Several weeks ago I was talking with a friend about my struggles to Do It All as a homeschooling mother of five. This godly woman is an amazing problem solver, and within minutes she had several ideas specifically addressing my scheduling and organizational needs.

I cannot reveal her name.

There are times when it is best to protect a person’s anonymity. This is especially true when there are five children (at least one of whom is a rather hulking teenager) that cherish their free time.

Joshua works on his menacing look.

At the onset, my beloved offspring were not exactly enamored with my friend’s involvement in our daily lives. What she suggested has made a dramatic change to our schedule. After our conversation, I immediately brainstormed how to put it into practice. Although the children have grown accustomed to this new system, and even appreciate its simplicity and structure, I feel it is best not to divulge the true origins.

Plus, I like to keep the rascals guessing. It’s important to have some aura of mystery and lofty wisdom as a mother.

There are many people in this diverse and beautiful world who are naturally organized. God love them.

I am NOT one of those people.

Despite my many housekeeping shortcomings, however, I do like things somewhat clean and tidy. When my home is cluttered and messy, I feel suffocated and overwhelmed. I need some order in my life. Homeschooling five children is not the ideal situation for cultivating a well-kept home. We live, really live, in our home all day.

These children never go away!
[Deep breaths]
But I digress.

My friend’s idea was this: build an hour of Life Skills into our daily homeschooling schedule. Life Skills could relate to everything from chores to cooking, budget lessons, lawn work, or even babysitting instruction. I absolutely loved the idea! It was perfect and could be applied to so many different areas of life.

I decided my most crucial need was regular, structured help in keeping up the house. The kids are wonderful and regularly assist in picking up the house, but when I look around at our messy home and shout,

“We need to clean the Entire House - Right Now!”

they are often overwhelmed and paralyzed…or hiding in the hall closet.

Not to throw stones; at that point I’m usually overwhelmed and panicked as well.

Look Sarah, let’s take a picture of Mommy having a meltdown.

Life Skills has changed everything. I hate to sound dramatic, but this simple addition to our schedule has truly transformed things in our home. I don’t have to worry as the house begins to look messy and cluttered during the day, I know at 4 pm the cry Life Skills will go forth, and by 5 pm the entire house will be picked up and fresh.

It’s heavenly!!

Here are the basic steps on how we developed the practice of Life Skills:

1. Divide up the house
2. Make a list all the rooms of the house (don’t forget the laundry room)
3. Write down the basic chores needed in each area
4. Group areas together according to size and complexity of work
5. Assign a weekly rotation
6. Find a time in your daily schedule that would accommodate an hour of Life Skills
7. Go For It!

My older three children each handle one meal (dishes, clearing table, loading and unloading the dishwasher etc) a day. They are assigned that meal for the week, at which point they rotate. We have practiced this for several years now and it (typically) works smoothly.

I decided to combine the Life Skills job with the meal rotations. Rachel helped me to break down our home into specific work areas and then coordinate the jobs with existing positions. We delegated the smaller areas of the house to the younger children and included them on the meal appointments.

For example, the child with the breakfast assignment is also responsible for tidying the living room and downstairs bathroom. Lunch has the upstairs bathroom and the laundry room (neaten room, gather dirty clothes and run a load of laundry). Dinner (which is a big responsibility, taking the longest amount of time to complete) is in charge of the family room and hallway (smaller areas).

David and Sarah (my almost 7 and 5 year olds) assist their siblings with meal and laundry chores and handle the dining room, stairs, and upstairs hallway. They rotate jobs as Little Buddy 1 and Little Buddy 2.

This Little Buddy is taking a Little Break.

Once a week the children are responsible for giving their section a thorough cleaning (wash floors, vacuum, dust, etc). Because the children are so efficient and the house is now being picked up on regular basis, I was able to add in a 10 minute bedroom clean up to the Life Skills roster.

Another friend has suggested I include a Clean the Minivan job. You can see the options are limitless.

Mother, I beg you, please don’t any anything more to Life Skills.

There you have it. A rather lengthy and detailed description of how we apply Life Skills to our day. If you have any questions, please leave a comment and I’ll do my best to confuse you further help clarify things.

Drop by Don’t Try This At Home and see other Works for Me Wednesday links.

Kathy

This week, at Rocks in My Dryer, the discussion is centered around online shopping. The bloggers are gathering to list their favorite online stores, deals and ideas. Which brings us to Amazon.com.

I’ll admit, I’m biased. I used to work for Amazon and I enjoyed working there. Amazon hires a lot of bright, energetic people with good ideas, and they also hired me.

That said, I think Amazon’s fixed-price ($79) all-you-can-ship policy is the wave of the future. Back in 2001 (or so), Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos had a great idea: to offer free shipping for purchases over $25. Most of his staff was against the idea, or so the story goes, but Jeff held firm, and was (eventually) proven right.

So when Bezos unveiled his idea for Amazon Prime in 2005, the opposition was more measured. I heard about the program not long after I left Amazon, and Kathy and I were quick to sign up. The way it works is that you pay $79 for a full year’s worth of free, two-day shipping, no matter how much you buy or how small your orders are. No more worrying about whether your order is $25, and no more paying extra for quick shipping. We can order a book on Tuesday afternoon and have it in our hot little hands on Friday, with no shipping charges (apart from the $79 we paid up-front). Overnight shipping is only $3.99 and you are able to share the membership with other members of your household.

Joshua works on his math.

In 2007, Kathy and I placed 45 individual Amazon orders, many of them for multiple items. By my calculations, we paid an average of $1.75 for shipping per order, and (in most cases) received the items within a few days. Comparing this with the rapacious shipping and handling charges common with eBay and other online merchants, I’d say we did pretty well.

There are a few caveats:

• Amazon Prime only works for items that Amazon ships directly from their warehouses. Many items are only available through third-party merchants, who do not (currently) participate in the program.
• $79 is a lot of money to pay for shipping, especially up-front. If you order fewer than 20 items over the course of the year, or if you are a careful planner and don’t need the two-day shipping, this is probably not for you.
• Two-day shipping means exactly that — sometimes it takes Amazon a couple of days to fill your order. Also, UPS and FedEx are, in my experience, only about 80% reliable on the “two-day” part.

Even so, it is very cool. I remember needing a textbook for a class I was taking — I ordered it on a Monday afternoon, and it was delivered on Wednesday morning, and I paid nothing extra for shipping.

Stop by Rocks in My Dryer to find some other online faves.

Tim
Project 366 - Day 36

We’ve written about how our family handles computer game privileges before, here and here, but I thought I would share the concept in a bare bones, easy to read post.

Works for Me Wednesday - Computer Game Chips

Every Wednesday the children (and Tim) receive poker chips equivalent to 3 and 1/2 hours of computer game playing time.

White Chips = 30 minutes
Blue Chips = 1 hour
Green Chips = 2 hours

Throughout the week the children (and Tim) are free to ’spend’ their computer chips as they wish, so long as permission is granted (Tim, obviously, doesn’t need permission) and a computer is available. When the chips are gone, the children (and Tim) are able to earn additional chips through service projects around the house (laundry, cleaning, extra chores).

Timers

Computer time is carefully monitored by the use of timers (see our Tuesday Parenting Tip for more on our love of timers). We have several kitchen timers and a stop watch that we employ to keep track of game time.

One of the saddest sounds in our house for the children (and Tim) is that little beeper, signifying 30 minutes has ended. Oh, the moans and groans you will hear from the children (and Tim). On the other hand, this crew can hear the clink of a chip as it hits the floor or counter from any room in the house. It’s a tragic thing to lose a chip to the washing machine where it is claimed by the laundress.

Benefits of this Discipline

1. We become better stewards of our time - no more hours slipping away unnoticed in front of a computer game
2. There is a cap to how much time, overall, one can spend on the computer - chips gone/computer game over
3. Mom gets extra chores completed by eager computer gamers who are out of chips
4. Mom doesn’t have to worry about her computer being used for long periods of time - 30 minutes is actually a very short period of time
5. The family is encouraged to find other forms of entertainment - outside play, board games, reading
6. Dad provides an awesome example of how to put limits on extracurricular activities
7. Less fussing and nagging from Mom

I’m sure Tim (and the children) can share further blessings from this practice, if we ask them.

All five children gather to watch an intense moment on Daniel’s Star Wars Lego game. See the family unity and love.

Stop by Rocks in My Dryer for other blogs with great tips. You’re welcome to leave a comment on our Duckabush Giveaway post and enter a chance to win some Starbucks and chocolate.

Kathy

Last month, you know, way back in 2007, Rachel and I were invited to a Craft Party. Since I don’t really “do” crafts, I try to accept any and all invitations that give the children opportunities to explore their creative side. Thankfully I’ve been blessed with wonderfully talented friends so the children aren’t suffering too terribly.

We were instructed to bring a package of tea. How lovely, crafts and hot tea! Doesn’t that sound like a perfect way to spend a rainy, gray afternoon. Sure enough, the party was a delight.

Heather (our hostess) had a craft area set up for the girls, complete with paints, hot glue gun, pretty stencils and more. There were instructions written up on the board, a model of the completed project and scented candles burning in the background.

The girls were to design their own tea caddies. They each had an unassembled cardboard box (old film packages, I believe), ready for painting and decorating as they liked. After they painted the boxes, they glued them back together, added glass beads for feet and a decorative pull for the top. Best of all was the tea swap! They traded and shared the different teas among them so each girl brought home a full box of tea.

Heather and I met several years ago when a friend brought her to our church’s women’s retreat. I immediately enjoyed her sense of humor and love for the Lord. The next year she joined us again at the retreat and we had more opportunity to visit. I knew this was creative, hilarious, homeschooling mom was someone I wanted as a friend.

This, of course, is Michelle (who introduced us) and NOT Heather, as Heather was the one taking the picture. Clear as mud?

I am constantly amazed at how God brings beautiful, unique, intelligent women into my life. Each one is like a precious gift and I am truly thankful for the way they enrich my life.

Heather is a talented artist and has a home business where she sells gorgeous project kits, ribbon crafts, and other treasures. Her oldest son was born with two congenital heart defects. Her renewed interest in art came about during the traumatic first year of the baby’s life. As she says so beautifully on her website:

Then, as God patched Jacob’s heart with a miracle, He also patched mine. With the guidance of God’s gentle hands I have been creating with my hands and heart ever since. That is why we are called The Patchwork Heart, Co.

I love that name, The Patchwork Heart. It so perfectly captures exactly what the Lord does as He gathers the broken pieces of our heart. He makes us new creations in His image.

Heather also writes for the Girlhood Home Companion magazine.

The Girlhood Home Companion is a beautiful 4-color magazine and companion guide that encourages young ladies (ages 10-18) how to enjoy their precious girlhood years while walking closely with the Lord and developing a deeper relationship with Him.

The very best thing of all is that Heather is MY friend. Despite my incredibly inept crafting abilities, my pathetic lack of artistic talent, and my tendency to ruin perfectly good decorating projects, she still likes me.

The girls hold up their finished projects.

Rachel painted hers in two of her favorite colors - purple and turquoise/aqua.

Here’s a close up.

When you have time, I know Heather would love to have you stop by The Patchwork Heart for a visit. Her winter newsletter/catalog is online and she shares a delicious recipe for apple honey tea as well as other craft ideas.

Thank you, Heather, for a delightful afternoon!

Anyone care for a cup of tea? Oh, I have to ask: what is your favorite kind of tea? As much as I am a serious coffee drinker (love me some Starbucks, as they say), I am very fond of tea. I prefer the non-fruity ones and adore Earl Grey, English Breakfast and Constant Comet, especially with a little bit of milk.

Am I missing a fantastic tea flavor? One of my good friends loves Stash teas and introduced me to chocolate hazelnut. I’m also curious as to where you buy tea? Do you order it online? Is there a particular grocery store that sells a wide variety of teas? Does tea go on sale? What is a good price for tea?

Sorry to ask so many questions but I know there lots of you who enjoy tea and you really should share you wisdom with me!

Speaking of which, I guess I should be sure and refer you back to Rocks In My Dryer where people are sharing tips about everything from coupons, crib sheets and cameras.

Kathy

The sun was shining today - a near miracle in Washington state during the month of January - so I decided we should take advantage of the good weather.

…by baking bread and taking pictures.

Yes, that’s actually what I thought. Not, go to the park, take a walk or get some fresh air.

Nope, it was more like, “Hey kids, the sun is out which means we could take some good pictures inside (without the flash, of course) for the blog. Let’s make bread!”

Apprentice baker and photogenic blog hog.

Some people are sort of pathetic.
I am one of those people.

But I do have a delicious bread recipe to share.

Years ago (for an exact date I’ll have to ask my mom or one of her sisters) my beloved Nana wanted to create a recipe for bread that would be delicious, simple, require few ingredients, and be low in fat. She devised this recipe, named it Mesa Manna (after her home which was nicknamed, The Mesa) and shared it with the family.

I have made all sorts of different bread recipes over the years, but I continually come back to Mesa Manna. It is just what Nana desired: simple to prepare, delicious and low in fat.

I use my Kitchen Aid but this could also be made by hand. If you are a baker extraordinaire, please excuse my long (rather redundant) explanations. Also, I’m afraid I NEVER measure anything but the water for this recipe so you might have to experiment a little bit here and there on the exact amount of the ingredients. Thankfully this recipe is incredibly forgiving.

Mesa Manna

Ingredients

1 tbs salt
1/3 to 1/2 c. sugar
7 cups of flour

Directions

3 cups warmish/hot water (not burning hot or it kills the yeast)
1 tbs yeast
1 tbs sugar

Add 1 tbs salt
1/3 to ½ cup of sugar (honey or brown sugar)

Begin to add flour. I usually stir in 3 or 4 of cups first. After a little bit I can tell my Kitchen Aid is itching to do it’s thing so I attach the dough hook, toss in another cup or two of flour and turn it on.

Sarah scrapes the edge of the bowl. Such a big helper!

The dough probably needs one or two cups of additional flour. I let the Kitchen Aid knead a little while (there’s time to check my e-mail or put in a load of laundry but not much more). When dough forms a nice ball in the Kitchen Aid, it’s done.

If I were making Mesa Manna by hand (which Tim and I have done many times over the years), I would stir the flour into a large bowl until it was coming together nicely (no longer terribly wet like cake batter). Then I would put it out on a clean counter top that is floured. The dough will be sticky so you need to have additional flour on hand. Knead it, adding flour as necessary, until the dough shines and has an elastic feel to it.

Put oil (I don’t measure–probably a tablespoon or two) in bowl and add dough, turn dough so it’s all “greased”. Cover bowl (I use a clean dishtowel–you could use plastic wrap or foil) and set aside.

I usually let the dough rise in either the microwave (that has run for 30 seconds) or a warm oven. This is a tip an older woman from our previous church shared with me, and it works beautifully (especially when the temp varies in your house). Turning the oven off is KEY! Do not neglect this step. I use a metal bowl if I’m putting it in the oven or a plastic bowl for the microwave, but I’m boring that way.

It has nothing to do with a melted Tupperware bowl - baked plastic and bread dough, yum! Nope, not at all.

Let rise 1 hour or so. I don’t really pay too much attention to the time–it might need more. Check it and see how it’s rising. This dough is very forgiving so if you have less time or more time just go with it. If you won’t be cooking the bread for some time, you can easily punch it down and let it rise again.

Bread bowl experiments.

Make into rolls on greased cookie sheet. I usually cut the tops of the rolls (with my kitchen scissors) to make them look pretty and my mom puts a dash of water on the top of each one. Let them rise (if you have time) another 20 or 30 minutes. If you don’t have time (and they look fluffy enough already) you can put them in right away. You can also cook them in a ‘cold oven.’ They rise as the temperature in the oven increases.

400 degrees for (approx) 20 minutes.

This will make 3 large pizzas or a very full pan of rolls. I’ve also used the recipe to make sweet rolls. Tim likes egg Stromboli for breakfast (basically just scrambled eggs wrapped inside the dough and then baked). The kids really love them made with all white flour (I must admit, they are VERY yummy that way). These days I immediately mix the whole wheat and white flours together in my bin so all white bread is not an option. I sometimes add additional ingredients - powdered milk, plain yogurt, oatmeal, different types of flour, or even spices (Italian Seasonings if I’m going savory or Cinnamon if we’re feeling sweet). Experiment and have fun with this very versatile recipe.

Making bread bowls for soup.

Yesterday I made a delicious pork stew and thought it would be fun to bake our own bread bowls. We tried them again today, this time cooking some over top of upside down popover tins and others on top of over turned bowls. The bowls work much better because the flatter bottom. We put on a light egg wash before baking.

We also discovered greasing the bowls is a crucial step and shouldn’t be missed. If you happen to run out of baking spray, don’t shrug and figure it will be okay, take the time to put oil or butter on the baking dishes.

Trust me on this one.

Who’s up for some soup, in a freshly baked bowl? If you have a favorite bread recipe, leave a comment and share it us.

Mom, Aunt Kate, Aunt Stephanie, Thom, or Joyce did I miss any crucial steps in describing Mesa Manna? This is how I make mine but I bet your version might be slightly different. Tell all!!

Stop by Works for Me Wednesday for other tips and treats.

Kathy
Project 366 - Day 15