| Many
of the following questions were asked on a home-school message board. Carol,
the moderator, answered many of the questions; Teri, author of the book,
answered the rest.The questions and answers are ALL on this page - though
you can use the following to quickly navigate:
What's
Managers of Their Homes?
Managers
of Their Homes is a time scheduling book written by Teri Maxwell, a homeschooling
mother of 8. I figured someone who has made it this far sure has something
to teach me! *g* My house has always been messy and cluttered. I've read
every organizational book there is and yet I still had piles of stuff
everywhere and never enough time to do all of the things I deem important.
I've tried doing it on my own, tried implementing a dozen schedules, etc.
but just couldn't pull it all together. Either my house would look great
and we hadn't homeschooled in a week or we'd homeschool out the kazoo
and the house would be a complete wreck!
Now,
I'm working off of a schedule and it's absolutely wonderful. By reading
the book I've learned how to make the important things fit into the schedule
and how to still deal with the urgent. That's where the snag always was.
How to deal with the urgent. I can tell you that my entire family is absolutely
loving this new schedule...and only one of us is a schedule person by
nature...and it isn't me! But now we are. I've always been one to cling
to my carefree lifestyle but am finding it just isn't productive...and
now I have all the time in the world to be carefree! *g* I have time to
bake and sew, read to my girls, play outside, take family walks, play
on the computer!!! *g* EVERY single thing that is important to me is on
my schedule. And I do it with a completely clear conscience.
Have
you ever gone into the grocery store close to dinnertime? You're hungry
and your brain is foggy. You don't remember if you're out of peanut butter
and jelly so you throw it in the buggy and oooooh that cheesecake sample
was soooo good you just gotta have it? I've done it and walked out of
the store with a huge bill and not even very many meals!!! Have you? Well,
that's how my time was. I knew I wanted to have certain things be a regular
part of our schedule. Things like family devotions, tea time, exercise
(I need it!), and certainly my own personal devotions. These are all the
things that are routinely squeezed out of my days
At the end of the night I fall into bed completely exhausted but just
like the grocery store episode, I don't have much to show for the time
and energy I spent...even though my body and brain can sure tell you we
did something today! didn't we?!! So now I have time for all the things
I want to do, can handle the surprises and urgent events, am a happy,
happy mom now...and have a happy, happy family. I encourage everyone to
at least take a look...or two or three. I know it sounds militaristic
but if you've ever believed anything I've ever written on these boards...believe
me now. It isn't militaristic at all. You will be happy and joyful and
just won't believe it to be true! I'm sitting here now with almost all
of my day's work done. My husband has come home to find me on the computer
and it isn't a problem...because the housework is done, schoolwork is
done, and the children are all playing happily. (I'm babysitting 2 extra
kids today.) So there you have it. I hope I didn't sound too much like
a sales person ... because I'm not. I'm just a very happy, satisfied mom.
Blessings,
Carol :)
Return
to top.
Is this book too good to be true?
I
have found through my first week of our schedule that it really does work
and it not a fairy tale! It's wonderful! We've been so pleased. My dear
husband loves it! He even came to me and said he hopes I never, ever stop
doing this! Oooooh, just love that positive feedback! *g* My children
call this schedule FUN! Can you believe it? Well, you probably can't 'cause
I wouldn't have believed it before trying it, either. LOL! It really is
working. If you feel God is calling you to this, then I encourage you
wholeheartedly. It has made a real difference for us. Blessings,
Carol :)
Return to top.
Will this book alleviate all sorts of problems in our household?
Charity
Charity,
I am just loving this new schedule and it is working out so well for us.
It has produced changes in our family that I've long wanted to make but
didn't know how. It has also changed attitudes within our family that
I thought were hopeless. The results have been much more than I thought
possible! And those changes are sometimes unexpected changes! Good ones!
I didn't schedule my dear husband because that's his ballpark, not mine.
But he did ask me to leave a slot for him just in case he decides to do
it. Now keep in mind that his bedtime/arise time was as erratic as my
own.
This
week neither of us has had a problem getting up on time and doing what
we're supposed to be doing. What I'm saying is that even though he hasn't
officially made a schedule for himself, he is responding to my schedule
and the results are incredible! He's been up at a good time each morning
(before me!!!) and has completed his work without taking too many breaks,
etc. (He is a telecommuter.) This was an incredible and unexpected side
benefit of me getting onto a schedule. I cannot tell you what a thrill
it is for me to not have mounds of laundry to look at everyday. I say
"look at" because that's pretty much what I was doing! It was
so overwhelming I'd look at it and shut the door! Now the laundry is done
every day and is a snap! The kids think it's wonderful play to put things
away...even though they used to grumble about it. Who wouldn't grumble
when looking at 10 loads to sort, hang up, and put away?!! Now, 1-2 loads
is no big deal at all. PTL! :) This is a wonderful way to schedule your
days and get so much more accomplished and yet feel much more rested.
Hey, I even scheduled in a nap for myself! *g* If God is calling you to
do this, then your family will be extremely blessed. :) Love,
Carol
Return to top.
Carol,
You made me cry. I'm soooo jealous, and this exactly has been my struggle
lately. My problem is that I am a schedule person by nature, and in the
process of letting go in order to enjoy my kids, I've gotten lazy. Now
I don't even try. Could this book help even me????
Mary
Mary,
One of the keys to Managers of Their Homes is balance. Also, this was
written by a homeschooling mom! She knows that we have to schedule in
school time, field trips, etc. It's all there! I have on my schedule time
for play and time for work. So you don't have to give up one for the other.
I know it sounds too good to be true but it all gets done and I have free
time to boot! I can't even remember when I had free time last...without
stealing it from yet another chore I was supposed to be doing! Now, I
have the free time ON TOP OF my sewing, baking, playing with the kids,
etc. I'm also schooling consistently. All of this adds up to peace in
the home. I'm really sold on this way of scheduling. (Can you tell?! *g*)
I've seen my home and my family changed...and it's wonderful. Be encouraged!
Blessings,
Carol
Return to top.
Carol,
I looked at that site a few months ago and it looked to me like it
was just as easy to fall of off that schedule as any other. I am like
you. Not organized and lots of piles of clutter. I want to do everything
including the exercise part and personal devotions. Besides that I have
a part time craft business that needs my attention. What happens on the
days that just don't go according to those scheduled pages you fill out??
Doesn't it only work if you stay every minute of the day on the appropriate
tasks before you on your schedule? Then what do you do when the cycle
is broken by sickness or something? Look forward to your reply.
Lisa
Dear
Lisa,
Most schedules take into account only one part of our lives and are pretty
much dictated to us by some kind of book. Unfortunately, the authors generally
don't have a clue about our lives! Homeschooling? What's THAT?!! Well,
Teri has a very good idea about how our lives go. She is a homeschooling
mother of 8 and has been doing it a whole bunch of years. *g* She also
has her website and her business. I looked at that and compared it to
my own life. I have 2 children, a busy husband, am the webmaster for FIAR,
have my own website, have a used book business on the side, am active
in church, and love to be with my friends. Now where to find all of the
time needed for this?!
Teri
takes you step-by-step in planning out your schedule...the how-to's. But
she doesn't do it for you. You determine what goes into your schedule.
You, the Lord, and your husband, that is! *g* She also reminds you that
your schedule is a tool to help you, not a taskmaster. So you follow it
along and it gives you structure to your day. If you have an interruption
to that, you just slide back into your schedule when you finish with the
interruption. I wondered just how easy that might be to do since I'm one
of those who has to fight perfectionistic tendencies (let's just call
it nasty old pride). If I didn't do *exactly* what was on a schedule (in
the old days) I felt like a complete failure and wanted to throw it all
away. I was defeated and just could not go on. With this schedule, I *know*
it's a tool and I *know* there will be interruptions and I *know* I've
planned for them. So they're no big deal. Now how does that work in reality?
Well, yesterday we left the house for 2 hours and then I did a little
bit of babysitting on top of that. And I chose to cook up some of our
OAMC since I didn't do a full-scale cooking this time around. (See? You
make it fit YOU!) After all was settled, we went sliding right back into
schedule. It was easy because these things are becoming habit! It was
wonderful! I haven't felt like a drill sergeant and it has been so much
easier to implement this than I ever imagined. So I encourage you that
if the Lord is leading you to take a look at this, to pray about it and
see where He leads you next. For me, it was right into a home of peace
and most definitely a cleaner home! :) Blessings,
Carol
Return to top.
Carol,
You said this was your 2nd week - and your house is already clean? Did
you accomplish all of this in just 2 weeks? I have every organization
book ever written. I guess because I have failed with these others, I
hesitate to invest in another but at the same time want to have hope.
Blessings,
Cindy
Cindy,
I also had tried just about everything out there that even remotely resembled
organization but nothing quite fit our family. With Teri's book, it covers
everything you could possibly throw into a schedule...no matter whether
you're a morning person or night person. (Most other programs require
you to be a morning person, which I'm not.)
My
house is not decluttered to the extent that I'd like it to be but I am
working on it 30 minutes a day...when the 30 minutes is done, I'm done.
One of my biggest problems has been that I'm a project-oriented person.
I work on something until it's finished. Many nights I've worked 12+ hours
here on the FIAR website. Steve & Jane would send me e-mails telling
me to go to bed and sleep but I just wanted to push through and get the
job done. Well, the job did get done but I wasn't my very best for the
children the next day. More like a walking zombie So I've finally come
to the realization that being project-oriented only gets one job done
and leaves the rest of my life in utter chaos!
There
just had to be another way. I had started praying about things and in
particular about my husband's schedule which I thought was messing up
mine! Now where in the world I got off even thinking I had a schedule,
I don't know...but isn't that just like our human selves?! After prayer,
I came to the boards and Susan had posted about Managers of Their Homes
and I wondered if that might be what God was saying. I took one look and
went, "Ugh!" It looked too strict, too regimented for my carefree
lifestyle. So since that obviously couldn't really be God, I went back
to prayer.
Well,
I couldn't get it off my mind. I wrote to Susan to ask if she really thought
this was a good book, was it worth the $ 25.00, etc. After hearing her
response and then talking it over with Mark, we decided to order it. He
wasn't fully convinced but since we were desperate for a routine of SOME
sort, he was okay with it. All of this occurred over about a week's time.
The book came and I, being my project-oriented self, read it from cover
to cover in one night. I was so enthusiastic I just couldn't contain myself.
I started telling Mark about it and he listened somewhat patiently. He's
seen me go through a dozen or so things trying to find the answer. The
difference in this story so far is that I prayed about it to begin with.
Then Mark started reading the book. He didn't get all the way through
it and agreed that I could loan it to my friend. I'm sure he'll read more
later. But he read enough to see the value.
So
I prayed and started filling out the worksheets. They're logical, simple,
and completely up to me. I'm not working off of someone else's schedule.
I'm making one completely tailored to our family's needs. (and we had
a lot of them!) I did pray while I was filling out the worksheets, and
did as Teri said...took the worksheets to Mark and asked his opinion.
He looked and found something he'd like me to ADD! Oh wow! ADD?! Ok, don't
panic. It'll work. It was just like doing my budget. I moved around the
little squares and eventually the pieces literally fell into place. Another
major difference is that not only am I scheduled, but my children are,
too! Remember all of those wonderful posts about tea time? Well, we did
it a couple of times and the benefits were marvelous but I haven't made
time for it since. Well, I've learned that I can make the time, along
with some other things that are important. There's one 30 minute time
slot that I have scheduled for Mommy-Daughter time. On Monday and Wednesday,
Sarah is with me while Katie is on the computer. On Tuesday and Thursday,
Katie is with me while Sarah is on the computer. On Friday, we're all
together having teatime. Now there's three things that are important to
me and they take up 30 minutes a day. That's it. I know some of this may
seem quite logical to you guys and you might already be doing this...but
my mind just doesn't think like that.
It
never occurred to me to schedule my kids before. We've been doing the
full schedule officially for one week now and it is going very well. The
kids aren't fussing about their chores or schoolwork. The house is clean,
the laundry is not only washed, dried, and folded...it's put away!!!...even
the hang-up clothes! (I was the queen of the clean laundry mounds hidden
away in a back bedroom!) The reason the children do their chores and schoolwork
timely and without complaint is that they know if they do their part,
I'll do my part. What's that? That's playing outside with them, allowing
them a craft project or game time, giving them free time, organized play
time, computer time, mommy-daughter time, family devotions, family walk,
reading to the children. You see? They have a lot of incentive! It's not
just that the house needs to be clean...there's something to be gained
by all of this! What do I gain?
All
of the above *and* plenty of computer time, reading time, sewing and projects
time...as well as a clean house and a happy family. You *could* wait until
the summer but I encourage you to just jump right in. Trying to get everything
"prepared" is like trying to get yourself cleaned up and holy
before going to the cross for forgiveness. Now realize I'm just comparing...not
saying these two things are equal. :) Teri just wrote this to a friend
who is also using the book and I'd say it was right on the mark! Having
used this schedule for a good solid week now, I'm seeing remarkable results
and the chores that started out taking a long, long time are now 5-10
minute items. Hey, that leaves a good chunk to come back here to check
e-mail! *g* If I can answer any more of your questions, feel free to ask.
I think if the Lord has placed this on your heart to do, He will help
you do it. And the entire scheduling system is set up on depending on
HIM, not on ourselves. Now THAT'S the difference between this and all
of those others you and I have tried before. I knew that God had called
me to be a wife and mother...and then a homeschool mom. Since He called
me to these things, He will equip me to do them...and do them well. I
wasn't doing well...so obviously I had to go back to Him and find out
how. This is what He led me to. All I can tell you is that it is working
for me and my family...and we thought we were hopeless cases. We're not
anymore! Love,
Carol :)
Return
to top.
What about schedule implementation?
About
implementing the schedule...the best thing is to just start doing it.
I'm much the type that typically wants to get everything prepared and
ready for D-Day *but* again, that's the project-oriented *and* perfectionist
side of me...the side that defeats me time and again. So I'm shirking
off that robe and moving on! I guess it has to stink bad enough to get
rid of! I'm tired of the way my life has been and am finally willing to
actively make some changes.
So
after you get the book, after you've done the worksheets, talked it over
with your husband, and certainly *prayed* about it, just start doing it.
Don't worry that the dishes are piled high or the laundry is growing an
interesting science experiment, just start in with your schedule. Within
a very short period of time you will see a major difference. How does
this work? Because you're applying yourself to your work in small, reasonable,
UNoverwhelming chunks of time and energy. I can do ANYTHING for 30 minutes!!
At the end of that 30 minutes, I move on...and usually it's something
fun like computer time! :) Then later in my day I come to another 30 minute
time block and it might be fold a load of laundry time. Hey, I can fold
one load! No problem! So you see, you're taking large, overwhelming tasks
and breaking it down into small bite-sized pieces. Just like you do with
your children's schoolwork. You're doing the same thing for your kids.
My
children are absolutely loving it and incredibly, they have not been resistant
at all. This just blows my socks off (right into the laundry bin! *g*)
because I truly expected there to be major resistance from my husband
and children. Our very natures resist change of any kind...even the good
kind because it causes us to change how we interact with the changing
person. The only ones who have shown any concerns over this have been
my friends. Now they're fine because they realize I have scheduled my
time with them right into my day. (They were concerned that I wouldn't
have time in my schedule for them. Wrong! Relationships and friends are
important to me!) Before, I was so blown away by the tremendous amount
of jobs waiting for me to do...with no idea how I could possibly get it
all done...along with helping the children get their work done and being
referee, etc...that I just wanted to go back to sleep. I don't feel that
way anymore. Life has a much better outlook! :) If you have any more questions,
I'm happy to answer them. I think that the book is more thorough and helpful,
though. It was extremely easy to do...once I had the tools in my hands.
:) Blessings,
Carol
Return to top.
Would Managers of Their Homes work for a fairly undisciplined person?
I
am an unorganized mom and MOTH has helped me tremendously! In the past
I have made excuses not to have people over. My favorite season has been
summer so that my girls can wear sandals and I can quit looking for matching
socks. You get the picture. Any way, the beauty of this book and system
is that you come up with a schedule that works for you and your family.
If what you have down on paper isn't working for some reason it is easy
to change without starting over. I have worked out my schedule so that
my afternoons are free. This has been liberating. I can enjoy time with
my kids and doing what I want without feeling guilty about the house work.
The only problem I am having is motivating my kids to do their work. Any
suggestions? In short, I highly recommend this book. I actually have more
time to be a "free spirit".
Cindy
Return to top.
I would hate to invest in one more organizational book, fail, and then
have to explain to my husband!
Mark
wanted to know what was going to be different about this from all of the
other time management books/items I've tried. (This is *not* a new topic
in our home! :/) All I could tell him at first was that I was very encouraged
by Susan's post and really felt in my heart and in my spirit that this
was for us. I will tell you that at first I looked at the link Susan gave
and was DISGUSTED!!! My flesh screamed and hollered and ran shrieking
into the other room. I did *NOT* want to do this, was *NOT* interested
in the least little bit and quite frankly, looked down my nose at anyone
who would use such a horrible, regimented, boot-camp appearing system
for their precious, dear little darlings. ROFLOL!!! Well, wouldn't you
know that things really became apparent to me each and every day I ignored
Managers of Their Homes and scheduling? God brought it back to me over
and over again. I had to look at what *I* was doing to my precious little
darlings.
They could never count on anything being done consistently. They were
never sure of when anything would happen in our lives. Would this be a
regimented week (Mom desperately trying to bring things under control)
or a give-up and what-the-hay week (Mom succumbing to tears and frustration.)
Since schooling wasn't done on a consistent basis, we were constantly
having to review and didn't have enough reinforcement of new concepts
to help them stick. (especially in math) My flesh *liked* staying up all
hours of the night, doing what *I* wanted to do. My flesh *liked* looking
so busy I could not possibly do all that I *knew* God wanted me to do.
(That is obviously *not* glorifying God. It would appear to those looking
from the outside in that He had asked me to do the impossible. Would they
want to serve a God like that?! No.) I *liked* feeling busy and needed
and important. Oh ugggghhhhh! Why, oh why are my sins just ooozing out
here?! At this point, I was really DISGUSTED! But now it's at myself.
Being on a roller coaster is fun...for about 3 minutes. Ever try one for
longer than that? The fun moves out and fatigue and pure exhaustion moves
in. All you want to do is GET OFF!!! Well, I think that's about where
we were.
So
I humbly went back to Managers of Their Homes. And look where God has
brought me. I am completely amazed, flabbergasted, in total shock...and
have incredible peace and calm. God led me to do this. You can obviously
see it wasn't MY idea! I can tell you that I finally gave in but it wasn't
until the writing was on the wall, so-to-speak. My family wasn't happy,
schooling wasn't being done consistently, my home was such that I cringed
whenever anyone dropped by unannounced. Those things are not factors in
my home anymore. I am happy and so is my family. We're all loving this,
to our complete amazement! LOL! It was a joy to get back somewhat to the
schedule today and look forward to tomorrow. When you look at the schedule,
don't think that you have to do it like Teri or Susan and not even like
me! *g* One of the test families slotted a blanket "school time"
and they got everything done in that time for school. You don't *have*
to schedule math from 2:00 - 2:30! You do this according to what God has
called you to do and what your husband asks you to do. Of course, you
get a *lot* of input! *g* I know you read every post so I won't repeat
what I've already told Jo Anne but I will say that it really is true!
This schedule thing is working when *nothing* has ever worked in this
area for us before. If I can answer any questions you or John might have,
just give me a holler!
Love ya,
Carol :)
Return to top.
What happens when you have a major disruption?
We're
into week 3. Week 1 was implementing some of the ideas as I was reading
the book, Week 2 was full schedule, and Week 3 has been the flood. One
question I've had in the back of my mind is just how well this would work
if something BIG TIME...MAJOR happened in our home/family. How would it
work? Would I *want* to go back onto the schedule? Or would it be like
my dieting routines...doing great until I fall off the wagon and then
I don't have the heart to go back on. Well...I have the answer now. Of
course, I didn't exactly want to test it out quite this soon!! LOL! But
we've been partially following the schedule this last week because of
our flooding/water damage situation.
We've
had contractors, etc. coming in and out...and lots of clean-up. It's kind
of hard to do school when you can't even unbury the materials from the
thousands of books piled high in the living room! Yesterday and today
my dear husband, oldest daughter, and I have been discussing how much
we miss our schedule. Actually, what we miss is the wonderful peace that
it creates in our home! We could sure use some of that peace right now!
:) Even Katie has been wondering when we'll be doing her favorite activities
again. So tonight after dinner, Mark suggested we take our regular family
walk. I was surprised because as you can imagine, we're pretty tired in
the evenings after all that we're managing (including the stress.)
We
took our walk and had a glorious time! It was longer than we usually walk
for and just really enjoyed it. After we got home, it was just *natural*
or just *instinct* to put the girls into the tub for their bath. Then
it just *flowed* right into bedtime routine (dressing for bed, brushing
teeth) and family evening devotions. The girls were in bed at a reasonable
time tonight and ladies, we are back in the swing of things! It was great!
Now, here I am sitting up too late to answer my e-mail. dear husband had
problems with the computer so he asked if I'd clear out my inbox and print
anything that was really important before going to bed. I just wanted
to encourage you with our *real-life* experience with Teri's book. It
works. It truly works...even in the midst of the unexpected. Enjoy!
Carol :)
Return
to top.
Are there any others benefits you can think of from your schedule?
There
are two blessings that I don't think I've mentioned in my other MOTH posts.
One is the fact that sibling rivalry and plain old arguing has been virtually
eliminated. The other is that the TV has been virtually eliminated! LOL!
I wanted to take care of both of these problems but just really had no
idea how to do it! The schedule seemed to just automatically take care
of both and we haven't even had to have a major family pow-wow over it.
It hasn't even been an issue! I'm so very pleased; what a wonderful blessing
this has been!
I
have found time to let my little girls do projects, play games, play outside
with them, read to them, have tea, do character training, teach them how
to do their chores properly, have virtually eliminated sibling rivalry,
have plenty of time to do the fun things in life and still get the necessary
things done, too.....yes, I guess I have found my "fantasy homeschool".
Only, it's reality! I am loving this so much! I am so glad God brought
this into our lives. Using the schedule really has given me peace. I really
encourage you to give it a try. I'm not saying that everyone should schedule
their days like I do or like Teri does, but you know? She says that in
her book, too. You find what God has called YOU to do. Then you put in
how much time each of those things requires. You even get to include sleep
time! *g* Then you talk it over with your husband and he gives you ideas
to think about.
After
you've done those things, you work out your schedule according to what
God and your husband want you to accomplish. I can think of two blessings
right off the top of my head... 1. If someone approaches you about doing
a volunteer or even paid position outside of the home, you can honestly
look them in the eye and say with confidence that at this time your schedule
is full to the brim doing the things that God and your husband have asked
you to do. I'm a person that is *so* gullible and will do just about anything
for anybody! I love being a help to others but it does sometimes get me
in trouble...and it's usually my family that pays the price in my own
work being left undone. 2. My husband works at home. Interruptions used
to be a real problem. If he interrupts school time asking me to run an
errand, etc., we think about it in light of the schedule.
Hmmmm...what
am I *supposed* to be doing right now. Ok, now he gets to decide. Which
is more important? Usually, he decides the schedule that was carefully
thought out, planned out, and most definitely prayed about...is what needs
to be kept in place.
My
interruptions are much fewer! Until the schedule, neither of us realized
just how many interruptions there were. Now of course, he always has the
right to request me to place a higher priority on something. It just means
that the schedule helps him to realize that it's not just a matter of
squeezing something in here or there. He has found many times it is much
better for him to do that particular errand. I also need to add that I
scheduled in a time for running errands so unless it's urgent, he knows
I have a time set aside for just such things. I don't know if the above
makes much sense to you but it really is working for us and we *both*
like this arrangement. If Mark was not happy, I would not continue. But
*he* came to me on Day 3 and asked that I never, ever stop doing this
schedule! :) Everyone loves knowing they have a time *scheduled* for their
favorite activities and time with mom. I find my heart is in a right attitude
because I know that a particular chore won't go on forever...just 30 minutes.
I can do anything for 30 minutes! *g* Then I get to do something fun completely
guilt free...because it's on the schedule. I know that even if I do my
fun stuff, my work will get done, too and I'm not just using computer
time, etc. to avoid my work.
Blessings,
Carol
Return to top.
I am not a home-schooler, but I still feel the need for more structure
to my day. Would this book work for me?
It
is an interesting question that you ask. Had you asked this before our
book came out, I would have told you that it was geared strictly
for home schoolers and that I didn't feel you would have any benefit
from it. Since it has been out, though, we have been having feedback
from moms who aren't homeschooling who have gotten the book for
one reason or another and they are being helped by it.I have also
been asked by a friend of my mom's to give my workshop for their
church group, most of whom are not homeschoolers. I went through my overheads
to see how many applied only to homeschoolers and there weren't very
many. Most of the principles and topics are pretty generic to any mom
who needs to organize and manage her time.There are just a couple
of chapters, when I really think about it, that deal strictly with
school. Even the information in there could be useful for a mom
who has children in school and perhaps preschoolers.Here is a note I had
from a friend who lives in Canada and is not currently homeschooling
but will bring three of her five children home for school in the
fall:
Hi Teri,
Just a quick note to let you know how we are progressing with Managers...
We've done some adapting for our current situation. I'm working mainly
on scheduling me, the kids may come later. I worked out a schedule
for me until 3:00 each day. I had to do a 5-day schedule because some
of my days are quite different than others. It's been implemented for 2
weeks or so and it is really a great help. I found the colored blocks are
not necessary for me right now, since I am only scheduling myself. The cool
thing is that I have a lot more time than I thought, I was just wasting it.
My initial thoughts were that I would not enjoy being so regimented, but
what I have found over the last two weeks is that the schedule actually gives
me freedom and peace of mind.
I don't spend hours each day fretting
over everything that needs to be accomplished. It's on the schedule.
And so beneficial is this concept of working for 15/30 minutes at
a task, and then stopping. I don't have to complete every job every day.
But most helpful of all is the concept that the schedule will not make
my days successful; my strength is in the Lord. The schedule is simply a
tool, and a very helpful one, I might add. So thanks, and we will stay in
touch.Love to your folks.
In Christ,
Dawn
Although
this mom is only scheduling herself, I think you would benefit from
having a schedule for you, and each of your children. This is one of the
points I make in the book. Even your preschooler will function better
with a schedule. When they are changing activities regularly their
day goes better just as yours will.I had a mom who bought our book
use it as a basic for a workshop she did for rubber stamp distributors.
She decided to take three books with her to have available to sell
in case anyone was interested even though most of the women who
would be attending her workshop would not be home schoolers.
Here is her
report to me: "Well, I had no problem selling the 3 books! Could
have sold 20 if I had had them with me! I never even got the chance to
mention I had 3 to sell during my talk! Three ladies sitting at my table
bought them off me before I even got up to speak! I asked them to please
wait until they heard me speak at least to be sure they really wanted
them! What a success! Praise the Lord!( and only one other lady present
was a homeschooler!)" Jerri
So this is what I can come up with in
trying to honestly answer your question. I do think you would find
this book and the scheduling kit to be very helpful to you, but
I don't want to "talk" you into something. I really encourage
you to pray and seek direction from the Lord and your husband concerning
purchasing our book.
Trusting
in Jesus,
Teri Maxwell |
