~Home Management Basics~

To Whom it May Concern:

2009-11-21T08:15:00.004-05:00

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A Daily To-Do List

2009-02-06T23:37:00.003-05:00

Well, this has been long in coming. I have developed a Yahoo Group for this, but I figure it doesn't hurt to post it here also. Now, don't go into thinking that I get everything done every day. I just haven't the time to do as much as I want to, but a list of intentions is a start. Someday, when I am old and all my children are either older or married and living on their own, I will be able to tackle my list of to-do's, but for now I will wish it upon myself until I am able.

Monday & Thursday

Restore order from weekend & get children started on chores.
Wash weekend dishes
Fold Laundry in baskets
Clear & wipe Counter tops in Kitchen
Straighten shelf in pantry
Wash Laundry, clothing only.
Scrub Trash cans.
Plan Menu, Fix Dinner, lay out meat for Tuesday/Friday
Help children on jobs
Focus Cleaning: Kitchen/Mudroom (Mon.) Office/Windows (Thurs.)

Tuesday & Friday

Pick up bedroom floor & get children started on chores
Dust flat surfaces
Fold Laundry or Sew/Mend clothing
Wipe out Microwave & clean stovetop
Straighten floor/shelf in Pantry
Wash Laundry, Towels & tablecloths & sheets
Wash mirrors in bathroom & shower curtain if needed
Fix Dinner, lay out meat for Wednesday/Saturday
Help Children on jobs
Focus Cleaning: Living Room/Hallways (Tues.); Bathrooms/Dusting (Fri.)

Wednesday & Saturday

Dust mop bedroom floor & get children started on chores
Straighten shelf in Living room
Fold Laundry or Sew/Mend clothing
Clean out refrigerators
Straighten shelf in pantry or cabinet
Wash misc. laundry
Wash baseboards
Fix Dinner, lay out meat for Thursday, make meal for Sunday
Help KeriLynn/Christiana on jobs
Focus Cleaning: Bedrooms/Stairway (Wed.); Lord’s Day Prep (Sat.)

Daily Jobs

Wash cookie sheets, bread pans, skillets, etc. or anything that cannot fit in the dishwasher.
Clean and sweep all floors with the aid of my children.
Load Dishwasher (my younger son unloads it for me and sometimes loads it, too)
Home School
Manage to keep my sanity throughout the day with prayer
Practice speaking softly, and use kind words
Learn that life isn't about cleaning and keeping things perfect
Remember that whatever cleaning jobs I do is for the Lord, and my lord at my earthly home

Supply List for Homebirth

2007-07-06T10:19:00.000-04:00

Here is a list that my midwife gave me as I prepare for my homebirth. I did not write this up, but I thought that someone else might find this useful, and I can't lose it if it is in my Online Home Management Binder. (O;

SUPPLY LIST FOR HOME BIRTH

Here are the main things you need to prepare for the arrival of your new baby. I will bring the equipment and instruments that I deem necessary for my use. The things listed below are best provided by the parents as they are items that you will need for your comfort and use during labor and birth and postpartum recuperation. Most of these items can be purchased at a local drug store. If you have trouble finding them, please let me know so that we can insure that you have the supplies before you need them.

Bulb syringe, rubber ear type, 3 oz
Olive oil
Disposable underpads, 2 dozen
Sanitary napkins, for heavy flow, 2 dozen
Old washcloths,
Crock pot, if available
Old sheets for the labor bed
Plastic sheet, mattress protector or shower curtain
Topical alcohol
Old receiving blankets or towels ( for catching the baby)
Baby’s cap and booties
Large trash bags, 1-2
Large bowl for the placenta
Quick energy foods, such as fruit juices, yogurt, etc

If you notice, she did not put on here an cord clamp and a few other items...she brings those to my home when I am in labor.

Preparing for the Lord's Day

2007-06-05T09:01:00.000-04:00

Here is a list of things that I do during the week in preparation for the LORD's Day:

Wash dark church clothes with tights (my girls wear tights in the wintertime, and socks for summer), put away one pair of tights for each of my girls..
Gather church shoes & put in a special place.
Wash whites with socks & put away one pair for each of my boys.
Pack diaper bag & make wet wipes if necessary. I try to pack the diaper bag with the following items: change of clothes for baby, change of clothes for the one who's potty training, diapers, 2 pull-ups, wet wipes, books for baby, snack for baby, 3 drink cups if fellowship Sunday, water & snack for mom for low blood sugar (if pregnant), allergy medicine for child w/milk allergy if fellowship Sunday, bags for stinky diapers, diaper rash cream, mini baby powder, towel & receiving blanket (if nursing).
Press dresses, shirts, and pants to make ready for Sunday.
On the first & third Sundays we have fellowship meals, therefore one hot dish & one cold dish or dessert needs to be made (I generally make something that my daughter with the milk allergy can eat). Usually this is done on Saturday & the hot dish is put in the crockpot.
Gather Bibles, pens, sharpened pencils, & notebooks; put these items in Dad's briefcase.
Saturday evenings ALL the children get showers or baths.
Sunday mornings, after I have dressed, I fix the girls hair, & get them dressed after breakfast, which is usually cold cereal. The boys get themselves dressed and when we are ready to go, they help the little girls with their coats and get them in the van.
I try to take a shower or bath during the day on Saturday so my hair can dry naturally.

The goal is not only to get to church on time, but to have a peaceful morning getting ready as well. When we are well prepared, our LORD's Day morning is much more relaxed and goes more smoothly.

To Do List for each day...

2007-06-04T17:22:00.000-04:00

These lists are still in progress, however these tasks are done in addition to the basic to-do list....
And if you are wondering, I try to accomplish these tasks, I don't ALWAYS get everything done, these are my GOALS. If I do what is on the lists, I can expect my house to be clean and somewhat organized.

MONDAY

Wash dark-colored church clothes and tights (in the wintertime).
Wash hubby's jeans and work clothes.
Wash my dark-colored dresses.
Gather church shoes together and hide (put in special place, so they don't get lost).
Pay online bills for the week.
Prepare Assignments for Shurley Grammar for the week.
Make a Menu Plan and post for Menu Plan Monday.

TUESDAY

Wash whites and hide 1 pair socks per child for church.
Wash boys' dark-colored clothes & jeans.
Wash girls' dark-colored dresses & shirts.

WEDNESDAY

Wash dark-colored towels.
Wash dark-colored sheets.
Wash girls' light-colored dresses and shirts.

THURSDAY

Wash light-colored towels.
Wash light-colored sheets.
Wash my light-colored dresses & shirts.

FRIDAY

Wash boys' light-colored clothing.
Wash ALL remaining whites.
Scrub toilets, sinks, showers and bathtub.

SATURDAY

Prepare Sunday meal.
Mop kitchen & bathrooms.
Straighten shelves in all rooms.
Dust.
Straighten & vacuum bedrooms (children do their own bedroom & I vacuum).
Go grocery shopping if necessary.
Give kitchen a good cleaning (countertops, etc.)
Vacuum stairwells.
Wipe appliances.
Take 15 minutes to clean on office.
Bathe children for church.
Lay out church clothes.
Make muffins or lay out breakfast items for breakfast on Sunday.

Again, these lists are still in progress. I don't always get everything done, but I try. I am motivated by trying to beat the timer...I set it for twenty minutes for a somewhat challenging job, if I don't get it done in that time and I am almost finished, I will set it for 5-10 more minutes.

Basic To Do List

2007-06-04T17:19:00.000-04:00

These tasks I am usually able to complete everyday, with the exception of being able to get 2-4 loads of laundry done, that is not always possible. This list would also fall under my shortened to-do list.

Read Bible.
Unload dishwasher (children).
Load & run dishwasher.
Homeschool.
Wash 2-4 loads of laundry.
Fold laundry & put away.
Quick as a flash, floor pick up. (children)
Sweep kitchen floor.
Vacuum carpeted floors, if needed.
Dinner Prep & Clean up.

Caring for a Newborn

2007-04-17T16:27:00.000-04:00

Many know how to care for a newborn, but I had my last baby at home and my midwife gave me a few tips and tricks for caring for a newborn. Here they are:

Olive Oil: Use olive oil on the babies bottom each time you change a diaper, this is especially important for the first few days because of the meconium that they are eliminating from their systems. The olive oil keeps the meconium from sticking to their bottoms.
Alcohol & Cotton balls or Q-tips: We all probably know this one, but doctoring their umbiblical cord stump with alcohol and a cotton ball or Q-tip with each diaper change will help their cord to dry up & fall off faster.
Blanket Swaddling: Wrapping your newborn up in a blanket with his/her arms to their sides can help to calm the baby and make them feel secure. It also helps the mother in her attempts to nurse.
Colic: If your baby is colicky it could be due to low magnesium levels. Low magnesium levels can cause a great deal of pain from gas or any disturbance in a newborn. If you are nursing, you can simply take extra magnesium or you can give your baby homeopathic colic medicine (liquid or tablets). Vitamin B deficiencies and food allergies could also be possible problems with your baby. You could also try a catnip/fennel tincture--2-3 drops in distilled water--given to your baby; that helped with my last baby.
Burping Baby: Have you ever had trouble burping your newborn? My last baby screamed for 3 hours after she nursed right after birth, she needed to burp. I nursed her and nursed her; finally while lying on her right side, she burped and settled down to sleep for the rest of the night. There are many ways to burp a baby, I often try setting them up and placing my hand under their chin while patting them gently on the back. Rocking them back and forth in this same position also helps. But when they start to wiggle, that usually means that they have to burp.
Cradle cap: When your baby has cradle cap they have this yellowish scaley skin all over their head. Their are a few treatments for this: olive oil, vitamin E, or baby oil can be rubbed into their scalp; let it soak in for several hours and then brush it out with a soft brush.
Increasing Your Milk Supply: A few herbs that can help with your milk supply are: alfalfa, blessed thistle, fenugreek, red raspberry, fennel, and anise. Low milk supply could also be from fatigue or sickness, if so try taking zinc, brewer's yeast, selenium, and vitamin E. Drink plenty of water, 8 ounces in between each feeding is recommended, but you may need more. Low fatty acids can inhibit the milk supply also; flax seed oil, evening primrose oil, borage oil (taking one of these supplements) and walnuts can help to restore the balance.
Positioning baby while Breastfeeding: A quote from one of my readers, "For encouraging the milk to come in and for increasing milk supply it has really helped me to use all sorts of different nursing positions. From the traditional cradle hold to the football hold and everything else in between. the reason being that with each new position the baby is sucking from a different angle and the milk ducts get fully opened."~written by Mama at Mama's Thoughts and Questions

I am sure that there are many other things that I could include, if you have any additions or ideas, leave me a comment and I will continue to tweak this list until I feel it is complete.

Homemade Baby Wipes

2007-04-17T09:27:00.000-04:00

Homemade baby wipes are very easy to make, and very inexpensive. I have used them for several years now. One thing that I have noticed about these wipes is that you don't have to worry about your child's skin reacting to these wipes. Just about everything you need for these wipes you probably already have.

Homemade Baby Wipes

1 1/2 cups water, if your wipes have a tendency to mold, use distilled water or a drop of tea tree oil
baby oil (a couple squirts, equivalent to 1/2-1 teaspoon)
baby bath (one squirt, 1/4-1/2 teaspoon)
1/2 roll Bounty paper towels (you have to use Bounty, nothing else will work)
1 container that will fit the paper towel roll, I use a plastic shortening container, it fits the paper towel roll perfectly.

Instructions:

Using sharp knife or an electric knife cut the roll of paper towels in half. If you are not using an electric knife, it is best to use a sturdy straight edge knife with a long blade. Use precautions, you might want to do this when the children are in bed. My husband uses his band saw to cut ours in half, but when he did not have a band saw, I used an electric knife.

Once the paper towels are cut in half, pull out the cardboard center and mix together the water, oil, and baby bath. Pour into your container and very carefully put the paper towels in (which are still in the roll) making sure that you pull out the corner of center paper towel so that it is easy to grab. Put the lid the container and your wipes are done. To help distribute the wet wipe solution, you can place the container upside down for 30 minutes, otherwise it will eventually absorb all the liquid on its own.

Grocery List

2007-04-05T06:15:00.000-04:00

creamy peanut butter
baking soda
toilet paper
tomato puree
salsa
potatoes
canned green beans
canned corn
soy sauce
chicken bouillon
beef bouillon
flour tortillas
paper plates
dish detergent
brown gravy mix
powdered sugar
dishwasher gel tabs
wax paper
children's allergy medicine
trash bags
light bulbs

To Do List: Things to Remember

2007-04-05T06:04:00.000-04:00

Cook sausage for pizza.
Lay out London Broil Steak for Saturday.
Lay out hamburger for Friday.
Make hamburger rolls.
Find all Leftovers in refrigerator for tonight.
Freeze leftovers not eaten.
Make something new from rice & such.
Wash whites.
Wash dresses.
Clean toilets.

Home Remedies for Coughs, Colds and Stomach Virus

2007-04-04T16:21:00.000-04:00

For Children 2-3+ years and Adults:

Cold, Cough & Earache Remedies:

Honey and lemon: Mix 1 part lemon juice to 1 part honey. Mix well, may mix together better if you heat it for a few seconds in the microwave. This is good for soothing a cough, it is also good for a cold because of its healing properties. I don't know HOW it works, I just know it does.
Vitamin C: Ester C is best but it is also the most expensive. Ester C is good because it absorbs into the body better and is not wasted in the through any of the bodily functions. I usually follow the directions on the bottle, but if your child is sick you can give them 250-500mg of the standard (not Ester C) Vitamin C, 3 times/day for a child 2+ years, but if they get diarrhea then lower their dosage.
Chicken soup: Of course we all know how to make this, but just in case, here is a simple method. Dice 1 whole chicken breast or use chicken that you already have cooked, add water to cover, 1 tsp poultry seasoning, 1 tsp garlic salt, 1-2 diced onions, 4 diced carrots, 2 diced celery sticks, & 2-4 diced potatoes if you are not adding noodles. Cook everything well & serve. Why all these veggies? Onions have the same properties as garlic, they help the infection, carrots are high in beta carotene heals the inflamed mucous membranes and strengthens the immune system, celery has wonderful cleansing properties, and potatoes are high in Vitamin C. If you or your child don't want to eat the chicken & veggies, drink the broth, it will also help.
Garlic: Why use garlic?Here is why: it is a natural antibiotic, it calms a cough, and because of its natural infection fighting properties it actually may help you get better faster by destroying the free radicals in your system. Use garlic internally for earaches, too. Remember we are fighting infection here!
Giving Garlic to Children: You can give garlic to children by hiding it in a spoonful of applesauce. Here's how: Take a spoon and put a little applesauce on the spoon so that it covers the whole surface. Make an indention in the applesauce with your finger and put 1/8-1/4 tsp garlic powder or the contents of a garlic capsule (the ones with the gelatin shell & powdered garlic inside) in the indention, then cover it with a little more applesauce.
Garlic for Adults: Take 1-2 garlic capsules or tablets 3 times a day.
Treatment for Earaches: You need a towel and cotton ball. Peroxide: Warm up a little peroxide in the microwave for 5-15 seconds until lukewarm in a medicine cup. Then use a dropper to put it in the ears & dry with a towel. This will clean out the infection. Sweet Oil or Olive oil: Heat the sweet oil up in a cup of hot water for about 8-10 minutes. You put the warm oil in the ears with a dropper, and put a cotton ball in the ear to keep it from dripping everywhere. The warm oil will soothe the earache and help it to get better, but it must be warm. Cold olive oil does not have the same healing properties as warm olive oil.
Echinacea, Zinc & C Lozenges: Echinacea is known for speeding up the immune response, Zinc has healing properties, as does Vitamin C. 1/4 - 1/2 lozenge for children.
Fenugreek & Thyme: Helps to thin the mucous, & helps sinus pressure. This is good for allergy symptoms, too. I only use this for adults.

Diarrhea & Vomiting Remedies Or At Least Helps:

Blackberries: Blackberry jam, fresh or frozen blackberries, or blackberry juice (sweetened with a little sugar) will help to stop the diarrhea. This is an old remedy given to my mother for severe diarrhea in children (esp.) by a pediatrician.
Oatmeal gruel: This is simply over cooked oatmeal. You can make it by taking 3/4 cups oatmeal and adding 3 cups water, sugar to taste, and a pinch of salt. Cook this mixture until it resembles a thick pudding. When finished you can add vanilla for flavor. This is also a remedy given to my mother from a pediatrician.
Dry cereal & Crackers: Rice Chex, Cheerios, saltines, & circle cracker are always good. I don't know exactly how they work, but they just do.
Homemade Pedialyte: 2 quarts drinking water, 7 Tablespoons sugar, 1/2 teaspoon baking soda, unsweetened koolaid (optional) if you want to flavor it. This is good for diarrhea and upset stomach. This gets the fluid in and settle the stomach.

For those of you that also have children suffering from sickness, I hope this helps.

*NOTE: I am not a doctor, nor do I claim to be. I am simply a mother who has been there. I have tried every remedy that I have listed. If your child is prone to food allergies, PLEASE, please take precautions. Also, I am not encouraging you to not use a doctor, these are only recommendations and they are not guaranteed to help with all children and/or adults. If your child has experienced a long battle with an illness, please take them to the doctor!!!

Blessings!
Heather

What I would like to add to this Online Home Management Binder

2007-03-29T00:11:00.000-04:00

Edited: All things in BLUE are topics that I have covered thus far.

A list of Home Remedies with recipes included.
Homemade or natural baby supplies like wet wipes & recipes...
To Do Lists for each day of the week.
All Homemade Cleaners that I come across.
Herbs for Nursing and Pregnancy, what to use and what to avoid.
Homeschooling curriculum.
Charts and graphs for homeschooling.
Rules of the Home.
Gleanings from everyday life with many children.
Great sites for Homeschooling, Homemaking, Organization, etc.
Books that I use for information about herbs & natural healing from foods.
Gardening tips.
Five minute jobs.
Morning, Afternoon, Evening, & Before Bed Routines.
Cleaning goals for the month.
Rotating schedule for cleaning goals.
Laundry chart checklist.
Chore chart for children.
Room of the week for decluttering and deep cleaning.
Favorite recipes.
Weekly menu plan.
Meals in a Month, a look back.
How to reuse leftovers to make something new.
A journal on what I accomplished (for accountability).
Home School supplies needed.
Grocery lists for the month.
Sewing tips and tricks, maybe even a free pattern for girls quick & easy dress.
Homeschool: Complex art pictures that I have created.
Behaviors of a Proverbs 31 woman.
Femine dress: How to do it reasonably, from a financial perspective.

There is no specific order to these topics yet, just random thoughts.

My Current Schedule (2007)

2007-03-27T22:53:00.001-04:00

Name Time	Mom	T *** (9 1/2 yo B)	N*** (8 yo B)	K*** (6 1/2 yo G)	R*** (5 yo G)	C*** (3 1/2 yo G)	J*** (21 mo G)
6:30 a.m.	Try to get up	Handwriting	Sleeping	Sleeping	Sleeping	Sleeping	Sleeping
7:00 a.m.	Dress, Make Bed, Breakfast prep./ Read Bible to Children	Get Dressed 7:30 Breakfast	Get Dressed 7:30 Breakfast	Get Dressed 7:30 Breakfast	7:30 Breakfast	7:30 Breakfast	7:30 Breakfast
8:00 a.m.	Table & Diapers, Start Laundry 8:30 Math w/T	Table Clean up Dishwasher 8:30 Math	Table Clean Up Dishwasher 8:30 Handwriting	Table Clean Up Dishwasher 8:30 Letter Practice	Get Dressed Playtime	Get Dressed Playtime	Get Dressed Playtime
9:00 a.m.	Math w/T Check Laundry 9:30 Phonics w/N	Math 9:30 Reading	Handwriting 9:30 Phonics	Letter Practice 9:30 Phonics	Animals, Puzzles, Blocks	Animals, Puzzles, Blocks	Animals, Puzzles, Blocks
10:00 a.m.	Spelling w/N Check Laundry 10:30 Grammar	Spelling 10:30 Grammar	Math/Spelling 10:30 Grammar	Coloring at Table	Coloring at Table	Coloring at Table	Playing
11:00 a.m.	Grammar Check Laundry 11:30 Lunch prep Read Bible to Children	Grammar 11:45 Lunch	Grammar 11:45 Lunch	Coloring or Playing 11:45 Lunch	Coloring or Playing 11:45 Lunch	Coloring or Playing 11:45 Lunch	Playing 11:45 Lunch
12:00 p.m.	Lunch 12:45 Naptime Bible Reading	Lunch	Lunch	Lunch	Lunch 12:45 Naptime	Lunch 12:45 Naptime	Lunch 12:30 Naptime
1:00 p.m.	History/Bible	History/Bible	History/Bible	History/Bible	Naptime	Naptime	Naptime
2:00 p.m.	Science, Art, Music	Science, Art, Music	Science, Art, Music	Science, Art, Music	Naptime Quiet Play	Naptime Quiet Play	Naptime Quiet Play
3:00 p.m.	Tidy Up Time Training--All Floors & Make Bread	Tidy Up Time--All Floors Bring Laundry Down	Tidy Up Time--All Floors Bring Laundry Down	Tidy Up Time--All Floors Bring Laundry Down	Tidy Up Time Training--All Floors	Tidy Up Time Training--All Floors	Tidy Up Time Training--All Floors
4:00 p.m.	Dinner Prep	Play Outside OR Inside	Play Outside OR Inside	Play Outside OR Inside	Play Outside OR Inside	Play Outside Or Inside	Play Inside
5:00 p.m.	Kitchen Work	Set table, Load Dishwasher Free Time until Meal	Set table, Load Dishwasher Free Time until Meal	Set table, Load Dishwasher Free Time until Meal	Help Load Dishwasher Free Time until Meal	Help Load Dishwasher Free Time until Meal	Play time until Meal
6:00 p.m.	Dinner Clean Up	Dinner Clean Up	Dinner Clean Up	Dinner Clean Up	Dinner Clean Up Training	Dinner Clean Up Training	Dinner Play time
7:00 p.m.	Family Worship Help children prep. for Bed	Family Worship Get ready for Bed	Family Worship Get ready for Bed	Family Worship Get ready for Bed	Family Worship Get ready for Bed	Family Worship Get ready for Bed	Family Worship Get ready for Bed
8:00 p.m.	Bible Reading, Bath, Husband time, Bed	Bedtime	Bedtime	Bedtime	Bedtime	Bedtime	Bedtime