Balancing homeschooling, homemaking, and larger-family living
Moments to Remember was developed as a simple way to look back on our week as homeschoolers and find photos that encompass the memories we want to remember.
The week may have been tough, there may have been more bumps than smiles, but in the end these are the moments that keep us going, the ones we need to remember.
Every mom knows that no child loves to help more than a toddler does. Unfortunately, however, these little guys can often be more of a hindrance than a help. However, there are many jobs they can do more or less on their own, and even more they can do when working alongside you or another older person. Here are a few suggestions:
In the Kitchen
In the Library, Office, Classroom
In the Bathroom
In the Living Room
In the Laundry Room
In His Room
The important thing to remember when teaching new tasks to toddlers is that it’s not so much about perfection as it is teaching them to love helping out at home and to love serving others. The extra help is just the icing on the cake.
Susan Mathis is the homeschooling mom of three grown and nearly grown children. She hopes to spend her new found spare time blogging and sharing what she’s learned through the years with others. One of her favorite sites for homeschool helps is FreeBooknotes.com.
Linking up with Welcome Home Monday
As soon as Thanksgiving Day is over, the excitement of Christmas begins! At our house, we are just beginning our Christmas decorating. Want to take a peek?
Each year Kaylee asks to arrange the nativity scene on our large schoolroom window. This year Weston was anxious to help, too! Adding some white lights around this window makes it look like a beautiful star-lit night in Bethlehem.
We add a mauve-and-gold wreath to the front door. And the cute little snow couple? They have a special place on our kitchen table.
Our children love to hang stockings for small gifts during the last week before Christmas Day. Our peg rack holds five stockings, and the other two hang on a shelf in the living room. Weston, being only three, doesn’t remember Christmas last year. He is so excited about his little stocking!
We have to wait until next week to put up our tree, since we are having new carpet installed first. Ho-hum. In the meantime, we are enjoying looking through all the special things we hang on our tree. Our Christmas tree is decorated “family-style”–no custom theme or expensive ornaments, just hand-stitched ornaments and special crafts the kids have made over the years. Our tree is truly loaded with memories . . . and I wouldn’t have it any other way!
And now I’d love to hear about how YOU decorate for Christmas! What things are especially meaningful to you?
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Take a minute to find out how these three families decorate for Christmas!
Joanna @ The LaVans
Jessica @ It’s the Little Things
Jennifer@ Joy Ever After
This post also contributes to TheNorthForty Christmas Link-Up and Holy Spirit-Led Homeschooling Christmas Link-Up.
For most of us, Thanksgiving Day is one of the most highly anticipated days of the year. Family, food, fun, and laughter–it’s the stuff of which memories are made.
Between homeschooling the oldest five children, and caring for a three-year-old and a teething baby, I found I had very little time left for preparing for our Thanksgiving celebration this year.
Beautiful tablecloth and elegant place settings? Nope.
Gorgeous fall decorations to enjoy? Not this year.
But family, food, fun, and laughter–those we had in abundance. And really, those are the things that really matter. . . the things that really create memories to treasure.
In addition to the nine of us, my mom and dad were able to visit for several days. Three generations of family, all together under one roof, means lots of reminiscing (among the older ones) and plenty of “showing Grammy and PapPap” (from the younger set). It’s memory-making at its finest.
Oh, the food! We may not have used the fine china and crystal, but we enjoyed a bountiful meal in spite of the styrofoam plates and plastic cups. Family traditions really shine through in the Thanksgiving dinner, I think. We feasted on turkey (almost 23 pounds of turkey!), mashed potatoes and gravy, stuffing, candied sweet potatoes, green bean casserole, corn, cranberry jello salad (recipe handed down from my first dad’s mother), pistachio whip, fresh applesauce, and pumpkin and apple pies.
Plenty of enjoyable conversation, echoing from many rooms of the house. A variety of games played, with the winners proudly announcing their success. “Window-shopping” for new furniture from the comfort of the living room couch. Reading jokes aloud from out-dated Reader’s Digests. Yes, our house was full of fun and laughter!
In the midst of all the family traditions and special memories that we hold dear, however, Thanksgiving Day wouldn’t be complete without truly giving thanks. My heart was touched to hear my little three-year-old listing some of the things he was thankful for: Mom, windows, trees, beds. May our hearts always be as truly grateful as the simple heart of a little child.
Have a minute? I know you will enjoy reading about how these three families celebrate Thanksgiving!
Joanna @ The LaVans
Jessica @ It’s the Little Things
Jennifer@ Joy Ever After
Laundry. It’s a never-ending chore, isn’t it? Especially in larger-than-average households, it seems that dirty clothes can pile up in the blink of an eye.
In an effort to save time and my sanity, I’ve found a few ways to streamline the laundry process in our home:
Eliminate laundry sorting. I know . . . it’s just not proper. But really, since my kids live in jeans (denim skirts for the girls) and pullover shirts, sorting laundry isn’t absolutely essential. Only “dress-up” clothes, such as white shirts or light-colored dresses, really need to be separated. Training the kiddos to put these special items directly in a designated basket eliminates the need for sorting later.
Keep a laundry basket or hamper in each bedroom. When a hamper gets full, it’s simple to wash that load of laundry and return the clean clothes to the same room–no sorting required.
Teach older children to do their own laundry. I can’t tell you how much easier it is when the older ones are responsible for their own laundry–my older kids do a great job of making sure that their clothing is washed and ready to wear. (No more frustration when that favorite pair of jeans isn’t washed on time!)
Train younger children to help with their own laundry. Younger children can easily fold and put away their own laundry. If you have several little ones close in size, labeling clothing will make it easier for them to find their own clothes.
How do you spend less time doing laundry? I’d love to hear your ideas!
I’m sharing this post at LFO @ Raising Arrows, Works for Me Wednesday, and Weekend Reflections.
Family. Just a single word, but it expresses so much. Love, laughter, memories, tears . . . it’s all wrapped up in that one word.
I am abundantly blessed to have a house filled with noise and laughter. I have a family. Thank you, Lord!
Time for introductions:
Wes–Otherwise known as “Dad” around our house, Wes is a truck driver who puts in long hours to provide for our family. He is totally supportive of my homeschooling efforts, and he has even been known to brag on us once in a while. 
Judy–That’s me! If you haven’t met me yet, I’ll let you in on a few random things about me. (I hope you’ll stick around so we can get better acquainted!)
Brandon–Brandon, sixteen years old, is in tenth grade. He is our resident handyman, repairing just about anything around the house. He recently acquired his learner’s permit and has since been my personal chauffeur.
Devin–Devin, fourteen, is in eighth grade. He is very interested in aviation and reads voraciously about flight and airplanes. He enjoys being a member of the Civil Air Patrol.
Kaylee–Kaylee is twelve and in seventh grade. She is a natural “mother’s helper” and helps in caring for the two little ones. She carries on an extensive correspondence with her lengthy list of pen pals.
Keaton–Keaton, ten years old, is in fifth grade. He loves to read and often stays up late to fit in a few extra chapters. He enjoys riding his bike and scooter.
Collin–Collin is eight years old and is in second/third grade. He is very interested in fixing and building things, and just recently purchased his own starter set of tools. He also enjoys riding his bike and scooter.
Weston–Weston is three years old and enjoys “doing school” like the older ones. He loves to do anything that his older siblings are doing, whether it is swinging a hammer, riding bikes, or raking leaves.
Kendra–Kendra is eight months old, and she is such a doll baby! She loves to be carried around by one or another of the family, and generally rules the house like a princess. Love having a baby girl!
Yes, I am truly blessed!
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