If you are like me and have a wish list for any of the The Old Schoolhouse Magazine produced products, like the TOS planner or want a couple back issues, then today is the day.
For today only, they are having a special 50% off sale on items produced by The Old Schoolhouse. This includes the new What about Socialization? and Living and Learning on One Income ebooks. Also includes digital subscriptions, which is very tempting.
But I’m heading off to pick up The Schoolhouse Planner. It’s been on my wish list since last year and this is the first time I’ve seen it on sale. 50% off is definitely within my buy price.
Back issues are Buy 1 Get 1 Free today as well. So I’ll be picking a couple back issues I missed, including the Winter 07/08 issue that covered working at home while homeschooling.
I was not happy today with how my children were treating each other. And their daddy was very unhappy over a violation of his privacy. While the children lost computer and Netflix privileges for the breach of privacy, it was time to regroup and have a chat on how we are supposed to treat each other.
So the kids piled into the car and I headed toward Arby’s. Why?
The kids like going to Arby’s. It’s a special treat, saved for special occasions and important family discussions.
It’s relatively quiet, so we can hear each other.
It’s free of electronic distractions – no tv monitors or video games. We can actually use the time together to chat.
Today’s discussion was on the most important commandment: Love each other (John 15:12, 17). And, how we show love to others. Then we discussed privacy and secrets, and when to keep secrets and when it’s okay to tell secrets. Followed up by a discussion of the values printed on the kids meal bag, and what they mean:
Arby’s Values (from the Arby’s Kids Meal bag)
If you can dream it, you can do it!
Do the best you can, in all that you do.
Set high goals and make them happen!
Always treat each other with respect and fairness
Make the most of every day. Life is meant to be enjoyed.
Help make life better for those around you.
Here in this fast food resturant, free of distractions of home, glowing from a special outing, the kids and I discussed these heavy topics, went through scenarios, and acted out examples of love and serving. It’s an unlikely place, but effective, for a reminder on the most important thing I can teach the kids. Afterall it doesn’t matter how well we homeschool academics if the kids’ attitude and behavior towards others is wrong.
So next time you need a good heart-to-heart talk, I highly recommend finding your local equivelent of Arby’s - a quiet place, free of distractions and full of special memories.
This week over at The Homeschool Post, the theme is Chores. More specifically:
How chores are done in your home. How you order your day with school and getting housework done. How do you decide which chores should be done by which child, of which age?
And it actually fits in with a question I promised a friend I would answer this week. She asked me “How do you do it all”. My answer simply was “I don’t.” But Chores play a really BIG part in how things get done at our house. We all pitch in and get the work done…together.
Each morning the children find a list of Chores/Schoolwork on the white board, and on most days, schedule for the day is posted on the refigerator. The chores on the board are the “before schoolwork” chores. And usually they are pretty consistent. Something like:
J – unload dishwasher, make bed, take a shower
K – load dishwasher, 15 minutes room pickup, make breakfast for everyone
Z – make bed
Then they have their list of schoolwork subjects for the day (except Kate who is reminded to look at her schedule – more on that another day).
Then, each evening, around 6pm, we do our chore time. This is the time where we ALL (including me) do chores to prepare the house for Daddy’s homecoming. I write the chore assignments on the white board and they mark them off as they are done and inspected. The list varies depending on what needs to be done – usually the room of the day is the one that needs the most rescuing…er…help. So the chore list will look something like this:
J & K – Clean litter boxes (all three)
K – dining room clean up
E – pick up art table and dining room table (or help pick up game room/living room)
J – Game room (or living room) – pick up and vacuum
The other important thing is that each child is in charge of dinner one day a week. This was a crazy thing that happened. I assigned Kate to cook one day a week and they all wanted their own day. So I help E and Z with their days. I coach J on his day. And Kate does her day all on her own (at her request).
On major cleaning days (like before guests are coming), chores are assigned, by listing what needs to be done in the order of priority. And then I start assigning based on who wants what and who has the best attitude, and of course by ability. I’m not going to ask a 4 year old to do an 11 year old’s job. But in reality my 11 year old can do pretty much any chore I can do, with little help. And Josh, our 9 year old is not far behind her. What a blessing they all are.
Some years, I know exactly what we are doing for Christmas two months in advance, and some years, like this one, I wait until the last minute. Actually, this year I’m sort of in between. I picked out what I was making for gifts back in November; I just haven’t made them yet. I made arrangements for my 9 year old’s gift back in November as well. But, I’m little off schedule for a gift for my nearly 5 year old, and my other two children.
Christmas is only two weeks away. In reality I have 13 days to get my act together. Food wise, I know what I”m doing. At Thanksgiving, I typed up a Holiday menu and grocery list, so that just gets re-used. But I’m feeling the stress today over the gifts for three of my four children. Therefore, it’s time to sit down and write up a plan: Who, What or Budget, and Timing.
And it’s time to pull out the sewing machine and get busy!
After reading A Simple Form of Networking Even the Most Introverted Professional Can Enjoy, I started thinking about how networking really applies to my life as a work-at-home, homeschooling mom. I am introverted and often work with technology professionals who are also introverted, which is what first drew me to the article. But what strikes me is that most people think of networking in terms of social gatherings, groups of people, and meeting people they don’t know.
Maybe I’m wrong. But this is the mental image that networking immediately brings up for me. While I like people, that type of situation is a big energy drain for me and not usually the best use of my time. And, as a at-home mom, with multiple responsibilities, social functions just aren’t very plausible. I’m not apt to go out and “network” with professionals in my field very often.
But that’s the key there… “go out”. I do network. But I only go out and do it on a strategic, limited basis. As this article pointed out networking is really about building relationships. This I do for sanity – both as a homeschooling mom and as a working professional. My “going out and networking” is about getting together peridocially for lunch, or coffee, or maybe a periodic face-to-face meeting. If I’m at a conference, I may meet new people there and follow up.
But most of the time, my networking takes place where I work – on the computer and by phone. I build relationships with my clients via email, by phone, by sharing information I think they might find helpful, by filling their needs, and asking questions instead of making blind assumptions. I send cards at holiday times, and sometimes more often. Periodically when I’m thinking of someone, I’ll shoot them a quick email asking how they are doing or checking in with them. But not often enough to be a pest or disruption, but periodically to let them know that I haven’t forgotten about them. We all like to remembered, and to be thought of periodically.
I can’t go out and meet new people often. My time is limited. But in this online world, I meet new people anyway. Through forums, Yahoo groups, blogs, websites, and my favorite – online classes. Some people I keep in touch with via email or IM. Others I follow on Linkedin, and most recently Facebook and Twitter. So networking really isn’t an issue, unless I want it to be. I am limited in my at-home lifestyle by only my imagination and the amount of time and energy I choose to put forth.
The real point of networking, as this article points out, is not to meet as many people as you can, but to build relationships. Helping others, encouraging other, and being a resource for them – that’s what we should be about anyway.
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