The holidays are fast approaching and with it comes excitement and anticipation.  No matter what faith or beliefs you hold close to your heart each of us have a few times a year where we are preparing for some type of holiday.

We celebrate Christmas, and I still get excited much like I did when I was a child.  Perhaps on some level even more.  As a Mom, there is something magical about handing down family traditions as well as creating our own.

Holidays and Homeschooling

Why Bother With Tradition?

Following tradition is nothing new.

We have been following tradition since the beginning of time; mankind and our beliefs are deeply rooted in tradition.  Stories handed down from one generation to the next, everything from our beliefs to family recipes. 

Having and following tradition speaks to our hearts, connects us to our rich history and builds up our relationship with one another.

There is nothing like sharing good food and great stories to bring a family closer.

Preparing for Holidays

I am a list maker!

Put a pencil in my hand, pass me a pad of paper and I can write “To Do Lists” like nobody’s business; everything from shopping to baking.

As handy as lists are, they will only be as good as the effort you put into them.  After I complete each list I make a note of my “most essentials” I require in order to pull off my bigger plans.

If I head out to do my grocery shopping without taking the time consult with my baking list, then chances are my trip to the grocery store will not be successful. I am bound to forget a crucial ingredient. (Yes, it is often the eggs, butter or milk.)

Prioritizing the essentials of our day and our holiday season is what helps me stay on track and not stress about little things like perfectly baked gingerbread cookies. 

We all have our favourite traditions, so taking the time to prepare and pinpoint your most treasured traditions will help you in the larger scheme of your holiday.

Homeschooling and Holidays

We are very lucky to enjoy the flexibility of homeschooling as we prepare for our family celebrations.

People will often ask me how many days  we take off and if we follow along with the schools in town?

My Answer is that we vary our off time from year to year.

Depending what method of homeschooling you follow, what your family traditions are, and the needs of your family will depend on how many days you take off.  Many homeschoolers I know take a year round approach to their studies which allow them to plan some more time off around special holidays.

Adjusting our Homeschool Schedule

December 1st is usually the start of us adjusting how we go about our homeschool studies.

We start changing up our routine and schedule to include extra crafts, more music, trips to donate items to the less fortunate, baking, reading Christmas themed stories and even Math by the fireplace.

Other things we take time to do include helping neighbours shovel snow, building snow forts and inviting other kids on the street to jump in to help out, as well as decorating our home.

The best part about all of this is we are teaching our kids things which cannot be found in textbooks.

We are carrying on and building upon our family traditions as well as celebrating our family, friends and neighbours – we are making connections!

These are skills and knowledge you cannot find in a curriculum, but will surely last them a lifetime!

Something For Everyone

This year I have also found three great studies to add to our adjusted homeschool routine for the holidays!

Seeing as we love music in this house, I was excited to see Mary, from Homegrown Learners, offer a Nutcracker themed Unit Study! 

Nutcracker Unit Study from SQUILT Music and Homegrown Learners

Click here to view more details for the Nutcracker Unit Study

I was also excited to see Tricia, from Southern Hodgepodge, now has ”A Simple Start in Christmas Chalk Pastels” available.  I share more information about these Chalk Pastel tutorials in “Think You Can’t Homeschool Art? Think Again!”.  Now we can continue on with learning more chalk pastel techniques while making some great Christmas art to hang! (Click on the book to see more details!)

 ”Truth in the Tinsel”.  (Link listed below) is an e-book is full of crafts to celebrate the Christmas season; we also cannot wait to get started with this book!  In fact, I have planned ahead and have already purchased all my necessary supplies, my kids are so excited knowing they get to do a craft Everyday leading up to Christmas! I wrote more about it here: “Truth in the Tinsel and Homeschooling”

TRUTH in the TINSEL

Click here to visit Truth in the Tinsel.

Need more ideas on how to Homeschool and prepare for the holidays?  I was a panelist on this iHomeschool Hangout, along with other homeschooling moms who shared some great holiday preparation tips!

Homeschool Daily Schedule

We all like our days to run smoothly, but what are you doing to help make that happen?

Whether you are a schedule type person or not, whether you unschool or follow a strict curriculum of studies, we all need some sort of organization to our day.

How We Organize our Home School Day

I vary from having a strict schedule when need be, to a more loose schedule where we mostly go with the flow; and I have built our week to reflect our varying needs.  I need days where we can be more free and where we don’t need to be out the door at a specific time, those days help all of us replenish ourselves.  On those days however, we still have things we need to get done and I will display a list of what that is for my kids.

To fill my kids in on what needs doing that day I will use everything from personalized notes, to white boards, to our on line organizer.  Another app I am excited to try out is Cozi, I like the idea of my husband being able to “hook up” and download what is going on.  After all,  when he is out of the house most of the time this seems like a quick and easy way to help keep him in the loop of our homeschool schedule of activities.

I also really like the idea of our children being aware of what is expected and taking on a bit of the responsibility of knowing what is on the schedule.

This  will help develop, in them, a sense of pride in checking off the list while forming organizational skills of their own.  It also encourages independence.

Below is a list I have started of ways to keep your homeschool schedule organized!

What do you do to stay organized?

Homeschool Organization - Schedules

Homeschool Organization - Schedules

Help your day run more smoothly by having a visual "To Do List" for your children. List subjects to be covered and a chore reminder too! #HSITips

https://homeschoolinnovation.com

Listly by Angela Hoffman

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1. 0

   Simply Charlotte Mason » Bookfinder and Organizer

   Simply Charlotte Mason offers an online organizer to help plan your days. They have a free 30 day trial as well. Once you have your days entered you can also print off what is scheduled to have a check list for each of your children.
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   #1 Family Calendar Keeps Everyday Life Organized | Cozi Simplifies Family Life

   Cozi Family Organizer manages the family calendar including school schedules, activities, grocery lists, to dos and meal plans on Android, iPhone/iPad/iPod and the Web.
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   Calendars

   Print free calendars. You can print one for each of your children and have them fill in their own daily tasks
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   Chore Chart | Online Chore Chart | My Job Chart

   A fun online chore chart for kids, My Job Chart gives parents the flexibility of creating and managing a family chore chart online. Fun for kids. Easy for Parents.
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   Homeschool Organization – Schedules | Home School Innovation

   In this blog post I share some ways I keep my kids in the loop about what we have planned for the day.

View more lists from Angela Hoffman

Well, I am here to say not all us moms are the perfect housewife.

My house gets messy, sometimes we buy store bought cookies, and order in pizza!

 There I said it! 

Phew … what a load off my mind!

I find there still seems to be  a few stigmas out there once people discover you homeschool.

Some people  really imagine  a pioneer living type of scene where the mom…that’s me…is dressed in a long cotton skirt,  with long hair, either braided or rolled up into a bun,  who is hanging out the laundry, beating the dust out of the rugs, and has at minimum 2 fresh baked fruit pies cooling on the window sill.

The other thought out there is that I am at home covered in chalk dust with my glasses hanging around my neck on a string after a long day of being teacher to my kids.

Truth is, homeschool families come in all shapes and sizes, we are all different but one thing we have in common is we are all trying to find balance.

My Reality    

• I wear blue jeans.

• Paper can and does take over any flat surface there is in our home.

•  I need 1 night a week where we order in.

•  I don’t do buns in my hair (no offense to those who wear skirts, or buns…but it just isn’t my thing)

• We have a new washer/dryer combo (no hanging out the laundry for me)

• Once my welcome mats get too dirty, where they just can’t be rinsed out any more…I buy new ones

•  I enjoy baking and can even make a pretty decent apple or pecan pie, pastry and all…I just don’t devote a lot of my time to that.

• I rarely use the chalkboard…I sit with the kids by their table they work at so I can help them.

• My youngest still requires me to be a little more hands on.

• Once academics are out of the way,  it’s time for another cup of coffee and a read-a-loud.

• My kids mostly make lunch for themselves, which means I am letting go of the neat and tidy to allow them to learn!

My oldest is just about 12 and so I will assist him if preparations require using the stove/sharp knife, but other than that, they all enjoy preparing their own lunch.

By allowing them the freedom to make their own lunch they are  learning the importance of small tasks like…clean as you go.

Key Notes About Kids in the Kitchen:

• When kids help make meals, they also make a mess

• Through the mess, they learn how to clean up

• The mess usually happens when you are pressed for time

• You may have to follow behind their clean up to be sure all the jam is wiped up

• You can’t always get it all done, don’t exhaust yourself

• Find what needs doing the most, do that and let kids help with the rest

• Don’t forget to have a cup of coffee (or tea)…and breathe 

Make A Priority List

My Must Do’s:

• Clean dishes, counters all wiped clean even if there is still a pile of paper in one corner

• Clean bathrooms

• Tidy entry way

• Clean kitchen table

What I Let Go:

• The pile of mail or papers may not get put away or filed

• Folding laundry (maybe a little too much :/ )

• Outside commitments which may interfere with family time

I do enjoy a clean and organized home, but I am also quite good at recognizing just how far I can go and at what cost.

To push into and beyond exhaustion to have the perfect house will not make me a better mom or wife for my family.

I would rather have energy to have fun with my kids and with our homeschooling.

Time for Me to be Me

At the end of the day I enjoy doing something for myself and it is very important to do so!

Some things I enjoy:

• Read

• Write

• Workout

• Hang out with my husband and watch a movie

• Chat with a friend

To write this post, my “me time”,  I chose to ignore the 2 baskets of laundry.  Fact is the laundry will be there tomorrow, I can fold it while my kids work on some academic type stuff, but my time for me to nourish who I am is not negotiable.

Balance can be somewhat tricky, in fact it requires us to be alert and present in all we do.

“Think of Balance as a moving target, you are always having to adjust your aim and take into account other outside influences.”

What is hard for you to let go of or leave until tomorrow?