Tool Time: K12 Charter School

one last chance to enter to win our Uppercase Living giveaway today!

 ------

okay, I know that those of us who homeschool, do so for our own personal reasons. As personal as the reasons we do it, is the curriculum we use to teach our precious little ones at home.

Oh, how well I remember my mom spending nights, days and weeks planning our curriculum and writing lesson plans for all 6 of us she was schooling at home! I remember the excitement of getting new books, and learning what lessons were coming our way in the fall. We were excited about school!

Now that I am there, planning school for my 3 and 5 year olds, I am excited too....AND OVERWHELMED!

I am a bit lost in the world of curriculum, learning styles, subjects, books and the cost of all of it. Despite having been raised as a homeschool kid, I have alot to figure out.

It was with this mindset that I came across K12 Virtual Charter Schools.  Now, I want to say at this point that I hesitated to write this post because I know I havent actually used this product, and cant vouch for it 100% yet. But, I figured that by the time I could definitely say one way or another the school year will be half over and if this was something that may work for you, it would be too late for this school year. Maybe it will work for you!

But, from what I know now ...

* The K12 Virtual Charter School is an online public school, that you do at home
*The school provides accountability for me, and a curriculum that meets all state requirements for my child
*Someone else will be writing our lesson plans, and telling me exactly what I need to do in each subject
*It uses the K12 curriculum, an acclaimed program for public and home schools
*It is FREE

Using my tax dollars, which I pay regardless of our education choices, this program provides ALL of the curriculum and accompanying materials that are needed for this program. We just got 8 boxes of curriculum in the mail ...there are student books, teachers guides, reading books, award winning children's books, art supplies, science equipment, math manipulatives, dvd's, cd's , handwriting paper, flash cards ... the computer/printer hasnt arrived yet.

The online public school through K12 is not offered in every state, but is in many of them including South Carolina, Texas, Ohio, Florida, Virgina, Kansas and Georgia.  The program is free in these states. 

I have been reading through all this material, and I have to say I have teared up a couple of times realizing that I could have never afforded to provide him with all of this on our own. I am so excited for all the lessons he will learn using this great, quality curriculum. I am excited that someone else has provided me with great ideas and orderly presentation for each of the lessons he will learn.

One thing I have noted, for the sake of full disclosure ..this material is not taught from a Christian perspective. I have to say, though that I am actually looking forward to being able to teach perspectives that my child will surely experience in this life, while also teaching the importance of biblical authority. We will use the bible and this material side by side, and carefully discuss the areas where the two conflict.

This certainly will not be the answer for a good portion of homeschoolers, for understandable reasons (accountability, less flexibility in curriculum choice, standardized testing). For now, we are going to try it and see how it works out for us. Worst case scenario, it is awful and I hate it ...if so, it was free and at least I will have a better idea of what I want from that point forward!

Have you used the k12 curriculum and/or the virtual charter schools in their program? Please share your thoughts, good, bad or ugly..wait, not ugly. :)

Tool Time: Stress Less Journal

 

This week's focus is on the Stress Less Journal ..a tool that I have developed for me that has helped me balance my resources...





DISCLAIMER: please ignore the poor quality of the video ...I tried to use my computer's webcam, and didnt realize until after a couple hours of work, and an hour and a half of uploading to youtube, that it was as dark as it was. I thought it was my tired eyes playing tricks on me! Lesson learned, next time I will use the camcorder! :)

About the SLJ ..I have written a post on this but really, it is too long and makes this simple concept a bit to complicated. So, I am gonna start over again! :)

The Stress Less Journal is something I use to help me balance my resources well ..it does that by being a place where I can write down my stresses, my thoughts, my ideas, my prayers and my study. It gives me a place to put my many lists that help me clear my head of menu ideas, shopping lists, gift ideas, blogging thoughts, cleaning lists, etc. I have alot of dividers in mine, but that is because I love to have things ordered that way.

The SLJ is just a three-ring binder, with a set or two of dividers and some notebook paper. The dividers make it yours, so make sure to only use sections that will be helpful and not stressful to you.

Some of the dividers that I have ...

*My Stress List: we will talk more about this soon, but basically it is a place to jot down everything that is weighing on me, my husband and my children. For me, it is useful to help me see where I need to deploy my Stress Strategies!  ..something else we will talk about again soon!

*Menu List/Shopping List: a place for me to jot down recipes and stuff my family likes, I refer to this   when I need some inspiration for the menu

*Cleaning Lists:  straight off of Flylady ...reminders of what to clean in each room, if I ever get a chance to do some deep cleaning there!

*Blog Ideas:   I found a great blog calendar online yesterday, this would be a great place to put it!

*Routines:  having mine and the boys routines written down helps me to identify areas we need to make more time, or reorder our resource of time

*Contacts:  I use this tab alot! Its a place where I have my church directory and a printed sheet with all my and my husband's family listed with phone numbers and addresses. Also, our doctors, dentists and emergency numbers. This is in a page protector toward the back, so I can find it easily.

*Coupons: I also keep my page protectors with my weekly coupon inserts in the back of my binder. For me, it is less stressful to have fewer binders to deal with! :)

*Prayer/Study/Thoughts:  these are three separate tabs for me, and help me keep my spiritual mind focused as well as my life ordered. It is what it is all about, after all :)

Another obvious addition would be a calendar ..I use something different for my calendar now, but it may help you to add one for your SLJ!

If you want a more in depth (or, at least more wordy) version of all this, please go here.


Otherwise, keep it simple and let it work for you!


Some tips..I stole this from the wordier version:

• clean it out frequently - all those little pages can add up. Throw away when you are done, dont let it build up. It adds weight, clutter and stress!
• pay attention to sections you use, and ones you dont - it may surprise you which sections you dont use at all, get rid of them!
• I keep my stamps, and some blank notes in the front pocket of my book so I can easily write a note to a friend if they come to mind while I am praying.
• Keep a clear zipper pocket in the front of your book to keep pens, highlighter, white out pen, stamps, paper clips, etc.

Remember, if it causes you stress then it defeats the purpose!

Does this idea inspire or stress you out? Tell me, and share with all of us some other ideas for dividers you may have!

a little tip: the Launch Pad

Getting out of the door for us is like trying to herd cats into the ocean! There are kids going everywhere, dogs barking, babies crying, mommy yelling, time passing ...it is STRESSFUL!

And, not always safe ..let me tell you a story. This weekend we were all headed out the door for something or another. It was not well planned on my end, and I was harried trying to get everyone out the door. There was a timing miscommunication between hubby and I, and he sent the boys to the car to buckle up. As they were headed out the door to go obey, I explained that I still needed to feed the baby one last time before heading out.

We didnt get the message to the kids. The eldest figured out pretty quick we werent coming, so unbuckled and came back in the house. No one thought anything about it.

It wasnt until we were ready to head out again, that we discovered the three year old had been waiting in his car seat, buckled up and ready to go that whole time. You see, he can buckle but not unbuckle ..this is bad, because it is the middle of July in SC ...and the car was closed up, leaving my child cooking in the van in 120 degree weather!  I dont have to explain how I felt. He was flushed, sopping wet with sweat and a bit weepy. So.was.I.

There has to be a better way ...obviously such things wont always happen if you are running late out the door, but had we a better plan, that would not have happened.

 I know this is not an original idea, but it works for me. It is something that has helped in a major area of stress, especially since having my third little one two months ago...

___

For me,  planning is everything.  I have discovered that having a physical place where I can plan my route and my day out, really helps decrease the stress that is involved in getting out of the house.  I call it my Launch Pad! Combining this space with the Car Bucket makes for a great location to identify what is needed for everyone.

Timing is a big factor as well, when talking about the stress of getting out the door. I know, if I take the time the night before we have planned activities out of the house, I am most more relaxed with it comes time to leave. It helps the whole experience be less stressful for all involved!

Our "Launch Pad" is a shelf surface in our dining room, which is a central location between the kitchen (where the snacks and drinks are) and the rest of the house (where everything else is).  I put the Car Bucket there, as well as the kids outfits for the next day and anything else I need to make our morning run smoothly.  Today, I needed paperwork to drop off at the doctors office, dvd's to return, the kids clothes and shoes and the Car Bucket..truthfully, it was NOT all in one location but scattered all over the dining room.  But..it would have been better if it was!

Anyone else have any other "out the door" ideas to share? I know I can use them!

Tool Time: Moby Wrap

The Moby Wrap has helped me to use what limited resources I have in this current stage in my life ..having a new baby, and two other crazy boys! I am finding it very useful, but I know that I am not the only one finds its flowing yardage intimidating!

Try to watch this while suspending judgement on any number of things ...It was an exercise in not allowing perfectionism to keep me from putting it up there and moving on! :)

Also, as a side note ..in the area of using your financial resources ...unless you find a quality jersey knit material for substantially less than I could, it is just as cheap and way easier to just buy the Moby outright. I am not just saying that because if you use the link to Amazon I get a 4% cut, I promise..for real.   The Moby Wrap runs about $40, that is from the Moby website, as well as other web outlets I found. That includes ebay ...I checked.  Its a little pricey for small budgets, but it is WORTH it!

***

{Dont forget to enter to win the beautiful Scentsy Warmer ...its so gorgeous, and 

will smell wonderful in your place!}

Tool Time: the Car Bucket

I have asked my sweet friend, Ashley, to share some ways that she uses what she calls the "car bucket". I have watched her use this for keeping her family's traveling odds and ends in order. I asked her to share how she uses it and help inspire us to order the  easily out of control area of our vehicles!

Ashley is married and has two little ones, a 5 year old daughter and a 2 year old son.  She stays busy in and out of the house, which is how this idea evolved for her family.

The basic idea ...  Ashley carries a sturdy tote with her wherever she goes, in and out of the car. It helps her manage all the stuff that comes with kids, a busy life and the minivan that shuttles it all around. According to her, "the "car bucket" serves as a carry all for my cell phone, sippy cups, purse, a couple of diapers, blankets and more" when going from one place to another outside the house. 

She loads it up when she is at home, thinking of all she may need for that particular trip out. She packs the tote differently if she is visiting with friends, going to church, going on a grocery shopping trip or whatever. Her husband and kids know that everything that goes with them has to go in the CB and that it is there when they go to look for it later.

When they leave the house, she loads up the kids, the husband and the CB!  We all know that when Ashley comes over, she is gonna make ONE trip to or from the car. Everything she needs is in that one place.   If her kids need their sippy cups, check the CB first!  If she is heading the pool, betcha the towels and sunscreen are in the CB!  Snacks anyone? ..CB.

When she gets home she uses the CB to declutter her Swagger Wagon, making sure to grab all the kid-related odds and ends, as well as the trash they have generated on their trip out. She makes sure to empty it out at home, each and every time. This is my favorite part, since my vehicle is always a cluttered mess!

Tips from the master ... "The "car bucket" needs to be big enough to make it able to hold several items and small enough to carry. I don't like the floppy kinds I like the kind that is pretty stiff and holds its shape well. Also, I like them to have handles on each end. That way when they are pretty full you stick one end on your hip and the other end you can hold by the handle."

One thing about the car bucket is that it will only work if you empty it IMMEDIATELY every time you come in the house. Otherwise it will just become something else in your car full of junk taking up space. 

"When I am by myself so I don't forget anything I put the kids in the car first so they are strapped in the car ready to go (and can't get into anymore mischief). The car bucket is the last thing that goes in so that I can come in one last time take a quick look if I need anything else and toss it in. Then I lock the door and take the car bucket with me."

I think the Car Bucket is a great idea, it Works for Us! ...and I plan on looking for a WAY cute tote to use.  I remember Ashley told me that it helped to have something cute, so she would be more inclined to use it. I agree.

Update: Per request ...here is a shot of Ashley's CB!  Here it is, on her dryer by her back door. This is close to where her car is parked, so that is where the CB sits ready to be filled up. And, she says the purse stays inside because that goes everywhere she does, just like the CB :)


Tell us what you think of this idea, and if you have any questions for Ashley I know she will be around the site to answer them!   

Do you have any other great resource saver ideas? 

Tool Time: Project Life

As a new feature of the Less Stress blog, I would like to take the time on a weekly basis to look at tools that help us utilize our resources the best we can! To kick things off I want to show you one of my favorites ...

Project Life is something that helps me use my time, energy, effort and financial resources in very effective ways!  If you love to take pictures of your kids, then you will love this! If you dont, then you will want to so you can work on this project for your family! :) 

I find that it is a great way to for my kids to remember all they have to be grateful for ..looking at all the activities they get to participate in, the friends they have, how much their parents love them, etc. This binder is sturdy enough to handle kids taking a look on a regular basis :)

I am sad that the project is currently backordered, but I understand that it should be available again after the first of July.  You will want to take a look!

This product Works for Me ..its one more way we can make a few resources go a LONG way! :)

Tell me what you think ...of the product..not the video skills :)