The Binder

I got this idea from Thomas Jefferson Education and started it right away - it's great and so simple! I got a three ring binder for each boy and put some fun pictures of them on the front. Inside I filled it with empty clear plastic sheet protectors for them to keep their finished work in. Each boy has a calendar in the front. This is a place where we can practice planning as well as recording. To Kai's binder I added his reading list and a place where we write a paragraph each day about what he learned that day. They all love it and are busy filling it up with all their work and special papers. It's unleashed a new wave of creativity in the house and I have more ideas too.

These are the covers I made for their binders:

simplify

I just read a packet that  friend gave me about Thomas Jefferson Education.  I won't get into all the details of that now, but one piece of advice really hit home for me and I spent the week applying it.  And here it is:

The three greatest destroyers of motherly mentoring are cleaning, cooking and chauferring.  Yep, that sounds about right!  Some days I feel I'm spending the entire day cleaning and cooking and managing the house - and it's still a mess!  How many times do my kids actually ask me to read them a book and I say, not now, I need to do this or that - dishes, laundry, straighten up, you name it.  Something is wrong with that picture and I can say my homeschool is definitely suffering because of it.  Here are a few more quotes:

You need to choose between your stuff and your education. 

Too much stuff in the home clogs up the education of everyone who lives there.  Managing your stuff takes time, effort, resources, space, and above all brain cells to keep track of it all - even unconsciously.  Lighten your load and free up those brain cells - we need every brain cell we've got!

Extra stuff around the house consistently and very silently robs energy, time and focus from your education and time with kids. 

Great education is greatly impacted by its surroundings, and cleaning them up will open relationships and learning pathways that are now dormant.

With much less things cluttering the home - you can spend less time cleaning.

So this week I did a major clean up and simplifying in our home.  Instead of academics we focused on cleaning, chores, and training the boys how to put their things away and help keep the house in order. 

It feels really good and manageable now - like a weight lifted off.  I'm happy with the results and am spending more time with the boys.

The boys enjoying their new study space

Have you simplified lately?  What were your strategies?

Cheap Thrills

7 quick takes

1. Simplify Saturday This post is great about getting rid of stuff! We're moving in about a month, so I'm working on packing up (again). Also knowing we will probably be moving to a much smaller space I'm trying to get inspired to simplify, simplify, simplify!


2. Evidence that Little Touches Do Mean So Much I'm learning this through my second son, Ezra. I don't know too much about love languages, but I am pretty sure his is touch. He has been a snuggle bug since the day he was born. I can see how much he needs touch during his day - it just seems to reassure him and improve his behavior. I need to be intentional about giving him lots of loving touches.

3. Playing I love this post by Veronica. She talks passionately about the importance of children and how they are often overlooked in society or pushed to the side. Her love for her son and creativity in playing with him is inspirational!


4. I am having trouble getting to sleep at a decent hour. It's like after the kids go to bed I just get this burst of energy and there's so many things I want to do - all the things I can't do when four little ones need me constantly! I know need to start winding myself down earlier and getting a decent sleep. Anyways, I thought this was funny: Assuming God is a morning person and satan is a night owl My husband can testify, I am so not a morning person!!!


5. Carrying my kids This post by Tracie encouraged me to get out my sling and give it another try! I have not been able to get Koa comfortable in any of the various slings I have accumulated, so I put them away for a little bit. Reading this helped me remember how much I enjoyed carrying my other kids around and so I thought I would give it another try!

6. At the Heart of Homeschooling I'm still getting into a groove with this homeschooling business. It's tricky. I feel like I have so much to learn. I really enjoyed this post about having a heart for your children. It's not just for homeschooling moms, but for any parent. She also shares a "View from Down the Road," as her children are in college and she can see positive results of her efforts with her children while they were small.


7. Scott is going to Jaco this weekend with our friend who works in project development. I'm excited for him to go, but boo hoo for me, home alone with the kids :( Luckily a few girls are going to come stay with me, so I think we'll make it a fun time. Here's a video of one of the projects we may work with in Jaco:

A Canon 7D short: El Hueco from gnarly bay productions, Inc. on Vimeo.

more 7 quick takes here.