How to Make the Most of Attending a Home Education Conference

The 'end-of-the-school-year' and beginning of summer seems to be the most popular time for home education conferences.  Our family has always looked forward to attending family friendly conferences over the years, which serves a purpose for each of us.  As a home educator since 1996, I look forward to gleaning from those who have been on the journey longer than myself.  I am always encouraged and thankful for the memories that we make.  Conferences provide the benefit of learning ways to make our days more productive and intentional, providing the opportunity to find resources that can bring delight to learning in our home.  Attending a conference, allows me to be able to pick up and look at curriculum, speak with others about various topics that relate to home educating and provide a reminder that we are part of a much larger community than just our four walls.

Conferences range in size from a local setting, with families from around the area ranging in attendance of a hundred or so people, to much larger ones, that are on a state or national level ranging in attendance of thousands of people, usually gathering together in a span of a couple of days.  I have attended many since 1996 and find my happy place is in the hundreds; just enough to refresh and regroup to prepare for my next 'school year'.

Whatever size the conference, it is a good idea to have a plan of what you hope to attain from it.  Today I am going to share some things I do to prior to attending any conference.

Food Storage for Large Families

This week I’m linking to 4 Moms: 35 Kids ~ How Moms of Many Manage and posting on the topic of food storage for large families.  See links at the bottom to their sites for more ideas on making the most of your food storage area, maybe get some storage ideas and money saving tips.

Create this bench to store food buckets

Why have a food "pantry"?
Living in a hurricane possible location, having food on hand and a plan for keeping our perishables from spoiling in a power outage is just sensible. Building a food pantry has cost benefits for our family, too. As most large families, feeding the crew can be expensive if you don’t plan and budget appropriately for it. For this reason and others, I try to buy based on the best unit price and for certain foods will buy based on the healthiest choice. With the savings over time having a food pantry provides, healthier purchases can be made on certain foods while staying within our overall weekly budget. Basically speaking then we have three reasons for having a food pantry: cost benefit, preparedness benefit and nutrition benefit. Every family who has a food pantry will reflect the needs and priorities of that family with amounts of what to have on hand, the types of foods selected to store and the space allotted for doing so factors to consider.

Example of a 3-day emergency supply 

How do we build our food "pantry"?

As a large family, saving money and stretching the ever-decreasing valued dollar is a weekly endeavor. Over time and as our food budget permits, I make purchases when items are on sale, using coupons when available, but mainly focusing on the bottom line…the best unit price. I will buy extras of those sale items {only purchasing the items we like and use} and store them in our food pantry. This method helps to build having extras on hand of the items we consistently use. When meal planning, I have attempted to keep our meals simple, drawing from recipes that use normal, everyday ingredients. Having a meal plan helps to save money and save food waste.

Where do we make purchases from to build our food "pantry"?

1. Buying in bulk {i.e. Sam’s Club, Costco Wholesale Club, etc.}

2. Purchasing through a food co-op {i.e. BreadBeckers, Montana Wheat Company, etc.}

3. taking advantage of buy one get one free offers

4. using store and manufacturer’s coupons or competitor ads being match by select retailers {Wal*Mart will match any valid competitors ad for the exact item, Publix will accept select competitors’ coupons and some stores double coupons…ask your local grocery or discount chain in your area to see what they will do}

5. purchasing meat from local farm for no hormones, no antibiotics, grain/grass fed purposes {i.e. beef and pork}

Other options could include: purchasing from local farmers or farmer’s markets for fresh/organic produce or even an organic produce co-op, growing your own fruits and vegetables or bartering with those who do, and discount food chains or outlets.

Where do we store these savings and how?

I have posted on storage ideas in the past here, but this week I will cover more specifically our food storage areas.

1. Meats ~ if bought in bulk from the grocery or wholesale club, then we will repackage it into freezer bags based on our families’ consumption and date the package, remove air and lay flat in our upright freezer {maximizing the space}

2. Can goods and boxed items ~ I keep opened and a base amount in our inside kitchen pantry…I’ll call this my working pantry and my surplus is kept in our garage storage area.

     a. First, my kitchen pantry storage:

          i. Items such as pasta, dry beans, baking supplies, snacks, dry cereals, etc. of which we would use on a frequent basis are kept inside and stored in glass jars like these or these {both made in the USA}, Tupperware storage containers like these, plastic storage bins, or food buckets.

          ii. When my base count gets low, I will refill that item into its storage container {i.e. Pastas are removed from their manufacturer packaging and put in the labeled storage container designated. Dry beans are emptied from their packaging and kept in glass jars. Snack items such as popcorn, animal crackers, snack bars, crackers, etc. are removed from their manufacturer boxes and stored in their designated containers. This allows my kitchen pantry to stay organized, gives me a visual on when my stock is getting low {since the containers are clear} and keeps food from spoiling, as their containers are air tight.

     b. Next, my garage storage area {you can read a little about it here}:

          i. I now have floor to ceiling adjustable wall shelving {thanks to my dear husband} for storing my extra can items, boxed items and room for my 5 gallon buckets underneath {these are the ones with air-tight gamma lids on them}

          ii. I have used the old storage shelf for putting wheat buckets, canning supplies and seasonal kitchen supplies on.

          iii. I have a couple wire rack shelves for storing bulk paper products, storage containers and baskets {for our ongoing organizing & re-organizing projects in our home}, hospitality items {i.e. drink containers, trays and divided platters, chargers, etc.} and bulk drinks {water bottles, flavored juices, etc.}

3. Perishables ~ Items I will stock up on such as milk, eggs, cheese, in-season fruits and veggies are kept in our kitchen refrigerator with extras kept in our garage refrigerator. This method allows me to take advantage of sales, thus saving money in the long run.

For our large family, doing items 1-6 above are beneficial for our pocket books as well as our health. Side benefits from having a food pantry include having food during slow economic times {aren’t we there now?}, for preparedness in response to natural disasters {hurricanes, flooding, power outages, etc.} when trips to the store may not be possible and even ministering to others who may be in need.

I draw from the Scriptures in providing for our family without becoming out-of-balance or extreme. Our faith and trust is in the Lord to provide therefore, our trust and hope is NOT in our food pantry or earthly possessions. Here are a few to verses to encourage you as well:

• A slack hand causes poverty, but the hand of the diligent makes rich. He who gathers in summer is a prudent son, but he who sleeps in harvest is a son who brings shame. Proverbs 10:4-5 {not to be one who would seek riches of this earth, but on the contrary, one who is willing to work so their future is secure}
•  She is like the ships of the merchant; she brings her food from afar. She rises while it is yet night and provides food for her household and portions for her maidens. She considers a field and buys it with the fruit of her hands she plants a vineyard. She opens her hand to the poor and reaches out her hands to the needy. She is not afraid of snow for her household, for all her household are clothed in scarlet. Strength and dignity are her clothing, and she laughs at the time to come. She looks well to the ways of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness. Proverbs 31:14-16, 18, 20-21, 25, 27 {to be a woman who is resourceful, is profitable in her undertakings, is giving, is aware of the needs of her own family and insures those needs are met, is a preparer and secure in the days ahead and works diligently for her family}
• Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. Matthew 6:19-21 {the balance…not to be so consumed with a food storage pantry and its contents…or anything else for that matter, that it becomes the hope and source of faith and trust ~ not to replace the Lord who is over all}

Basically, my hope is to be the best “keeper of my home” as possible, drawing from the Lord’s word for how to do that, gleaning from others so that we can be good stewards of what He provides and trusting in Him to provide for all our needs as He sees fit to do.

May you seek His direction for ways to maximize what space He has given you and His wisdom to prepare as He leads you.

Blessings ~

Linked this week to:

Visit Kimberly, Connie, the Headmistress of the Common Room, & Kim C

Homeschooling Plan and Curriculum Choices this Year...

My method of teaching and curriculum choices have been flexible over the years due to what season of life our family may be in...the freedom of homeschooling in Florida.   I enjoy and our children thrive on a thematic approach, however this has not always been doable over the years.  We try to instill a "delight for learning" and provide opportunities to further enrich their interests in addition to the learning schedules...such as time to pursue learning about things like the Civil War, military branches, government, Presidents, football, lawn-care, archery, etc.

We have used some core curriculum consistently such as Saxon, ABeka and Apologia as we have found these to be thorough and give a good foundation {however, there are certain years we utilize them...not every year for every child}.   For example, with ABeka, we have used the video curriculum option for K-2nd for the past 4 children as it lays a good reading/phonics foundation.   I usually begin using Saxon in the 6th grade through high school {with the exception of the Senior year being Math-U-See's Stewardship curriculum...great program for covering math skills/topics needed for being a good steward before leaving home...whenever that may be :-)}.   Apologia is typically used from 8th grade beyond, however this year we are using their Astronomy curriculum with our 11 year old son.

This year's plan is below and a notation has been made to the amount of time allotted for each subject, just in case it may be helpful to someone out there.  :-)

Austin working on his Apologia Biology for the day.  He will be taking out the microscope later to work on a science experiment.

Austin (15) ~

Bible/Worldview ~ Starting Points by David Quinine (will also incorporate Writing and Reading) {1 hour daily}

Math ~ Algebra 2 D.I.V.E. and Saxon Algebra 2 {1 hour 15 minutes daily}

Science ~ Apologia Biology (with supplemental lectures through Virtual Homeschool Group…Lord willing) {1 hour 15 minutes daily}

American Literature ~ S.O.S. (Switched on Schoolhouse) {45 minutes daily}

Spanish 1 ~ S.O.S. (Switched on Schoolhouse) {45 minutes daily}

Music ~ participation in our local youth orchestra twice per week plus daily practice (cello) {30 minutes of daily practice, plus 2 -4 hours twice per week at orchestra}

The rubber banded books are assigned reading materials for the Starting Points curriculum...grouped together by semester...I think there are 10-12 books he will do select readings from during this Biblical Worldview study.

An extra hour is allotted within our daily schedule for Austin to use to finish any assignments from the day, if he needed more time than he had allotted.   Otherwise, this time slot can be used for "Jobs for Hire", home-projects or entrepreneurship, or FREE-TIME.

Other topics will be learned using a natural approach through taking field trips, participating in local learning opportunities/classes/lectures and general life skills training through hands-on projects, working and living.  {Economics – managing his earnings, balancing his bank account, keeping within his budget, History – living history, reading good books, attending re-enactments/lectures, as well as the above subjects being complemented by this approach whenever possible.}

S.O.S. Elementary Spanish curriculum has gone well so far this year and Logan seems to enjoy this approach for learning another language.

Logan (11) ~

Bible/Character ~ The Narrow Way by Pearables {30 minutes daily with Mom}

Math ~ Saxon 7/6 {1 hour}

Science ~ Apologia’s Exploring Creation with Astronomy textbook and student notebooking journal {45 minutes Tuesdays-Friday}

Language Arts/Reading ~ Learning Language Arts through Literature tan book {will have a delayed start to using this curriculum…September, at which time 1 hour daily has been allotted}

Handwriting ~ A Reason for Handwriting book E {15 minutes daily}

Elementary Spanish ~ S.O.S. (Switched on Schoolhouse) {45 minutes daily}

Music ~ practicing the recorder and playing during family worship {on occasions during the year}

Other topics will be learned using a natural approach through taking field trips, participating in local learning opportunities/classes/lectures and general life skills training through hands-on projects, working and living.  {History – living history, reading good books, attending re-enactments/lectures, as well as the above subjects being complemented by this approach whenever possible.}

Kitchen table learning...I usually work with Logan & Alyssa a the kitchen table for Bible & Math, then they can move to other rooms for the remainder of the school work.

Alyssa (8) ~

Bible/Character ~ The Narrow Way by Pearables {30 minutes daily with Mom}

Math ~ ABeka Arithmetic 3 {30 minutes daily}

Science ~ ABeka Exploring God's World{15 minutes daily}

Reading ~ ABeka readers grade 3 {30 minutes daily, plus 45 minutes of additional quiet reading time daily}

Handwriting ~ A Reason for Handwriting book C {15 minutes daily}

Elementary Spanish ~ S.O.S. (Switched on Schoolhouse) {45 minutes daily}

Other topics will be learned using a natural approach through taking field trips, participating in local learning opportunities/classes/lectures and general life skills training through hands-on projects, working and living.  {Bright Lights Young Ladies Group – participation with other young ladies every other month using the Bright Lights’ curriculum to help develop godly character, Scripture memorization and hands-on activities, History – living history, reading good books, attending re-enactments/lectures, as well as the above subjects being complemented by this approach whenever possible.}

This little table was purchased from IKEA for the younger children to work at this year...$27 I think ~ a great deal!  The sweet bumble bee chairs I picked up from Lowe's last year on clearance for $4 each (now selling for $10).  The table and chairs are moved into our living room each morning and the three watch ABeka Bible video curriculum before Liz takes a morning nap, then the other two proceed with the rest of the video assignments (with my oversight & direction before/during the lessons).

Graham (5) & Kailynn (4) ~

This year I chose to use these clear plastic totes w/lids to store each child's school books and supplies.  I printed a name label for the front and they can easily be stored away after school work is completed {we do not have an "official" school room...our home is our learning room}.  See the next picture for a outside view of the tote and label.

Using ABeka Video curriculum for Kindergarten encompassing all the following areas: Bible, Reading Readiness, Phonics, Arithmetic/Numbers, Writing (Penmanship), Social Studies, Reading, Art and Enrichment Activities (learning songs, poems, motor skills development activities, etc.) {from about 8:30am until 12pm each day, with a snack break in the middle}

Although we have chosen to put the two children together using this curriculum, the focus is more on Graham than on Kailynn.  We believe she will glean just from regular participation, but some mornings will need to nap instead of doing “school” such was the case this morning after Bible time. 

Due to my season of life (which seems to be the same season of having children/nursing for the past several years), we have found the ABeka video curriculum works for us, providing consistency.  They have a great Phonics program which really helps the children learn to read early and our philosophy is if a child can read they can learn anything.  We desire to give them a good reading foundation, so have used ABeka video for K-2nd grades for the last 4 children {Logan, Alyssa, Graham & Kailynn}.  We began using the ABeka video curriculum when Austin entered the 2nd grade to help with his reading skills…8 years ago and only that year for him.  We also used ABeka English 1 & 2 video curriculum for our oldest {now in his senior year of college} during 9th & 10th grades, as a side note.

So, how have you chosen to pursue learning this year and what curriculum have you found to be a blessing to your family?  There is such a vast array of materials available, learning/teaching styles and opportunities we can all glean from, so please leave a comment and share a glimpse or link to a post about what you are doing.  May He bless your endeavors this year.

Blessings ~

How We Order our Days…Scheduling and Chores for a family of 10

Look carefully then how you walk, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. Therefore, do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.

Ephesians 5:15-17

So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom.

Psalm 90:12

Older women likewise are to be reverent in behavior, not slanderers or slave too much wine. They are to teach what is good, and so train the young women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled, pure working at home, kind, and submissive to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be reviled.

Titus 2:3-5

FACT:
There are MANY books and resources out there to help with this topic. Just type in the keywords “homeschool scheduling” and over 400,000 sites come up. “Chore charts”…133,000,000! I have gleaned over the years from the wisdom of several families who have gone before us and applied what was doable for our family. Each year is a new season and adjustments have to be made.


FOOD FOR THOUGHT:
Every family has to do what works for them…some may have children in school outside the home, some may have active extra-curricular commitments, homeschooling one or many, some may have home businesses, or maybe the husband travels a lot. Whatever your season or specific circumstances you may find having a schedule {or as I like to look at it, a “guide” for what my best day may look like} and a chore chart {where everyone contributes to managing the home they live in} may be a helpful method for keeping things running smoothly.

BACKGROUND:
Each year, I reassess where we are and what the upcoming year may hold for us. This year some of the changes in store for our family are: the blessing of another child {any time now}, additional commuting for our eldest to college classes and the obvious changes of our economic times which affect our home-based business in the construction industry.

Time management {scheduling, menu planning, chore charts, organizing} is something close to my heart and a topic I desire to minister to other families on. I am far from an “expert” on the subject; however I desire to provide encouragement, equipping and edifying to other families as they enter different seasons which may help them be better keepers of their homes. I recently hosted a Homeschool Mom’s Fellowship Night themed “It’s About Time”. It was a desire to come together with other homeschooling moms to encourage, equip and edify as well as glean from others.

WHAT I WOULD LIKE TO SHARE TODAY:
At the Mom’s Night Fellowship, on the topic of chore charts {the first thing I revised for this coming year}, I covered how we do things. I distributed an “Age Appropriate Chores” list compiled utilizing a couple sources {no need to re-create the wheel} and my additions/notes. I shared past chore charts I created for our family. Since I have been scheduling/chore chart making for many years now, I simply go into my Microsoft Word program and make annual adjustments based on what the season of our life is that year.

GETTING STARTED:
After gleaning from “Managers of Their Homes” by Steve and Teri Maxwell, I started by making a chore chart.

1. The first step was to list EVERYTHING that needed to be done in a week.

2. I then calculated how long it would take to complete each task and what was an appropriate age for each one as I would assign them later.

3. The next step for me was to then begin to break down those chores as they would be assigned to each member of our family. For us, I found having a time in the morning {after breakfast ~ “Morning Chores”} and a time in the afternoon {before dad came home from work ~ “Afternoon Chores”} would work for us.

     a. Prior to breakfast and prior to bed we did “morning” and “bedtime” routines respectively. Morning routine included waking up, reading Bible, getting shower (if applicable)/dressed for the day, and making bed. Bedtime routine included picking up bedroom floor (if needed), having teeth brushed, PJ’s on and prayer with Dad.

4. Then I broke down what needed to be done each day and whether it would be best done in the morning or afternoon. My chore chart was done for Monday – Saturday morning. Saturday afternoon was/is reserved for activities or special projects and Sunday is our day of worship/rest.

5. After the list of chore items were broken down by assigned person & day, I created a table on Microsoft Word. {I prefer creating tables to making spreadsheets myself, but either would work if you chose to use this method.}

     a. I listed the headings across the top for each column as follows: Name of assigned person, then each day of the week through Saturday.

     b. My rows would then have, in age order, the first column down the name of each family member beginning with me and working down to the toddlers {not Dad since he works daily and also handles the extra maintenance items around the home).

     c. I then began plugging in the assigned chore for the day. {Clarification: I created two charts…one for morning and one for afternoon}

     d. Finally, I colored each row a different color to provide ease in viewing the chart and at a glance see who was responsible for what.


WHAT WORKS FOR US:
I have chosen not to assign tasks by the room on different days…a method used in Large Family Logistics. My method is to assign tasks based on frequency. For example, the dishes need to be done daily, laundry needs to be done daily, we choose to central vac daily, a quick wipe down of the main bathroom needs to be done daily, etc. Other tasks like dusting, straightening school closets or book cabinets, straightening dresser drawers, etc. are broken down by location and assigned one day a week per person. Other tasks may need two days per week…for us chores like: glass & mirror cleaning, taking trash/recycling to the road, etc. I know for us, if we chose only to do each room one day per week, the rest of our home would be out of order all week. When there are many people living in a small space, daily room assignments seem to keep our home in better order and clean.

This year's chore charts, daily schedules, college classes, extra-curricular schedules, etc. ~ all kept in front to back order in clear sheet protectors on our refrigerator for quick viewing.  {See the "Organizing and Time Management:  Part 2 post listed below for details on our "Command Center" ~ the hub of knowing the order of our days.}

SAMPLES OF CURRENT/PAST CHORE CHARTS:
I know it has been helpful for me to “see” a finished product and is an encouragement for how to apply what will work for us by viewing samples of someone else’s labor. I hope that you will be able to see and glean from some of our chore charts over the years and create a chart that suites your family’s season of life. I am also including a copy of the Age Appropriate Chores list I distributed at the Mom’s Fellowship Night to give you ideas.

• AM PM Chore Chart for 2011 2012
• Smith Family Chore Chart (Morning & Afternoon) 2010-2011
• Daily Chore Chart 2009 2010

A WORD OF ADVICE:
Training is imperative in any task. BEFORE you put your plan into action, you should make sure that children have been taught “how to do” the task they are being assigned to do. If you do not train, but only expect a task to be done, then you are setting your children up for failure and yourself up for frustration. The initial investment you put into training a child to complete a task, will provide much reward for you and your child. To train, be sure you “show” your child how to do the task a couple of times, then shadow them with instruction as they do it and finally allow them to do it on their own with you following up to check on how they did. Provide positive affirmation on the things they have done well, BEFORE making a point of correction. We all need encouragement.

Helping with transferring laundry...

Assisting with bread making...

Cheerfully teaching a younger sibling how to vacuum...and excited to help

You might also want to post a step-by-step checklist inside a cabinet door or drawer for them to refer to each day/week. Pictures help younger children…just my 2 cents. Be sure that what you assign is checked daily and that you have consequences in place for not finishing a job or finishing one well. {Please don’t take consequence out of context or to an extreme.} If it is important enough for you to assign, it should be important enough for you to check and acknowledge. More than chores are being taught here…character is being built and important life skills are being learned to make each person {from the youngest to the oldest} know they are a valuable part/contributor to the family as a whole.

OTHER POSTS I HAVE WRITTEN I HOPE WILL ENCOURAGE YOU IN THE AREA OF TIME MANAGEMENT:

• Scheduling Over the Summer
• Organizing and Time Management:  Are You Ready?
• Organizing and Time Management:  Part II
• Prayer, Planning and Preparation:  Part 4
• Logs, Schedules, Charts & More
• Prayer, Planning and Preparations:  Part 3
• Prayer, Planning and Preparations:  Part 2
• Prayer, Planning and Preparations:  Part 1

IN CLOSING:
I would love to hear from you, as a veteran in chore charts or a mom just starting out. We all have much to learn from one another and your comments can be just what may help someone else. Do feel free to share what has worked for you. May the Lord bless your diligence to manage your home well and provide wisdom along the way.

Blessings in Him ~

This post is linked with Raising Olives: Managing Your Week ~ 4 Moms and Large Family Logistics.

If you have been encouraged and would like to keep up-to-date on future posts {family, homeschooling, menu planning, organizing, scheduling, etc.} won't you subscribe to follow via e-mail or join this site through Google Friend Connect under "Those Encouraged".  I'd love to visit you, too.

Scheduling Over the Summer

For the past several years, I have prepared a Summer Schedule and revised Chore Chart for our family.  We try to use the summer months to get home projects done, have more fellowship times, attend activities outside the home and even some years we are preparing for new babies {as is the case this year}.  I have found that without a schedule our family is less productive and our home has been less orderly.  I usually try to have a new schedule ready BEFORE the end of our school year, however that did not happen this year, making the past couple of weeks much looser than we are accustomed to.

Today {Welcome First Day of Summer}, I took the time needed to compile an updated Summer 2011 Daily Schedule and Summer 2011 Chore Chart.  With these in place, there will be consistancy in getting done the things that should be done each day and the freedom to have more spontaneous outtings {as our home should be in easily maintained over the long haul}.  Our schedules have always served as a guide versus a task master.  Let's face it, know one knows what tomorrow holds, but far better to have a plan in place {especially with a larger family} than not to.

You may be wondering "Why do you schedule...especially over the summer months when most people are taking advantage of the down time from school and extra-curricular commitments?"  Well, here are some of our reasons:

• Provides a guide for getting those daily responsibilities done and if they are written down, they are more likely to happen.
• Provides continued opportunity for training our children in important life skills which will equip them as they grow older and have homes of their own one day.
• Provides opportunities to extend hospitality.
• Provides opportunities to learn something new, through home projects, community classes or other venues that the school year may not provide time for.
• Provides time to learn a trade {or stay polished on what they have previously learned} for each of our three oldest sons, as they work with their father one day a week in our family business
• Accountability ~ if it is written down then we are more likely to commit the time to do those things and not waste time doing others.
• Children thrive when they have routines to follow...gives them a sense of security.

Another question you may be wondering is, "Why does your family have a Chore Chart...Why does each member of the family have chores?"  We believe,

• chores are ways of teaching life skills, further equipping our children to be contributors as they grow older.
• chores provide a sense of value to each child, seeing that they are an important part of the family dynamics of caring for one another and our home.
• chores allow for developing character:  diligence, cheerfulness, dependability, attention to details, following directions, obedience, stewardship of time and possessions, thoroughness, etc.
• chores allow our home to be kept orderly {as best as possible with soon-to-be 10 in it}, which enables us to extend hospitality to others.
• the Lord has blessed us with a home and we are to be good stewards over it ~ therefore taking care of it for as long as we are here.
• that even our young children can do simple things to help which once again teaches them skill and grows their character to be more servant minded versus self minded.
• we each have a responsibility to contribute to the daily tasks necessary to manage our home...many members, one body.  :-) 

I have gleaned from many people over the years {and continue to}, as I seek to manage our home and train our children as the Lord equips me to do so.  For resources that I have found helpful and to read more about time management ,you can click here or for past schedules/charts click here.  If you are interested in seeing what this Summer's Schedule looks like you may click here.  I hope these post/schedules provide you practical ideas that you can use in your own homes and encouragment to write down a basic summer schedule if you have been contemplating doing so.

May this summer provide your family time to

• grow together,
• work together and
• love deeply. 

It is a blessing to hear from you.  Please feel free to leave a comment with any scheduling tips, resources or questions you may have...I am always exited to implement ideas that will make our home more orderly, productive and inviting, as well as help others to do the same.

Blessings this summer ~

Menu Plan Monday

This past week provided time for some much needed cleaning & organizing. So, with the help of one of my sons to so the heavy moving and high reaching things, we set out over two days to empty my master bedroom & master bedroom closet. Having everything vacuumed & dusted thoroughly, purging of books {that’s always a hard one for me}, gift supplies & re-organization of movies/documentaries, gift-giving cabinet and a general putting everything in its place...the project is complete. It is once again a space enjoyable to be in without the distraction of ‘stuff’.

A couple changes/additions:

• The purchase of a video cabinet from Target on sale for…$24.99. It nicely houses the video library {which I had categorized and labeled last year} and hopefully will be a neater solution from what we had been using {that was broken and not very practical.}
• A glider and ottoman {similar to this one} found for a great deal on Craigslist…perfect for rocking our precious baby in several weeks. The condition was LIKE-NEW, with no signs of any use or wear. An oak wood and cream fabric, making it fit right in to any décor and Lord willing, provide years of use.
• Several more bags for Goodwill…constant changes in seasons of life, provide on going opportunities to re-evaluate the need for items and extend life to new owners through way of donation.

As a reward, we took advantage of a summer discount offered to the zoo…$2 per person admission…a GREAT savings for our family! For $16 our whole family, along with some friends, ventured an hour away for a morning at the zoo. We covered a lot of ground, enjoyed fellowship time with friends we saw there and then concluded the journey with an ‘in-the-van’ picnic lunch. The humidity and heat really kicked in, so the idea of staying outside the rest of the day was changed to time back at our home swimming, playing and enjoying friends. A blessed day, despite the afternoon heat and smoke {Florida fires…praise the Lord for some much needed rain we received yesterday afternoon!}

Dinner plans for the week are written out…{note to self:  work on a new menu rotation chart for the upcoming year…a summer to-do item}…and we’re off to a good start.

Sunday: We had tortilla night…homemade, whole wheat tortillas filled with homemade salsa, refried beans, yellow rice and cheese…a family FAVORITE!

Recipe is super easy and fresh:  3-4 tomatoes, 1/4 - 1 Vidalia onion, 1 bunch of fresh cilantro, 2-3 tablespoons of minced garlic, small can of green chiles, 2 tablespoons of crushed red chili powder, 1/4 cup of red wine vinegar, 1/4 teaspoon of crushed red pepper flakes (dry), sea salt & pepper to taste.  Chop 1st 3 ingredients to preferred texture, mix last 6 into  mixture...YUM, YUM!

Monday: I prepared Sloppy Joe's in the crock-pot before we left for the zoo yesterday and had a great and simple dinner last night ready and waiting to be eaten. This was served with fruit and chips.

Tuesday: Poppy-seed chicken over bow tie pasta, buttered peas and whole wheat bread {baked later today with the help of Alyssa}

Wednesday: Easy lasagna, mixed veggies and fresh garden salad {items yielded from our garden [read our garden post here}: lettuce, cherry tomatoes, yellow squash, shredded radish and then added green onions and a cucumber from the grocery}

Thursday: Baked chicken, mashed potatoes or maybe parsley-buttered potatoes, steamed broccoli, rolls

Washed chicken placed in my stoneware baker, sprinkled with paprika, black pepper, garlic herb seasoning, a little thyme and a little sea salt to be baked at 325 degrees - foiled covered - for about 2 hours...fall off the bone tender!

Friday: Homemade pizzas - click for recipe link & scroll to the bottom for pizza specific notes {toppings of crushed pineapple with diced ham and another with Italian chicken sausage}

Saturday: Quick and easy…Lord willing, working on concrete slab/sidewalks so a simple meal will be aimed for this day

Sunday: Father’s Day Dinner…baked pork chops with tomato gravy served over rice, steamed California blend veggies, homemade biscuits {from last week's menu...since it's a dad favorite and it didn't happen last week...}


Blessings to you as you gather around your meal table this week ~

To read other Menu Plans, click here…thanks for hosting each week, Laura!

Spring Garden of 2011 ~ Successes & Failures

Spring 2011 Garden

We added a fourth raised bed this year to house corn & peas.  My husband screwed PVC pipe over the box and draped netting over the arches to keep pesky squirrels away.  This photo shows our sprouts coming up in the beginning of April.

The beginning sprouts from left to right:  2 rows of lettuce, 1 row of okra, 2 rows of broccoli (did not come in), 2 rows of radishes, 2 rows of yellow squash, 1 row (2 plants) of kiwi from previous year and along the backside of the bed, 1 row of cucumbers.

Another raised bed holding:  l to r ~ grapevine to grow over the arbor, cherry tomato, Roma tomato (not shown to the right of the tomatoes ~ 1 yellow pepper plant & 1 orange pepper plant).  {Beginning of April 2011}



To the right of the previous pictured planter we have 3 blueberry bushes and 1 blackberry vine along the trellis.  {Beginning of April 2011}



A couple of the herbs in our herb planter...thyme & dill weed.  {Beginning of April 2011}

Rosemary...continuing to flourish from the past couple of years and located in the middle of our herb planter.  {Beginning of April 2011}

DELICIOUS blueberries eaten as quickly as they ripened...taken the beginning of May 2011.

Our two tomato bushes {l - cherry tomato & r - Roma tomato} a month later...beginning of May 2011.  

The presence of blackberries...these to will disappear as quickly as they ripen.  We are blessed to have MANY wild blackberry bushes growing in vacant areas of our neighborhood and have taken advantage of picking a couple of buckets full over the season.  {Beginning of May 2011}

One of the lettuce plants growing behind the protective netting...this was a successful endeavour.  {Beginning of May 2011}

Promising blooms from our yellow squash plants...beginning of May 2011.

Promising blooms from our cucumber vine...beginning of May 2011.

Our corn is coming in nicely and still intact thanks to the Lord's protection and the netting that remains over the planter box...beginning of May 2011.

The peas coming in nicely, too....beginning of May 2011.





Better boy tomatoes growing from one of the two topsy turvy containers hanging between two of the raised beds...beginning of May 2011.  These make for delicious salsa...click here for the post containing the recipe.

The cherry and Roma tomato plants have grown wonderfully this year and continue to yield {without any bugs} nice amounts of fresh organic tomatoes for our family.  {Mid June 2011}

Our okra (planted one row) has flowered and is producing a nice pod on the plants now.  Not sure when to harvest or what to do with them at this point...our first time growing it, but looking forward to harvesting and tasting the fruits of our labor soon.  {Mid June 2011}

As lovely as all those blooms were in the photo mid-way up, we have about 4 nice squash growing currently...between heat, smoke, not sure what else, this has taken a toil so it seems.  Beautiful squash for what we do have so far, though.  {Mid-June 2011}

One of many cucumbers that have grown pest free...but the only one that resembles a normal cucumber.  ;-)  Our other either look like balls or paisleys...interesting and not quite sure why...any ideas?  They did the same thing last year as far as shape.  If you look in the distance behind this one, you can see a couple of the ball shaped ones.  {Mid-June 2011}

Cherry tomatoes full and ripening...Mid-June 2011.

Roma tomatoes also lush and ripening steadily...Mid-June 2011.

Successes: 

• I will say, unlike last year, this year we have not had issues with as many pests...the tomatoes in the ground have actually yielded much more than the ones in the hanging upside down containers.
• Lettuce has done wonderfully, as well.
• Blueberries yielded quite a bit considering they were new (small) bushes, however after last year one of the bushes died, so we'll have to see if these will continue to grow or not.
• Blackberries...already an ample supply in our area growing wild, but our private vine produced larger ones and not quite as bitter tasting.
• Corn has done better this year for the simple fact that the squirrels were not able to get into the crop.  We have 3-5 ears growing now and will just have to wait to see what the final outcome it.

Failures:

• Cucumbers...not necessarily a failure, but definitely not the "normal" shape and only one seems to be doing what a cucumber should in the way of growth.
• Broccoli...did not come up at all.
• Raspberry vines...did not come back from last year.
• Peas...aphids have been an issue even though we treated with 'green/natural' methods to rid the problem.  Also no blooms on the vines, although the vines themselves have nice leaves and are continuing to grow.
• Yellow squash...started out wonderfully and we do have 3-4 nice sized squash growing now, it just doesn't look like we will yield as much as anticipated from earlier progress.
• Kiwi...year two and still no fruit with sparse leaves.

Still to be determined:

• Our pepper plants are still growing...slowly.  We'll see what produces on them.
• Grapevine is filling back in with nice sized green leaves, but no fruit yet.
• Radishes...should be fine, but have not harvested yet.
• Okra...doing well as far as I can tell.  Will see what the actual harvest is when they are done producing.

Things we will do differently next year:

• Plant more...to yield more.
• Better soil prep...more compost added (Lord willing), turning more in the down season...any ideas for further enriching it?
• Moving one of our raised beds to the front of the herb garden for more sun light next year {the new bed which houses our corn and peas}...it probably gets too much afternoon shade right now.

So, that's our Spring Garden of 2011 thus far...a photo journal so-to-speak.  I would love to hear any recommendations or successes you have had, especially if you are in Florida and deal with the same issues we do (heat, bugs, sandy soil, etc.).  :-)

Happy Gardening ~