The Semiconservative Granola Girl

Close to Home Living

Suddenly a Home School Mom

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Wow. It’s been quite a week and weekend. It’s so hard to watch our counties and country shut down. To worry about my parents, my in-laws, my aunts all of whom have underlying medical conditions which make them vulnerable. This corona virus thing is happening. So all we can do is adjust. And, since I am suddenly a home school mom, I thought I would share a little of what we are doing to insure that, at least at home, we have routine.

Please note:  This post contains affiliate links, many of which are to Amazon.  We are an Amazon Affiliate.  If you click through to Amazon or another affiliate and make a purchase, we make the tiniest little commission which does not affect your purchase price.

Suddenly a Home School Mom: homeschooling during the CaronaVirus Quarantine | free homeschool resources | distance learning

A Little Background

A week and a half ago (3/11/2020), the teachers in my building were called to a “stand-up meeting.” That just means the meeting is going to be quick. At that meeting, we learned that the district administration felt it was almost inevitable that we would be shutting our doors before Spring Break which for us is still 3 weeks away. By Friday, we were told to take home anything we might need at home because if they called it, the building would go completely off-line.

It turns out, the first case of “community spread” of the COVID-19 Virus in our area is an employee at the middle school which is attached to the high school I work in. Getting that call was like a kick in the stomach. I had anticipated closing and pulled books to send home with my AP kids. But in no way did I think it would be so close to home so quickly.

We are closed “until further notice.” That’s a pretty daunting phrase. My kids’ school is also closed until further notice. My husband’s school currently has a end date of April 12 which would be the end of our Spring Break. That’s a lot of time for kids to be missing school. My own and my students (who theoretically have state and AP exams looming).

So I am suddenly a home school mom.

Suddenly a Home School Mom

What exactly does that mean? During the summer, we read very consistently (alone and together), but we do a lot a supplemental activities to try to prevent the summer slide (you can read about that here). But, those are things we just can’t do right now. In fact, most of the places that we go are closed. So now what?

Immediately, I made a plan with the idea that two hours of academics would probably be best considering that my husband and I also still have responsibilities to our schools.

We are starting each day with a prayer, then reading. Sunshine reads on her own while one of us needs to sit with The Boy for his reading. For his reading we are reading books from around the house, using an app that our school district subscribes to, The Dr. Seuss iPad app (we pay for the upgrade) and sight word flash cards.

Reading is followed by math. At the moment, we have not yet gotten materials from our school districts, so we are working with what we have. Sunshine has been using Eureka math videos to work on fractions. She has playing games on iReady (which I think might be a subscription that our school district pays for). We are working on money skills with The Boy.

The rest of time we are using either for science or social studies. The Boy has been studying owls. I started with that because we have this National Geographic early reader book. There are several books in the IRLA app as well. Sunshine asked to learn about the Civil War because they “skipped that” in school, so I have been pulling reading assignments from CommonLit.org.

We are also making sure to get outside everyday and play board games. Our current favorite is Farkle. It’s so good for my son’s math skills.

Suddenly a Home School Mom: homeschooling during the CaronaVirus Quarantine | free homeschool resources | distance learning

Free Resources for CoronaVirus Homeschool

That got me thinking, I know about some of these resources because I am a teacher. However, if you are suddenly a home school mom, you may be desperate for free resources to use with your children. So here is a list I have compiled. Some of these are always free and some are only free while we are in this crisis.

For All Ages

Teachers Pay Teachers is a site where teachers can self publish materials for other teachers to use in their classrooms. In full disclosure, you should know that I have my own store: Jeanmarie Teaches English. My products are geared for high school English and AP Literature. Many of my materials are Common Core Aligned. However, on TpT there are lots of free materials for students of all ages. Right now teachers are publishing products specifically for digital learning and to help parents who are trying to navigate this home school thing.

Audible (affiliate link) is offering 100s of titles for free at audible.com/stories. Sunshine has already taken advantage of that. She loves listening to audio books all of the time, but right now, she is listening and doing amazing embroidery. #shes10.

Suddenly a Home School Mom: homeschooling during the CaronaVirus Quarantine | free homeschool resources | distance learning

How about a Virtual Field Trip. We are Teachers has compiled a list of 25 Virtual Fields Trips. You should also check with your local museums and zoos to see what they have going on. I know the Rochester Museum and Science Center sent out an email that they had posted new on-line experiences. I am going to see what I can find to help my daughter with her desire to learn about the Civil War. When I find something, I will share. The Boy might just have to study sharks when we are done with owls!

If you have read any of my previous posts about reading with my family, you know that I am a fan of Sarah McKenzie and The Read Aloud Revival. She is a home schooling mom and has lots of resources here.

Check out your own public library to see which app they are using for additional access to free audio books and free e-books. Our library system uses Libby, but my school district is in uses Overdrive. Sunshine has borrowed an e-book on the Civil War.

For the Littles

We Are Teachers has compiled of list of authors who will be doing virtual read alouds. And we will SOOOOOOOO be attending Mac Barnett’s Instagram Live Readings. One of of our favorite books is Billy Twitters and his Blue Whale Problem. Grown ups can watch Barnett’s TED Talk for inspiration on extension activities. (And a hint about it on Barnett’s website.)

For the Middles and Bigs

TED ED (TED Talks for School and Education) and TED Talks are great for students and adults alike. We are Teachers have compiled a list for middle grades and up. The TED ED videos are usually under 10 minutes and they are often animated. I use these in my classroom and may also use them with Sunshine.

Common Lit is a web site that my English teacher friends and I frequently use in out classes. There are lots of short reading passages (fiction, non-fiction and poetry) for grades 4 and up. Often times the suggested grade level is just that. Sometimes it has more to do with interest than ability, so keep that in mind. It’s free. It’s always free.

You can sign up with Google to create an account which would allow your to assign passages on line; however you will still need to “grade” the short answer questions. (It automatically does the multiple choice). I have been printing them for Sunshine. I want her to read print materials as opposed to reading on screens, so I prefer to give them on paper. You do need an account to access the PDFs.

Poets.org annually offers a program called Dear Poet that connects students with contemporary poets through letters. Check here for the lesson.

For the Bigs

Here is one more that is just for high school kids. Beginning Wednesday, March 25, 2020, The College Board will be offering free remote review courses for all AP courses. And yes, I will be watching too. These will be recorded so you will not have to access them live.

Home Schooling for Now

Let me know how your homeschooling is going. Let me know what I can do to help you, especially if you have Bigs. I told my son’s teacher that she can keep the littles. I am NOT a teacher of littles. But I sure do get the Bigs. I’ve been giving my students (regular and AP) writing prompts each day. These are intended to help them process and help them document. If this is something you could use for your virtual students or your biological ones or for yourself, feel free to reach out.

Please also share great free resources you have found for your Home School Journey in the comments below.

Play Games at Dinner

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So here’s a fun idea to try.  Play a game at dinner tonight.  We don’t always do this.  Sometimes there is just not the time it takes to play games at dinner.  But pulling out a board game, or better yet, a card game is a great way to have a little fun and conversation with your family at dinner tonight.

The truth is, most people love to play board games and card games.  It is interactive and competitive and you have to use strategies and tap into the part of your brain that makes predictions and thinks ahead.  It’s just so good, I can’t even begin.

Play Games at Dinner | How and why we play games at dinner & a list of perfect dinner games

Play Games at Dinner

We often play games at dinner.  This is something that Jim and I did even before we had kids.  When we were first married, we played a lot of Cribbage and sometimes we even played Cribbage while we ate dinner.

In fact, it’s a little sad to me when Sunshine says, “Let’s play ….” and I have to say no because of time constraints or because my brain already hurts.

But really, playing games as part of your meal routine can do a lot.  It teaches your kids about turn taking and about strategy and about losing, and about winning.  It adds a structure for conversation.  And, it is fun.  There a lots of great games out there, but here are a few that lend themselves to the meal table.

Oh, and most of these are sized perfectly to fit in a Christmas stocking or an Easter basket.  Many of these games have arrived at our house in just this way.

Note:  All links are Amazon Affiliate links.  If you click through and make a purchase, we, here at The Semiconservative Granola Girl, make a tiny little commission which does not affect your purchase price.

Play Games at Dinner:  Suggestions

Uno

This one is a classic.  It’s easy enough for even young players and cards really lend themselves to the dinner table.  I even have an Uno pack that was given to me years ago that is waterproof and on a clip that  I keep in my purse for long waits in restaurants or other places with a flat surface. (Apparently, it is called Uno Splash.) If you can match your colors, Uno is the perfect dinner time game.  This a great game to start to play games at dinner with because it is accessible to even the youngest family members and it doesn’t take a lot of space!

Skip-bo

Skip-bo is from the makers of Uno.  It is a variation on a game that I used to play with regular playing cards when I was a kid.  There are piles in the center that you build from one to twelve while trying to make your own pile of 30 (or 20 or 10 for shorter games) cards go down.  It is a little complicated for littler kids but most kids 7 and up can get a hang of this one.  That being said, it is definitely a strategy game.

The Pigeon Wants a Match

This is a classic matching game except the images are all from Mo Willems Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus Series.  You may know from my post about Chapter Books Series for Young Readers that we are big Mo Willems fans.  This game came in The Boy’s Easter basket a few years ago and it was perfect for working on those memory skills and it looked darn cute sitting in his basket!

Set

Set is an ingenious game of making matches, well, sets really (not just two, but three cards).  But unlike a regular matching game, there are lots of variables involved in making sets.  You can make sets with colors, patterns or shapes.  The catch is that they must be all the same or all different. In other words, they can all be the same shape and same number, but three different patterns.  Or they can all be the same number while being three different patterns and three different shapes.  Initially, this game is a little tricky, but one you get the hang of how to make sets it is lots of fun.  The directions give a suggestion of practicing with only the solid cards, so we sometimes do this when we don’t have as much time to play games at dinner or when The Boy wants to play.  This is another one that I keep in my purse for times that we have to wait.

Quiddler

Quiddler is a fun word game that I was introduced to a long time ago, before I was married and before I had kids.  Each card has a letter and you exchange letters in your hand until you can make a word or words.   The game involves score keeping and each round the players get progressively more cards.  This is not currently one of the games I carry in my purse but this little round version would be the perfect purse addition once The Boy gets better at spelling.

Slamwich

This game is great for turn taking and being quick.  It’s kind of like the card game War, but with more twists and turns.  Each player has a pile of face down cards and the goal is to get all of the cards which you do by laying cards on the game pile and trying to spot a Slamwich.  A Slamwich is

Clue

    
We most often play card games at dinner due to space; however, Clue or more specifically, Harry Potter Clue is an exception when we have more time.  Sunshine got Harry Potter Clue for Christmas last year and there was many a dinner during that holiday break where we were trying to manage our meal around the Clue board.  Of course, Clue is the Whodunit game that takes you around the mansion or around Hogwarts in search of clues to figure out just who is responsible for murder or the curse.

Perfect Stocking Stuffer Games | Play games a dinner

A Basket of Games

Just like we keep piles of books next to our beds and a basket of books filled with Christmas books, we keep a basket of dinner time games in the kitchen near the table.  So when we have a more relaxing night, we can pull out a game.  In fact, we play Uno so often that our cards are a little bit dinner sticky and sit on the lazy-Susan right on the table!

We hope that you will join us in playing games at dinner.  Let us know how it goes when you play games at dinner.  Oh, and let us know which games you like best for dinnertime fun!

And, if you are looking for other fun activities to do with your family this holiday season, check out my series from 2017:  25 Days of Christmas Activities.

PS. This post contains affiliate links. When you click the link and make a purchase through the link, we make a little money, this helps to keep The Semiconservative Granola Girl going. Thank you for your support.

Chapter Book Series for Early Readers

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We are readers in our house.  We all read a lot.  Everyone reads before bedtime.  We often do our read alouds as a whole family, all snuggled together in Mommy and Daddy’s bed.  And, lately, we’ve been totally into audio books in the car and while we are doing chores.  One of the things that I have found is that great chapter book series have really kept our kids looking for more.  We often read the first one together and then Sunshine is off and running. So this week I thought I would share our favorite chapter book series for early readers.

These books are probably most appropriate for 6-9 year olds and they vary in difficulty.  My favorite series are actually the ones where the difficulty progresses as the kids work through the series.  The Magic Tree House series is a perfect example.  This series starts out at a first or second grade reading level but then progressively become more difficult as the readers get into the upper numbers of the series.

Awesome Chapter Book Series for Early Readers | 7 awesome series suggestions

Note:  All links are Amazon Affiliate links.  If you click through and make a purchase, we, here at The Semiconservative Granola Girl, make a tiny little commission which does not affect your purchase price.

Awesome Chapter Book Series for Early Readers

The Magic Tree House

This is series about a brother and sister, Jack and Annie. They stumble upon a magic tree house in the woods near their Pennsylvania home.  The tree house, which doubles as a library, takes them back in time to solve mysteries.  And of course, they are always aided by books from the tree house library.  They must learn about the time period in which they land in order to get home again.

There is a little something for everyone too:  dinosaurs, knights, pirates, ninjas, mummies and the Wild West.  The Magic Tree House  series by Mary Pope Osborne delights both Sunshine and The Boy (who started listening to these at around age 4). Often my high school students will ask what we are reading at home. And when it is The Magic Tree House, they always speak fondly of having read them when they were younger.  I remember having a conversation about them with a group of seniors. One gleefully exclaimed, “Oh have you gotten to the Morgan books yet?!”

The Boxcar Children

This series came recommended to us by a friend (hi Joyce!). She is a retired teacher who told us that these books were enjoyed by her as a child and then in their rerelease by her own children.  Sunshine loves The Boxcar Children books by Gertrude Chandler Warner.  There is a simple charm about these books; a charm of a more peaceful time when kids could be left alone to fend for themselves with only intermittent adult involvement.

In the fist book, four siblings have been orphaned, but fear their grandfather will reject them because he had disowned their parents.  (He didn’t approve of their marriage.)  The children who range in age from 5 to about 12 eventually find themselves living in an abandoned boxcar (hence the title).  And before too long, they are reunited with their grandfather.  We read the first two books together, then Sunshine started bringing them home from the school library to read on her own.  Her school’s librarian was happy to see them go out because it had been awhile since they had received the kind of attention they were getting from Sunshine.

The Chicken Squad

Imagine my delight when I discovered that one of our favorite picture book authors, Doreen Cronin (of Click, Clack, Moo fame) wrote a series of chapter books called The Chicken Squad.  And we also love the companion series about J.J. Tully, the search and rescue dog who watches over the Chicken Squad.  Oh, and they are so clever.  Four chicks named Sugar, Boo, Dirt and Sweetie have misadventures in the farm yard. These range from helping a “Weird Blue Chicken” (known to most as a blue jay) recover her home from a pesky squirrel and figuring out what is in the mysterious box in the yard.  It’s a perfect series for new readers and read alouds too.  There is plenty of irony and humor to keep adults engaged too.

Kung Pow Chicken

As long as we are talking about chickens, we might as well add another favorite chapter book series for early readers:  Kung Pow Chicken by Cyndi Marko.  This is probably The Boy’s favorite series on the list because who doesn’t love a super hero chicken named Kung Pow Chicken.  And his sidekick is his brother, Egg Drop, who of course, is an egg.  And in the tradition of many superheroes, Kung Pow Chicken gets his powers from a science lab mishap.  He and Egg Drop are supported by their super scientist uncle who makes just the right inventions to help them on their adventures in saving Fowladelphia from fowl criminals.

These books might actually be in the graphic novel genre.  They are filled with humorous comic book style illustrations which are perfect for young readers. Oh and, the chicken puns abound for the adults.  We already read the first four and hoping book 5 will come out in time for Christmas.

The Princess in Black

Another hero chapter book series for early readers is The Princess in Black by Shannon Hale.  Who wants to be boring Princess Magnolia when you can be the monster fighting hero, The Princess in Black.  The princess meets up with monsters and scary hordes of bunnies and has play dates that go awry.  This is another series that Sunshine and I began together as a read aloud. However, she quickly moved on to reading them independently so that she could get through them faster.  Oh, and now that Sunshine is a little older she loves another Shannon Hale trilogy called The Princess Academy.

The Cobble Street Cousins

We tend toward series that seem to be of a simpler time.  A time before the interwebs. And a time when people relied on people.  The Cobble Street Cousins Series by Cynthia Rylant fits the bill.  These stories are about three cousins who live with their aunt because their parents are traveling performers.  Their aunt runs a flower shop in a small town.  The girls are permitted and encouraged to do nice things for their neighbors.  The first novel starts with the girls planning a cookie company In Aunt Lucy’s Kitchen to earn money for their summer vacation.  As a result, they meet many of their neighbors who show up in the future books.  When we worked our way through this series, it was just right for first grade Sunshine.  We took turns reading a chapter each.  And although the main characters are girls, The Boy listened right along.

Piper Green and the Fairy Tree

And yet one more chapter book series for early readers that brags a simple and uncomplicated environment.  Piper Green lives on an island off the coast of Maine.  She doesn’t take a school bus to school.  Instead, she hops on a lobster boat that takes her to the neighboring island for school.  In the first book, she discovers a Fairy Tree in her neighborhood.  She leaves a gift for the fairies and in return they leave gifts for her.  Is it really magic?  Does Piper actually suffer from too much good luck?  Piper is smart and funny and has great little adventures in her island world.

One More Suggestion

The Story of Diva and Flea

This book is not a series.  But, I sure wish it was.  The Story of Diva and Flea is the first (and only, to date) chapter book by Mo Willems of Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus and Elephant and Piggy fame.  We so love Willems books and illustrations.  Diva and Flea, is about a prim and proper little dog called Diva and a street smart stray cat named Flea. It was the first chapter book that really and truly held The Boy’s attention. (He had only just turned four the year he got it for Christmas). No one can resist a story about a cat and dog friends from two different worlds.  It has a sort of Lady and the Tramp air to it.  How can I beg Mo Willems to write more chapter books?

7 Awesome Chapter Book Series for Early Readers

We are Readers

So, as I said in the introduction to this post, we are readers here at The Semiconservative Granola Girl.  It is just one of the many ways that my attentions are stretched.  And it so much fun to discover great chapter book series for early readers which help to peak their interests and keep them reading.  I hope you will take the time to discover some new chapter book series to love with your early readers and that you find this list useful.

Oh, and we would love to know what series you and your early readers have read together (or independently).  The Boy is really still an emergent reader, so there is still time for us to find new and great chapter book series for young readers.  Leave your ideas in the comments below.

Looking for the perfect Christmas Picture books, check out my post on our top picks for Christmas reads.

PS. This post may contain affiliate links. When you click the link and make a purchase through the link, we make a little money, this helps to keep The Semiconservative Granola Girl going. Thank you for your support.

Make Packing School Lunch Easier

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So, as the summer winds down, I know that my nieces in other states are preparing to start school in the next week or so.  Here in the Finger Lakes Region of New York, we don’t start until after Labor Day, but I thought I would share some products that I have found to help make packing school lunch easier.

5 Tips to Make Packing School Lunch Easier

5 Tips for Packing School Lunches

Pick the Right Lunch Box

Make packing school lunch easier by choosing the best lunch box.

packing school lunch | tips to make packing school lunches easy and healthy

First, we love our Pottery Barn Lunch Boxes (affiliate link).  Sunshine will be starting fourth grade in just a few weeks and she has had three lunch boxes since the time she was three.  We replaced the first one because of our dog.  Although we probably used it for over year after it acquired the teeth marks.  I think I got her a new one for kindergarten.  The second one I replaced only because she asked for a new one after three years. It did not actually need to be replaced.  The boy originally had a lunch bag from a different company and I hated it.  It was super hard to clean which is a problem when you are packing lunch for a little boy.  Pottery Barn Lunch Boxes are easy to pack and easy to clean.  They have loops on the back so that they can be strapped to the outside of a backpack too.  It is worth it to invest a little more in lunch boxes.  A high quality lunch box can last your for several years.

We also have had great luck with Pottery Barn Backpacks.  Sunshine used her first one for 5 years and only upgraded because she needed the next size up.

Pick the Right Containers

Make packing school lunch easier by picking the right lunch containers for your needs.

packing school lunch | tips to make packing school lunches easy and healthy

I hate the idea of using throw away plastic bags for lunches.  It just doesn’t seem penny wise let along good for the landfills.  And, really, who like a squished sandwich.  My favorite containers are from Sistema.  They come in a variety of sizes, with snap-on or screw-on lids and in clear or in colors. There are square sandwich sized ones, round yogurt ones and a variety of smaller snack sizes.  We love the ones that have compartments like the two section one for homemade lunchables (see below), the dip one and the duo-sandwich box which is perfect for a sandwich, fruit and a snack.  The dressing cups can fit inside a small snack box for veggies and dip.  These containers stack well for storage and inside the lunch boxes.  I also use silicone cupcake cups in regular size and mini size to keep items separate.



For the adults, (and it’s school lunch for us too!) I often use mason jar with silicone sleeves.  I love taking foods that will be reheated in the microwave in a mason jar.  It just feels better about using glass for reheating.  I make a lot of homemade soups for school lunches and these silicone sleeves by Jar Jackets and leak proof lids have rocked my world.  The wide mouth pint jar size is perfect for soup.  Not only does the sleeve help protect the jar, but it makes the hot jar easy to handle as it comes out of the microwave.  They also come in an eight-ounce size which is perfect for cut veggies or fruit.  I use the jar sleeves along with lids that have a silicone liner so they will not leak. (My favorite lunch time soups:  Hearty Tomato–regular or Whole30/gluten free and Drumstick Chicken Soup)

Pick the Right Time

Make packing school lunch easier by doing it at the right time for you and your schedule.

I am not one of those moms who packs a weeks worth of lunches on Sundays.  Sometime, I will do two days of lunches at once, but rarely more than that.  I find that the easiest time for me to pack lunches is while I am making dinner.  We eat a lot of salad in our house, so it is easy to cut a few extra carrots or cucumbers at the same time. And the perfect time to make a peanut butter sandwich or put chicken nuggets in a container is when the meat is cooking or the Cheesy Ham Shepherd’s Pie or the Eggplant Bake is in the oven.  I can even get this done in the short amount of time it takes to make Baked Orange Garlic Salmon or Salmon Sliders.

Pick the Right Food

packing school lunch | tips to make packing school lunches easy and healthy

Make packing school lunch easier by picking the right healthy foods.

When my kids were younger, one of the teachers at our daycare complemented me on the lunches I made for Sunshine.  My husband said (as he often does), “It’s not a contest.”  But with lunch making, I actually think that it is.  I want my kids to have healthy lunches that they will eat.  My kids would eat Lunchables everyday if I would let them.  And for convenience, I do sometimes buy them.  I justify it because the are packed in a plant that is less than 10 miles from our house, so I am supporting the local economy by doing it.  However, more often, I make homemade lunchables.

No matter what goes in to lunches as the “main course,” I always include a fruit, vegetable and a little snack.  We go with the current kid favorites:  apple slices (for my boy with no front teeth), grapes, watermelon and cut veggies.

My kids would also eat peanut butter sandwiches everyday, but I try to create variety, so here are a few favorites at our house.

Homemade lunchables:  I cut deli meat and include crackers or mini pitas or mini bagels.

Chicken Nuggets with ranch:  I use frozen pre-cooked chicken nuggets or chicken strips or my homemade Whole30 Chicken Nuggets. (The frozen ones are thawed by lunch time.)

Peanut Butter Crackers:  Use graham crackers or butter crackers for variety.

Apple Slices and Peanut Butter or Almond Butter.  Get an apple slicer (love Oxo brand) to make these super speedy to whip up.  I put the nut butter in a silicone muffin cup because it is easier clean up.

Pick the Right Label

Make packing school lunch easier by using the right label.

I used to label all of our lunch gear with a sharpie; however, sharpie washes off in the dishwasher after a few washes.  Now, we are loving  Mabel’s Labels (affiliate link) here in our house.  They stick to all of our Sistema lunch containers and all of our water bottles.  And, they are dishwasher safe.  We have been using the labels for several years and despite weekly (or more) dishwasher runs, they are still firmly attached.  The same holds true on the clothing labels.  They have gone through both the washer and the dryer and they are stuck in place.

packing school lunch | tips to make packing school lunches easy and healthy

So here we are, ready to go back to school, and school lunches are right at the front of a working mom’s mind.  I hope that you found a few of these tips to be helpful!  Let me know if you have tips to make packing school lunches easier too.

PS. This post may contain affiliate links. When you click the link and make a purchase through the link, we make a little money, this helps to keep The Semiconservative Granola Girl going. Thank you for your support.

The Art of List Making

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Hey Friends, do you make lists?  I am almost obsessive in my list making.  And, believe it or not, this is not the first time I have written about it.  The last time was not for a blog, it was just a personal essay that I wrote for a college class.  Now, I write about the art of list making as a way to reaching out to my busy working mom friends.  Hopefully, just like my posts on meal planning, you will get some take aways that help you organize your Close to Home Living.

the art of list making

To say that I am busy right now might be an understatement.  I am teaching full time.  And, if you know anyone who is a teacher, you know that a lot goes into it.  If you know anyone who is a high school English (or History) teacher, you know that even more goes into it.  My own kids are involved in activities five days a week (and those are not all weekdays).  I am trying to make a go of this internet-blog thing.  My husband (who has had a side hustle for more years than I have) is looking for me to use my new-found web experience to help his business.  And, I still need to be present for my kids and husband as a mom and wife.  However, list making saves me.

I have to give some credit to Becky Higgins’s youtube video where she talks about her list making.  Her insights have helped me to focus my art of list making even further.  After you are done here, go check out her 5 minute youtube video.

What I have Learned

Compartmentalize

compartmentalize the art of list making

Because I am have three worlds that call for my attention.  It helps to make lists for each of these areas.  I used to just run my home and school list together (this was pre-blog).  When I did that, it didn’t keep my worlds separate, which I try to do as much as I can.  Having three separate lists (on one page) makes it easier to see what needs to be done where.  This is one of those things I learned from Becky Higgins.  She keeps two lists–business at the top and home at the bottom.  I keep three:  school (work) needs at the top and then I create two columns at the bottom for home and blog/husband’s business.  Now, if I have 5 minutes or 20 minutes, I can look at the list and find a job to fit the time I have and the place I am.

Use a Notebook

that art of list making notebook

Sticky notes used to be my go to.  I loved the big 4×6 size with lines.  However, sticky notes are easily misplaced.  And, it’s hard to carry them back and forth between work and home.  About a year ago, I started using a steno notebook.  It was easy to grab.  I can carry it in my “mom bag” (which is a purse and more–maybe I’ll do a post on that some day).

As a bonus, it helped me organize a few other aspects of my life.  For all you high school teachers out there–I printed class lists which I taped into the last pages.  Now, if we have an unexpected fire drill or I need to keep track of something, I can just grab my notebook.  Blogger friends, I have a brainstorming list in the back too.

I recently transitioned from the traditional steno notebook to the Becky Higgins Simple Notebook. (The steno notebook was full; I didn’t just change for the sake of a way cuter notebook!) Can we say love?  It’s just a little smaller than a steno, so it fits better in my bag.  And orange!  How did Becky know that I am totally smitten with orange!  Really, though, it is the perfect size for keeping your lists.

Use Bullets

I used to number.  But, the truth is, the numbers didn’t mean anything except the order that I thought of them, sort of.  When I stared using a highlighter (see Prioritize below), I started using bullets in stead of numbers.  This allowed the list to be exactly what it is–a brainstorm of what I need to get done over the course of the next few days (or even weeks).  So why bother at all?  Bullets do allow me to visually see that each line is also a list item.

Break Projects Down

the art of list making break it down

A pile of 75 essays is daunting.  And probably most of my mom friends out there don’t have piles of 75 essays. However, you do have big tasks that you need to get done.  And “clean the house” can be just a daunting.  But, those 75 essays actually belong to three separate classes of the same subject. (For those of you who haven’t been in the high school world in a while, I teach English 11.  I teach English 11 three times a day.  For the sake of round numbers, each those classes has 25 kids, hence 75 essays.)

For me part of the joy and art of list making is the ability to cross things off the list.  To feel ACCOMPLISHED.  So, I break those essays down.  They will appear as one line on my list, but I’ll write each section individually.  It’s a bit of a mind-game, I know, but I allows me to feel like I am making progress.  The same goes for tasks at home.  Clean the kitchen is a big task, so break it down:  empty the dishwasher, sweep the floor, etc.

Prioritize

Some things in our lives just need to get done first.  But that is not always the order we think of those things.  Or sometimes things come up during the day that actually take priority.  This is where the highlighter comes in (and why numbers are out!).  This is another tip that I picked up from Becky Higgins.  Think of your “to do” list as a brainstorming list of things you need to get done.  Not everything has equal weight.  Things come up.  Things that are more important come up throughout the day.  Are you going to make a new list each time?  Heck no!  You’d spend your entire day making lists.  Use a highlighter to help you prioritize and visualize what is most important.

Crossing things off and Start a New List

the art of list making cross it off

A major part of the joy and art of list making is that as list items get completed, I cross them off.  One last Becky Higgins tip, the permanent black marker.  That big black line makes it feel so DONE.  But, truly the important thing is crossing things off.  It allows you to see progress.  It allows your see accomplishment.  And, it allows you to feel control when the tasks at hand seem overwhelming.

Lists are fluid.  They change throughout the day.  Things are added.  Others are completed.  I try to keep the same list for a couple of days.  Usually, I start a new list every other day.  The usual trigger is when I run out of room (usually in my school tasks area).  Another trigger is when lots of things get crossed off.  Then, it’s nice to start fresh.

Starting a new list doesn’t mean starting over.  It means I copy the stuff that is not done to a fresh page.  I tear the old page out.  There is a sense of accomplishment in doing that too.

My Tools

tools for the art of list making

Currently, I am using a Becky Higgins Simple Notebook.  The one that says “Magic is Something You Make.”  It seems appropriate for how I am using it AND it’s orange (did I mention that already?).  It makes me happy.  My current pen is a Paper Mate Flair which I like to have on hand for another project I am working on. (Oh yes, Granola Girl Embroidery is coming!)  But if I am not using that, I love, love, love Paper Mate Ink Joy Ballpoint (black or blue for lists, but all colors have a role in my life).  My current black marker is a Bic Mark It, but I use Sharpie too.  And highlighters must have a clip on them.  The brand matters not.

One way I make sure that I have my tools is by having products with pen clips.  Then I can attach them to the spiral of the notebook.  This is actually another bonus in using a notebook–you can keep all of your list making tools together.

Happy List Making

the art of list making 6 tips

So friends, if your not a list maker, give it a try.  If you are a list maker, I hope you find new joy in the art of list making and that something in this post resonates with you.  I’d love to hear about your list making tips.

PS. This post contains affiliate links. Project Life/Becky Higgins and Amazon are affiliates.  When you click the link and make a purchase through the link, we make a little money, this helps to keep The Semiconservative Granola Girl going. Thank you for your support.

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Sunday Meal Planning

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Hey Friends, if you’re like our family, getting back into the school routine has been a little rough.  We we at our cabin right up until Labor Day.  And then the first weekend, James had a craft fair for The Boxery.  This last weekend was our first weekend “off.”  I took advantage and did a full on Sunday meal planning and prep for the week.

Saturday, I began by planning out the meals for the week based on our schedules and what I thought I could do on Sunday.  (I used my free meal planner.) Sunday morning, before church, I did the grocery shopping for the week.  (See 5 Meal Planning Tips to find out why I shop Sunday mornings.)

sunday meal planning and prep

 

The Menu and Our Schedule:

I used my meal planner (free!) and grocery list to reflect the following.

Sunday–dinner guests:  smoked country ribs with Coleslaw, Chive Deviled Eggs and caprese salad

Monday–swim team @ 5:30:  Smoked Italian Sausage, coleslaw, deviled eggs and caprese salad

Tuesday–faculty meeting (later getting home):   grilled chicken, butternut squash and garden salad with homemade Russian Dressing

Wednesday–thankfully, nothing extra!: Baked Eggplant

Thursday–violin lesson @ 5:45:  cheeseburgers with tomato slices, salad and tater puffs

Friday–swim team @ 5:30:  bake at home pizza from the supermarket

Saturday–smoked venison roast

Sunday Meal Planning and Preparations

After church, I got right to business.  I defrosted venison sausage to make Super Easy Venison Tomato Sauce.  While that was defrosting, I put 18 eggs on the stove to boil for Chive Deviled Eggs.  (The extras will go in a bowl in the refrigerator for a quick breakfast or after school snack.)

sunday meal planning hardboiled eggs

Once those were on the stove, I chopped onion and minced garlic for a double batch of sauce.  One will be used to make the Baked Eggplant,  the other will go in the freezer for a quick dinner on another evening.

stirring super easy venison tomato sauce

While the stove was working, I continued dinner preparations for Sunday.  I whipped up a batch of Coleslaw, made Chive Deviled Eggs with Sunshine and threw together some cut cherry tomatoes, fresh mozzarella and basil for caprese salad.  In addition, I put chicken breasts in a zipper bag with some store bought marinade.

Next up, I peeled, sliced, salted, and eventually, roasted eggplant to assemble the Baked Eggplant which I covered with foil for later in the week.

un baked eggplant

James was in charge of smoking the country ribs.  I am working on a whole big post about our new smoker, so more on that later.

Sunday Meal Planning makes Weekday Meals Easy

Monday, we unfortunately had a funeral to go to in the morning which allowed us the luxury of smoking some Italian sausage.  If we hadn’t had that time available to us, we could have done this up ahead.  I had it for lunch on Tuesday, and I actually think it was even better the second day.  The rest of the meal was leftover from Sunday, so it was just serve and eat.  This is perfect for a night we have to get out of the house early.

Tuesday night’s grilled chicken was amazing having sat in the marinade for a couple of days.  The rest of of the meal was easy to get going.  I cut the (small) butternut squash into four chuck which I started in the microwave (for 10 minutes) and then finished in the oven for another 20 minutes.

It is Wednesday afternoon as I finish up this post to go live tomorrow morning.  The Baked Eggplant is sitting on the counter to come to room temperature before I put it in the oven.  Having done all the work on Sunday has given me a few minutes to finish up this post before the kids get home.  In the last 15 minutes, I’ll make some pasta to go with this one, although it is completely unnecessary.

Thursday we are having cheeseburgers which doesn’t require any preparations ahead.  It’s another great meal to have on a night we need to be done early for an extracurricular activity.  We don’t normally have beef in our house, but I am a believer in buying meat that is marked down for quick use and this was a deal I couldn’t pass up.  (We usually have plenty of room in the freezer, so it’s a great deal for our family!)

Friday, I treat myself.  We get a bake-at-home pizza from the supermarket.  I stop on my way home from work and throw it in the oven when I get home, so that we can get out to swim team.  (Oh and The Boy started this week:  he looks like he’s drowning, but he’s already improve so much in just three practices.  I can’t wait to see how he does on Friday.)

Conclusion

5 things for sunday meal planning

Sunday Meal Planning and preparation is a great way to make you week go more smoothly.  This is not something I manage every week, but when I do, it is a blessing throughout our busy weekdays.  Tune in to see what we do in the coming weeks!

I would love to hear your meal planning questions and tricks.

PS. This post contains affiliate links. When you click the link and make a purchase through the link, we make a little money, this helps to keep The Semiconservative Granola Girl going. Thank you for your support.

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