tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce
1 Large Egg
Handful of Dry Bread Crumbs
Salt and Pepper
3 oz Blue Cheese
Optional: Rolled Oats

Serve with lettuce and tomato

Buns:

1 Cup Whole Wheat Flour
1-1/2 to 2 Cups White Self-Rising Flour
1 Teaspoon Soda Bicarbonate (seltzer water or clear soft drink, such as 7-Up)
1 Large Egg
1-1/4 Cup Buttermilk

To make the buns:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and dust a large baking sheet with flour.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the two flours.

In a large measuring cup, mix the buttermilk and egg with a whisk or fork. Add soda bicarbonate and mix gently.

Make a well in the middle of the flour mixture. Use a large spoon to mix the liquids into the flour and make a dough. I started with 1-1/2 cups of white flour and had to add an additional ½ cup to make my dough the consistency I wanted. This will depend a lot on humidity and altitude.

Form six hand-sized buns and place on the floured baking sheet. (Optional is to sprinkle with rolled oats.)

Bake in oven for 30 to 40 minutes. I wanted a lighter brown bun, so mine were baked 30 minutes.

Remove from oven and cool on wire racks.

Burgers:

Saute the chopped red onion in the olive oil until tender. Put in a bowl and allow to cool.

Get a cast-iron skillet (or regular skillet) and put in a small amount of olive oil and preheat the pan on the stove top while you pat out the patties.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the liquid ingredients (mustard, Worcestershire sauce, and egg). After mixing the liquids, add the hamburger meat, cooled onions, and mix by hand. If it seems too thin, add bread crumbs to give a fuller texture. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Form the meat into 6 round balls. Put a thumb hole in the middle of the ball. Place a chunk of blue cheese in the hole you made. Then form a patty around the cheese. Keep the cheese covered as you form the patty. Cook two to three patties at a time depending on the size of your pan. Cook 4 to 5 minutes per side or until cooked thoroughly. The fewer times you flip your burger, the juicier it will be. After cooking, place on a paper towel-lined plate to drain. Continue until all burgers are cooked.

Use a bread knife to slice the buns open. Serve the burgers with lettuce and tomato and other condiments.

(Notes – some of the boys added cheddar to their burgers. I ate my burger on a “lettuce” bun to low-carb.)

Make it a Great Monday – Getting Organized

Posted on October 26, 2015 by Tami

Getting Organized:

In your home and homeschool

Monday gets such a bad reputation sometimes for starting off the “work” week after a week-end. Let’s purpose today to make it a GREAT day! Our attitude can be contagious to those around us. Having a positive attitude is always better than an unhappy attitude. Every morning this week when you wake up tell yourself it is going to be a great day before you get out of bed. A happy mommy means a happy household. A grumpy mommy means a grumpy household. Be the key in your house for happiness. If your husband has a difficult or stressful job, write him an encouraging note to brighten his day. You can put a note in his lunch or write it on the bathroom mirror. Just think of a way to bless your husband for his hard work in providing for the family. If you are single, write a note to someone else to brighten their day.

Now let’s move on to our daily missions this week:

This week we are in Zone 5 – The Living Room.

Monday – Clear the Hot Spots in your living room, and then do a detail dusting in the living room of the flat surfaces.

Tuesday – Move furniture and clean under it. Don’t overdo it. Ask for help if you need it. If no one is around, vacuum or sweep under the furniture as best as you can.

Wednesday – Clean out the sofa and chairs. Pull off the cushions and vacuum.

Thursday – Declutter any extra things you have sitting around in the living room that does not belong. Put out some fall decorations if you have not that already.

Friday – Detail dust anything you did not dust on Monday. Look at the fan, ceiling, baseboards, etc. If you haven’t cleaned the windows and blinds in a while. Do that, too.

Holiday Missions start next week! I already bought my Christmas cards, so I can address them in November. Subscribe to my newsletter to get the new Holiday Mission Journal. See the link over to the right of this post.

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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.

Weekly Home Blessing Hour:

Spread these out over the course of the week. Put a note on each day of the week with one or two of these per day.

7 Parts of the Weekly Home Blessing Hour from The FlyLady:

Quick Dust
Sweep/Mop
Purge Magazines or Paper Clutter
Change Bedding
Empty Trash
Clean Windows/Mirrors
Vacuum

School:

Do you have some hands-on activities planned for the week? We will be studying Ireland this week, so I have some activities planned and a menu planned.

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

Family Fun: Have some outdoor time with your children today. Play. Do some nature journaling. The point is to add some movement to your day.

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.)
Lay anything out that you will need first thing in the morning
Shine Your Sink
Clean Off a Hot Spot
Go to Bed at Decent Hour

Weekly Wrap Up Post About Spain

Posted on October 26, 2015 by Tami

We had a fabulous week studying the country of Spain. It is a country near and dear to my heart, so that made our studies even more special. We learned where Spain is located on the globe and talked about economics and politics. We learned about the terrain and demographics of Spain. We colored the flag and read facts about Spain. We also spent some time brushing up our Spanish speaking skills. Of course, the highlight of each day is our evening meal. We all enjoy our cultural meals and dinner discussion.

Spanish Tortilla

Torrijes (Bread Pudding)

Paella

Crocquettes with Ham (served with Tapas)

Fall Friday – Getting Organized

Posted on October 23, 2015 by Tami

Getting Organized:

In your home and homeschool

Let’s take some time today to enjoy the Fall and have some fun while were are at it. If the leaves are falling at your house, take some time to go rake leaves and play in them with your children. Make it a game, and you will get some yard maintenance done and have fun, too. If the leaves haven’t fallen yet, you can ask the children to pick up sticks and make a pile. Maybe you can have a bonfire this week-end and roast hot dogs and marshmallows. We have a field trip today, so we did our Home Blessings yesterday. I bought hot dogs and buns on my shopping trip, so we are having a hot dog roast in the evening.

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ZONE Focus: Master Bedroom – Today I want you to declutter some clothes and shoes from your closet. It can be ass few as five things, but maybe you can declutter more than that in 15 minutes. Set your timer and see what you can do! Ask your children to bring you any clothes that don’t fit them and shoes they have outgrown.

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:

Time for FUN FRIDAY!

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

Family Fun: Play a game with your children today.

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

Detail Thursday – Getting Organized

Posted on October 22, 2015 by Tami

Getting Organized:

In your home and homeschool

How has your week been so far? We’ve had cooler temperatures this week, and we are enjoying fall. Our school year has been a lot of fun with our hands-on cooking adventures and country studies. Today, we used a recipe that had metric measurements, so we used some math skills to convert to American measurements. I had flash-backs to memorizing metric measures in my school days. I will do a wrap up post this week-end of our meals. We have enjoyed everything so far. Our country this week is Spain, and we even worked on our Spanish speaking skills. I love bringing different facets of learning into our unit studies.

Zone Focus: Master Bedroom – Today we are going to detail dust our bedrooms. Dust anything you have not dusted this week. Get your ceiling fan, the moldings, baseboards, and mini blinds. This is to help you to be able to do a quick dusting once a week during your Weekly Home Blessing Hour.

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:

Have you done some hands on learning with your children this week? Plan something for tomorrow! Make tomorrow a Fun Friday for school!

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

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