Written by Jamie Erickson of The Unlikely Homeschool

As a self-professed word nerd, all of my conversations somehow start and end with, “I read in a book once…” Well-written stories have shaped nearly every second of my thirty-nine years, giving me examples of both the personal and the practical of life.

For instance, I discovered how to be a good friend as I sat with Pooh in the Hundred Acre Wood. I began looking for possibilities while tub diving with Mary Poppins. And I figured out just how hard it was too hard to squeeze a tube of toothpaste during the quiet rebellion of my pal Ramona Quimby.

I learned all the most important things from my childhood books.

Caroline Ingalls’ Productivity Hack

Now, as an adult, while re-reading all these old favorites to my own kids, I’m rediscovering their simple but timeless truths. 

An adult lens definitely has a way of revealing different angles of each story that I never noticed before.

Recently while revisiting the Little House on the Prairie series, I stumbled upon a productivity hack that has revolutionized my days.

Perhaps you remember the simple schedule that Ma Ingalls implemented each week?

• Wash on Mondays
• Iron on Tuesdays
• Mend on Wednesdays
• Churn on Thursdays
• Clean on Fridays
• Bake on Saturdays
• Rest on Sundays

Caroline Ingalls didn’t use an elaborate spreadsheet or even a paper planner to get her life in order. She didn’t have an app or an assistant, or really any of the conveniences of our modern mothering.

She didn’t need to. She just repeated this no-frills routine each week and in doing so, created an uncomplicated rhythm to her days.

The Never-Ending Tasks of Motherhood

As a homeschooling, work-at-home mom, I have a lot of balls in the air on any given week–lesson plans to make, home-keeping chores to accomplish, volunteer projects to plan, church responsibilities to oversee, and work deadlines to complete.

Each day can easily find me trying to do all of them with excellence and in the process, doing most of them with aggressive mediocrity. I’m only one person, after all. I don’t have enough hands, enough time, enough energy for all of those things.

So many of my tasks seem endless and never-ending. And because of that, it’s very easy to feel defeated even before I’ve begun any of them. An ongoing job that’s never officially done to completion can make me feel like a hamster on a wheel, getting nowhere fast.

But instead of contemplating a forfeit because I can’t check a chore off a list or because the moment I finish one task another one suddenly pops us, I’ve decided to redefine “done.”

That’s what Caroline Ingalls did.

She never once got to permanently cross-out “churn butter” or indefinitely check-off “mend” from her TO DO list because those jobs were on-going. They weighed on her time week-in and week-out. On paper, she was never “done” with anything.

Yet she understood the power of small wins, of daily victories. Instead of trying to do it all half-heartedly, she set aside time each day to do one thing well.

And in doing so, she gained forward motion on everything.

Themed Work Days for the Modern Mom

Obviously, my modern-day hustle looks different to hers. But my system is exactly the same.

It goes without saying that homeschooling takes up a great chunk of the day and is a non-negotiable line-item on the schedule. (You’re a homeschool parent. You understand.) But after school, I usually have around two hours of time to work on other things.

And here’s where I steal a play from Ma’s playbook.

I assign each of my non-homeschooling jobs to a particular day of the week:

• Write on Mondays
• Run errands on Tuesdays
• Podcast on Wednesdays
• Write on Thursdays
• Bake on Fridays
• Clean on Saturdays
• Menu plan and Worship on Sundays

Throughout the week, I keep a running list of small tasks that need to get done under each category.

For instance, on Thursday, if I find a stack of books piled up at the foot of my bed that need to be re-shelved in the home library, I can try to tackle the mess right away or I can add it to my Saturday cleaning list. 

Then on Saturday when it’s time to clean, I consult my list to get immediate direction. I don’t have to waste any time stuck in mental lethargy trying to remember what needs to be cleaned or organized.

I just consult my Saturday list and get going. If I meet the time goal–if I put my head down and do the work, I get to claim the small victory of calling my cleaning complete even if something on my short list never gets accomplished.

Your weekly responsibilities might look quite a bit different from mine. Maybe you work outside the home. Maybe you have lots of family commitments or volunteer responsibilities. No matter.

If you find yourself stuck in overwhelm, discouraged by all the un-checked boxes and loose-ends of life, allow Ma Ingall’s chore list to gently walk you down Mt. Never Rest.

Checking a list doesn’t have to be the end game. Weekly forward motion is the old, but new “done.”

Read more Little House inspired posts on Simple Homeschool!

A note from Jamie (Martin, that is!): If you are drenched in doubt, filled with fear, and need more tips on how to juggle home and school, you need Jamie (Erickson’s) beautiful book, Homeschool Bravely: How to Squash Doubt, Trust God, and Teach Your Child With Confidence.

This post contains affiliate links, which means I receive a small commission from some of the links on this page.

What’s Your Homeschool Mom Personality? Take Jamie’s quiz now and receive a free personality report to help you organize your homeschool based on what your personality type needs most!

Teaching kids to take initiative (Part 2) ~
Written by Kari Patterson

“What can I do for you this morning, MoaLoa?”

Heidi (14) had just woken up and come downstairs. She has about a dozen knick-names for me, so that wasn’t new, but it struck me afresh: She has become so helpful, I couldn’t do our life without her.

Shortly after, I was starting breakfast and the little boys (4 and 2) began bickering and rough-housing. I interrupted: “Who can help me crack these eggs? I need a helper.”

They both jump up, “ME!” They scramble to get their stools and bicker a bit more about who gets to go first, but we settle into a situation that satisfies us all: Justice (4) cracks the eggs, Ben (2) stirs them up with a fork. Ben eventually gets a turn cracking eggs as well.

Of course he just crushes them with his hands, but we fish out all the eggshells and we’re good to go. Justice loses interest after a bit and wanders off to play. Ben stays by my side, stirring the eggs in the skillet, cutting up sausage with a butter knife.

“I a helper!” he declares proudly.

Six years ago when I wrote this post about initiative, we had half the kids we have now. Now our oldest son is nearing the age of the young man in the article. Like you, I’m always a student.

I want to keep learning how to educate our children well and raise them to be helpful, kind, generous, thoughtful, and to take initiative. Just as Sir Malcolm and the Missing Prince (our favorite Lamplighter dramatized audio book) teaches, I want our kids to see a need and meet it.

Recently I picked up another book that resonated deeply with me on this subject. Hunt, Gather, Parent by Michaeleen Doucleff explores the parenting strategies of different cultures around the world, specifically looking at cultures that lack the alarming rates of teen anxiety and depression that we see here in our western culture.

The book articulates so much of what was already percolating in many of our hearts. Learning to take initiative isn’t enough. We want our kids to develop a genuine care for those around them and the desire and ability to act of their own initiative to meet needs.

Further, we believe that this sense of belonging to each other, this sense of making a genuinely valuable contribution to the good of those around us is what truly develops a healthy sense of self-worth. 

A few ways we teach kids to take initiative:

1. Be a team. 

In the Mayan culture, if a child misbehaves, they need more responsibilities. But these responsibilities aren’t separate from the parent. The Mayan method is all about togetherness, so for young children, all work and chores are done together.

This isn’t a chore chart, this is the opportunity to belong to a team. This is getting to work alongside Mom or Dad, learning what they do, being included and involved, and given opportunities to contribute to the team in meaningful ways.

2. Start young.

Doucleff rightly observes that all young children want to be helpers. Toddlers especially!  At precisely the age that they are the least helpful, they have the most desire to help! 

But she urges parents NOT to squelch that desire, unknowingly teaching them that work and chores and meaningful contributions are only for the big people. Without a word we do this (I do this!) when we force them aside, sit them in front of a screen, or rush to do all the housework while they are napping.

If we make a habit of involving them when they are young, they will develop a healthy sense of belonging, a confidence that comes from making valuable contributions, and an ability to notice what needs to be done and respond.

3. Invite.

One of the things that most stood out to me about her research was the way Mayans respected their older children. It’s so easy to get frustrated and think, “My kids need to do more! Alright, bootcamp starts tomorrow!”

The Mayans encourage parents to ease into this, to be patient, and to invite, rather than force, older children into the full swing of household responsibilities.

Certainly there may be a thing here or there that is absolutely required, and that’s fine. But on the whole, the goal is to go slowly, gently, day by day, bring kids into the regular routines of home, cooking, cleaning, working.

Habits are taught slowly, bit by bit, over time. The key is to recognize where we are inadvertently teaching our kids that they belong in a world where everything revolves around them.

Then we fully bring them into the fold of family, involving them in every task and giving them the genuine privilege of contributing and learning skills that will serve them their whole lives.

What’s Your Homeschool Mom Personality? Take Jamie’s quiz now and receive a free personality report to help you organize your homeschool based on what your type needs most!

4 habits that help our homeschool thrive in busy seasons ~
Written by Kari Patterson

After many years of slow homeschool days, limited activities, and just two kids, our season has certainly changed. I’m grateful for those years, but now with two teens we are in full-blown activity mode and throwing a couple extra kids into the mix hasn’t exactly slowed the pace.

With cross-country, theater, dance, ballet, voice lessons, and teaching literature, on top of our at-home lessons plus toting around two littles, life feels very full.

Prefer to listen instead?

Thankfully, seasons that stretch us force us to grow. Here are four helpful habits that help our homeschool through our busy season:

4 habits that help our homeschool thrive in busy seasons

1. Reset nightly.

It was my friend Mikaela who first introduced me to this idea of a reset. Instead of “cleaning the kitchen” we do a reset instead.

Each evening, in anticipation of another great day (wink), we do a reset. That means dishes are put away, and everything is put back where it belongs. Water bottles are refilled and placed in the cars.

Snack baggies are filled and put in the snack-grab bin in the pantry. Coffee pot is set. Car is emptied, returning random sweatshirts, school books, nerf darts or whatever else has migrated from its proper location.

Each home and routine is different, of course, but a nightly reset makes is so we aren’t starting out the day already behind. This is one of the habits that have helped our homeschool most.

2. Ditch the “all or nothing” mindset.

Maybe it’s just me, but often what keeps me from doing something at all is the fact that I can’t do it well, or can’t do it every day.

This year, I determined I was going to put some important habits in place even if we couldn’t do them perfectly or all the time. This meant an exercise schedule that was just 3-4days/week and included my little ones, a devotional time with the kids that was just 3-4 days/week (and included the reward of gummy bears if the littles sat still and had happy hearts!), a writing schedule that was just 1 day/week.

Sure, I’d love to do these things daily. But I can’t let what I can’t do keep me from what I can. The reality is, there are aspects of our lives that are outside of our control, and if I wait around for perfect circumstances in order to do what I believe is important, I’ll never do it.

If it is important, then three days of it is better than zero days of it. Two healthy meals are better than zero healthy meals. One workout is better than no workout. All those sporadic successes actually add up to a lot. 

3. Say a hard no to school on Sundays.

This didn’t apply when the kids were little, but now that we are neck deep in high school courses, there’s quite a bit of heavy-academic lifting. Each week the big kids create their own weekly schedule, planning out what work they will do each day.

If they can’t get something completed, it gets bumped to the next day, but Saturday night at 9pm is the hard deadline.

Because we’ve probably all been there, right? Trying to finish that paper late on a Sunday night and you run out of toner or your computer crashes or you stay up way too late and you’re exhausted the next morning and how’s that for a great start to the week? My hope and prayer is that Monday morning begins with rested students, minds that have mused, bodies that have slept or recreated, hearts that have worshipped.

Sunday is to our souls what the nightly reset is to our homes. 

4. Laugh.

My mom was a homeschool pioneer in the early 80s, and I’m still gleaning from her wisdom. In some of her old lesson plans, I found this index card:

Count the day lost in which your children have not laughed.

Laughed? You’d expect to see the word “learned”. But laughed?  That was my mom’s heart, and I am trying to make it my own as well.

I’m amazed at how simple it can be. For the littles, a funny voice or a silly face. Dumping all the warm laundry on their heads or “accidentally” making the bed on top of them. Right?! We know how to do it, but sometimes we forget.

For our teens it’s scrolling together through the Life of Fred account on Facebook, watching whatever YouTube video they’re into (mine love Corridor Crew and the Holderness Family), or getting creative and Rick Rolling them when they least expect it. Never gonna give you up!

Laughter doesn’t erase the hard things, but it sure does make them bearable, especially when the laughs are enjoyed together.

I hope these four habits that help our homeschool will carry you through busy seasons. Thanks for reading!

What’s Your Child’s Learning Style? Take Jamie’s new quiz now and set yourself up for homeschooling success by understanding the way they learn best!

Written by Kara S. Anderson

It was June.

A hot June, and I had committed myself to a 40-day cleaning program.

And so I lugged the vacuum cleaner up and down the stairs, sweating profusely, swearing almost as profusely, wondering why I had decided to deep clean my house during one of the warmest months of the year.

Of course, I knew the answer. We had just finished a school year, and so I had “extra time.”

The cleaning plan had promised I would be able to reset my home in just 15 minutes a day, but I had already been vacuuming for 45.

I assumed that spoke to the condition of my house, and dutifully vacuumed on.

And the challenge worked. After 40 days, we had less clutter, and our cabinets were more organized.

Still, sometimes I would notice things, like how our kitchen garbage always seemed to be overflowing; or how our dining room table ALWAYS had “clutter,” i.e. incomplete homeschool and hobby projects.

Would I ever find a cleaning plan that actually worked for me, a busy, work-at-home, homeschooling mom?

Homeschool homes are a little different

The answer is no. Although I’ve tried. Believe me.

I’ve bought books, subscribed to YouTube channels, followed Pinterest accounts, created Pinterest boards, and downloaded approximately 87 million different cleaning routines.

I’ve tried them all, and it’s a little like when you’re trying to figure out how to homeschool – many methods, philosophies and plans have good parts.

But no cleaning plan has really ever worked for me.

It took me a while to figure out why, and then recently I was reading through yet another cleaning plan and I noticed something … the assumption was that you could reset your house late in the day, and then again in the morning, but that during the hours between 9 and 4, 5 or 6, no one was making messes.

And I know you know this already, but homeschooling can be pretty messy. On a daily basis we confront lots of paper, art supplies, craft projects, toy messes, perhaps even science experiments gone wrong …

Some days we add in even more – paper maché, tiny chefs cooking or baking, a toddler who found a Sharpie …. GLITTER.

“Cleaning house while kids are home is like shoveling while it’s still snowing.” – possibly Phyllis Diller, (the etymology is dubious)

And so as homeschoolers, who are with our kids all day, we simply have to have different expectations and a different strategy for keeping our homes clean…ish.

A new homeschool cleaning routine

So I decided to create a new plan, based on real life – a plan that makes time for handling daily messes, because those are just a reality of homeschooling.

As homeschoolers, we also need to prioritize dishes, because we eat at home a lot. Back in my office days, I would grab breakfast as I left for the day, and either eat a packed lunch or grab food on the go.

But now, it isn’t unusual for us to eat three meals a day (plus 81 snacks) at home. And cleaning up after that takes time.

But we also have an advantage – those of us with older kids have built in help, as long as we’re willing to invest a little time teaching our kids how to clean.

So I want to assure you – if you struggle a bit with housekeeping – it’s not just you.

And if all those cleaning plans out there haven’t worked – it isn’t you, it’s just that those plans aren’t meant for families like ours.

How to start over with a new cleaning routine

The good news is, you can start to build a new routine right now.

As you do so, just keep in mind:

1. Many of us are not naturally organized or natural cleaners.
2. As homeschoolers, our situation is different than a lot of families, so “regular” cleaning routines might not work for us.
3. This is a place where expectations can really drag us down. But if we can shift our mindset from Instagram and Pinterest images to wanting a cozy, warm environment for learning and more, it can alleviate a lot of pressure.

I’ve created a cleaning plan if you need help getting started – you can read all about it here. It includes a FREE printable that makes it quick and easy to jump right in. (Pssst … the free printable includes a coupon for a discount off the full ebook!)

I hope you’ll head over and grab it, and feel a little more peace starting now.

What’s your favorite homeschool-friendly cleaning tip? Please share!

What’s Your Homeschool Mom Personality? Take Jamie’s quiz now and receive a free personality report to help you organize your homeschool based on what your personality type needs most!

Written by Kari Patterson

I know, I know. It’s the holidays. No one wants to talk about nutrition right now. But you know what?

Two weeks from today the shelves that are stocked with candy will be filled with vitamins, so maybe the best time to make a small change is now.

I’ve found that changes are more likely to stick when they are made at odd times (not New Year’s, etc.). Why?

Because when it’s not what everyone else is doing, the change represents something I’m serious about, not just an obligatory resolution.The great thing is, we don’t need new data. We all know that what we eat greatly impacts our cognitive function (especially memory), mood, and ability to focus.

Studies abound linking nutrition and behavior, school performance, and overall well-being. Science is even finding that diseases such as Alzheimer’s are less linked to genetic disposition and more linked to environmental factors such as diet.

So if we know that nutrition matters, why is it so hard to making healthy-eating a priority?

For me, I think the three biggest factors are: Time, picky eaters, and ever-changing diet trends.

Let’s be honest: You spend an hour prepping and cooking homemade lentil soup, only to have your kids make gagging sounds and ask if they can have Easy Mac. Pretty disheartening.

Not only that, it feels like the rules are always changing.  There used to be a pyramid and now there’s a circle, and we used to shun fat and now we love fat, and trying to keep up can be exhausting and we’re just trying to put food on the table, people! 

We’re already full-time educators and now we have to be chefs as well?

But there’s good news: It really doesn’t have to be that complicated.

There are three things that every diet agrees on:

1. Eat real food.
2. More plants, less sugar.
3. The closer to the food’s natural form, the better.

This will narrow things down quickly! If I can’t pronounce it, chances are it isn’t helping my kids’ brains. Increasing vegetable and decreasing sugar consumption is probably the easiest and most effective way to improve the overall quality of our kids’ diets.

Want some simple ways to put this into practice, even during the holidays?

Here are five things that work well for us:

1. Prep food together

Ya’ll know this: The more involved kids are in prepping a meal the more likely they are to eat it.

I’m not the best in this area, but I see the fruit of this in the lives of close friends who are diligent about including their children in every step of food prep.

It’s amazing to see how capable their kids are and how they eat everything!

Baby step: As part of your daily lessons, do one task of food prep together. 

2. Make it easier on yourself

The decision to eat healthy is incredibly difficult when you’re hangry and facing a cupboard full of tempting treats, but it’s much easier to make when you’re full and walking the aisles of the grocery store.

I’ve found that the kids and I will eat whatever is on hand. Sure, I often crave treats and snacks, but the reality is I live 20 minutes from the closest store and have a baby who doesn’t like his carseat.

Make it easier on yourself, and don’t keep it on hand!

Baby step: Leave the store without just one of your usual treats.

3. Include nutritional studies in your homeschool

I recently had my daughter Heidi do a study for me to help us along in this area. She researched the top foods containing key nutrients, and made a sign we posted on our fridge.

She had so much fun making the sign, she asked if she could create a “Hall of Food” featuring those special foods that topped the list of many different nutrients. Without knowing it she had stumbled upon Superfoods all by herself!

She then suggested that we make a list of snacks that include as many of these nutrient-rich foods as possible.

Umm…yes please!

We were also both very excited about listing “dark chocolate” as a great source of magnesium–we solemnly pledged to partake in some each and every day.

Baby steps: Create an age-appropriate assignment for your kids, educating them about nutrition.

Many kids? Assign a different nutrient to each child, or give them a particularly nutritious food (salmon, spinach, walnuts) and let them discover its wonders!

4. Make it look lovely

The truth is, how something looks goes a long way in making it appealing. The great news is, bright colors are beautiful! Challenge kids to make their plates as colorful as possible.

Make foods that include as many vibrant vegetables as possible. Or be creative with presentation. The kids’ book Honest Pretzels (afflink) has fun ideas for healthy-snacks and look fancy and/or fun.

Baby steps: Aim for two colors at breakfast and three at lunch and dinner. 

5. You, Not Them

This aspect of the Leadership Education philosophy translates to nutrition as well! It’s tempting to focus entirely on rehauling our children’s diets, but focusing on ours will yield lasting results in theirs as well.

It’s empowering and freeing to remember that when I choose to nourish my body with healthy, life-giving, nutritious food, I’m reminding myself and my children that my body is worth taking care of.

Their bodies and brains are worth taking care of. Our long-term brain health and cognitive function is worth it.

Pick up a copy of Brain Food, or another easily-accessible book on nutrition and begin your own baby steps.

Come this January 1st, and every January 1st, we’ll be so glad we took these baby steps to feed those precious brains entrusted to our care!

Your turn: What are your favorite tips and tricks for feeding your family nutritiously? I’d love to learn from you!

What’s Your Homeschool Mom Personality? Take Jamie’s quiz now and receive a free personality report to help you organize your homeschool based on what your personality type needs most!

Written by Kari Patterson

I hesitate to write this post because I know many of you already have this down, and it might even seem silly to you that some of us still struggle with this.

• For example, if you wake up every morning to a clean house, this post isn’t for you.
• If your homeschooling space always looks fresh, organized, and inspiring, this post isn’t for you.
• If you have your home-management systems down flat and your house runs like a well-oiled machine, this post isn’t for you.
• Or, if you truly love messiness, and it doesn’t bother you one bit that stuff is stashed here and there and everywhere and you like never knowing what’s for dinner and you genuinely love flying by the seat of your pants, this might not be for you either.

But if you, like me, have struggled for years trying to successfully manage housekeeping with homeschooling, tune in.

If you, like me, start each year fresh and optimistic, then somehow devolve into disorganization and discouragement, hang with me. If you, like me, sometimes think, “If I just don’t mention the word ‘dinner’ maybe they won’t remember…”–there’s hope for you here.

If you try to tell yourself, “This is just happy chaos!” but deep down you really long for a little order and maybe even a clean kitchen–pull up a chair. So glad you’re here.

It wasn’t until this year that I realized this simple truth: We simply aren’t at our educational best when things are messy and disordered.

A clean, organized space actually aids education. 

It aids relationships.

It aids my emotional health.

It aids my ability to serve others.

It aids our efforts to spend quality time with our kids.

As we consider how to HOME-SCHOOL, most often we talk about the school component, and not the home. The truth is, the state of my home hugely impacts the quality of our education.

Several months ago we hit a crossroads as a family where I cried out for help in the area of cleaning and organization. Most of the messages I had heard on this topic were, “Just relax. It’s a season. Don’t worry about it.”

And I get that. I’m not talking about Pinterest-perfect house. I’m not trying to keep up with anyone or impress anyone. I have no Instagram image to keep up.

But the truth is, having a messy, disorganized home is stressful. At least for me. Mess equals stress and stress never puts us at our best. 

Not knowing where the tape is, or the pencils are, or what we’re having for dinner, or when I’m trying to fold laundry while teaching fractions–That is stressful to me. And, at least for me, the solution wasn’t to throw up my hands and say, “Oh well, that’s life!”

For us, the solution was that as a family we decided to follow the FlyLady app and commit to doing whatever she told us to do, no questions asked.

I’m not exaggerating: It’s changed our life dramatically.

The first 11 days we followed her, each doing the simple habits outlined in her app, every single night we were able to have 1.5-2 hours of family time together after putting the baby to bed, all because our house was already tidied and clean and we were ready for the following day.

(After that we had summer fun and family visiting, but the routines remained the same.)

My husband keeps saying, “You’re so HAPPY all the time!”

Yes, I’m happy! I can physically feel the difference in my body. So much less stress. Because we know where things are, we are ready to host or serve or do whatever because our home is reasonably clean and ordered. We know what’s for dinner.

We have time to play games and relax and tell stories at night because our routines are done and things are in place. I actually spend much less time keeping up our home because of our routines and systems.

And again, I’m aware that this might come easy for many of you, but honestly somewhere along the line I wish someone had said: You’re trying all these different tricks and tips for educating your children, but what will help you most is simply committing to keeping a clean house. 

Maybe that’s what one of you precious people needs to hear today, too? It might seem like the last thing that matters, but it might make all the difference.

De-cluttering. Doing without. Simplifying. Sticking to simple routines, day in and day out. Requiring daily follow-through every single time, even when I’d so much rather slack or let it slide.

So this may not be the most inspiring back-to-school blog post, but if it strikes a chord with you, perhaps our one goal this year is simply: To keep a clean home in order to aid education.

To carry out the simple habits that I know help us in our homeschool. To shine my sink each night and make my bed each morning, and quickly swish and swipe those bathrooms, and take ten minutes to clear my hot-spots and set my launch-pad for the next day. To teach my children the healthy habits that will help them their whole life long.

There are lots of systems out there. Personally, FlyLady is the only one that’s worked for us–she’s helped well over a million people find freedom from chaos, so it might be worth a try! But whatever system you choose, I just want you to know you’re not alone if this has been an area of struggle. I

f the chaos and mess is causing stress in your life, you don’t just have to shrug your shoulders and pretend it isn’t stressful. Let FlyLady, or someone else, help you. You are worth it!

Your health and mental well-being is worth it. Your children’s education is worth it. I’m cheering you on.

Your turn: What housekeeping system has worked well for you? Please share!

If you found this post helpful, sign up here to receive Jamie’s FREE ebook, Secrets of a Successful Homeschool Mom!

Written by Kris Bales of Weird, Unsocialized Homeschoolers

I’m getting ready to show my age. Back when I was in junior high (See? The age-showing is happening already because middle school wasn’t even a thing back then), we took our first elective class in 8th grade. Except it wasn’t really an elective.

All the boys took shop and, directly across the hall, all the girls took home ec. (See? More age showing with all that “boys build things/girls cook and sew things” stuff.)

I still remember proudly making biscuits, as I’d learned in home ec, for my dad one weekend.

(He was either being exceptionally kind or I have totally forgotten those 8th grade lessons because I can’t make biscuits worth a flip anymore.)

There is still an embroidered, apple-shaped pillow somewhere, and the latch-hook rug I made for my grandmother still hangs on her bedroom wall, even though she passed away many years ago.

What is home ec?

We’re long past the “boys take shop/girls take home ec” days, but that doesn’t mean we should be past teaching the skills of home economics.

Home economics encompasses all the skills needed to maintain a home such as:

• Preparing healthy meals
• Sewing (at least enough for simple repairs like replacing a button)
• Housekeeping
• Basic household repairs
• Menu planning and grocery shopping
• Budgeting and money management
• Balancing a check book/finances
• Laundry
• Lawn care
• Making appointments (Some people hate calling to make a doctor’s appointment, but it’s something we all have to do at some point.)

Basically, what was once called home ec is what most of us now refer to as life skills – and it includes skills that both boys and girls need.

How to Teach Home Ec

So, how do you teach home ec –life skills – in your homeschool?

Teach it as an elective.

I love the cooking course that Jamie does with her kids. A lot of times, it just makes sense to intentionally address some aspect of home ec.

I know a lot of people teach their kids to cook as they go about their normal meal prep times, but that tends to not work well for me.  I find that I just want to get supper on the table.

On the other hand, if I’m purposefully using the time to teach a cooking concept, I start earlier than normal, allowing more time for teaching.

Get Dad involved by asking him to teach basic auto maintenance (changing the oil, airing the tires, changing a flat), lawn care, household repairs, or using the grill.

(Yes, moms can certainly teach those things, too. I just know at my house, my husband handles most of that, and asking him to share his knowledge with the kids is an easy way to get him involved in our homeschool.)

Use school breaks.

I like to use summer break to work on life skills. Schedules are usually more open, allowing time to focus on teaching kids practical skills such as doing laundry, cleaning toilets, or washing dishes.

Summer is also a great time to allow an older sibling to pass on a skill to a younger sibling. For example, an older sibling might teach the younger how to clean the bathroom. Cleaning bathrooms then becomes the younger sibling’s job and the older sibling can learn a new skill  to become his responsibility.

Incorporate the concepts into your daily life.

Many times, it makes sense to incorporate life skills concepts into your daily life, rather than teach them as a separate subject in your homeschool.

Maybe you have your kids sit down with you as you plan the week’s meals and have them suggest a meal for one or two nights. Or you take them to the grocery store with you and they see how you use your list and coupons to stick to your grocery budget.

Recently, my husband had to do some minor electrical work in our home. He called our 17-year-old son in to watch, help, and learn. My son’s BFF and his dad have spent the last year or two restoring a car, learning all kinds of things about auto mechanics as they go.

If you have a high school student, don’t overlook these learning moments. Give them transcript credit for home ec (or life skills) based on the mastery approach. The mastery approach just means that students receive credit for mastering a set of skills, though the “course” may have spanned a few years rather than a single semester or school year.

As an example of the mastery approach, recently a friend was worried that her high school senior still needed credit for a health class. However, after discussing it, she realized that her daughter had already covered all the concepts that a specific health course would have covered.

She’d taken a CPR course. She’d learned some of the skills in their church’s scouting-type group. Some of the lessons had been covered in other courses, such as biology.

It really was pointless for her to take a separate course when she’d already mastered all of the topics in a variety of settings over the course of her high school years. Instead, she was given credit based on her demonstrated mastery of the skills.

Home economics are still valuable lessons for today’s teens – boys and girls. (And feel free to teach your boys and girls shop class topics while you’re at it.) 

What life skills are you working on in your homeschool this year?

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When he showed up with our dinner, I could barely believe my eyes — this was a kid! What kind of kid does this??

Let me explain. My husband frequents a local coffee shop, and gets to know the baristas. He had often chatted with one in particular, a guy named Christian. Turns out one day Jeff had shared with him about a difficult season we were in. In response, (after asking Jeff’s permission), Christian took the initiative to coordinate—and personally deliver—dinners out to our house the following week.

Now, I was already floored that someone I had never met was willing to bring us meals (we live a long way out of town).

I was further floored that this person was a guy (sorry, but usually it’s the moms who think of things like meal-delivery!).

But I was completely floored when this guy showed up and looked barely old enough to drive.

He was 21. With a wide, bright smile, he was respectful and kind, talking at length with our kids, admiring our home, and hand-delivering a nutritious meal made by his mom. He was clearly a go-getter, working part-time while also going to school and pursuing his passion in a creative career while also serving in his church.

I soon discovered he was one of 7 brothers … all homeschooled.

Ah. As soon as he left, I looked at Jeff and said, “That’s why we homeschool. I want to raise kids like that.“

It’s remarkable to see young people who take initiative. That is, they don’t just follow the rules, do the least amount of work possible, wait for someone to offer them options, or live self-absorbed. They are proactive, looking for ways to grow, learn, excel, serve. They take responsibility.

They’re leaders. That’s what I want for my own kids, and probably you do too.

As parents, one of the critical transitions to help our kids make is from being merely responders (obeying our commands), to initiators (proactively seeking to do good). This had already been on my radar all year, and the interaction with Christian encouraged my efforts all the more.

So, here are 4 suggestions for teaching our kids to take initiative:

• Ban Bored

With even the youngest children, the easiest way to encourage initiative is to refuse to rescue them from boredom.

As toddlers, our kids knew they were not allowed to use the “b-word.” That is, “I’m bored” has never been muttered by our children, and the result is they know how to take initiative to find something meaningful to do.

There is always a tree to climb, a book to read, a box-fort to build, an anthill to discover. Necessity is the mother of invention, so if they need something to do, they’ll invent ingenious ways if we’ll let them!

• Ask questions

As kids get old enough to begin moral reasoning, we can begin asking questions instead of only giving commands. Even preschoolers can consider,

“Before going outside, what do you think needs to be done in your room?”

“It’s time to eat dinner, what do you need to do to be ready to eat?”

“That girl on the playground is all by herself, how could you make her feel included?”

“There’s garbage on the sidewalk, what could we do about that?”

As they get older, we can expand their attention:

“Let’s walk through the house together, what things do you think need to be done before our guests arrive?”

“You have your first baseball practice tonight, what items will you need to collect so you’re all ready to go?”

And, of course, some fun role-playing questions:

“If the cashier accidentally gave you back a $10 bill instead of a $5 bill, how should you respond?”

“If a new family comes into church, how could you make their children feel welcome?”

“If all the seats in the room are taken, and someone with a cane walks in, what would you do?”

• Thoroughly equip

We are usually reluctant to take initiative and step into a role or task, unless we feel confident that we can complete it well. It’s no different with our kids.

I cannot expect my child to step out on her own unless she’s been thoroughly equipped to do the job well.

While role-playing questions and instruction are certainly helpful, we also need to take our children through any given task over and over until they are confident in completing it themselves.

One of the ways our kids learn initiative is with a Help Wanted ad fixed to the refrigerator. Anytime the kids want or need to earn money, they can check the job postings for the day (check-marks indicate which jobs are available that day), and ask to be hired. If I hire them, they complete the task, then I evaluate, and if it’s done well they are paid the price listed.

I love this system, but it definitely takes a lot of effort at the beginning, teaching them the jobs well enough that they can complete them entirely on their own. I thought ironing was easy, until I tried to teach my 8-year-old! She’s definitely getting the hang of it, but it takes time to teach them well (as we all know!).

• Offer incentive

This year we began offering “Initiative Bonuses” to our kids, and it has worked wonders!

Each day, they have the opportunity to earn 2 initiative bonuses. First, if they do all their chores in the morning, on time, without being reminded, and without complaint, they get a 25-cent bonus.

Then, if they do all their schoolwork on their own without being reminded, (of course they can ask for help on certain problems as needed), without dawdling or complaining, they earn another 25-cent bonus.

Add all those up and that’s the ability to earn $10/month just by taking the initiative to do all their daily tasks on their own. That seems like a great deal for a kid, and, let me tell you, that’s a GREAT deal for me.

Your turn! How do you teach your kids to take initiative?

When I graduated from high school in 1994, I had a 4.0 GPA, was a member of the National Honor Society, and shortly afterwards received a complete scholarship to a local university.

I had never made a full meal for myself or anyone else.

I hope to give my children a more holistic education, one that’s relevant both in the classroom and in real life.

That’s why a few years ago I invited my kids to begin a formal baking class as part of their homeschool.

I wrote about our experience on the blog, and it became one of the most popular posts at that time. The following year I also documented Jonathan’s graduation from his baking class, and how the entire experience had been a positive one.

Since that time, my daughter Trishna also graduated from her baking class. Some of her closest friends came to celebrate her hard work and sample all the goodies she had learned to make:

A bit of the tasty spread (all made on her own) we enjoyed at Trishna’s baking party

Baking is a perfect first step of independence in the kitchen–after all, what kid can resist the idea of creating their own treats?

It’s also natural to continue from there to cooking full meals. And that’s why after my kiddos finished their baking class, they received an invitation to begin cooking in the kitchen with mama.

Helping or Cooking?

For the first time we grew our own pumpkins this year, then processed them with the help of a favorite cookbook!

My kids have grown up spending time in the kitchen, watching (& later helping) while the work happens. Hanging out, chatting, chopping, stirring, sautéing.

But the difference between kids “helping” in the kitchen and these formal cooking lessons is the goal–it isn’t just to get dinner on the table. My goal is to transfer these skills to them so they make them their own (plus we get dinner on the table, too!).

How I structure our cooking lessons

When a child in our family has completed their baking lessons, I invite them to learn to cook.

If they show interest, I print off a new document to insert in their adult skills binder (take a peek at their binders in the baking post).

Elijah and I are still enjoying our baking sessions together.

Here’s an overview of that document:

(Note: I’ve adapted these ideas for our family from concepts found here.)

Course Description: Learn how to cook ten different dinners. Become such a great chef that you can do it without any help!

How: Learn how to prepare all of the items on the list below. Make each recipe once with Mom teaching you, once with Mom there to help as needed, and once all by yourself. Have Mom date and initial your sheet when you have completed each lesson.

When: You may cook once each week – Mom will arrange the schedule with you.

What: Learn to cook the following ten items. Mom has chosen the first eight dinners, and after successfully learning to make them you may choose items 9 and 10.

Note: I chose common meals that we make often, including basic pasta and sauce (a simple first meal), curry and rice, pesto pasta, lasagna, mexican lasagna, chili, pizza from scratch, and black bean burritos.

Both Trishna (12) and Jonathan (11) have been working on their cooking course for more than a year now.

We don’t stress out about making the lessons fit into our schedule, so there’s been no rush to get them done. We’ve taken time off here and there as needed, so the process has stayed fun and not become a burden.

Cooking Graduation

The “final exam” of Martin Cooking 101 is to plan an entire multi-course meal for the family, go with Dad to the store to buy the needed ingredients, and prepare it on your own.

Just last week Jonathan reached this milestone, and we had a fun night celebrating!

He even designed his own menu:

J used this cookie recipe as the base for his ice cream sandwiches. We enjoyed this book after dessert with a pot of herbal tea for story teatime!

The rest of the family dressed up in our Sunday best to honor his hard work and accomplishment.

Steve printed off a certificate to present to him and I gave him this book as a gift. I get chills thinking of him having this for the rest of his life, pulling it off the shelf as he cooks for wife and little ones someday!

We also gave Jonathan $25 to put in his savings account or use to further his education in some way. (He chose to use it to buy new books to study meteorology–his other current passion.)

Now that he’s a graduate, he’s considered responsible enough to prepare dinner one night each week for the family. On the nights he makes dinner, he’s excused from clean up–which makes it a win-win for him as well!

Want to design your own cooking course? (A free printable!)

I made these pies last Easter & couldn’t pass up another chance to show them off! My cooking doesn’t always turn out so well, so when it does it’s something to celebrate!!

Remember, this is the way I was inspired to tackle cooking with my own kids. To me it sounded fun, not like another “should” on my already well-worn shoulders.

There are many ways to pass on life skills to our littles, so don’t feel guilty if this concept doesn’t resonate with you. But if you would like to try creating a cooking course for your children, I put together a document (based on our own cooking curriculum) you can start from!

It contains our basic template to get your ideas flowing, and I left it as a Word doc so you can easily edit and make it your own!

Enjoy and have fun in the kitchen.

Does the idea of teaching your kids to cook seem important, but you just can’t squeeze in the time to create your own course?

If so, you have to check out my friend Katie’s e-course, Kids Cook Real Food.

The fun video clips, featuring other kids, teach your children to cook step by step – no matter whether they are toddlers or teens! My kids loved this course as well, and all the materials included are stellar quality.

Do your kids enjoy being in the kitchen? Do you think this sounds like something they would have fun with?

This post contains affiliate links, which means I receive a small commission from some of the links on this page.

What’s Your Homeschool Mom Personality? Take Jamie’s quiz now and receive a free personality report to help you organize your homeschool based on what your personality type needs most!

I used to hate cooking.

I made sure my family had access to healthy foods and tried my best to prepare balanced meals... but I didn’t enjoy it.

I wanted to, but I didn’t.

Over the years, I’ve tried to force it and I’ve tried to fake it, but it just never clicked. There was always something else I’d rather be doing.

My quest to love cooking reached an all-time high when we first stumbled into homeschooling, because it was then that I discovered the homesteaders.

You know the ones. Somehow, these amazing women are able to educate a passel of children and bake fresh bread and hang laundry on the line and care for chickens and prepare from-scratch meals that make your belly rumble… not to mention the quilts, jams, candles, and soaps.

And their children get to watch and learn from it all.

There is a huge part of me that wants to be able to do that, to live out my girlhood Laura Ingalls dreams.

But the reality is, I can’t figure out the balance piece of it.

So maybe, if we’re being honest here, I just want an amazing homesteader to adopt me.

(Because you can’t be a homesteader if you don’t enjoy cooking.) 

This realization caused me to, once again, hang up my wannabe-homesteader apron and stick with what I know. Instead of acting like the Ingalls family, we read about the Ingalls family.

And then something amazing happened.

In November, my 6-year-old daughter, who had been attending public kindergarten, wrote a homeschool manifesto asking to come home. In her manifesto, she outlined everything she wanted to learn in homeschool this year.

At the top of her list was learn to make dinner. 

My sweet girl, whose favorite activity is to use our play kitchen, wanted to learn to cook and bake and set the table for real.

And while I don’t love to cook, I do know that cooking is a fantastic learning opportunity.

And so, together, we planned our first meal.

We shopped.

We prepped.

We cooked.

As we did these things, we talked. We enjoyed leisurely, uninterrupted conversations about anything and everything.

The recipes we tried were new to both of us. We learned alongside each other, supporting one another, laughing when we fumbled, celebrating every victory.

It was wonderful. So wonderful, in fact, that we started doing more of it, together.

It wasn’t long before my boys joined in the fun.

And, truly, it was fun.

What started out as a once a week thing grew into more.

My children eventually started meal planning together. Each week, they sit down with our favorite cookbooks and they each select a recipe.

As their mother, this means two very important things:

1. For three nights each week, I have at least one willing helper
2. My children are excited about dinner because they picked it

Some nights, I only have one helper. More often, I have multiple helpers.

Yes, it takes longer than if I did it myself, and yes, it is incredibly messy at times, but it is so worth it!  

My children have enjoyed cooking so much that they, on their own accord, came up with an idea to have a weekly restaurant. At first, the restaurant was entirely imaginary. They would recreate recent meals we had made in our play kitchen.

Next, they tried making lunch for me. Later still, they surprised Daddy with themed restaurants. One night it was an Italian eatery, another night it was our favorite sushi restaurant. (Yes, they made California rolls!)

Most recently, they came up with the idea of creating a themed restaurant once a week and inviting their grandparents.

We picked Mondays as our “Restaurant Day” because it’s the perfect way to ease into the week. (Plus, we double the recipe so we get lunch and dinner out of the day!)

The results have been impressive. For each restaurant, my children have:

• Created a theme
• Worked together
• Planned the meal
• Created a unique menu and restaurant sign
• Designed decor
• Set tables
• Prepared the food
• Cooked the food
• Baked a dessert

The kids have already tried making homemade pasta, various soups and salads, and they even created their very own delicatessen.

Upcoming plans include a cafe, pizza parlor, dessert bar, fondue lunch, brunch, and taqueria. But, shhh, don’t tell the grandparents!

And, do you know what? One restaurant night had a child-led candle making activity while another featured our very own maple syrup. Maybe there is hope for these Ingalls fans after all!

I used to view cooking as something akin to laundry, something that you just kind of have to do, an unavoidable task.

I saw cooking as work, work that I had to try to squeeze in between all of the other things. Work that I had to do alone. Something that I had to do in addition to homeschooling.

Thanks to my 6-year-old and her remarkable manifesto, I see cooking differently now. It is no longer a solitary task, tacked on after a long day. Rather, it is an enjoyable event that offers countless learning opportunities. It allows me to connect with my children and make memories in the process.

I used to hate cooking… until my daughter helped me realize that I just hated cooking alone.

Children are our wisest teachers.

Tell me: What have your children taught you lately? Do you hate to cook alone, too? Share here.