We have been homeschooling our 9 children since the very beginning with a very limited budget. However, we have still been able to provide a rich broad and classically based education for them. That is why I am so happy to be sharing with you today how we homeschool our large family on a budget. You don’t need to “unschool” to be able to homeschool your children with limited funds, nor do you need to buy every top of the line recommended curriculum in every subject. It is totally possible to create a curriculum that is reusable and repeatable yet customizable in order to best serve your family AND your budget! Today I’m sharing practical steps as well as tons of sources!

Is homeschooling a large family expensive?

Homeschooling a large family can get very expensive depending on how much time you have to give. Usually the more time you can give to planning, the less money expenditure is needed. For example the costs go up when the prep time is done for you. Full enrollment in online classes per child, for example, will cost the most. An open and go curriculum is also going to be a larger expense. The more you are able to plan and schedule yourself, the more money you will save per child. The good news is, if you put a little time in now, you will actually begin to save more every year and your costs will continue to go down and not up. This will happen by creating the ability to reuse books and repeat plans, plus you will get better at knowing what works! Read below to see how I plan and my free resources to help you!

Here is a cost comparison for homeschooling options:

Online tuition and co-op classes comparisons per student:

(Cost of books NOT included)

• Classical online full enrollment: $2,500- $5,000 a year (Courses usually range from $500-$700 each with the average being 4-6 courses enrolled a year NOT including the cost of books)
• Classical online partial enrollment: $1,500- $2,500
• Bi-weekly (with paid teaching) co-op enrollment: $350- $1,400
• Weekly co-op enrollment (volunteers or parents teach): $300- $500

As you can see from the above list, for us to afford 7 full time students in full enrollment I would need to put a full time job’s salary towards it. Remember these prices do not include the books and curriculum itself.

Curriculum price comparisons per student:

• Full open and go curriculum packages: $450-$1,200
• What we pay by planning and sourcing our own curriculum: $50-$250

The open and go packages are a great option, but it is totally possible to create a solid curriculum plan that is reusable and repeatable so you don’t need to purchase individually for each student every year.

Can you homeschool on a budget even through high school?

You can absolutely homeschool on even the tightest budget! I homeschooled the early years, for almost nothing! I borrowed books, printed off math and copywork sheets, got lots of books from the library, and still kept to a scheduled curriculum plan. Teacher’s manuels are usually very comprehensive. You only need to be one lesson ahead of your students in prep. It’s not as hard as it seems! As our children moved up in grades, some more investment was needed for them to study at a deep level. We invested in curriculum that could be reused with other students. Once we have purchased a book each consecutive student costs less.

We have also been blessed to be a part of a local private co-op that meets weekly. Our high school students took their science classes through that co-op which was a very affordable option at less than $50 a month per family. Parents and students alike volunteer their time to teach the classes, so it is a collaborative model. There is also a local program that offers middle school and high school classes for homeschoolers to prepare for college. Former teachers or homeschooling parents volunteer their time to teach at a very affordable rate.

What are the best affordable curricula- within our philosophy framework?

How we homeschool our large family on a budget primarily is by using a literature-based education. A feast of stories and first person accounts is rich as well as affordable, because many of these quality books are in the public domain or easy and inexpensive to source. Our children absorb and connect with the subject through the eyes of someone else’s experience. Tales of heroes, bravery, courage, and noble character also enhances their desires to live their lives in this way.

From what I have researched and found to fit our standards and goals for our children’s educations the following curricula are our top choices. Although there are many homeschool curriculum out there, these are practically free and provide a rich base to customize to your needs. Keep in mind, the more you source things yourself the more customizable you can keep it to your own preferences, and your children’s needs. You are also able to remain flexible when you aren’t buying an entire package and spending quite a bit per student.

Ambleside Online

We have found that the most affordable and comprehensive curriculum is Ambleside online. They have freely provided so many rich online resources that are free as well as schedules, plans and book suggestions. Ambleside Online will give your children a rich and deep education. It is also a heavy load for some, but you can tailor it to your specific needs. That is the beauty of it! I use Ambleside alongside A Gentle Feast to customize our subjects to each child and year as needed.

Price: Free!! + cost of books

A Gentle Feast

A Gentle Feast has a literature based scheduled plan that includes all grades and forms, as well as just a booklist option, so the prices range from very low upwards. The books are not included so you will have to source the books yourself, but she offers links that are discounted as well as free. As a result, her curriculum can be very affordable, especially as you acquire a library of books to be reused. Because of the affordability and ease of use of this program we have used it for the last 5 years. I already have purchased all 4 cycles. Consequently, each year, homeschooling costs us less!

Price: $5- $85 for entire family package including all grades and schedules (minus cost of books)

How we homeschool our large family on a budget – the breakdown

Keep it simple

It is very easy to feel like we aren’t doing enough for our children’s education. We can easily begin to feel that more would be better. More subjects, more projects, more books! However, in my experience usually when things don’t feel right, pulling back is the best answer. Simplifying and really focusing in on what works and what brings us joy will lead to more success in our homeschool. Leaning into our primary goals for our children’s education results in better retention and more joy in our work. Instead of heaping on more and more until we are both frazzled!

Establishing our core values has been crucial for determining which subjects are the most important. We desire our children to have a biblical worldview with a purpose of serving God by serving and loving His people. This means we desire them to be students of His Word and world, good communicators, and have tools and skills they can serve and share with others. Somedays these goals help me keep perspective even when trying to get through a tough math lesson. This also helps me remember buying a new book isn’t always the answer.

Doing our own planning & scheduling

As I mentioned above, paying for an open and go curriculum is what will save you time but not money. But, it doesn’t have to take a ton of time to schedule out and plan on your own. You can check out my post here on how I plan our homeschool. l also have an entire video series on it over here, which is basically a free course. Planning and scheduling doesn’t need to take you all summer. I explain the way I streamline and combine where I can, so I don’t have to plan and individualize every subject for every child. Get my templates below to start planning your year to save time and money!

Combining subjects and grades

In my planning post I also explained how I combine grades and subjects with some of our children in detail. This saves time as well as money, as I don’t have to purchase separate curriculum for each subject per child. About 75% of our subjects are combinable. The rest are individualized and require more one on one time with me. This helps our schedule to be more manageable and also our budget.

Printing our own schedules and charts

Most curriculum schedules out lessons to be completed in a 32-36 week school year. Decide how many weeks you want to be actively schooling and divide the lessons by that number of weeks. Then reassess each quarter or week if the pace needs adjusting. I then fill in a weekly assignment page for my children that work independently (grade 4-5 and up).

Using non-consumable books for our core curriculum

Our core subjects are reusable so we can sell them if they aren’t working for us, or lend to a friend to try. This ensures I’m not locked in to continuing something that isn’t working for us.

Here are our favorites:

Math: Life of Fred

This math curriculum we have used all the way through now, and loved it. The students use a notebook to work the problems and the answer key is included in the book, as well.

Science: Apologia

We love this science series because it works well to teach to multiple ages and grades. The kids seem to grasp the concepts well and relate with the information. There is also an audiobook version available! We don’t usually purchase the separate student notebooks until middle school. Hoping they come out with a pdf version soon, as we never use every page anyway. It would be a more affordable option if they did.

History: The Story of the World

This history has resonated with my boys the most, and also has a printable pdf activity book you can purchase through their website. This makes it a much more affordable option as you can print how many you need without repurchasing.

Grammar: IEW Fix it!

We discovered this last year, and wish we had sooner. A comprehensive and fun program my boys loved. The teacher’s manual comes with a printable student notebook option. The link is inside the book you can see after you purchase it, so you don’t need to buy the student text. Plus, this makes it easy and affordable to print as needed for multiple students at once.

Humanities/ Philosophy: Omnibus

Our highs schoolers have really enjoyed studying with these texts. They are pricey, but I only need to purchase it once and we have the set for the rest of the children, which saves more over the long run

Of course the countless literature books also qualify, but I won’t list all of those here.

Borrow books and sourcing used

Another way we homeschool our family on a budget is borrowing books or finding them free or inexpensively. After I have done my planning, I begin sourcing our books needed that year that we don’t already have. I rarely have to pay full price for a book unless it is one of the reusable core books I listed above. Even then, I usually can find them used or discounted. I keep a list on my computer of each book’s source as I find it, so I know which ones I’ve purchased and which I’ll need to check out at the library when the term we’re going to use it in comes up.

Here is the list I go down from free to most expensive.

1. Local library- my library lets me keep a saved list, and I group books by grades on there.
2. Borrow from friends – it’s fun to swap with each other!
3. Librivox for free audio versions
4. Amazon Kindle books have a lot of classics in the public domain or for very little
5. Check Facebook groups for used options for sale
6. Amazon’s discounted and used books
7. Abe books
8. Ebay
9. Christianbook usually runs sales

Printing most of our own consumables

We have been printing our own worksheets from the very beginning. It really doesn’t take much time at all. We bought a cheap black and white laser printer that we use and buy refurbished toner for, so it is a more affordable option for us.

Some sources for free online printables we use often:

• Seterra: great printable geography maps & drills
• Dads Worksheets: tons of math drills, plus handwriting paper.
• Super Coloring: great realistic coloring pages for history, art, architecture etc. Easy to navigate!

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In conclusion

I hope this post has given you excitement for how you can homeschool on a budget! There are lots of great resources out there, and I hope my lists here helped narrow things down for you, so you aren’t as overwhelmed. Stick to your values and search for what you love! Homeschooling can be such a joy to experience learning alongside your children!

In His service,

The post How we homeschool our large family on a budget appeared first on A Legacy In Days.

I’ve always enjoyed doing laundry. Something about the clean smell and seeing freshly folded piles is satisfying. However, the joy in the process quickly fades when after doing laundry every day I still wind up with set stains, overflowing hampers, lack of clean clothes, and dirtly clothes piles everywhere! Whether you enjoy laundry like I do, or not, you are likely here to find a routine that will help limit your laundry woes. That’s why I’m glad to share our simplified large family laundry routine with you today! I have tried different systems and the current one has made laundry so much easier to maintain. My hampers aren’t overflowing, my laundry room stays mostly in order, and the only thing overflowing on a given day is the clean laundry baskets!

Having a routine can be the make-it-or-break-it to make something go from disaster to order. My routine described below, can work for any size family. I have also included a print you can easily reference.

(The comedy is not lost on me that today, as I write this, I am cleaning up half a jug of laundry soap that fell off the washer and spilled all over the laundry floor downstairs! HAHAHAH)

The basics to our simplified large family laundry routine

• Collect all the dirty clothes in the evenings
• Rotate loads every day after mealtimes as needed (except Sundays)
• Fold, only the essentials, all at once
• Put away the following morning

There are 11 of us needing laundry done, but our 4 youngest have the most laundry and most dirty laundry by far! So, if you just have littles and feel overwhelmed, rightly so! It is alot! hehe.

We have 4 boys that share 2 rooms downstairs where we also have a second washer and dryer set. They alternate doing their own laundry by room, and each boy has their own hamper. Our oldest daughter does her own laundry around the laundry I am doing over the weekend . This means I am responsible for 6 persons laundry- mine and my husband’s, our baby girl’s, and the 3 little boys’. I add in the towels and sheets on particular days.

(Disclaimer: Some of these links are affiliate links, which means I make a tiny commission off of these sales at no extra cost to you. I am not paid or sponsored in any way to promote these products. I’ve curated these myself and love and use most of them regularly! This helps support the work I do here, and is so appreciated! Thank you for your care!)

Some systems I have tried before

I have tried all kinds of methods. Maybe you have tried different methods, too, but they weren’t working for you either. Perhaps that’s why you’re here today. Everyone has their preferences, but finding what works for YOU is the most important part of establishing a good routine. I’ve even folded Kon Mari style, but soon realized that work was all undone in1 day with little kids rummaging for a favorite shirt.

• Doing it all over 2 days
• Assigning a day of the week per person or room
• Collecting it all and doing it daily

The later is the method I am using now. I’ve been doing laundry everyday since our family size grew to about 6 of us, but it was a different method. Each day I would wash by room or category. The trouble I was that we still had a week to go between those washes. I was doing laundry everyday, but we still would run out of clean clothes. The other problem was the stains on the clothes would set after sitting there a week.

The benefits to my current simplified routine

There is rarely an overflowing hamper in a bedroom now and the dirty clothes are mostly contained to the laundry room, and washed sooner.

Stains don’t set as easily, anymore. I noticed the wash comes clean without much needed pretreating because they’re washed more frequently.

We can keep a more minimal wardrobe as the clothes are washed more often.

Our littles guys can find something clean to put on from the fresh laundry basket easily if needed, as well.

My simplified large family laundry routine:

1. Keep a hamper in each room
2. Collect dirty clothes each evening
3. Sort clothes into 3 large hampers
4. Rotate wash after mealtimes
5. Sort into baskets by room or child
6. Fold only the essentials once a day
7. Have kids put away their own during a routine time

1. Keep a hamper in each room

This makes it easy to keep the dirty clothes off the floor and ready to be collected. Our older boys that share have their own dirty clothes hampers to make it easier to keep track of their own clothes they wash themselves, as well. I prefer to use these large hampers because they are durable, lightweight, and large.

2. Collect dirty clothes each evening

I prefer to collect in the evenings to see sure we get the clothes from that da, and because I’m usually home to do it and not rushing out somewhere. If you want to develop a maintainable routine, find a time that works for you that you can be consistent in. A tip- pin it to something you already do, like a mealtime or when you get home etc.

3. Sort clothes into 3 large hampers

These large hampers are the ones I use in my laundry room. I sort by lights, darks, and heavy or soiled items. I don’t get picky about weights and colors and have not had a problem. If I think some whites need a refresh, I’ll pull them out of the lights basket and soak separately in oxi clean. When the hamper is full to the top, I know I have a full load ready to go in!

4. Rotate wash after mealtimes as needed

Mornings are busy enough, so just needing to remember to throw a ready load in after breakfast and switch what’s in the wash is simple enough. I have a habit of it now, so laundry doesn’t sit more than a day. If you tie it to something that is already a habit it will become a habit in itself, too.

5. Sort into baskets by room or child

Our 3 little guys have their own small laundry baskets, so when I sit down to fold, I just sort their laundry into their own baskets. I don’t fold any of their clothes. I help them fold on a morning we have more time, or I just let them put them in the proper drawer during our morning routine when their baskets get full. This makes it easy for them to find clean clothes in between without rummaging through folded clothes. Our little girl’s dresser is in our room so I include her clothes with my husband’s and mine.

6. Fold only the essentials once a day

I collect the clean laundry out of the drawer into a large basket or two, and batch fold only once a day. My preference is to do it in the evenings either while my hubby reads to us, or we watch a show. I don’t fold undies or jammies, unless I get carried away watching a great show- like our current favorite, The Chosen!

7. Have kids put away their own during a routine time

Last, but certainly not lease, we have even our younger kids help as much as they can fold and put away their own clothes. As I mentioned before, I don’t have them fold unless I have time to sit with them and give them a folding lesson, so that they can learn. They have minimal wardrobes so their drawer aren’t stuffed. As long as we can find what we need, I don’t care.

Tips and tricks

• I love these wool dryer balls to fluff and soften our clothes and cut dry time. Sprinkling on a few essential oil drops keeps them smelling lovely, too.
• Tide Free and Gentle and Shout keep the stain setting to a minimum. I use cornstarch on a grease stain, then dawn detergent, and I save shout for for those really stubborn grease stains because it is a heavy chemical, but works!
• Pour boiling water over fruit stains and watch them vanish- really!
• Soaking in baking soda or borax in a tub before washing for heavily soiled items works wonders.
• I wash all my hand washables or things I don’t want to dry in the dryer in delicates bags. I just wash on cold with my normal load and pull out to hang dry. I even put sweaters I want to hang up in a large delicates bag so I don’t accidentally put it in the dryer.
• I buy the same socks for our boys so I don’t have to match individual sock pairs. If one gets a hole it can be matched to another that did. We rotate white and black ankles for spring and summer and taller boot socks for fall and winter. The ones I like here, have a different color per size which is all I have to look for. Easy peasy.
• Use my no iron hack- explained in this video!

Thanks so much for joining me again here in my little corner, friend! I hope some of these ideas can help you gain solutions that create more time to spend enjoying your family!

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Here are some last minute Mother’s day gift ideas for homeschooling moms that have come from my own wishlist. If you’re like me, you have an amazon wishlist so your hunny and kids know what you want. Thought I would share my own list with you today, in case you needed to give them some ideas but needed a little inspo.

Gifts to wear

14K Gold plated Sterling Silver for $15.99 (at time of posting) This has been on my wishlist for awhile.

Mama necklace

Key leather chain wristlet- etsy

Ok, these are all the rage this year and it makes me wonder why we haven’t thought of this already? Such a genius idea. A stylish way to keep track of our keys hands free as we come and go with bags and books galore. Starts at $14

(Disclaimer: some of these are affiliate purchases, which does not mean they are sponsored- I picked these out myself. It just means I make a tiny commission off of these sales with no added expense to you. This helps the work I do here. Thanks in advance for the support!)

Baby teether key wristlet Minimalist teether key chain option 2

Only $10 for this fun version if you have littles! I would probably unclip the key part before giving to the baby. I love how there is a handy toy option at your disposal in a pinch!

Teeshirt: I can do all things through Christ

A little daily reminder and encouragement to wear everyday, and looks comfy and cute. Starting at $19.

Not all classrooms have 4 walls- red tee

All homeschool mamas know teaching can happen anywhere! Love this cute color option, but there are others available as well. Starting at $16.

Gifts to help

The Peaceful Planner

Every Homeschool mom can benefit from an organized system! I love what the Peaceful Press puts out and their philosophy on education lends itself to a more restful homeschooling atmosphere. I wanted to try this planner out for next year, as it is so well laid out and has a nice minimal design. Less than $25 (at time of posting).

Collapsible tote

I need this tote! I have a black grubby one that desperately needs this replacement! How cute is this design and fresh spring colors! Starts at less than $40.

Raising little disciples tote

The purchase of this tote (starting at $24.95 and ships quick) supports another christian mama shop! Can’t even with the cute and sweet message and simplistic design. What homeschool mama doesn’t need another great tote?

Gifts to savor

Stumptown coffee

This coffee is spendy, but oh so worth it- hence why it makes a great gift! Our favorite local coffee shop, with the BEST lattes, uses this coffee. I’m obsessed with it’s smooth yet strong nutty flavor. EVERY homeschool mama deserves a cup of good organic coffee!

Half Baked Harvets’s new cookbook!

Tiegan has a new book and it’s for everyday cooks- like we homeschool mamas! I have her other cookbook and her flavor combos never disappoint. Her website is aw-inspiring and this cookbook looks to be another winner. Ships for under $20 on sale at time of posting!

A FREE BONUS GIFT FROM ME!

A little daily reminder you can hang anywhere. Print for yourself, a friend, or send them over to print themselves!

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Thanks for stopping by my little corner today!

The post Mother’s day gift ideas for homeschooling moms appeared first on A Legacy In Days.

Are you wondering how to find your priorities as a mom? After some research and reading I finally stumbled upon a method that was clear and straightforward. I was able to adapt it for my life as a homeschool mom of a large family. Now, no matter what season of life I’m in, I can easily determine where my focus should be and create a task list that keeps me on track with my goals and prioriites. I am excited to share this simple 3 step method with you today!

As a busy mom, everyday there are a myriad of things to be done, and everything can feel like it’s urgent. Especially when you have a little one pulling on your pant leg, the food is burning, and you haven’t showered! You feel like your attention is demanded by someone or something 24/7. It can be overwhelming to even begin to think about what to do next. One crazy moment leads into the next and before you know it, you are falling into bed at the end of the night exhausted yet unsure of what you even did all day.

My story

I’ve experienced this feeling in different seasons of life. Sometimes it’s inevitable, like after a baby is born, or during a move or job change. However, I realized when my life began to feel like chaos is the new normal, something had to change.

My utmost desire is to be intentional with my time in the roles God has called me to. I would make a list of what I wanted to accomplish each day and then start chipping away at it as best I could. However, the inevitable needs or moment to moment crises would arise and my list would be derailed. Trying to decide what to do next felt futile and I would just give up and waste more time on the frivolous and unnecessary. I realized that I needed to determine my real priorities. But what I discovered was that I didn’t know how to do that. Isn’t everyone and everything I care about a priority??

Why it is important to determine your priorities as a mom

I truly believe every little thing we do in our home, in joy and service to the Lord, is worthy of our time. I believe the gospel works in an upside down measurement. It is in serving, not striving, that we find satisfaction and joy. Each diaper change, and meal made with love is of great value. However, my desire is to be intentional and focused on what God has called me to. It is easy to become distracted by other things and easily fritter my time away with unneccesary busy work.

We have limited resources as moms, and if we don’t have a clear vision, our everyday to-do list can feel insurmountable. It is crucial that we limit our task list to those things that will have the most impact on what we believe we are called to.

Without a clear definition of our priorities it also becomes more difficult to focus or accomplish our goals. I found it was easy for me to forget my priorities and get frazzled over undone tasks when I felt I had been diligent all day. When the baby is fussy and the toddler is needy everything can feel impossible. Most of us have heard that we need to keep our priorities in order. But it is determining them where we get hung up.

The method for how to find your priorities as a mom

After reading many different time management strategies and systems, I found one that was simple, but geared more to the corporate workspaces. An adapted version of Brian Tracy’s ABCD method is what helped me more clearly determine my priorities. Now I can easily see which tasks are the most important to focus on in any given day. Since discovering this method I am less distracted by unnecessary “busy” work. I can conquer my to-do list with confidence even when it only has 1 thing on it that day! This has been very freeing. 

At the end of this post I have a printable you can get to work through your own priority list and how to make a quick decision on what are your  top priorities.

ABCD principles

The Brian Tracy method is a method to determine which tasks fit into which priority list. Some of you might have heard of the phrase “Eat the frog.” This comes from his strategy. Although it sounds daunting, it’s actually a simple reminder to take care of the most important things first. Simply put, do the hardest most important thing first and it’s over for the rest of the day! I didn’t personally care for this metaphor. I don’t want to start my day with the worst thing. Also, with lots of little kids I can’t always just do the most important thing right away. 

However, his method for determining priorities has been very helpful for me. It simplified what I know I need to do next in any given moment. As a mom of 9, this list helps me not just do less important busy tasks to feel productive. Instead, when I have a free moment I am able to focus to become more effective and efficient.

The method works like this. First, there are A, B,C,D lists. This is just a lettered ranking system. A-D Top to bottom. Tasks get ranked on their urgency and importance. Sorry, we can’t always put time with kids and hubby in the A list and dishes and laundry in the D list!  

My adaptation

How I’ve adapted this list is by using a series of questions. Instead of an A to D list equalling urgent to less urgent, important to less important, I ask a few questions to determine which list the tasks should be included in.

First steps for how to find your priorities as a mom

1. Define your roles 

What has God called me to in particular? 

I believe he has called me, personally, to serve Him and His kingdom with my particular skills and abilities. These fit within the roles He has called me to as a wife and mother (teacher). Alongside those, I am to love and serve my extended family, church, community, and world with my gifts.

2. Determine your goals

What are my goals in each of these roles?

The previous list helps me realize which things take precedence. For me in particular, it helped me clarify that I value relationships over productivity. But this also will include things like caring for and running our home as a means to love my family and anyone who enters it. For me personally, it also means I homeschool our children and run a blog and youtube channel. For our family with seven boys, we have goals of establishing connection with our kids through creative production, service, ministry and physical activities together. Your goals will look different than mine, as well as your roles. But spending some time thinking through these things will pay off towards clarity, purpose and mission in how you spend your days.

Personal habits & care

It’s also important to determine the best way you can take care of yourself in your current season. What are the daily habits that help you steward well the body and time you have currently? This is an important step because if you’re not taking care of yourself, you won’t be well equipped to take care of anyone else. What do you need to do to maintain your spiritual and physical capabilities in your current life season and situation? What do you need to eat? How much to sleep and exercise? Newly forming habits and priorities fit within the A list automatically, but obviously not to the detriment or neglect of anyone else.

The final step for how to find your priorities

Now that you’ve defined your roles and goals, we can get into the nitty gritty of how to categorize those tasks.

To be clear, these tasks are new to come up on your to do list each day. Don’t include the menial tasks that are part of a good established routine and habits. However, if you don’t have those in place, then you could inlude the first step toward creating those systems in your A task list.

3. Questions to ask each task

Does this task move me toward my long term goals?

Does this task have negative consequences if I do not do it?

Can I delegate this?

Flowchart for how to find your priorities

A list: Yes to all three

B list: No to #1. Yes to # 2, No to #3

C list: Yes to #1, No to #2, No to #3

D list: No to #1, No to #2, No to #3

Note: Any task that you can delegate should not go on your list.

1. Does this task move me toward my long term goals?

It is important to sit down and make a list of the categories of general tasks you do everyday  first, so that you do not have to make these decisions for every task in every moment. A little brainstorming ahead of time eliminates a lot of the decision fatigue in the moment. Spending time connecting with your hubby might not seem urgent, but is it important for your relationship goals? Daily  habits that keep you healthy are also important even though they can be very small things, like taking your vitamins. 

2. Does this task have negative consequences if I do not do it?

Some things do not feel important in the moment, but will have negative consequences if left undone now, or for a long period of time. Sweeping your kitchen is not urgent, but if you don’t do it for a long time you’ll have varmits and bugs! The same goes for laundry or placing a grocery order, meal planning etc. Some things will vary on the day by how important it is and how bad the consequences are if not done. Although, this question helps keep us from always putting laundry or meal planning as the least important tasks, just because they might be our least favorite ones.

3. Can this be delegated?

Delegate any task to your husband or kids when you can. I am not suggesting that every menial task be. However, there are many things that only you are able to do. Think through tasks your husband or children can do. Establish those taks and then remove them from your lists. What does go on my list is household management tasks so I remember to check in on them, but not to STEP in for them. I am all for helping each other out, and everyone pitching in, but I don’t put my kid’s or hubby’s tasks on my list. If I sense a busy day for them and see a way I can help, I’ll gladly do so, but I keep to my lane as best I can. 

Keep in mind that the tasks that are on this list should not part of your regular routine and rhythm that are working. Unless you need to establish some, then you can use this list to write “create a healthy morning routine” for example. 

Some helpful tips for moms

Ask yourself what can I do NOW? Move through your list from A- D as you are ABLE.

Determine what timing is better for which tasks. Naptime for quiet tasks? Awake time for active tasks?

Keep relationships as a priority. Interruptions to the active tasks are not real interruptions- they are the important thing!

When the dishes and laundry pile up as you play with your needy littles, revisit your list at nap time. See what else you can do from your A or B task list, try to do one and then rest.

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Summary

1. Define your roles
2. Determine your goals (including personal care)
3. Give each task it’s assigned category

Begin taking action!

I hope this blog post has helped you see a way to assign each task it’s place and be able to limit the overwhelm of indecision.

Let me know if you have any questions or if you try this and LOVE it, or even if you are confused!

As always, thank you so much for stopping by my little corner of the interwebs!

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The post How to find your priorities as a mom- 3 steps! appeared first on A Legacy In Days.

I love the cool days spent baking and curating gifts for those we love, and the cozy nights by the fire with cocoa and Christmas stories. This truly is the season of anticipation, as the word advent=waiting conjures. Getting to spend a whole month (or more) preparing to bless and shower the ones we love with gifts and time and thoughtfulness is such a unique part of the year. Waiting for the coming of the Messiah we do no longer, but we await his final return in anticipation and as we labor for His kingdom here. This advent season being a small glimpse of the excitement we ought to feel as we work and wait.

Today I have some free prints for you to download and use and share as you like! A little gift from me to you to kick off the season!

And happy December!

Please pin and share this gift with others!

The post Free Christmas prints! appeared first on A Legacy In Days.