Oooh, oooh, oooh, oooh, stayin’ alive, stayin’ alive! It’s February, my friends, and it feels like spring has sprung in our corner of central Ontario. Our temps are above zero celsius, the sun is shining and there is absolutely NO SNOW on the ground. Boo! I’m not holding my breath and actually kind of hoping that we’ll still get a big winter storm (yay for skiing, boarding and tobogganing!) – just PLEASE not the end of March when we’re REALLY ready for spring?!
Now is the time when this motherhood/homeschool gig (ok, just life in general) gets really hard. We’re all in the trenches, and we’re in this together! So in the spirit of staying positive, joyful and grateful, and thanks to the inspiration of the fabulous Anne Bogel and Tsh Oxenreider , I’m sharing those small, everyday, ordinary things that are really, truly keeping me going.
1. Google calendar
I never thought I’d say this as I still MUCH prefer my paper planner, but Google calendar is saving my life right now. All the notifications and our combined schedules in one place where I never have to go hunting for the planner is just simply a tremendous relief.
2. Toddler and preschool printables
Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU Carisa (1+1+1=1), Jolanthe (Homeschool Creations) and Erica (Confessions of a Homeschooler) for your fantabulous printables! They’re completely saving my life right now in doing “school” with #hercuteness as she’s really into the worksheets and ideas. She’s the first of 4 I’ve been able to consistently school through a letter of the week (we just finished Letter E, let’s see how the next few weeks go :D) and have things prepped in advance for her.
3. Overdrive app on my phone
There’s nothing like getting stuck waiting somewhere (whether it’s putting the toddler to bed or in the car before piano lessons) and not having a book handy. Though I still prefer to have a paper book in my hands, you can’t beat the free “rentals” from the library on the Overdrive app. Even better? Not having to remember to grab an audiobook for the kids to listen to while we’re driving to homeschool group!
4. Classical Conversations memory work CD
We just joined CC this year and though I prefer to do our review together, where we can sing songs and work on the actions, it doesn’t always work out that way. So if our schedule is tight before our classes or homeschool group, I don’t have to stress about fitting in review time. We just pop the CD on in the car and away we go!
5. Sunday nights
Sunday nights all the kids are in the Awana program at church, and The Man attends a men’s leadership class. That leaves me with almost 2 whole hours to myself! Though I prefer not to “work” on Sundays, some stuff just can’t get done until that un-interrupted time frame. That’s when the printables get printed, the meal plan gets planned, the laundry (sometimes :D) gets folded and I catch up on a show or read. Bliss!
6. Meal planning and grocery shopping
I’ve been on and off the meal planning wagon for YEARS. If I don’t plan, I’m stressed, the kitchen’s a mess, and everyone’s hungry. If I do plan, there’s only a 35% chance of that happening, haha! Since The Man took over grocery shopping for me, it has freed me up to spend time planning meals and the grocery list, meaning I know what’s coming each day and am not scrambling last minute to pull something healthy together.