One of the Best Pieces of Advice I Ever Got…
By Kendra | March 19, 2010
Was from Laurie Bluedorn. She said, “Just stay home”.
Are you overloaded with activities that keep you from what needs to be done at home?
♥
Topics: Educating at Home, Nurturing Moms | 18 Comments »
Classic Re-Post: Can Homeschooling and Housekeeping Co-Exist?
By Kendra | March 17, 2010
Originally posted on September 22, 2007
♥
Hi Kendra,
I have been reading your blog on and off for about a year now and it has been such a blessing to me. I am a mother of three, ages 4,2, & 1, and I hope to start homeschooling next year. I don’t know any women experienced in homeschooling, so I have really taken in your thoughts and advice as a woman dedicated to God and her family. Thank you!
This year I have started really getting organized with my house cleaning. It isn’t perfect but it is much better than it used to be. I finally realized that everyone is a lot happier, including mom, when they have meals on time, can find their clothes and can walk without tripping on something! Anyways, I have lists of different things that I do on different days to keep my house in somewhat of order and it basically keeps me pretty busy. So it is seeming overwhelming to add homeschooling to the daily load! Did you ever feel that way? Someone told me that if you homeschool you won’t have a clean house because there is just not enough time in the day and you just have to deal with that. I don’t want to deal with that because I get stressed out when the house isn’t in working order. I am not a neat freak at all, but I just want peace and order in my home. Is that possible? I would love to hear your thoughts on that.
Thanks for all you do!
Jamie
Hi Jamie-
Yes and no. Does that answer your question? 
This is an area where I struggle, because I really like things neat, tidy, and clean. But there are nine of us living here all day long, and so I have had to learn to give it up to a reasonable degree. What is reasonable? Well, sanitary and tidy tend to be my criteria, but as my dear friend Cheryl has told me before, a perfect home is not worth sacrificing the relationships we have with our children. Amen and amen again.
I have had to come to terms with the fact that my first three children are boys. They do not see what I see. One is decidedly more organized than his brothers, but he is a pack rat and is learning what to hold on to and what to let go. And what *I* think is a clean kitchen and what *they* think is a clean kitchen are two different things. Entirely.
So now I have changed my MO. I still require that beds be made and rooms tidied before breakfast. I still require chores that help maintain cleanliness as much as possible, such as wiping down toilets with anti-bacterial wipes and emptying the trash. But I have also created a list that helps me to “hit” each room on a rotating basis to be cleaned out, decluttered, and put into some semblance of order. If it returns to disorganization within a few days, that’s ok. I’ll be getting back to it shortly.
I have written other posts in the past that address this topic, and I hope they are helpful on some level:
How Can I Homeschool if I Can’t Even Keep My House Clean? ( a reprint of an excellent article, but not written by me)
Organization and the Homeschool MP3 recording of a workshop I give at homeschool conventions.
Lastly, I am a huge proponent of hiring help, if it is within your means. Even if it is once a month to bail you out, consider it. We are one of a few nations who don’t hire household help, and I think we women have come to believe that it is somehow shameful if we do. Nonsense! Think back in history- has there been a time when moms did all the laundry, did all the housekeeping, did the gardening or sewing or decorating, cooked three meals a day, did all the shopping, cared for and nursed the babies, drove children to appointments, and were solely responsible for the education of their children? When you see all of that in print, does it seem unreasonable to hire someone to help you? Are there young women at church who would be delighted to iron basic items for you for a quarter per piece? Or come alongside you as a mother’s helper? Or weed, mow, or plant flowers? If you can get a few things off your plate, you might feel that the essential things like meals, laundry, household cleanliness, and school aren’t quite so unreachable.
Blessings,
Kendra
Topics: Chores, Home Organization, Life with Preschoolers, Resources, Uncategorized | 7 Comments »
Contest Winner- Monica’s Easter Garland
By Kendra | March 16, 2010
Our winner, thanks to random.org, is:
12. Jennifer
Congratulations, Jennifer!
Topics: Contests | 1 Comment »
Exercise? When Do You Have Time for THAT?
By Kendra | March 15, 2010
freedigitalphotos.net
The last time I was weighed at my midwife’s office before our eighth child was born, the scale read 204 pounds. I know some of you blessedly tall girls are thinking, “So?”, but I’m a shorty at 5′3″, and 204 pounds was not a healthy situation. I can blame back-to-back pregnancies, but I still knew that I was going to have to do something about it and fast.
Because of Mighty Joe’s illness, I didn’t get around to adding an exercise routine into my day until an entire year after he was born. What I have learned over the past almost-40 years is that I have to do what works for me. There are thousands of paths to weight loss available, but the bottom line is that I won’t exercise if I hate it. I hate running. That’s out.
I began changing my diet by replacing breakfast and lunch with an Isagenix shake. I would not recommend this to everyone; it’s pricey and if you need to get a better handle on nutrition, drinking a meal-replacement won’t help you long term. But Isagenix did kick-start my weight loss, and I lost 25 pounds in just a few months.
I did love the ease of shakes enough to keep at it, but I switched to Juice Plus for several reasons, not the least of which was… um… the inability to “go” with Isagenix. That’s enough about that 
There is absolutely NO reason you have to do this, too. I’m just telling you what works for me.
We eat generally healthy: whole grains, lots of fresh veggies, homemade food.
And so then there’s exercise. Running’s out. So is swimming six months out of the year. A gym is not a reality, both because I rarely leave my house as it is, and the cost would drive me batty. But I spent the years between age 5 and age 20 in a ballet studio or performing live theater, which often meant musicals and tap dancing, too. I love to dance, I like aerobic exercise, and I like routines. Thanks to my incredibly hard-bodied mom-of-three childhood friend Jonelle, I was introduced to Slim in Six and the Beach Body line of exercise DVDs.
This has been the answer for me. Slim in Six is my favorite series, but I do use a couple of other Beach Body DVDs just to add variety (Yoga Booty Ballet, fast forwarding through the goofy spiritual junk and Turbo Jam, which makes me feel like I’m releasing any aggression I might have hidden deep down 
). I like the Pilates Body Band workout from time to time, too.
What works for me won’t necessarily be the answer for you. The key is to figure out what works for you, when you can add it in to your day, and then do it. I work out during our afternoon quiet hour or at night. That’s what works for me. And listen- there is a season for everything. This past weekend my husband was gone for four days and I only worked out once while he was gone. The long days of managing all eight of my kiddos without a break at night was physically wearing. If you have a husband who is deployed or you can rarely get a break, this may not be your season for serious exercise. Can you be content to take walks with the kids or dance in the kitchen?
If I can encourage you young moms just starting out- keep on top of the weight loss and fitness. If you’re hoping to have a lot of children, you will need stamina and energy like you can’t believe. I had our firstborn when I was just 22 and our lastborn at 37. There was magnanimous difference between the first pregnancy and the ninth.
I’m 142 pounds right now. I have ten more pounds I’d like to lose to be at a weight I know I can realistically maintain. But I don’t plan for 204 pounds to ever be a reality again.
Topics: Life with Preschoolers, Nurturing Moms | 36 Comments »
Circle Time: Plan the Best Part of Your Day! Contest Winner
By Kendra | March 14, 2010
Thanks to random.org, our winner is:
96. Vanessa
Congratulations, Vanessa!
Topics: Contests | No Comments »
It Ain’t Always Pretty
By Kendra | March 12, 2010
Our life isn’t always pretty. In fact, it’s messy, dirty, disorganized in places, and noisy. My hair is low on the priority list unless we’re headed out the door, and Mighty Joe’s blanket often needs a bath. Actually, Mighty Joe often needs a bath
What School Really Looks Like in the Fletcher Home
Mighty Joe likes to fuss and I like to give in
In fact, he rarely sits still but I just keep talking (See? Bad hair day.)
…and then big brother has to get in on the action
Please, somebody tell me you’re tripping over IKEA stepstools, gouging the bottom of your feet on Legos, and trying to be heard above the din, too!
Topics: Educating at Home, Life with Preschoolers | 53 Comments »
Start Saving With Coupons Webinar TONIGHT!
By Kendra | March 11, 2010
Just a quick reminder to sign up if you haven’t already. Click HERE to register for Start Saving With Coupons.
It’s during dinnertime here, so my home will be a little kooky- two teenage boys in charge of dinner. No telling what kind of a racket you’ll hear in the background! See you there!
Topics: Home Organization, Resources | 10 Comments »
How Can Sunday Be Restful With Little Ones?
By Kendra | March 10, 2010
Just days after our sweet seventh was born
♥
I wondered if you had anything to share about what you do to make Sundays different than the rest of the week when there is still so much to do for little kids.
~Alicia
♥
Hi Alicia-
I completely understand where you’re coming from. I remember back about ten years ago when I would chafe any time someone mentioned the idea of a restful Sunday. Restful? For whom?
Ultimately, I had to make a choice. I could be grumpy and hold a grudge, or I could rearrange the way I was going about Sundays and recognize that they could be different and less stressful than the other days of the week, and in that, they could be restful.
There are definitely steps I took to make Sunday a more peaceful day. First, I make sure that all of the clothing, shoes, and hair accessories that I am responsible for are taken care of by Saturday night. I don’t want to have to run around Sunday morning trying to find the baby’s shoes.
We have the same thing for breakfast every single Sunday morning. Bagels with cream cheese, toasted on a sheet pan in the oven all at once. Paper plates. Minimal mess.
We made the choice after much frustration, discipline issues arising from unrealistic (for us) standards at church, and over-tired little people in need of a nap to not participate in the church potluck after four hours of service and Sunday School. Lunch at home after church is always simple. Cheese, crackers, salami, fruit. Sandwiches. Leftovers. When we had four under six-years-old, we stopped at Carl’s Jr because it was on the way home.
Little ones go down for naps, and sometimes we big ones do, too. I will not do laundry. I might pick up things here or there, but if it feels like work, I don’t do it. I will, however, do something I enjoy, even if someone else might find it unappealing; gardening, couponing, reading, working out, baking.
Dinner is simple, too. Pancakes, smoothies in the summer, burgers on the grill, leftovers, something from the freezer (tonight it was fajitas, quickly stir fried and served with Spanish rice, salsa, chips, etc.) My friend Cheryl has a “clean-out-the-fridge” dinner every Sunday night, or an “every-man-for-himself” approach. I grew up in a home where we had pizza every Sunday night. Pizza and 60 Minutes
Watch a video together, listen to a book on tape, read aloud, play a game (my middle kids are really into Pit these days), take a bubble bath. Put little ones down.
I admit that I do spend about an hour every Sunday evening preparing for the week. But that’s for sanity’s sake on Monday morning, and that is entirely worth it to me.
Helpful?
Topics: Life with Preschoolers, Nurturing Moms | 20 Comments »
Start Saving With Coupons!
By Kendra | March 9, 2010
We’ve talked about frugality and grocery budgets before, and I wrote a bit about the couponing that I do. Just today I walked out of Walgreens with 4 toothbrushes, 2 jars of peanut butter, 2 jars of jam, and a bottle of conditioner for a whopping $1.07.
Many of you have asked me to write more about it, so I thought I’d ask my friend Jim Bob Howard, who some of you may know as the former Editor-in-Chief of Homeschooling Today magazine, to explain how he and his bride saved almost $19,000 in one year on their groceries, while eating well and building up a sizeable stockpile.
Jim Bob has agreed to give a seminar on the web (a webinar) to Preschoolers and Peace readers absolutely free, THIS Thursday, March 11, 2010 at 6:00pm (Pacific Time), especially for you.
I know many of you have tried coupons before and haven’t been impressed. I also know that many of you are struggling in the current economy, so I asked Jim Bob to show you how he and Amy cut their grocery budget in half, created their own private stockpile, and saved an estimated $18,700 on their groceries in one year.
BUT, most importantly… I’ve asked him to reveal how YOU can repeat their efforts and enjoy the benefits of more money in the bank AND more groceries in your house.
We have a limited number of spots for this event, so there’s a very good chance this will FILL completely.
Click HERE to register for Start Saving With Coupons.
I get to be in on the webinar, too, so I’m excited to hear what Jim Bob has to say. $19,000 is a huge savings!
~Kendra
P.S. – We’ll have a VERY special offer cooked up for those who
attend the webinar LIVE. It will be worth your while to be on
the webinar, I promise!
Topics: Home Organization, Resources | 20 Comments »
Contest- Monica’s Beautiful Easter Garland
By Kendra | March 8, 2010
Did you happen to miss out on Monica at The Homespun Heart’s Easter garland giveaway? Lucky for you, I’m giving one away, too! Just comment here and you’ll get extra entries by posting a link to here from your blog, Twitter, or Facebook- one entry per posting, so you have the potential for four entries! Yippee! Contest ends March 15th, midnight PST.
Topics: Contests | 56 Comments »
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