Time Saving Tips for Homescool Moms (and Dads)

One of the ideas for blog posts was time saving tips for home educators.  I have been turning this idea around in my head for a few days.  I am not sure if these are the best time saving ideas, but they have worked for me over the years.

1.  Your crock-pot is your best friend.  Really.  If you can get up  dump some items in this in the morning it will make you feel so much better throughout the whole day.  Dinner is cooking and you know it is taken care of.  Here is a past post I have written about my Crock-Pot.  I have links to crock-pot cook-books there as well.

2.  Have your kids help with cleaning.   Start by having your kids work along side of you.  Then gradually have them take them over on their own.  This takes time in the beginning, but is worth it in the end.  Have a list of chores that the kids are helping you with posted.  People have short memories.  Try to stop everything at a certain time of day and do the chores.  There are several good plans out there.

3. If your student is able to use a computer having at least one subject they use the computer frees up your time.    Maybe math facts, or spelling.  Research what works well for your family.  The Homeschool Buyers Co-Op has many great computer program to support your curriculum.

4.  There are hundreds of fabulous thing that you can do.  Amazing curriculum, crafts you can make, wonderful field trips to go on, and experiences for your kids.  You can not do them all no matter how hard you try.  You have to make choices.  I sit down each year and make choices.  They are hard choices.  It is easy to think more is better when sometimes more is just  more.  This year we took out an activity we loved at our home. I am so thankful that we did.  This freed up time and has allowed all of us to take a breath, and try new things.  Don't feel bad about making the choice not to do good activities.

5.  Set a limit on your social media time and media and try to stick with those limits.  This is so hard for me personally.  I love people and love to know what they are doing.  But, when I limit my time my day goes so much better.  There are apps that help you keep track of your time.  Or use a beeping timer and set it for 15 minutes and just stop!

6. Any kind of system you can create for things at your house is helpful.  For instance we have a special bag and place for library books going back.  I have a barrel for clothing that is being donated.  A place for hats and coats.  Start trying to implement one system per week.  It will help you greatly.

7.  If you can lay your student's work out the night before it will make your day go so much smoother.  I am a fan of staging for the next day.

8.  I try to make a list the night before of things I need to accomplish the next day.  That helps me have a much better day!

These are just a few.  I would love to hear from others how they save time. 

Why I love My Crock-Pot Updated Post.

Growing up my mother use to rave about her slow cooker.  I still remember her bright orange one humming along in our very brown wallpapered kitchen.  She tried to convince me of the wonders of the slow-cooker and the thrill of knowing dinner was taken care of early in the morning. I foolishly just smiled at her, but  now I thank her for her wisdom as I plug in one of my 3 slow-cookers.
I want to describe to you my cooking style, or lack of cooking style. I often joke I am a food arranger  and not a much of a cook.  I do things like put yogurt and cottage cheese in bowls, arrange vegetables, put hot dogs in buns. . you get the picture.  My college roommate Sue told me her goal in this life is to never cook a Thanksgiving dinner, and to that I replied Amen!  So when I talk about how I love my slow-cooker, you know this is remedial cooking.

My   favorite cook  books are The Make it Fast, Cook it Slow, and More Make it Fast, Cook it Slow.  Stephanie O'Dea, the author, also has a blog with many slow-cooker recipes.  Her recipes are gluten free, but can easily be switched if you can eat gluten.  I would recommend starting with the book from the  library and moving forward if you like it.  We have many picky eaters in our house  and  like that the recipes do not have many ingredients.  But, that may not be your thing. Currently, we are partial to her Sloppy Joe recipe,since every single person in our house actually eats it.  We also like her Coq Au Vin,  and spinach casserole recipes.  She has a section on slow-cooking to taste like take-out.  You gotta love that!

 The other slow cooker book I am trying out is the Slow Cooker Revolution: by the editors of America's Test Kitchen.   We love the other Test Kitchen books and like this one as well.  Another good library book. 

So to end, I want to share with you why I love my  slow-cooker.  You may hum a happy tune as you read.
1. In the summer it does not heat up my whole house.
2. I dump the ingredients in and they magically come out OK.
3. I smell dinner all day as I homeschool and know that it is taken care of.
4. It makes me feel like a better person in preparing healthy meals for my family.
5. It is not very messy.
6. Lastly, it is as close as a food arranger gets to serious cooking.
Happy Cooking! 
Becky