A New Springtime

Homeschool and a Well Balanced Day

 The days around our house are always filled with many activities. It is very important to balance out the day, learning can include many different facets. Keeping our minds, bodies and souls healthy can be a challenge. This requires a well balanced diet of work, prayer, and play. Because I have the duty of making sure everyone else is keeping up with their daily chores, hygeine and school.

 My own needs can be easily left by the wayside but I try not to let that happen. Simple tasks such as brushing my hair can be challenging if I get caught up into the hustle and bustle of the day. Finding nice second hand clothes allows me to have a decent wardrobe and new clothes for spring usually gives me a sense of refreshment. Our community center has a thrift shop and it sells clothes for $1 a bag!!

 We have been using the Core Knowledge Series," What Your 3rd, 4th, and 6th Grader Need to Know", for school this year. In each book there is information for each grade level, divided by subject.

 The kids read a section in history and science, write about it and draw a picture to go with their journal entries. They can look it up on the computer or use another book for more info.

 We always take a break starting at 12:00 for lunch and a bit of play, too. If is nice weather the kiddos always go outside, the older ones play b-ball and the younger ones watch or do their own thing while soakin' up some sun.

 Even though they can get on each others nerves at times, I can usually find one or two siblings taking some time out to do good things together. An older sister or brother will help a a younger one learn how to play a game. We have been into Dr. Suess lately since we went to see the Lorax earlier this month. We were thrilled to get this game free at our community center. The ladies there are so good to us. They usually spoil the kids and get a few hugs in return.

 I am not always so good at getting the meditational prayer part in so that is what I will be focusing on the rest of Lent. I do offer my works, joys and sufferings each day in union with the sacrifice of the Mass.

 Although my efforts are meager these days, I do enjoy decorating. I am not Martha Stewart but I try to put up a few seasonal decorations. It isn't a priority any more but it is enjoyable.

 The main thing I try to do is maintain some kind of order with the toys and have them look neat so they don't take over the house in an unsitely mess. Keeping a balance can be difficult when managing a household, a school, playtime and my own sanity but when I focus on offering it all up to God it all falls into place.

 It is like a vocation of a monk or hermit not doing things for the self. I often have to get back on track and not worry about being praised or appreciated but doing it  as a prayer in union with Jesus for the Father above.

  At the end of the day when the battle has been fought and my will has been submitted, there is always something good to look back on.  A  peace-filled well balanced day between work and play can be the best prayer of all!!

Creating a Play Space

I have once again changed that spot in the upstairs hallway. I think it will stay like this for a while. It is a play area for Malcolm and his playmates.

 
Now is a good time to purchase bookshelves and rugs because all of the stores have them on sale in the back-to-college section.

 
I wanted to have a bright fun pottery barn look. They have such wonderful playroom designs. Aqua colored frames and a tin beach pail decorated with fabulously colored flip flops give a summer feel to the space.

 
It is the perfect spot for exersicing baby boy. We even had some Christian kids songs playing for his audio stimulation. I have been collecting toys for him, all hands on type things for his gross and fine motor skills.

 
I love making improvements in the home for the kiddos. It's alot of fun and a well organized, comfy, little nook can give them many hours of imaginative, healthy play!

    

• bookcases $12.47 ea.
• rug $20
• frames $3
• toy bucket $1.99

Total about $50 for a play space not including toys of course.

Sports Photo Binders

 I have so many sports pictures from all of the kiddos and they were getting lost and ruined.  The paper frames they come with don't last or protect the pictures for too long and to put all of them in frames on the wall would get a bit costly . I didn't want to spend a lot of money on fancy albums so I decided to keep it simple and use three ring binders and page protectors.

 
I am going to put a basketball on the bottom, left corner of the book and the kids' names with stickers in the middle. These books will contain both soccer and basketball yearly photos.

 
These are two of the pages I did for one of the boys. I cut the stars and the arrows and journal cards out of  scrapbook, using a corner rounder finishes the edges and gives them a nicer look. I got the idea of the journal cards from Becky's Blog, she created an awesome scrapbook system called Project Life. I would like to get this product for my next journal.

 
I had two sheets of stickers which I used between the two boys books and a small star rubber stamp which helped to coordinate the pages.

 
The journal cards tell the names of the coaches and some comments about the kiddos.

 
Hannah actually helped with these two pages. She did all the corner rounding , glueing, and cutting out the butterflies.I helped her with the page layout but that was it. This is a great project to let the kids get in on.

 
The binders are also a great place to keep any awards or certificates from a particular year. I mounted them onto stiff cardstock and placed them in a page protector. Now they won't get torn or crumpled. From now on when they get their annual sports photos, in the binders they will go. 

Making Room for Malcolm

 I am always surprised at how much space can become available in a home when the necessity arises. Since, baby is a boy he will eventually go in the boy's room. I never like to wait until the last minute to organize for a new baby because I have been up on bed rest at the end of more than one pregnancy.

 I started this afternoon to go in the boys room to see what was available for rearrangememt. I was thrilled when I noticed some waisted space on the left side of their dresser. There was a small table with their x-box game on it that was just begging to be moved.

 

 The boys helped me move the large bookcase to that spot and another similiar bookcase from downstairs that really wasn't being used. We ended up with what looked like a wall unit.

 
 The right side bookcase will be for Malcolm's items diapers, baby cream, onsies recieving blankets, nighties and all of those cute soft and sweet baby things. I already had the storage bins, the boys decided to part with their stuffed animals and army guys so I can use them for clothes etc.

 
 This  empty wall was where the big bookcase was but now it is freed up for the crib. I will put a shelf and some simple decor above it. I want to make one of those pendant garland with baby boy's name on it.

 
 The bunks are still in the same spot across from the wall unit, I was grateful we didn't have to move them. The boys were so excited and willing to help make room for lil' bro I didn't even have to yell at them to help with the room re-do. I hope this will motivate them more to pick up their clothes off the floor of keep their dirty socks out of the toy bins( lol ). Hopefully they will teach "M" some good room keeping skills, ya think?

PortfolioTime

 It is that time of year again, we are required by our state to turn in either standardized tests or portfolios for assessments of our children. I have been working on these for a couple of weeks now and I am in the final stretch.  I have one more to do for my high schooler. They have to be turned in by the end of July.

     

I always use the 1", 3 ring binders with the clear pocket on the front that way I can use some nice scrapbook paper to dress them up.

     
 If you are into pretty paper, these were a great find at Wal-Mart for $5. It contains 20 sheets of paper, 212 stickers, and 77 punch-outs.

This year, I was fortunate to find a file cabinet on the side of the road (answered prayer). I used it throughout the school year to keep the kiddos papers organized.

   
 I used a different set of colored folders for each child and arranged them from youngest to oldest. The girls got the top drawers and the boys got the bottom.

   

Each folder was labeled with a subject and placed in a hanging folder in the drawers. We have a done bin and when it got full ( about 2 weeks worth of work) I would separate the papers by names and the kiddos filed them into their folders.

Working on the portfolios was much easier using this system. I didn't have to search for lost papers, just open the drawers and pull from the folders what I needed. This is my adaptation to Dawn's File Crate System. 

When I am done with the portfolios, I will put the papers I didn't use in individual ziplocks labeled with the child's name and the year and put those in a storage bin., leaving the folders empty and ready to reuse in the fall. 

When we get them back fron the School Department, the portfolios will go in their rooms. It is amazing to see how they like to browse through them and reflect back on the year. They are great keepsakes! Eventually, they will end up on our bookshelves with previous year's portfolios.
 
 

Starting Over Again, Reorganizing an Organized Area

I am at it once again, changing that upstairs space for about the fifth time. Last time around, I put the roll top desk in this area, I thought I would use it for planning but teenager took it over for school.

I didn't like  the way the desk took up so much of the space, especially now that school is out. So here is what I did:

I already had one of these shelves in the girls closet which I wanted to clean out. In doing that, I took that shelf and got another one to make one big wall unit. I like how these go pretty high up and take advantage of  most of the wall space. 
 

Since these are right behind the computer desk, I can grab the books or supplies I need for the my weekly planning.

I also picked up this smaller shelf that fits great in the corner. I am putting our science themed items on it. The bottom shelf holds our newly thrifted microscope, $5 at GW.

Remember this desk? I moved it into the boy's room for my (almost) 12 yr. old. He loves it and desperately needed a new one.

 
My 10 yr old. will use this desk, a roadside find. He has been using this area already, this summer he used his private place to build legos and  work on a puzzle.

We will be doing our morning work such as math, phonics, spelling, etc. at individual desks this fall. After lunch, we will work on our "together" subjects downstairs. 

 
The girls will sit on either side of this table. It is in their room to the right of the main area where the new shelves are. Hannah painted it all by herself, in her favorite color of course!

I can see both rooms from were I sit and it gives everyone some of their own space.

Baby Eliana will have access to the bottom shelves and the toys in the girls room while  the older kiddos do their work.

I just picked up this cute Brambly Hedge memory game.

 
I had never heard of these books before but the pictures on the cards are so sweet; I couldn't pass them up.

 Baby and I play a game like memory except we have all of the pictures facing up and she has to find the two that match. I think she is still too young to play with the cards facing down.

Today was the first day she tried her lacing cards, maybe it was because she could actually find them. It is so important to me that the children be able to use and explore the items that surround them.

It is my experience that changing things around and organizing and re-organizing is a growth process. To be able to function in my home, means items have to be easily accessible.

This constantly changes and takes a bit of work as we add new things or get rid of other things we may have out grown. 

Having a lots of books and different curriculum for homeschooling can be a challenge when it comes to home management and maintenance but I never mind the process of regrouping.

 This is a wonderful way to take inventory and  maybe even find some forgotten materials. It helps me to start fresh in the fall and begin all over again in what seems like a whole new environment.

 

Baskets, Bookshelves and Bins Part 2

Yesterday, I posted about how the clutter monster is tamed in  the downstairs of our home. Now I will continue with the tour of the upstairs.

My room:

This area is on my side of the bed. I have a basket on top of my nightstand that keeps all of the books I like to read in bed. The second shelf holds my Pottery Barn catalogs and a few other magazines. The bottom is for storing my photo journals, my home organizational binder(which is totally neglected), some craft books and a binder for storing some of my blog articles.

The awful looking plastic drawers to the left contain my pinwheel squares and some fabric and other unfinished projects. Scrapbook paper can be placed inside of the drawer fronts tocover up what is in them. I have been wanting to do this but haven't got around to it yet. The big brown basket is home to my photo journal and supplies.

My lil' flag cabinet, a $7 tag sale find, works great keeping all of the diaper changing and baby accessories in place.

 In the blue and brown basket, are the baby wipes, creams and lotions. I like them on top and open so I can grab them quickly if I need to but they are high enough were baby can't get them.

This is the foot of my bed, it is a clutter magnet. My sewing machine sits on the end on my side along with my craft bin which has hand needles,scissors, punch needle supplies, pins, etc. The white basket is the odd sock haven. Uh, oh a plastic bag of course I am going to blame hubby for that one and over by his dresser is a basket of some folded clothes.

 The girls room:

This is the girl's closet. They share a room so there is quite a bit of stuff. There is a clothes bar over to the left inside the closet with bathrobes,  a baptismal gown and some seasonal clothes. The main part is clutter containment central. You name it and its probably in here.

The bins with the lids hold dress up clothes, doll clothes, plastic trinkets. The pink bins are for dolls, pet shops, stuffies and more stuffies. I try to go through the toys every so often and weed things out.

Another bookcase for books and some other girly stuff. The pink baskets up top contain crowns, bracelets, white gloves and dress up bling. The boxes in the middle are make-up kits from grandma. The bottom two shelves are for baby, easy access to her toys  helps her to know these are okay for her and not off limits.

I like this crib because of the underneath storage in the form of drawers. I use it for sheets, small blankets. and baby slings not in use. The crib also has three drawers on the side for baby's clothes.

This wall is pretty crowded, I could live without this kitchen but it does keep baby entertained. The food and dishes have been minimized to one basket that sits on top. Next, are the girls dressers. Abbey, age 7, has the plastic drawers and they fit well here because they are narrow.

Under the girls bed is the opposite season's clothing. I don't like to haul things up two flights of stairs from the basement so  I decided to utilize this hidden space. the boys bins are under here, too. It makes switching over much easier when the containers are close to or in the bedrooms.

 
The doll house and the kitchen are the two biggest toy items we have. I try to avoid oversized toys due to space issues. I try to have the girls maintain a neat, orderly doll house. They are vigilant at doing it but baby is always messing it up. Good practice for them for when they become mommies.

Tomorrow, I will continue with the boys room. This is the toughest room to maintain a clutter free zone. Not do to lack of places and spaces to put things, but one of my boys has Messy Marvin Syndrome. He likes cracks and crevices instead of baskets and bins.

 

Baskets, Bookshelves, and Bins/ Part 1

 I was given a wonderful comment by my friend, Kristyn, whom  I know through blogging. She said that my home always looked clutter free and she wanted to know how I did it considering I have eight people living in our home.

 After my head shrunk down a bit, I started to think about the question. How do I keep the house relatively clutter free? I have never really been a minimalist even though I love the idea, it is a lot easier said than done with a larger family.

I think the key to maintaining our clutter to a minimum is based on organization and three key components:

• baskets
• bookshelves
• bins

Containment of what we have and use is the key, everything has an assigned place.

In the mudroom:

I keep DH's shoes under this bench, kids coats and bike helmets are lined up on hooks.

In this very dark picture is a converted bookcase. I use it for kiddos shoes. It is a struggle to get them to use it but I repeatedly call them in to pick them up, I refuse to give up on the matter.

In the kitchen:

 
This is our pantry which holds all of our non-perishables. I have two other cabinets for pots and pans and plastic containers. My island has two more cabinets that hold bake-ware and plastic cups.

I use these containers for cereal, etc. 

In the dining room:

There ia a secretary, on the top is a sorter for the mail for DH and the other basket holds ads and flyer type mail. The bottom desk part of the secretary holds hubbies bill paying supplies. 

The first drawer has batteries, cell phone chargers electronic gadgets and wires. Second drawer has religious papers such as prayer cards, novenas, small statues, etc. The third drawer holds drawing paper for the kiddos.

This bookcase holds all of our current school workbooks and supplies. Everyone has their own basket including me. The basket on the very top is our 'done bin', most completed work goes in there before it gets filed. 

The smaller baskets are for...

 
markers, glue, scissors, pens and colored pencils. 

The top part of the hutch holds all of our fancy wancy china, our cheap Wal- Mart glasses and some seasonal decorations.

 

The bottom has all of our big platters and  bowls we use for holidays. The three drawers are stuffed with place-mats, tablecloths and a few penny-rugs.

 

This little coat closet is great for our light weight jackets and a few tote bags.

The living room:

This little book shelf is the only thing besides the tv cabinet that we have in our living room. On top are tissues, diapers and wipes. The rest are some of Baby Eliana's toys. These are for her while we are doing school. All other toys are in the kiddos rooms.

That is it for the downstairs, except for teenagers room. Which I will show later. Tomorrow part 2, the upstairs.
 

 

The Ever Changing Corner

 I have a corner of my home that is forever changing. It is a small area upstairs that is like a double hallway. We used to try and squeeze in it to do our school but we were to close for comfort.

 Next, it was a sewing area but I didn't have the time to sew. Again it changed to a reading area for the kiddos.This worked for a while but I needed a space to do paperwork and lesson planning.  I set up a makeshift desk out of an old basement table and that seemed to do the trick.

 I have been looking on craigslist for a small desk for about a month now.  Yesterday, I finally saw the desk and the price was right at $20. It looked like the right size so I decided to check it out.

 

When I saw the desk I was quite pleased, it was a bit bigger and nicer than what it showed up in the picture as. It is narrow and that works well in the area it is in.

I love the roll top and the drawers were I can hide all of my supplies. Oh, I almost forgot to share my 'side of the road' find, it is the file cabinet. I was thrilled and I am using it to keep all of my file folders for the kids school work( another post).

 I decided not to hang the clipboards on the wall, I will store them in this basket for now. It looks too cluttered with all of the kiddos papers on them. I am going to paint this little table black to tie it in with the rest of the Pottery Barn look alike office accessories.

 

 I want to change the wall color to a country white the blue doesn't match anything but that will have to wait. For now this is the new arrangement, DH says he'e glad it matches the boys room because in  six months when I want to change it I can put it in there. What he doesn't know is that I  really want to paint it but I have enough other projects right now. 

 
 

Girl's Room, More Organizing

I decided since I liked the way the boys bookcase turned out I would do the same in the girl's room. I had a couple of smaller wicker bookcases in there which didn't really match. I put both on craigslist and was able to make some more cash to purchase the new, bigger bookcase. This time I decided to go with the white one more girlish,I guess.

This is how it came out. DH put it together for me, what a guy!! I love the clean white shelves all organized.

I used the very top to display some of their pictures and a couple of other cute things.The next shelf is for the two older girl's nail polish and lip gloss boxes grandma gave them for Christmas. In the baskets are headbands and other girly jewelery, etc. I like the high shelves because it keeps lil' hands off of the bigger girl's things. As you can see above someone is already checking out what she can get into.

The books on this shelf belong to the two older girls. The next one down holds toys that anyone can use, big or little.

The two bottom shelves are baby friendly they contain board books, wooden toys, a few stuffies and stacking stars.

I am excited to have more space in their room and it was a very inexpensive solution. Everything is contained in one area and the girls can easily put the items back in the proper places. Of course they have more toys in their closet but we are working on purging some of those, too. Less is definitely more.