Today, I’d love to share a list of systems and routines that have worked well for my family over the years. In general, be deliberate about what you choose to do each day. Simplify. I have found it is far better to do a few things well than drown in a plethora of good choices. Set a specific time aside for the important things you want to accomplish.
My basic pattern for connecting with God is taking 30-45 minutes each morning in 1. Meditation, 2. Prayer, 3. Scripture Study (often with a specific question), 4. Journaling inspiration that comes to me. Unplug from all devices one hour after waking and one hour before retiring each night.
Go outside walking whenever possible. Sun and fresh air brighten my spirits. I listen to church talks or audiobooks as I walk. I’m strengthening my physical body and my mind and soul!
Weekly date with spouse; try to have a monthly date with each child—this sometimes ends up just taking one child one-on-one to run errands.
Monthly interviews: A friend taught me to always start with exciting news first. This makes the interview start on a positive note.
Mentor Page: On Sunday I start with a prayer and ask specifically for each of my children, “What does my child need?” I listen to the spirit and record the thoughts and impressions I have. I look for ways to incorporate these impressions into our regular schedule. This helps me to know what is the most important next step I need to be focusing on with my child, rather than getting overwhelmed by everything that I see that needs to be done. This takes less than 5 minutes!
We have family meetings on Sunday to discuss what we learned at church, and what is going well in our home, go over rules, and talk about concerns.
We set aside learning time from 8:30-1:00 Monday through Friday. It is a sacred time. I come in my jammies if I don’t get up in time to get ready before school. I don’t answer the phone. I try very hard to never schedule anything during that time (church meetings, doctor appointments, etc.). We have certain rules of things that DON’T happen during learning time. We don’t do work (cleaning—other than cleaning up what we get out during school time). No screens (unless on the rare occasion when we are watching something educational together). We have snacks and drinks in our school room, so if someone is hungry or thirsty it is all right there. We try in every way to minimize distractions. One little distraction can derail us. I try to have all the materials we need for the day organized and ready before the school day begins, so we aren’t wasting time. Focusing without distraction allows us to accomplish much more in a short amount of time. It teaches self-government and self-control.
Daily Learning Time:
- Auto-Pilot Tasks: Math, Reading, Writing (These are the things my children can mostly do on their own if an emergency occurs and I am not available.)
- Other Daily Tasks that Require My Presence: Spelling, Read-Aloud, Family School
- I don’t try to do all subjects every day. We do unit studies and focus on one subject at a time—history, science, geography, art, or music.
- Looping: for tasks that don’t need to be done every day, but need regular attention: Memory Work, Grammar, Map Work, Literature Terms, Musical Terms, etc.
Give yourself a margin because there are always unexpected things that happen. If I have every bit of every day planned, I quickly get burned out. The schedule should be guide rails—not a strict thing with no room for movement. Allow for plenty of movement to do what is needed within that plan to be flexible and follow the guidance from Heavenly Father.
Have a job chart that rotates, so children know exactly what to do every day. Include cooking jobs such as grinding flour or chopping vegetables to simplify dinner time and baking. Give each child a zone to be responsible for picking up each day.
If jobs, zones, and rooms are clean by 3:00 children get a $1 credit.
If jobs are not completed by 5:30 without prior agreement, then you get an extra job for the next day. This is an automatic consequence and sets a pattern for what is expected and takes the tendency to nag or get emotional about unfinished jobs out of the equation.
We pay money for deep cleaning work like cleaning out drawers and cupboards.
We have pick-up time before lunch, dinner, and bedtime. (Try to go to bed with the house picked up.)
We do outside jobs on Saturdays as a family.
Do year-round school with a month off in the summer. Do 6-8 weeks of school and then take 1-2 weeks off (other than summer). This allows more time to rest and renew and be more present and excited rather than pushing through and burning out. (*As children have gotten older, we have found it has been easier to follow a 9 months schedule with the summer off.)
I use the “To Do” App for:
- Lists of groceries that I need at specific stores. (Most things go on one list, but there are some things that I buy that can only be found at a health food grocery store.)
- List of what needs to be done for iFamily (home school commonwealth) each week
- List of what needs to be put on the family agenda
- Inspiration for each child
- List of what I need to pray for
- Family meeting topics
Separate “To Do” list on my phone for each day of the week that is not part of the “To Do” App. *I am currently experimenting with One Note.
I have used different colored plates for each family member. Every person is in charge of washing their own dishes. One person is in charge of the remaining lunch dishes. We all clean up breakfast and dinner together.
I buy in bulk, so I don’t have to run to the store often. I grocery shop weekly for fresh stuff, and the rest of the things I typically buy in bulk from food co-ops, Costco, and the regular grocery store. I do Walmart pick-up to save time. I can see what we are running short on for personal items by looking at our food storage shelves, and so I just stock up when we start running a little low on something. My husband’s income is up and down, so I tend to stock up when he is doing well, and then we use it when his business is down.
Laundry: We start a batch right before school and change it during a mid-morning break. We hang up or fold all clothes that wrinkle as they come out of the dryer. One person sorts all the other clean laundry into baskets once a week and delivers it to the bedrooms, where each child puts their laundry away. It is someone’s job to fold towels each day.
System for personal study: right before bed, in the bathroom ☺, when I’m waiting for a child at piano, dance, guitar, etc., I listen to books while I walk or clean or cook unless I have someone with me.
School planning time—every other Friday afternoon
Sundays: Focus on callings on Sundays as much as possible. Plan for upcoming events, and meetings. Study upcoming lessons. Help children with personal goals. Scrapbook. Family History. Write and send out thank you cards, birthday cards, etc. family games, and general family time. Interview children. Family Meeting. We practice our manners at our Sunday dinner. We always use a tablecloth and nicer dishes. When all of my children were at home, we would do a Family Read Aloud we read with everyone instead of just the younger boys.
I try to tie every errand to something else, so I make my trips count. I plan piano and dance on the same day, so I can have some days where I can just stay home. I find that if I am not home for at least a couple of days out of the week, I start burning out.
Check outside resources for help with homeschooling. May have a family member (grandma) who would like to spend time with your children regularly and teach them a subject. Consider tutors, specialists, and apprentices. Some people love to share their knowledge for free! Sometimes you can trade specialties. Consider being part of a home school group where you synergize your efforts, mentor subjects you are passionate about, and share the load.
