Psalm 34

Photo courtesy of Jordan Chamblee

Psalm 34 

(Nahum Tate, 1652-1715 and Nicholas Brady, 1659-1726)

Through all the changing scenes of life, 

In trouble and in joy,

The praises of my God shall still

My heart and tongue employ.

Of His deliverance I will boast,

Till all that are distressed

From my example comfort take,

And charm their griefs to rest.

O magnify the Lord with me,

With me exalt His Name;

When in distress to Him I called, 

He to my rescue came.

The hosts of God encamp around

The dwellings of the just;

Deliverance He affords to all

Who on His succour trust.

O make but trial of His love, 

experience will decide

How blessed are they, and only they,

Who in His truth confide.

Fear Him, ye saints, and you will then

Have nothing else to fear;

Make you His service your delight,

Your wants shall be His care.

Life Learning

So much of our education comes from just living the life that God has given us.   Twenty-three years ago when we first started on our homeschooling journey I don't believe that Jeff and I had any ideas of where this walk would lead us.  Visions of two little girls learning to read, write and study God's Word and His creation floated in my mind's eye, but never would I have dreamed that we would still be on this journey 23 years later and still have at least 16 years to go as our family grew to include seven children and now, three grandchildren as well.

Our current life lessons seem to be focused on homesteading activities and I am really enjoying these lessons.  This week we have been canning applesauce and today we'll tackle beef and turkey broths, tomatoes, pickles and more applesauce.  We have potatoes to dehydrate and onions to freeze.  Kaelan made a big batch of dough yesterday for cinnamon rolls and I rolled them out for breakfast this morning.  I spread my own homemade butter over the dough, sprinkled with sugar and cinnamon and then rolled them up, sliced and baked.  Topped with icing made with more homemade butter, they were simply delicious.

Jeff commented after finishing his second cinnamon roll that our daughters sure could cook!!  Well, I reminded him that Kaelan made the dough, but I finished them up this morning!  There were/are extremely tasty and he also commented about the fresh taste of the butter.....and that we will soon be getting our own cow!  We have so enjoyed getting fresh milk for the last several months and I admit, have become a little snobbish now about our homemade milk products.  Oh, and we sit around drooling over cheese and soap making products from the Hoegger's Catalog and other products from Lehman's!!

This weekend we'll be busy building our first chicken tractor in preparation for ordering about 50 meat birds.  We're using a trampoline which was given to us just this week!  I'm sure I'll be posting pictures about that adventure soon.

Learning is more than just reading and writing.  Learning from real life is so much fun!  We are so very grateful that God as opened our eyes to learning in new ways with our children.  Yes, WITH!!  Our excitement for life learning is contagious and our children are catching the vision of becoming self-sufficient as much as possible and learning to live a more meaningful life that is not tied to the latest new-fangled toys, gadgets and clothing trends.   And in all this learning it seems that there is a much deeper awareness of the beauty and bounty that God as provided for us and a desire to use our resources for His glory.

So, what is God teaching you as you walk through life with your family?  Has your walk taken directions you would never have expected?  Please share!

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Quit Spending Even More!

Yesterday after I pushed the Publish Post button for THIS post, I had other ideas swarming in my head of things that my family does to save money.  My blogging time was up for the day, so I decided to do a second post today.  I really would love to hear some of your ideas as well, so please....leave me some comment love!!

Do it yourself!


Haircuts- For many, many years I have cut everyone's hair in my family.  When my older girls started making money babysitting they used some of their money for professional hair cuts.  There was also a time when life was completely overwhelming me (having a baby at 44 just might do that to you....or maybe not!) and I took the boys in for hair cuts as well.  Jeff generally goes to a barber now who has a ministry of fostering children, so Jeff feels like he is contributing to that ministry.  Devin pretty much does all four boys hair now and does Kaelan's as well.  You should spend a few bucks to invest in quality hair cutting scissors and trimmer.   Devin and I both get our hair professionally done.  Devin pays for her own and goes every other month or so, while I go 2-3 times a year.

Remodeling-  Jeff has totally gutted and remodeled two of our bathrooms through the years.  For our latest remodel, he did hire plumbers to  put in a new spot for the toilet and custom build and tile the shower.  The cost though, even with that work hired out was only around $3000.

Reduce paper use!


I quit using paper napkins years ago and replaced them with inexpensive cloth napkins and even cute bandanas purchased on clearance at Hobby Lobby.  We generally tie them on the back of the chair to use for the next meal and I toss them into the wash each day.  They are very light and don't take up much space in the wash.

I have also quit using paper towels.  I have found lots of dish towels and clothes on clearance and stock up when I find great prices.  I keep worn-out bath towels to clean up messy spills.

At times I have used cloth diapers for my babies.  I really wanted to go all cloth for Caedmon, but Jeff didn't want to invest that much money into diapers that would most likely only be used for one child.  Caedmon is still in diapers, but is working on potty training and is wearing training pants a good bit of the day.

Bulk cooking!


It is very rare that we prepare food for only one meal at a time.  Last week we grilled steaks (a gift from my mom) for an evening meal.  Monday night I sliced the leftover steaks and we ate them on top of or as a side to our salads from the garden.  We cooked way too much food for our gathering Saturday night, so we were able to take a good bit of it with us as our contribution to a meal with friends on Sunday night and shared some as well with a single young man.  There was still enough for another meal of the grilled chicken, but we were a little tired of it so, into the freezer it went for a meal next week.

Last night we had a meal of beef enchiladas that I simply pulled from the freezer.  In early May we prepared several pans of enchiladas at one time.  I just line up the casserole dishes and assemble.  I only had to use one pan to cook up the meat mixture and one bowl to grate up the cheese for four meals.

Right now I have Jordan grilling out about 30 hamburgers.  Yes, it is still morning, but it will be in the upper nineties when dinner time rolls around.  It is much cooler now to grill and we will have plenty of burgers for tonight's dinner with one or two more hamburger dinners for the freezer.

Devin made a large batch of blueberry biscuits for breakfast this morning.  We ate half and I will freeze the rest for next week.  She regularly mixes up large batches of our favorite chocolate chip cookie dough.  She uses a cookie dough scoop to make small scoops, places them on a cookie sheet, flash freezes them and then bags them up for later use.  Cooking in bulk is a time and money saver!

Cut the cable or satellite on your TV!


We haven't had either for many, many years.   I won't get into the trash, etc that comes in to our homes via TV.

Switch phone plans!


We don't have caller ID and all the other extras on our home phone.  We have even considered dropping the home phone line, but sometimes cell phone coverage out here can be a problem.

I don't have a cell phone for myself.  When I am away from home I borrow either Jordan's or Devin's phone or, if Jeff is home I will take his.  Devin and Jordan each purchased their own phones and pay their portion of the cell phone bill.   Jeff and Devin are both self-employed and their phones and usage are tax deductible.

Re-purpose and re-use!


Re-decorating my home usually means moving one item into another spot or rearranging the furniture.  I generally try to use what I have instead of having to buy something new that will quickly lose its luster in my big, busy household.

Reuse gift bags and tissue paper for Christmas, birthday and baby shower gifts.  My children know to look in the storage cabinet in my bedroom for an assortment of gift bags.  It's fun to see the same bags reappear year after year!

I know I will think of several more ideas as I go through the day, but maybe these tips will inspire you to save some money for your family as well.  Remember our goal is always to be good stewards of the blessings that God has given to us whether it be material blessings, talents and gifts or simply our time!  Please share YOUR favorite ideas for being good stewards of what God has given you.

Thoughts to Ponder and a Giveaway Reminder

Just wanted to remind you all that the giveaway for Victoria Botkin's Curriculum Advice vol. 1 and 2 ends tonight at midnight!  Click here to sign up in the comments.

Things are a little chaotic around here with some croupy sounding coughs and little boys who need help with shoes and snacks and jackets and, well, pretty much everything!  The following quotes were posted on FB this morning and I thought I would share them very quickly for you to ponder today. 

Now I am off to take care of some kitchen duties that have been piling up all week.   I also noticed that there are a few piles of laundry that have accumulated in the hallway and lots of muffin crumbs in the dining room and, well, you can imagine what all there is to do today after having a quick dinner last night before heading out for piano recital and then home to quickly get the dishes done and then piled the little ones in the beds.  Twelve people make a little more mess than eight people...especially when three of them are three and under!  I know that the work I do in my home is not only for my benefit, but for the benefit of my family and, if done well and with a thankful attitude, brings glory to God.

"Feminism is mixed up with a muddled idea that women are free when they serve their employers but slaves when they help their husbands." ~G.K. Chesterton

You are as much serving God in looking after your own children, and training them up in God's fear, and minding the house, and making your household a church for God, as you would be if you had been called to lead an army to battle for the Lord of hosts." -Charles Spurgeon.

Use It Up!

Don't forget about my giveaway here!!  Victoria Botkin's Curriculum Advice may be just what you need!


Use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without!  That's a wise old adage that many of our grandparents or great-grandparents learned as children.  However, through the years as convenience foods became more available,  homemaking skills decreased, and moms joined the work force it seems that many of us today have no idea how to live or even want to live by this adage.

It is so easy to hop in the car for a fast food dinner, ask hubby to stop by Walmart on his way home from work for that single ingredient we left off our shopping list earlier in the week, or make a quick run to pick up a few necessary items for a project that if we had planned more carefully, could have been picked up when we were out for other reasons.

With gas prices inching up even as I type and the cost of groceries and other products going up right with the gasoline, it is even more important for my family to make wise decisions concerning where our money goes.  I thought I would share some of our ideas on saving money and energy today.

USE IT UP!   I am working hard to be more creative in using up our leftovers.  Through the years I have saved bits of meat and vegetables to make homemade soups, but now I am saving even more and freezing them.  When the container is full I then make a big pot of soup.  I did this last week and made so much that I was able to share a large amount with a family who just celebrated the birth of their newest member and froze some for my married daughter to take home with her.  We also had 2 meals off of this soup made with ingredients that many folks would have thrown out!

I have shared before about how I cook chickens:  I bake two whole chickens at a time and freeze one for another day.  That saves much time and energy, but after we have cut the meat from the chicken I then use the carcass to make a rich flavorful broth.  I put the carcass in a big pot and cover it with filtered water.  Add a splash or two of organic apple cider vinegar, garlic cloves, a couple of carrots, a quartered onion and some salt and pepper and I can create some fabulous recipes using this broth as a base.  I also use chicken breasts in the same way after we cut the meat from the bone for chicken strips or whatever we are cooking.  I used to freeze this broth, but am now canning it which makes it even easier and quicker to use.

One roast can become several meals as I divide it in half after cooking.  I serve one portion and freeze the other with the juices for another meal.  This week we had a smaller roast and we used the leftovers to make wonderful hot open-faced roast beef sandwiches.

WEAR IT OUT!  Hand-me-down clothing has always been a budget saver for my large family.  Most of my younger boys wardrobes consist of hand-me-downs---even those from their oldest brother who is 12+ years older!  I have purchased a handful of clearance rack items each year to give them a few fresh pieces to have as well.

Jackson has grown so much recently that he was ready for a larger bike.  Did we go out and buy one?  No, just headed out to the barn where there was a bike in just the size he needed.    Jackson's outgrown bike will be just right for Caedmon in the next year or two.  We'll just need to add a new tire and put the training wheels back on.

Toys and school items?  Yes, my little man and the grandchildren play with toys and puzzles that my oldest daughter played with over 25 years ago!  And they are not worn out yet!  I also have many manipulatives and handmade educational games that I made for my oldest daughter 23 years ago.  In fact, we even have some shaped crayons in our crayon bucket that she received as gifts when she was two years old!  She is now 27!  We also try to use as much of our curriculum as possible with all the children.  There are workbooks that we have that are reproducible that I have been using for over 20 years.

MAKE DO!  Learn how to substitute ingredients in the kitchen.  If you don't have one particular ingredient for a meal use another one that will work just as well or be creative and come up with your own recipe.

We have been making the raised beds for our garden from wood recycled from a deck that the boys dismantled two years ago.  When only small pieces were left, Jordan began making planters.  We used logs from our woods to make another needed bed or two as well.

If I have curriculum that is not fitting the learning style of one particular child, I find ways to tweak it to fit by adding in simple hands-on activities, changing the location of our lessons, or finding free materials from the internet.

Instead of buying mixes and instant foods, make your own!!  Grow and preserve as much of our own food as you can.

DO WITHOUT!    I think this will probably be the hardest thing to do!  We are taught that we deserve anything we want and only the best.  But really, we need to practice self-discipline and realize that there are many things that we can simply do without!  Do we really need a new pair of shoes or a new outfit for Easter this year?  Won't the same outfit we wore last year do and will anyone really notice or even care?   Is that junk food or soda really necessary?  Can we drink water for more of our meals instead of tea?  Can we stay at home and play a game instead of using gas to head to the park?   There are so many things that we can simply do without that will not really be sacrificing all that much and will probably be much better for us.  We are trying to do without running the air conditioner more often.  We are hanging out the laundry....hanging our clothing out on the clothesline does take more time, but it gets me outside and saves much money as we aren't using the dryer as much.  Turning out lights when they are not really needed.  Keeping electronics turned off and unplugged when not in use can also save money.

Stay at home more often when it is not necessary to travel.  Create a day or afternoon for all of your shopping, music lessons, and library trips.  It may make your day a little longer, but you will save money and time in the long run.

There are so many ways that we can use it up, wear it out, make do or do without.  What are some changes that your family is making as we face these more challenging economic times?  Maybe this is the way your family has chosen to live regardless of the world's economic situation.  I would love to get some new money saving ideas from you!

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Linking up at Raising Homemakers 

Homeschooling Update

Yes, we are still homeschooling!!  Even though I (we) have been busy with early gardening and milk production the book learning is continuing.   I thought I would give you a run-down of what is going on in the homeschooling arena at Busy Hands Busy Minds.

Together we are studying the War Between the States.  In our group time we begin the day reading a chapter of Proverbs and a chapter from the Psalms.  We review our Latin or Greek root for the week from English from the Roots Up.  I have then been reading through Facts the Historians Leave Out A Confederate Primer by John S. Tilley.  We finish that up today and will begin Walt Whitman's Civil War Poetry and Prose.  We had started Uncle Tom's Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe, but just couldn't stand it.  I decided it was fine if the children just had a small taste of it and knew the history of this fictional story written by Stowe using second and third party sources.  It is said that upon meeting Stowe in 1863, President Lincoln said, " So, this is the woman that wrote the book that caused this war."  We are also reading Two Little Confederates by Thomas Nelson Page and Call of Duty:  The Sterling Nobility of Robert E. Lee by J. Steven Wilkins.  We are using All American History Volume 2 by Celeste W. Rakes as our spine for our history studies and hope to finish up our two year stretch of American history this fall.   The older two boys and I are also studying the rather hefty volume The War Between the States:  America's Uncivil War by John J. Dwyer.  This is a fascinating book and has lots of great quotes that you most likely have not read in any other modern day textbook.  Devin (22) is taking the children through A Young Scholar's Guide to Composers by Melissa E. Craig and Maggie S. Hogan.  She meets with them once a week for this and we are supposed to listen to the music selections throughout the week.

Jordan (18) is studying Biblical Economics by R. C. Sproul, Jr. which he is greatly enjoying.  He has edited several programs for The Homeschool Channel on economics and many of R.C. Sproul's talks as well and finds them very interesting and beneficial.  He is also studying American literature through Learning Language Arts through Literature, doing an algebra review using VideoText and is doing lots of research on homesteading topics.  He is pretty much in charge of our gardening endeavors this year and has started hundreds of plants indoors and out and has built all of our raised beds and some planters by himself.  He is quite the handyman.  In addition to his film editing responsibilities at The Homeschool Channel, he spends a few hours a week taking and editing photos of his own.  He also has a huge stack of homesteading, theology and historical works that he is reading through.

Aaron(14)  is plugging through Apologia's Physical Science.  This has been a stretch for me to prepare and keep up with as most of our science studies have previously been through unit studies as a family.  Aaron feels led to study medicine, so we felt he needed to have a more formal science curriculum.  I am interested in looking at other science curriculum to see if I can find a better fit.  He has recently started VideoText algebra with Jeff and is finishing up Learning Language Arts through Literature (green).  He also using Daily Grams for daily grammar review. He is also using Building Thinking Skills Book 3 and doing some spelling review through Natural Speller.   Typing and Quarter Mile math drills are done on the computer.  He does Spanish independently using PowerGlide.  I hope to move him to Rosetta Stone this next year.  He also greatly enjoys reading through the Ballantyne books of world wide adventure stories and is reading some theological works, historical fiction and biographies.  Practicing piano, drawing, painting, chores,  and editing audio programs for his dad's home business round out his days.

Kaelan (11) is studying plants through Answers in Genesis God's Design for Life series.  Jackson is tagging on this study at times. She started a pressed flower collection and will be doing some identification of plants as well.   She is working through Teaching Textbook 6, typing and Quarter Mile math drills on the computer.  She also likes to email extended family members frequently.  ; )  She keeps up with family members all over the world!  She is studying Learning Language Arts through Literature (purple) with Daily Grams for daily grammar review.  Spelling lists come from Natural Speller and she is also using Building Thinking Skills Book 2.  Kaelan also has a tall stack of books that she is reading from based on our history studies, but usually pulls some old favorites from the bookshelves to read as well.  I think she is now reading Little Women...again!

Jackson(6) is finishing up the primer level of Math U See and will be starting MUS Foundations (the old version) as soon as it comes in.  I decided to put him in the older version because we already have the teacher's edition and I have already gone through it myself, ummm, like three other times and it won't be something that I have to relearn. ; )  We are s l o w l y making our way through Alphaphonics.  Little by little, bit by bit, I am seeing progress.  One of the great advantages of  homeschooling is that we can go as slow or as fast as we need to.  Right now, for this child and his phonics studies it is slow going.  And that is OK!!  He is using the Italic Handwriting Series as have all of my children.  I think I like it much more than any of them do.  Jackson participates in most of our group time and usually enjoys coloring a page from a historical Dover coloring book while he listens in.  I am trying to have some time each week where he is listening to audio books like Charlotte's Web or programs such as Your Story Hour or Jonathan Park.  He is read to daily by either me, Jeff or one or more of his siblings and he "reads" books by himself several times a day.  His favorite right now is  David Macaulay's The Way Things Work.


Two year old Caedmon is now enrolled in Potty Training 101.  He is now 2 1/2 (as of tomorrow) and as the weather is warming and he can now go half dressed without getting too chilled, big sister Devin has declared it TIME!.   We have been putting him on the potty for several months before bath time and he has had some success.  We are now going into full mode with training pants (no pull-ups here).  Diapers are still going on at nap and bedtimes.  Caedmon enjoys books, puzzles and most of the activities in his daily boxes.  Some of my favorite resources for this age come from Lauri and Melissa and Doug.   Some of the activity bags and folders have become too easy for him and I need to reorganize his materials.  He is a genius, I tell you, a genius!

So, that is what is going on in the homeschooling department of Busy Hands Busy Minds.  If things weren't so busy around here I would have linked all these wonderful resources so that you could look at them and purchase from my affiliate links, but my children need more time from me than this blog does.  If you have a question about any resource, please leave me a comment and I will get back to you ASAP.    Thanks so much for stopping by!

 

Lifestyle Changes--Becoming Producers Instead of Consumers

We need to take new pictures.  This is over a year ago!

My family already lives a life that is much different from the typical American family.  How are we different?

1.  We have seven children with a 24 year age span.  (Just in case you are a new reader and think I miscounted:  There are 6 of my children in the above picture, but we have one married daughter with three children of her own!)
2.  We homeschool. (23 years now)
3.  We don't watch tv.  We do watch movies, though.  Much too often I am afraid....another change that needs to be made.
4.  The kids don't have electronic gizmos and games to entertain them.  They play.  They read.  They       work.  They write.  They draw.  They practice their instruments.  They build things.


Even with all these things that make us different we are continuing to learn new things daily that encourage us to be even more radical in our lifestyle.  We are trying to become producers instead of consumers.  We are trying to become more self-suffcient.   Some changes that we have incorporated over the years include the following:

1.  Using cloth napkins instead of paper.  I buy napkins on clearance for about 50 cents each, but would love to make some using the boxes of fabric that are stored in the attic.
2.  Rarely purchase baking mixes or boxed cereal.
3.  Made jars and jars of homemade fruit preserves so we are  not buying any from the store.
4.  Make a maple flavored sugar syrup for pancakes, etc instead of buying syrup.
5.  Making our own soap.
6.  Making laundry detergent using our homemade soap.
7.  Grinding grains to make homemade bread products.
8.  Line drying some of our clothes.

9.  Making homemade cleaners instead of using toxic cleaners.
10.  Learned to make yogurt and applesauce in the crockpot.
11.  Learned to purchase and cook using bulk foods.
12.  Making body scrubs and ointments.
13.  Make tons of granola to replace boxed cereal.
14.  Raise as many vegetables and herbs as we can.

Ready for planting with more boxes to build.

15.  Preserve as many of those vegetables and herbs as we can.

There are several other changes that we are trying to incorporate:  larger garden, bigger food storage, learning how to dehydrate and use a pressure canner for more food storage, learn about and make herbal remedies, and raising our own meat and eggs--chickens, cow and pigs.

Love this picture of chickens on a family farm in Iowa that Jordan took 2 years ago.

So are you making lifestyle changes these days?  Is the current economic situation forcing you to make changes?

Of Chores, Routines and Clutter

Every few years I get inspired to create new master lists of detailed chores and routines.   This year my inspiration came from Kim Brenneman's  Large Family Logistics.  If you have children, this is a book that you should purchase!   Even though the title says "Large Family" there is so much to glean from it, even if you have two children.

I sat down with the children and we came up with Before Breakfast, After Breakfast and Before Bed routines.  I typed them up and they hang in the kids' rooms.  I made detailed lists broken down into daily increments for the bedroom, bathroom and kitchen.  I combined the den, school room, porch and deck into one set of chores.  The dining room, hallway and laundry duty are included on another set.  The kitchen chores are all by themselves.

I divided the living area chores among three children:  Aaron-14, Kaelan-11 and Jackson-6.  The chores lists are labeled A, B and C.  Each week we rotate so no one has to be on kitchen duty more than a week at a time.  As Jackson is only 6, he is in training and I will be working with him on his responsibilities.   All the children are responsible for bathroom and bedroom routines.

Devin and Jordan were not included in the ABC chore division as they are away from home a good bit.  However, when they are at home they are to pitch in wherever needed....which is mainly in the kitchen!

If we can keep up with our routines and scheduled chores then our home should be relatively in order each day.  One huge detriment to this whole endeavor, though, is the fact that there are several areas in my home that have too. much. clutter!!  Our house only has three closets:  one closet per bedroom.  The laundry room is really a closet and I have a lot of things stored in there on two shelves above the washer and dryer and all my soap making supplies are stored on the dryer itself. (I have a door laid over the top of the washer and dryer that gives me more storage space.)

My biggest clutter is found in the master bedroom.  The attic access is there and anything that needs to go into the attic gets put in a stack.  The stack now has taken over the room!  We have just moved Caedmon out of our room and into the boys' room, but we still have some baby things that need to be sorted through, stored, sold or given away.  Jeff's studio for his home business is also in there and so are many stacks of boxes with equipment, books he rarely or NEVER uses and just stuff.  The school room is another area that can quickly get cluttered.  It is really a part of the den just slightly divided by partial walls and quite open to the living areas.  I put a table in there a few years ago so that we could do our table work in there instead of cluttering up the dining room each day.  The table, however, is generally covered with items that need to be put away and is seldom used for school work.

This week I spent one afternoon decluttering in the school room.  I had three bags of trash which included magazines, papers and toys.  I also had three large boxes of toys and books to put up in the attic until I decide what to do with them and I finally decided to get rid of the small easel/desk combo that we have had for years.  We continually had to move it to get to other items that were needed and I decided it wasn't used enough to warrant all the handling it received. I still have a huge cabinet to go through, a set of shelves above my desk, my desk drawers and the file cabinet to go through.  One day I hope to have another school room that is much bigger and has a door that can be closed!

We hope to tackle the laundry room this weekend.  We will pull everything out including the shelves on the wall, scrub it completely, paint and install cabinets and one shelf on the wall above the appliances.  I plan to work in small increments in the school room and my room over the month of February and hope to have those two rooms in good order by the time warmer weather and gardening prep gets here.  Having less clutter will really help us get the routines and chores done in a more orderly way.  I can't wait to get to that point.

Here are our daily lists for each area of the home with the exception of our morning and evening routines and our bedroom chores.  Apparently I did not save those on my word processor.

Kitchen Chores

Monday

-Cook meals

-Put away clean dishes

-Load dishwasher

-Wash dishes

-Scrub countertops and freezer tops

-Wipe stovetop

-Wipe down cabinet fronts

-Wipe down front of dishwasher, stove, fridge and freezers

-Wipe off table

-Take out garbage

-Scrub kitchen sink

-Vacuum and mop

Tuesday

-Cook meals

-Put away clean dishes

-Load dishwasher

-Wash dishes

-Scrub countertops and freezer tops

-Wipe stovetop

-Scrub kitchen sink

-Wipe off table

-Take out garbage

-Clean microwave

-Vacuum 

Wednesday

-Cook meals

-Put away clean dishes

-Load dishwasher

-Wash dishes

-Scrub countertops and freezer tops

-Wipe stove top

-Scrub kitchen sink

-Wipe off table

-Take out garbage

-Vacuum and clean window

-Vacuum and mop

Thursday

-Cook meals

-Put away clean dishes

-Load dishwasher

-Wash dishes

-Scrub countertops and freezer tops

-Wipe down front of dishwasher, stove, fridge and freezers

-Wipe stove top

-Scrub kitchen sink

-Wipe off table

-Take out garbage

-Clean under and behind microwave

-Vacuum

Friday

-Cook meals

-Put away clean dishes

-Load dishwasher

-Wash dishes

-Scrub countertops and freezer tops

-Wipe stovetop

-Organize cabinets--deep clean one

-Clean out one drawer

-Wipe off table

-Take out garbage

-Scrub kitchen sink

-Vacuum and mop

Saturday

-Cook meals

-Put away clean dishes

-Load dishwasher

-Wash dishes

-Scrub countertops and freezer tops

-Wipe stovetop

-Wipe off table and clean off buckets

-Take out garbage 

-Clean out refrigerator

-Scrub kitchen sink

-Vacuum

Dining Room and Hallway

Monday

-clean up clutter

-set table

-clear table

-wipe off table and chairs

-clean high chair

-clean off all surface areas

 (bench, shelves, bar, cabinet)

-vacuum

-mop

Tuesday

-clean up clutter

-set table

-clear table

-wipe off table and chairs

-clean high chair

-clean off all surface areas

-vacuum window sill

-vacuum floor

Wednesday

-clean up clutter

-set table

-clear table

-wipe off table and chairs

-clean high chair

-clean off all surface areas

-dust bottom of table and chairs

-dust other furniture

-vacuum

Thursday

-clean up clutter

-set table

-clear table

-wipe off table and chairs

-clean high chair

-dust chandelier

-clean windows and doors

Friday

-clean up clutter

-set table

-clear table

-wipe off table and chairs

-clean high chair

-clean off all surface areas

-dust all furniture

-vacuum--especially baseboards and molding

-mop

Saturday

-clean up clutter

-set table

-clear table

-wipe off table and chairs

-clean high chair

-clean off all surface areas

  Den, School Room and Porch

Monday

-clean out from under furniture

-clean up clutter

-dust

-straighten books

-vacuum window sills

-vacuum couch and chairs

-vacuum floor

-spot mop with rag and spray bottle

Tuesday

-pick up clutter

-vacuum

Wednesday

-dust TV shelf

-clean up clutter

-clean glass and windows with vinegar 

-vacuum

-clean off and sweep porch and deck

Thursday

-clean and dust toy shelves and bookshelves in schoolroom

-clean out from under furniture

-clean up clutter

-dust ceiling fans

-vacuum

-pick up trash in yard

Friday

-clean up clutter

-dust bookshelves, piano and cabinets

-clean off desk and school table

-clean out individual school space

-vacuum 

-mop

-clean up yard toys

Bathroom Routines

Monday

-put your things away

-clean out your drawer

-scrub sink, faucet and knobs

-wipe off countertop

-clean mirrors and light fixtures

-scrub toilet

-scrub shower and door or scrub tub

-put towels in the laundry

-put out a fresh hand towel

-vacuum

-mop

Tuesday

-put your things away

-wipe down sink and countertop

Wednesday

-put your things away

-wipe down sink and countertop

-put out a fresh hand towel

-wipe down base boards

-vacuum

Thursday

-put your things away

-wipe down sink and countertop

-put towels in laundry

Friday

-put your things away

-clean out your drawer

-scrub sink, faucet and knobs

-wipe off countertop

-clean mirrors and light fixtures

-scrub toilet

-scrub shower and door or scrub tub

--put out a fresh hand towel

-vacuum

-mop

Saturday

-put your things away

-straighten cabinets

-clear out empty bottles

-wipe off countertop and sink

Laundry Detail

4 x 4= Do 4 loads of laundry by 4 in the afternoon!

Sorting and Washing Directions

-bath towels--wash in hot water with 1 heaping spoonful of detergent, one scoop of Oxyclean and a compartment full of vinegar--WASH ON MONDAY AND THURSDAY

-sheets- wash in hot water with 1 heaping spoonful of detergent, one scoop of Oxyclean and a compartment full of vinegar--WASH ON FRIDAY

-reds/oranges/purples-wash in warm water with 1 heaping spoonful of detergent, one scoop of Oxyclean and a compartment full of vinegar

-whites-wash in warm water with 1 heaping spoonful of detergent, one scoop of Oxyclean and a compartment full of vinegar

-wash clothes/white socks/light undies/dish towels--wash in hot water with 1 heaping spoonful of detergent, one scoop of Oxyclean and a compartment full of vinegar

-jeans and dark blue towels-wash in warm water with 1 heaping spoonful of detergent, one scoop of oxyclean and a compartment full of vinegar

-darks-wash in warm water with 1 heaping spoonful of detergent, one scoop of Oxyclean and a compartment full of vinegar

-greens-wash in warm water with 1 heaping spoonful of detergent, one scoop of Oxyclean and a compartment full of vinegar

-lights-wash in warm water with 1 heaping spoonful of detergent, one scoop of Oxyclean and a compartment full of vinegar

Monday and Thursday

-wipe off front of machines

-clean off top of machines,

-blow out dryer vent

-vacuum 

-spot mop with rag and spray bottle