Organization

HONOR THE SABBATH

God must have had mothers in mind when he gave Moses the third Commandment. It's the only way a mother would give herself a break -- if she were ordered to by God! Consider not supporting businesses or doing any menial labor on Sunday. Take the time to visit with family, relax at home, go to a park, and read the Bible. If you tell yourself, "I cannot work today," and you do something to refresh yourself, you will reap the reward the rest of the week.

ROSARY BASKET

I keep a rectangular basket under the coffee table in my recroom with a smaller basket of Rosaries and many meditation booklets and pictures of the Mysteries in it and a list of our intentions. Everyone knows that at 7:30 p.m. it's time for the Rosary. We pull out the basket and we're ready to go. The point is, keep it all together where you're going to use it so everyone isn't running everywhere gathering things from all over the house. Dedicating a set time works best, as it makes it easier to pray each night as a family. We avoid scheduling things at that time, the children know they have to come in from playing and the whole neighborhood knows we say the Rosary at 7:30 p.m. If we're out, we say it in the car where, of course, we keep extra Rosaries. I also keep all of the examination of conscience books together so that when it is time for Confession, I can pass them out. We also keep a bag of quiet books for the little ones at Mass. They're only used at Mass so they aren't bored with them by the time we get to the Church.

DON'T DO ANYTHING FOR YOUR CHILD THAT HE CAN DO HIMSELF

Harness that energy. Divide the workload. You can put things down low where the children can reach, provide stepstools, motivate with catchy sayings when they're young, ("Do your work the right way before you take the time to play." or "Many hands make for light work." or "Do you ever want to see that toy again?") - anything you can do to get the children trained to do as much work as they can or to prevent adding to the work. The younger you start, the better. Shoulder length hair on young girls saves Mom a lot of time when it comes to brushing and drying. Pulling the bunk bed away from the wall allows a child to walk all the way around it, so he can make it himself. Pouring milk into a smaller container makes it possible for your children to pour their own milk.

CHORE CHARTS

Chore Charts provide an excellent means of keeping track of who is supposed to do what. There are various ways in which chores can be set up. My family switches chores on a monthly basis and has special chores assigned on Saturdays.

BREAKFAST AND LUNCH MENU

Anything that doesn't have to be pondered is a time saver. When the children know what to expect for breakfast and lunch during school days, Mom or Dad don't have to think about what to make for lunch and the children don't get in a rut of choosing peanut butter every day. Having a menu is a very simple plan. I suggest grilled cheese or mini pizza on Monday, peanut butter and jam on Tuesday, lunchmeat on Wednesday, free choice on Thursday, and tuna on Friday. The above should be served with either soup, fruit, or yogurt. Having a menu also helps in planning a grocery list and not over or under buying. If the children don't feel like eating what's on the menu, then that's an opportunity for mortification.

BULK PURCHASES

If you can buy non-perishables in bulk and have a place where you can store them, you can save all the time that it would take to purchase them each week and bring them home with your groceries and unload them. You know you're going to need toilet paper, Kleenex, etc., so if you can, buy them in bulk for a six month supply. I like the new laundry detergent containers that have the spout. If you have a cupboard over your washing machine, you can just open the door; push the spigot to fill the cup and you're all set. You may want to check if your recycling center will accept the container before choosing this route.

GROCERY LIST

When I had a small baby, my husband would do the grocery shopping for me. He could get the shopping finished in 30 minutes flat with a well-planned list. Since I frequented the same store, I typed up a master copy of a list with headings by aisle and lines underneath (see forms). I still photocopy 52 every year and leave it on the fridge so the family can add items as we use them up or notice they are needed. On Thursday, I plan my menu at the top of the list. I look up the ingredients and write them on the list. Having a list prevents wandering and impulsive buying. I also have a master list I photocopy for planning my bill-paying.

RECIPES

Instead of rummaging through several cookbooks, consider photocopying your favorite recipes from the cookbooks and putting them in page protectors. You can do the same with any recipes from magazines or that were handwritten. Place all the recipes in one "Dinner" notebook and using little round stickers, number the pages and make an index. When making up your weekly menu, look through the index and turn to the page to list ingredients on the grocery list. The page can be taken out and placed near where you want to prepare the meal - the plastic protector keeps it from getting ruined.

WATER BOTTLES

Everyone in my family has a water bottle that is kept in the door of the refrigerator. I used to refill Aquafina water bottles, but everyone kept drinking out of each other's, and they did not need to spread germs (bacteria multiply on water bottles). I found colored, dishwasher safe water bottles at Target over the summer. I bought a different color for each person - everyone now knows which one belongs to them. The cold water is refreshing and doesn't cause cavities like juice and pop. The children don't dirty glasses and they can help themselves whenever they want a drink instead of needing Mom. It is easy to put them on the table at breakfast, lunch, and snack time. If you don't have room in your fridge for water bottles, a Brita water pitcher and colored plastic cups can also be used to minimize the number of glasses and cups that need to be washed.

MINIMIZE POSSESSIONS

Think about how much you owned when you were little - probably next to nothing. I can look back at Christmas pictures and see three presents. I owned one baby doll, one Penny Bright (the anti-Barbie) and one stuffed animal. We had a closet of board games and we each owned one bike through our years growing up. I didn't get an alarm clock until I was in high school and a nightstand was one of my gifts at Confirmation. I had maybe two things to pick up on my dresser before I could dust it and a minimal amount of clothing. I appreciated anything and everything I was given, even an old "Evening in Paris" perfume bottle. Remembering this and remembering that I was happy makes it easier for me to limit my children's possessions. They are not deprived. A child can't keep his room clean if he is overwhelmed by his possessions. Pay attention to what the favorites are and get rid of the rest. If you can't bring yourself to get rid of them, put them away and alternate what you make available. If you or your child has to put on a million stuffed animals and pillows to make the bed, you need to simplify.

TV

Option 1: I will probably never achieve this in my lifetime as my husband would never go for it, but if I was a young mom starting out, I would invest in a cabinet, put my TV in it and put a lock on the front of it. TV shows would be hand picked and few and far between. When a mom is trying to focus on cooking dinner or whatever, the noise from the TV can drain and distract her more than she realizes. Ask yourself, how much energy do I expend making sure that my children are not watching too much TV or something that they shouldn't? I have many channels blocked so they don't come into my home, but it still takes a lot of monitoring. A cabinet could help reduce this drain on your energy.

Option 2: When we moved into our new house, we opted not to get cable. This decision prevents us from getting any television channels. We have family video night on Friday, if the house is clean. With a few exceptions, Friday is the only time the children are allowed to watch the television. Most of the videos are checked out from the library and those that are owned are kept out of reach.

Option 3: We don't own a television. The children spend most of their time playing, reading, learning, and exploring.

JUNK BAGS

Option 1: We have a rule that if you play with something you need to put it away before you move on to something else, but for those times when things are left where they don't belong, I have junk bags. These are large canvas bags that have a flat bottom that I have painted each child's name on. I grab the bags, walk through the kitchen, recroom, and bedroom and put each child's junk in his/her bag. Then, I hang it on their door for them to put their own junk away. My rooms look instantly better and I can quickly dust or vacuum if the house needs it. This also makes it easier for the children to focus on getting their things put back where they belong, and I'm not tempted to do it for them.

Option 2: When messes, toys, etc. get out of control at my house, I take a large garbage bag and put the items on the floor in the bag. The bag then goes in my closet until the next month. When the children get the bag back, they show delight in their returned items and are very diligent in putting them away.

LAUNDRY SORTER

I got this out of a catalog, but a Dad could make it too. I have a frame that holds three laundry bags. The bags are held open by a metal handle on each side that rests on the frame. As soon as I see the bag is full, I know I have a load of that color. I just pick up the bag and carry it to the washing machine. I don't sort laundry my family does. I have marked each bag with whites, pastels, or darks and they do the rest. I have a separate hamper for the dry-cleaning and brights.

LAUNDRY BASKETS

Each child has his own small (rectangular 16"x12"x6") basket. I picked them up at Target for a few dollars. They are color coded also. (You can also color code anything using inexpensive tape by 3-M that is made specifically for that purpose.) When I fold a load of laundry, each person's clothes go right into their basket. When I've finished my loads, I set the basket in their room, and they know they are to have the clothes put away that day. Even my six-year-old son is diligent about putting his clothing away. He even seems to enjoy it. On the front of his dresser, I put little cut outs of what clothing is in each drawer to make it easy for him to know what goes where. I make sure the children's dressers are not crowded, so it is easy for them to put the clothing away.

COLOR-CODED TOWELS

This may sound nutty, but I realized that I was washing more towels than necessary. I could never keep track of how many times a towel had been used and so it would go into the laundry. Now everyone has a towel that is in his or her favorite color. Everything that is John's is his favorite color - green. Everything that is JuJu's is her favorite color - yellow. Everything that is Annie's is blue. (If you get towels make sure they are either all dark or all pastels, so you can put them in the same load.) Now I know that I've given John a bath x-times this week and I've used this green towel x-times, so I know it's ready for the laundry.

CLOSET ORGANIZERS AND CONTAINERS

This is a bigger investment, but I couldn't say enough about a closet organizer (like you see in the California Closet ads, there are cheaper versions, such as Closet Maid). I tell the children that if it won't fit in their room, then they've got too much for one person and they need to pare down. Closet organizers really utilize space and control belongings. Everything is in some kind of container that allows for similar toys to be grouped together and scooped up easily. There's a big box for big things and those inexpensive plastic multilevel drawer units hold a lot of kiddy junk in a little bit of space. So get rid of clutter and containerize. I like clear toy boxes and storage containers. Sometimes, not always, this allows the child to find what they want without dumping the entire contents out. I like to keep all the shampoos, cream rinse bottles, etc., in a basket in the shower so that when I want to clean it, I only have to pick up one basket instead of each individual bottle. Make sure it has holes in it so it can drain. Anything that makes any job quicker, adds to your free time. Yippee!

SHOE ORGANIZER

My husband and I were tired of searching through our shoe basket or searching the house for our children's shoes everytime we had to go anywhere. When I saw a twelve cubicle shelf organizer at Target, I knew our shoe searching days were over. I purchased two sets of stackable shelves, giving our family 24 cubicles with which to work. My husband and I assembled the Closet Maid shelves and placed them under the staircase. Each child was given a shelf (4 cubicles) for their shoes. Each child is allowed to have four pairs of shoes (not including rain boots - these are kept in the laundry room). The children and I decided which shoes they wanted to keep and gave the rest away. Since the shelf organizers are stackable we will be able to add cubicles, if God continues to bless us with more children.

WARDROBE INVENTORY

Laugh if you want, but like I said the less I have to think about, the better. I have a set number of clothes that I think is reasonable to own. I've made a list of what each child's wardrobe should contain and current sizes. I inventory what fits and see what I need to get. I carry it with me so if someone is whining for something, I can look at my list and rest assured they don't need it and it will only clutter their room and cause them to not wear what they already own. If they truly need something, I am not racking my brain while I'm in the store with all the children and I don't end up with something I forgot they already had.

UNIFORMS

School seemed to drag out all day. I got my children blue and white standard uniforms. There's no wondering what to wear every morning. They know. They look neat and put together. They know the uniform doesn't come off until I say, "Okay, you're finished with your school." The children can feel it's time to work when they have the uniform on and they can feel it's time to play when they change to their play clothes. Their clothing helps them remember they're in school and even though they're in their home environment, it's not time for chitchat and distractions.

VELCRO SHOES

Whenever I've had a choice, I've always gone for the Velcro. Anytime a child can do something by himself, it's a plus. Making shoes that are easy to get on and off also makes the children more likely to take them off before running in from outside to use a bathroom or get a toy. Removing shoes saves your carpets and vacuuming.

TIME STEALERS

Sales calls, talking on the phone when you shouldn't, etc. rob you of time you could be spending with your children. Let the answering machine get it and use e-mail when you can.

TIMERS

When it's time for lunch, set the timer. When it's time for a snack, set the timer. When it's time for Math, set the timer. When it's time for piano practice, set the timer. When you need to make phone calls, set the timer. Setting it at lunch and snack helps me to keep from running over time. I'm not very good at watching the clock, but I can't ignore that ring. Setting it for an individual child to work on a subject helps to keep them moving. I've had problems with a child dragging a math paper for two hours. She will do the same paper in half the time if she hears the tick-tick and sees the timer moving. Competitive children will work to beat the clock and the ones who like to play will be seeing the time they're saving and adding up in their mind how much more time they will have to play. We have a cute little red apple timer for school and several other timers for the other activities. The timers are as much for me as they are for them.

I also added an abundance of inexpensive wall clocks so that we can easily determine what time it is. When the children are in the bathroom brushing their teeth, they know they have five minutes to take off time because they can see the clock. If I say to be in the car at 10:30 a.m. to leave for Mass, and they buckle up at 10:40 a.m., I can point to the clock in the garage to show them how they've underestimated how much time they needed to allow. Punctuality is an exercise in the virtue of temperance and also in charity (because you don't want to inconvenience anyone else). We are weak in this area, so we are working on it.

SCHOOLWORK SCHEDULES

Each child has a list of what he has to accomplish for the week by subject. I plan it all out in the summer time. I keep the list for the week on a clipboard. I especially like the clipboards that slide over the top of a shallow tray so some things can be kept inside. I also have Rubbermaid tubs so they can collect they can collect the books and papers they will need for the day in a portable container. They take what they need off the shelves and take it to their desk. They like to check things off of their list and see in the tub what they need to accomplish for the day. For my less diligent child, who shall remain anonymous, I had to go a step further. This child has a schedule with exact times. She is a person who needs concrete boundaries and goals. When left to her own devices, she will fall behind. Her schedule goes like this: 8:00-9:00 Math, 9:00-10:00 English, 10:00-11:00 History, 11:00-12:00 Reading, 12:00-1:00 Lunch, 1:00-2:00 Science, 2:00-3:00 Religion, 3:00-3:15 Vocabulary, 3:15-4:00 Piano. Whatever doesn't get finished becomes homework from 6:00-7:30. This way she may only fall behind in one subject instead of taking all day to accomplish two subjects completely and fall behind in all the rest. The schedule seems to keep her moving. A schedule hasn't been necessary with all my children, but it is essential with this particular one.

SALLY ROGERS' NINE WEEK PLAN

It may not work for you, but it was the smartest thing I ever did. I start by figuring out when I will take my two-week Christmas break. Then I count backwards to find what day we will start school. This usually puts us in mid-August. We work for nine weeks and take a week off in October. We work for nine weeks and take two weeks off for Christmas. We work for nine weeks and take a week off in the spring. We work nine weeks and we're finished the middle of May.

This is great for several reasons. First, it limited my children's exposure to the neighborhood children. Second, there is so much more daylight in the summer that they can do their schoolwork and still have plenty of daylight left to play. Third, they were highly motivated to get their work finished. Fourth, the work at the beginning of the year is a lot of easy review so the children could buzz right through it and still have time to go to the pool. Fifth, having a week break at the end of the quarter gave the stragglers a chance to catch up and was a great reward for those who had kept up. Breaking the year into four manageable portions makes the task seem less daunting. Sixth, knowing I have a week free allows me to pass by tasks that would tempt me during school time. If I know I have a week coming, I can wait to clean the attic. Seventh, it's fun to have a week off to go have fun at museums or whatever that will be virtually empty. Eighth, you can take advantage of off-season rates in October and May before the big rush. Ninth, I thought there was no way we could work in the summer, but I found it wasn't true at all. Tenth, it matches up with my oldest daughter's college schedule. Eleventh, my husband has to schedule his patients six months in advance, and I can tell him when we will have vacation time so he can plan his vacation times. Twelfth, I used to dislike the month of June. It is packed with graduations, weddings, birthdays, Father's Day, etc. These all used to annoy me because all of this weekend activity packed into one month interfered with our wrapping up school. Now, we are finished before it hits and I have an entirely different attitude when I receive an invitation. Thirteenth, we have consistently hit the last nice week of weather in October for our break and the best weather in May. Fourteenth, two weeks at Christmas allows us to enjoy our Dad being home. Fifteenth, when the weeds begin to spring up in May, I'm out of school and ready to tackle the additional yard work before it gets out of control. We can also get our garden planted. Sixteenth, the break in the spring allows me to get to the heavy dusting that I can suddenly see when the sun begins to shine again. Seventeenth, by the time the Christmas rush hits, we have completed half our year! The children find this very exciting. When we used to stop midway through the second quarter, it would break our momentum, and we would have a hard time starting back up in January. Now there is a clean break and we have a refreshing start in January. It also gives me a chance to evaluate whether I need to make any changes for the second half of the year. Thank you Sally for sharing this idea, it has made a huge difference in our homeschooling.

TO BE GRADED IN-BOX

This is simple enough. Make one place where papers to be graded are put. I like this out in the open so I remember to grade papers. I like to do them right after they've finished the paper, if possible. I dislike finishing school for the day only to turn around and have to grade papers.

BATHROOMS

This idea is helpful for me, but you will have to use your own judgement. Everyone (except Dad) helps clean on Saturday morning, but the bathrooms sometimes need a little extra help during the week. I keep cleaning supplies in each bathroom under the sink. (I did this with small toddlers, but I used sturdy baby locks. You'll have to decide whether or not this is safe in your situation.) I can whip it into shape in five minutes or less, sometimes while a child is taking a bath. This is also great if company surprises you. You can excuse yourself to use the bathroom and clean it up quickly, while you're in there. Also, each child has his own color-coded plastic cup with his name on it that can be popped into the dishwasher when needed. I also keep smocks on hooks on the back of the bathroom door so younger ones can snap them on before brushing their teeth. This saves the clothes when they spill toothpaste and water down the front of them.

THINK FLOW, THINK PREVENTION

Take a moment to analyze each room in your house. Sometimes the hardest part is just having a quiet moment to think about it, so a little time away from the children can be quite productive if you can talk Dad into helping. Does the flow of your house make sense? What can you do to organize it better, to simplify your life? Do you have mats to keep dirt out? Have you actually taught your children to wipe their feet? Would one of those shoe scrapers be helpful? Do you have a place where your children can store their shoes before they walk through the house? Do you have hooks so they can easily hang up their coats instead of fumbling with hangers and closets? What can you do to prevent more work for yourself? Pray to the Holy Spirit and to Mary to help you see how you can simplify your life so that you can have time for the really important things. Little things can make a big difference. I once started a new job and one of the first things I did was change my boss' desktop. I watched him as he answered a call. He would drag the phone cord through all the papers on his desk, sending them flying, while he scrambled in another direction for pen and paper. Mind you, he had been an attorney for years before I met him. I put his phone to his left so he could pick it up with his left hand and so the cord stayed out of his papers. I put his pen and paper to the right so he could pick them up with the hand he used to write while he talked on the phone. I made some other strategic changes and instantly, he was able to relax when a call came in, instead of frantically trying to keep everything together while he spoke. I assure you that no matter how long you've been a mom that there are similar "little" things that you could do better that would make your life easier. As your life changes, you need to take the time to reevaluate and see what could be changed.

BATTING IN THE VENTS

If this is bad for your furnace, please let us know. Our pediatrician said to put cheesecloth in the vents to help reduce stuffy noses from allergies and reactions to the dust the heater stirs up. The fabric store said to use batting. All I know is that it helps reduce my need to dust the furniture as often in the winter. Even though I clean our electric furnace filter each month, the batting is dirty when I change it.

RULES

Decide on rules, write them up, and make your children memorize them. Routine just makes life flow so much better. If there is chaos whenever your car reaches its destination and your children are fighting to get out over the top of each other and going off in every direction, you need order in your life. These seemingly little things can wear you down. Rules just seem to help end a lot of discussion and arguing. Everyone knows what's expected and can be held accountable if they don't comply.

SCHEDULES

You may be one of those people who like to go with the flow, but I don't think there is a person on this earth who doesn't accomplish more when they conform to a schedule. I know it is even recommended as part of spiritual development. Schedules make you conform your will instead of giving in to your whim. Of course, everyone needs to be flexible at times, but if you're giving into what you feel like doing more often than not, you are probably not going to be growing in the virtue of temperance. You probably aren't accepting the mortifications of your vocation and doing what needs to be done to have an orderly family life. I tell my children that I've checked all the lists of virtues I can find and nowhere do I see that it says that having a sloppy room is a virtue. Nowhere do I see chaos on the list. Our grandmothers did the laundry on certain days, served meals at set times, went shopping most likely one a week, did gardening, community service, and a hundred other things because they approached homemaking as a serious responsibility in which they took pride. There's no reason why we shouldn't have that same kind of pride.

I schedule everything. I know what nights are bath nights. I know when I'm paying the bills and balancing the checkbook. I know with a fair amount of certainty that I will have three loads of laundry on Monday and Friday and a couple of loads of towels in between. I know that we will say the Rosary every night and get to First Friday and First Saturday Masses and Confession every month. I know when the sheets will be washed and the furnace filter cleaned, etc. I know when we'll need haircuts and when the calendar is the most open so I can go out for a date with my husband. Of course there are unexpected interruptions, but because I have a schedule, I know where I can rearrange things if something comes up.

APPOINTMENTS

I have a calendar hanging on the wall in my kitchen above the corded phone. The family's extra-curricular activities, doctor's appointments, etc. are all written on the calendar, as soon as I schedule the class, confirm the activity, or make the appointment. In this way, I avoid having to reschedule most things and I don't have to rack my brain trying to remember where everyone is supposed to be when.

BEDTIMES

Again a set schedule helps. My children know that when the Rosary ends at 8:00 p.m., they are to put their pajamas on, pick up their rooms and brush their teeth. They are to be in bed at 8:30 p.m. and can read until 9:00 p.m., when they know I will come into their rooms to make sure prayers are done and kisses are given. (We like to promote reading so we have scheduled that half hour into their day.) This gives Mom and Dad one hour of peace before going to bed. Granted, when we had a baby in our bed it wasn't entirely peaceful, but more so than it would have been if we weren't firm about bedtime.

LIMIT ACTIVITIES

You can try making it to all of the lessons if you want if you don't believe me, but if you want to take the short cut to sanity, limit the number of activities in which you allow your children to participate and double up where possible. Just because they want to play baseball, football, swim, play violin, and make pottery doesn't mean they must. There's a great book called, The Over-Scheduled Child, Avoiding the Hyper-Parenting Trap, by Alvin Rosenfeld, M.D., and Nicole Wise. It isn't just the public school moms who fall victim to this trap. Perhaps it would be better to perfect one talent than to be mediocre at many.

CONSOLIDATE ERRANDS

If we have to already be out for a piano lesson, we try to make that errand day with a list of where we will go and in what order. No sense in making another trip. We take snacks if it's going to be a long trip and decide where we will make bathroom stops.

GET RID OF THINGS

My favorite help is the fact that my church has a rummage sale twice a year. They take donations 24/7. If your parish doesn't have something similar, consider giving the things to St. Vincent de Paul, the Northwest Center for the Retarded, or another family. Giving things away takes a lot less time than planning a garage sale or selling items on ebay, etc. It also teaches your children a lesson in giving.

When I decide to get rid of clutter, it doesn't have to sit around my house. I can immediately gather it together and get it out! This is imperative when getting rid of the children's excess clothes, toys, etc. As soon as they see it, they want it. Once it's out of sight, it's forgotten. I usually put old toys in a dark trash bag and save it in the back of my closet for six months. If it's never mentioned in that time, I feel it's safe to get rid of it. I've never regretted anything I gave away. Some of the happiest days of my life have been the day after I've given away clothes that don't fit, articles I'll never have time to read, or anything someone else could be putting to better use. It also helps me be more careful about how I spend my money in the first place.

The less furniture you have, the easier it is to vacuum. The less you have on your counters, the easier it is to wipe them off. The fewer knickknacks you own, the easier it is to dust.

Allow yourself more time to be with the people in your life.

Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth,

where rust and moth consume, and where thieves break in and steal;

but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven,

where neither rust nor moth consumes, nor thieves break in and steal.

For where thy treasure is, there also will thy heart be.

Matthew 6:19-21

Thank you to all the moms who shared their ideas on organizing, scheduling, and cleaning, especially Peggy Ga. We hope that the ideas above help both large and small homeschooling families.