Packing Lunches: Tips From A Homeschool Mom

One thing I do to set my family up for success during the day is handle food the night before. Like everyone else, I know what is for dinner the night before. I take this a little further and plan/ prep breakfast the night before so that I'm not struggling in the morning. 

I've also started making "lunch bowls," as the kids call them. We have "snack bowls" as well. The best part of this is that no matter when the kids get hungry or what we are doing, they can eat. We've only had a couple of days that they needed an extra snack, so it works really well. 

Each night, I was their water bottles so they are ready for the next day. The first thing they do when coming into the kitchen each morning is fill their water bottles. Their snack bowls have 2 sections that screw together or can be used separately. I put a sweet snack in one section and a salty one in the other section (sometimes they mix them). If they have a snack in the refrigerator or freezer, I use a dry erase marker and write it on the clear lid of the snack bowl- they think that is hilarious- mom writing on things. 

I also make sure they have gum hanging on their water bottles because it does calm them and help them relax throughout the day. Their lunch bowls contain everything they need at lunchtime. If we do lunch outside, they just need to grab it. If we go to the park, I just put them in a cooler. 

I could have gotten an all-in-one box, but it wouldn't have met our needs- I needed to be able to put a drink inside as well. Their lunches are never anything fancy- just normal lunch things or leftovers. It only takes about 10 minutes to get the lunches, snacks, and water bottles ready. 

Each day, I include peanut butter (snapper is limited and knows that's all she gets in a day, but she can have it when she wants it), snapper salt, tbomb hot sauce, Gatorade or tea, a fruit or fruit product, and then a typical lunch. They do not always eat it all, but they have plenty of choices and plenty to eat. 

The products I use: 

Sistema Bento Box

Juice Bottle 

Serving size bowl

Silicone Cupcake liners

Bentology bowls (clear with wraps in them)

Food picks

Salt/ Pepper Shakers

Dip containers (not shown)

Folding Spoons in case (not shown)

Re Play Snack Pods

Water Bottles

Chapstick keychain for gum

Extra serving of Gatorade powder

This really is how I keep mealtime during the day organized. Otherwise, I seem to be scrambling all day long. 

Would you like to see more of what I put in these?

Sunday Habits For A Successful Homeschool Week

I have spent my life from my teen years despising Mondays. I've always been unorganized, scatterbrained, and off track on Monday. For a Type A person, this doesn't make sense. I finally turned that all around. 

How did I do this? I start my Monday on Sunday. This is my Sunday evening view- the beginning of my Monday!

That thing with all the writing is my brain- my planner. 

So, On Sunday, I sit down at my desk with my computer, planner, weekly task sheet, and coffee. I make sure my whole week is settled. If I need special items for school on a particular day, I make a note of that on my weekly sheet. For instance, this week I have to have pipe cleaners for our science experiment on Friday, so I have a note on Thursday to gather them. 

I also go ahead and look to the next week to make sure there isn't something I need to go ahead and prepare for. I actually have an appointment I need to change next Monday, so I'm glad I looked ahead. 

I also look at my Google Calendar to see if there are any "national day of..." days that I need to make note of either for the kids or for business. 

I make a list of what I want to accomplish that week as well as including habits that I need to work on. This is the weekly task pad I use: Buy it on Amazon. 

I used to have weeks in my planner, but it was too much bulk and not handy enough- This tablet can go anywhere and I can also tuck it in my planner if I need to. It is the perfect solution, 

I make notes of any phone calls I need to make and get a good visual of my week before I wind down on Sunday Evening. I double-check the week's school plan to make sure everything is ready and printed. 

The other big thing I do on Sunday night is clean off my desk. Everything was put away and the surface was cleaned and disinfected. 

Doing these things on Sunday evenings has made a huge difference in my Mondays. I now go to bed on Sunday knowing that my Monday will run smoothly and wake up ready to tackle the week. 

I still have scatter brained days and days that I feel like I just do not have it together, but at least Mondays are no longer just another case of the Mondays. 

5 Tips For A Smoother Homeschool Day

We are in full swing for our homeschool this year. I now have a 7th grader and a 4th grader. I cannot believe I have been homeschooling for about 10 years (we did a couple years of preschool). Over the years, I have found some wonderful successes and sometimes I have failed miserably. There are things that I have implemented over the years that I always do. 

I'm going to share these 5 things that make my days go smoother. 

1. I pack lunches and snacks the night before (I'll share more on this later). I even included Gatorade to
drink. Between the lunch boxes and snack bowls, they have enough for a whole day. I even get water bottles washed and ready to go. 

2. Alone time. I take 30 minutes first thing every morning with no sound. This means I am left completely alone to drink my coffee, look at my planner, and see the direction the day will go. This grounds me. Also, if I start out with a crazy morning or a loud morning, my day is doomed and I won't function well at all. 

3. Just like kids that go to school away from home, my children must ready themselves the night before. They must make sure their supplies are ready, that their room is tolerable, and clothes are ready for a new day. It makes a difference with all kids. 

4. Make changes when needed. If a routine, curriculum, organizational system, or supply isn't working- don't keep fighting with it. Look for something better. Me carrying all of our supplies in my tote was no longer working- now the kids carry their own supplies. We have switched curriculum in the middle of the year before and completely revamped routines. You don't have to wait for a new year. 

5. Give yourself GRACE. This is something I'm not very good at, but I'm blessed to be surrounded by people who remind me to give myself grace. Some day you are not going to be able to keep the kids on track, some lessons are going to fail, you may get behind. The good news is that it's okay- that's the beauty of homeschooling. Go with the flow and give yourself a break. 

Homeschool Changes

In the last couple of years, our family has been through several "seasons." The season we are in now requires a slower pace, more time together, and more focus on school. This is such a wonderful time with our children (now 10 and 13). I love watching them grow into the young man and woman they will be and love seeing their faces light up when they learn something. 

We've been doing a lot of diving deeper in our studies and learning to do research and organizing that research. We have also switched up and added Classical Conversations Foundations to our rhythm. We're doing it a little differently though and my kids are not new to school, but we are starting with Foundations anyway. We are having a lot of fun with CC and it is guiding the bulk of our learning. 

However, I am supplementing grammar, math, and even social studies with books from my favorite publisher, Carson-Dellosa. 

This year, we are doing something a little different with math. I decided to take us all back to the beginning together and start over. Last year, they seemed to be struggling with some concepts, so I needed to do something to make sure they have a good foundation in math. We're starting with grade 1 and working up through the math at our own pace and the kids are doing brilliantly.  I'm using several different books from Carson-Dellosa to do this, as well of some of my favorite manipulatives. 

Homeworkbooks Beginning Math Grade 1 is where we started. The kids are working through this one very quickly- with it, I'm just making sure they have these basic concepts down. 

More Minute Math Drills Grades 1-3 is up next and I like the idea of getting them to do facts quicker. I know its something that comes with practice, but I also see the importance of math drills in education. 

Math Practice Workbook Grade 2 is what we are working on together. There are 4 problems each day and then a longer assessment for Friday. I let the kids do what they can and I check their work and we solve the problems together. They don't get bored with this because it isn't a bunch of repetitive work, which they do not do well with and it is really fun to solve the problems together. 

When we reach our halfway mark in school this year (or possibly before), I will evaluate where we are and how they are doing. We might take another route or stick with this math structure, but right now, this is perfect. 

I'm also a huge fan of the series from Carson-Dellosa that is Be Clever Wherever. The items are wonderful and so very useful. We use a lot of the tool box items each day. We are also huge fans of their other cut outs and manipulatives, especially the Judy Clock.