From Cindy's Heart

EASY Homemaking Ideas For The Busy Homeschool Mom!

EASY Homemaking Ideas For The Busy Homeschool Mom!

By Cindy Rushton

     Homemaking...The word Homemaking brings back many fond memories of my childhood home.  I can almost smell the homemade goodies that mom labored daily to make.  I can almost feel the crisp, clean sheets from those Monday washings.  Thinking back brings me sweet memories of my home-sweet-home mom! 

     I began homeschooling much like many of you.  I had spent 6 years of marriage modeling after my dear mother.  She always had the laundry out on the line, the entire house cleaned, lunch cooking, and dinner laid out all before 7:00 AM! 

     You can probably imagine my difficulties the first year of homeschooling as I tried to keep up this pace in my home.  Oh, beloved! I did it!  However, I was wore out... frustrated... and KNEW there must be a change!  I prayed about my concerns and as usual the Lord gave His direction...His Plan.  It would be to manage my home well but not at the expense of developing relationships with my husband and children or at the expense of homeschooling these treasures.  Let me share some tips today that I have learned over the last few years that make homemaking a delight…

•        Semi-Annual Cleanout...One thing that you can do today to get a handle on homemaking in your homeschool is to stop what you are doing and do a big clean out!  Yes, I am saying stop all that you are doing now...as you begin your new year.  Stop and spend some time this week cleaning out and organizing.  It will make all the difference in the world in the atmosphere of the home.  Also, take a break in the Fall to do another real good cleanout.  This helps me to keep overall order...even if our home is "lived in."  Of course, another plan you might like better is the “Zone Cleaning” from Flylady. For those of you online, you may want to check out her wonderful website at www.flylady.com for all of her wonderful and easy tips for truly cleaning out and getting into a homemaking routine!  I bought her new book Sink Reflections and it is better than her website—if that can happen!  We have been taking her “baby-steps” to get our home and office completely de-cluttered and ready for another big travel season!  It is so nice to have those papers in binders...those books organized on the shelf...those closets...well, we are still working! hehe!  A semi-annual cleanout (or hitting those Zones!) will help you to get all in order so that your family can only maintain order...this gives you a peace of mind so you can relax and enjoy teaching (and PLAYING!)!

•     Morning Chore Time...After you have your home in order for the new year, all that will be needed is maintenance.  We maintain our home by requiring a morning chore time.  When the children were all young, I used to set myself a timer of one hour to clean and do chores.  I would set the children's timer for 10-15 minutes and call for a clutter drill. (When they were real little I would have clutter drills at different times of the day so we kept their things straightened.) They would have to pick up everything they could before the buzzer went off.  Usually all of our cleaning was done in about 5 minutes—it was amazing!  If the work did not get done, I waited until the next day to do it.  This worked well to keep our home from becoming a distraction from the important job of discipling our children.  Plus, it trained our entire family in the habit of doing their part in cleaning the house quickly. Now that my children are trained, the bulk of the housework is done by them during their morning chore time.  Our chore time is first thing after our Quiet times.  Everyone just gets busy doing their part...Elisabeth gets the laundry going, cleans the bathroom as needed, puts away any dishes, washes any dirty dishes, helps to feed the chickens and animals, cleans her room, vacuums, and helps with any other chores that need to be done...Matthew takes care of feeding and caring for our bird, helps with the laundry that needs folding or putting away, dusts, straightens the kitchen and helps Elisabeth with the dishes, maintains the vehicles, helps Dad with any repairs or outside chores, and cleans his room.  With them pitching in, all gets done efficiently so we can take care of the important things...family life! 

•      Standard of Excellence not Perfection...You can imagine from my childhood that I came into homemaking with a pretty high standard.  Actually it was called Perfectionism!  I struggled so long with comparing my home to my mother's home… my children's assistance with that of older children… in doing so, I was setting myself up for failure!  God does not want for us to compare ourselves.  If we do, we find ourselves comparing our lives to the lives of our mothers who tucked the children off in school and COULD have a clean house because NO ONE WAS THERE!  Of course, there are other dangers too. If we do, we find ourselves patting ourselves on the back when we have our homes nicer than "so-and-so."  Our standards are not to be based on those around us...but on what brings glory and honor to God.  We cannot all have a Better Homes and Gardens home, but we can have a standard of excellence.  What we do can be eternal not for today!  We can focus more on the people than what we have.  We can offer hospitality.  These are truly the Excellent! 

•        Bulk Cooking...One thing that I learned after that first year of homeschooling was to cook in bulk.  Actually I call my plan, “Serve and Store.”  The first years of homeschooling I had a home business of sewing for the public.  I would sew one day, cook one day.  On the sewing days, we would have leftovers from my cooking day.  In other words, I would cook and SERVE on one day...and sew and eat the food that we had STORED on the next day! It was a nice balance which enabled me to operate a successful sewing business while homeschooling and homemaking!  From this, I developed a habit of cooking in bulk that has continued till today.  It is easy to just buy double ingredients...usually it is cheaper!  I just double my recipes and freeze the extra dish.  Yesterday, I had the "fruit" of my labors as we had Lasagna already prepared last week that only needed to be popped in the oven and served with our fresh bread.  You can be prepared at all times for those dropping in if you freeze a variety of foods as you cook them!  Bulk Cooking redeems the time so you can stay busy with the important things in life...relationships!  (More ideas for making EASY meals in our ULTIMATE MOMMY MENU PLANNER Ebook.)

•        Eliminating the Distractors...I tend to battle with two primary distracters in my life...the Telephone and Too Much Going!  These tend to take the joy out of homeschooling and homemaking!  I have waged war on these two enemies!  For our telephone enemy, I have set a goal to start my day earlier.  I turn the phone off...yes, the ringer is off and there is no answering machine to nag at me either!  I only turn the phone on when it is a good time to talk.  This has helped me a lot because I find that no matter how much I tell others about our best times, they inevitably call right as we are all snuggled up with a great book...or just as I am in the midst of a great quiet-time! The "going" monster is not so easily maintained without much effort!  Because of this, I try to utilize my going time wisely by doing drill work along the way...narrating along the way...or praising God in song as a family along the way!  I have tried to limit feeding this monster by doing all my errands on the days that I am already in town. If I need something in between times out, I just give my husband a list or page him with my needs.  He helps me to keep this monster under control! 

•        Do Something Every Day...I read in a book by Emilie Barnes a while back that if we take one little job a day that we can keep up our homes better.  I have implemented this into my home.  I may just straighten one drawer...or the vanity...or a pile of papers...but, this helps to keep the home manageable without requiring me to be a slave to homemaking to-do's!

•        Set Up Learning Areas...I remember the motto of the mother of one of my best friends, "A place for everything and everything in its place."  She was a real Proverbs 31 woman!  She maintained her home beautifully and still had time to be a gracious wife of a U.S. Senator.  As I began to homeschool, I saw the "stuff" take over!  This motto of Mrs. Pickering became my motto.  We set up learning areas that could be the "place" for our learning tools.  We set up a children's library...game area...computer area...dress up bin...Nature Shelf...video area...so on.  This has helped me to maintain a semblance of sanity amidst all the "stuff" stuffed into our little cottage!  (Need more help with setting up your homeschool? Read my FREE article with LOTS more help! Take a cup of tea! )

•        Slow Pace...The biggest enemy of a relaxed home atmosphere is the fast pace...the hurry!  It is key to remember that everything has its season!  Plus, remember that you can delegate!  You can delegate many of the chores to the children...you can let others take their turns with the church responsibities...you can do without that extra class or lesson!  Genesis 33: 13-14 in the Amplified Bible says, “...You know, my lord, that the children are tender and delicate and need gentle care, and the flocks and herds with your are of concern to me; for it the men should overdrive them for a single day, the whole of the flocks would die.  Let my Lord, I pray you, pass over before this servant; and I will lead on slowly, governed by [consideration for] the livestock that set the pace before me and the endurance of the children, until I come to my lord in Seir."  In this passage, Jacob (God's Man, God's Way) was met by Esau (the world, the world's way).  Esau wanted Jacob to go along with him...in that fast pace!  Jacob set an example for us to follow! An example of considering the slow pace...the true needs of our children!  I don’t know about you, but our children would prefer a calm, easy-going mom to the fast paced mom who provides all the "essential" opportunities!  Trade in that pace for a slow, relaxed atmosphere...you won't regret it!

•        Don't Forget Ministry...One of the greatest means that we have for influencing our world for Christ is through our homes!  Surprised?  Well, think about those who have influenced you the most...How many ministered to you from their home? I treasure the lessons I learned about God's design for me as a wife and mother while sitting at the feet of Mamaw!  I saw true submission modeled before me.  I saw a love of homemaking.  I even learned to sew at her knee!  It was sitting in her kitchen that God confirmed His call for me to write!  All of the characteristics of the Proverbs 31 woman were modeled perfectly before me from the precious home of Mamaw.  Much of who I am has been instilled through her quiet ministry...yes, the ministry within the home does reap fruit!  You can minister to the world through cooking… card-making... sewing… crafts… just by using those practical skills faithfully to teach and minister to others.  You can fully utilize the spiritual gifts of everyone in your family.  These gifts are a wonderful opportunity to minister to one another and to those who come into your home. Using gifts through practical service from your home-base is the perfect training ground for your little disciples!  

•        Take Time for the Beautiful...All of these tips are designed for one purpose...to give you ideas which will help you to have time for the Beautiful!  It may be more time for reading aloud...time to snuggle up with beautiful poetry...time for a long walk observing God's nature...time to take a long-hot bath and relax to Classical Music… or even time for tea!  Homemaking in the Homeschool can be simplified so it is EASY! It can be simplified to give you time for the things God designed to nourish you and your family—treasured relationships and sweet, sweet memories!!  Blessings!

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