Flourish at Home

In the previous episode, we began talking about my FREEDOM toolbox--7 tools for making the most of our time so that we can live balanced, peaceful lives. These are the tools: * Focus * Reflect * Educate * Eliminate * Discipline * Organize * Multitask Today we'll look at the third tool: Educate. It's easy for homeschooling moms to get so caught up in educating our children that we forget about educating ourselves! We can get caught up in curriculum, lesson plans, and goals for our children that we completely neglect our own personal growth. But the truth is that we ALL need to expose ourselves to new ideas and new strategies on a regular basis for all three major life areas: personal, family, and business. You need to sharpen your own skills and broaden your mind, learn new ideas and methods for training and educating your children and running your household, and discover new ways to build your business, if you have one. In addition, if you want your children to value reading and learning, they need to see YOU reading--for pleasure as well as for learning. In this episode of the “Flourish at Home” show, you’ll learn a variety of ways to make the most of your reading, such as keeping a reading journal, writing in your books, and keeping a record of your reading. Maybe you’re thinking, “Sure, I’d like to read more, but I don’t know how I can possibly fit it into my life. I already have too much to do without adding one more thing!” You’ll also discover practical tips for fitting learning into your life, such as taking advantage of the wide variety of formats available now, using audiobooks to multitask, using family time for independent reading as well as reading aloud, and the always-popular reading at bedtime. Join us for encouragement and practical tips to keep learning and growing throughout your entire life!

* Are you often discouraged and overwhelmed? * Are you paralyzed by a to-do list so long that you don’t know where to start? * Are you drowning in clutter so that you can never find what you need? * Do you easily get distracted and lose your focus? * Do you feel guilty that you don’t meet someone else’s Supermom standards? Would it surprise you to learn that other moms have faced all of these challenges? I’ve certainly struggled with all of them myself! The truth is that NO ONE CAN DO IT ALL. We all have to make wise choices about what we can realistically do from among our seemingly impossible to-do lists. Every single one of us has to find peace in the space between the ideal and reality. In practical terms, a lot of this boils down to managing our time well. Time is the environment in which we live our lives and make decisions. It’s our most priceless resource because it’s the one thing we can’t get any more of. No one will ever have more than 24 hours in a day...but some people use their time much more efficiently and effectively than others. Learning how to protect and prioritize your time will help you be a good steward and use it for what’s most important. We often talk of managing time, but what we’re really managing is our lives. I’ve come up with 7 tools for making the most of our time so we can live balanced, peaceful lives. I call this the FREEDOM toolbox. The tools are: * Focus * Reflect * Educate * Eliminate * Discipline * Organize * Multitask Today we’re going to talk about the first two tools: Focus and Reflect. Then, in future episodes of the “Flourish at Home” show, we’ll look at the rest of the FREEDOM tools.  

In episode 12, we looked at the first 3 of 7 powerful planning tools to help you organize your busy life: Big Dream, Yearly Goals, and Monthly Calendar. In this episode, we'll look at how to use the last 4 tools: * Weekly Plan * Daily Tasks * Running To-Do List * Stop-Doing List If 7 planning tools seem a bit overwhelming, feel free to fit them to tweak your own life. Just remember that no matter how many forms or lists you use, you still have to make decisions in each of these 7 categories. One mom who implemented this system told me: These tools have given me a whole new mindset and have helped me to live more proactively. Before, I had good intentions and good plans, but they would often be derailed by life. I feel more in control now, and I'm able to work out the nitty-gritty details much more easily. I'm no longer as apt to drop the ball of planning ahead and working my plan. If you’d like to get my customizable planning forms free, visit my blog at www.FlourishAtHome.com for a free e-book, From Frazzled to Focused: 7 Planning Tools for Busy Moms. Or if you want my entire system—which goes far beyond these 7 tools, you’ll enjoy reading Flourish: Balance for Homeschool Moms, available through my website and other online vendors.

What Do I Do Next? Planning Tools (Part 1) As you go about your busy day, do you have a hard time deciding what to do next? How do you focus on what's most important, and how do you make tough choices when there are more tasks than hours in the day? What Do I Do Next? Planning Tools (Part 1) I've developed 7 powerful planning tools that will help you set long-term and short-term goals to evaluate, prioritize, and conquer your never-ending to-do list. In this episode of the "Flourish at Home" show, we'll look at how to make the best use of the first 3 of these tools: * Big Dream * Yearly Goals * Monthly Calendar In the next episode, we'll look at the 4 remaining planning tools. As you work with these planning tools, remember that they are your servants, not your masters. They are intended to help you focus on what really matters most to you. This quote from H. G. Wells is a great reminder: “We must not allow the clock and the calendar to blind us to the fact that each moment of life is a miracle and mystery.”

Think you're too busy to set goals? The truth is that the busier you are, the MORE you need to set goals and create a plan for meeting them! In this episode of the "Flourish at Home" show, I share how setting goals helped me move from the chaos of flying by the seat of my pants to a more peaceful, balanced life. You'll learn my strategies for setting specific, measurable, big, written, shared goals that will make a powerful difference in your daily life. If you want more encouragement, inspiration, and practical tips, you'll enjoy my book, Flourish: Balance for Homeschool Moms. It's available at www.FlourishAtHome.com.

Do you ever feel pressured to create a Pinterest-perfect Christmas? Let go of burdensome expectations and focus instead on creating meaningful traditions that you and your family can enjoy year after year . . . without losing your sanity! In this episode I share some of my own favorite Christmas traditions: keeping Christ in Christmas, decorating the tree and the house, collecting special ornaments, giving gifts, sending Christmas cards, and enjoying delicious food. I also share my family's favorite Christmas books, movies, and music, as well as funny stories, like the time our tree fell and why we outsource our turkey to Texaco. Finally, I offer encouragement to those who are alone at Christmas, as well as ways others can help bless them. For a list of the books, movies, and music mentioned in the podcast, along with a couple of my favorite holiday recipes, visit http://flourishathome.com/making-christmas-memories-without-sacrificing-sanity/. I'd love to hear about YOUR family's favorite Christmas traditions!

Homeschooling moms are sometimes so busy training our children that we can forget to examine our own hearts. Do you ever struggle with guilt or fear? Are you paralyzed by perfectionism? Are you ever tempted to complain  about your own life or to envy someone else's? On this episode of the Flourish at Home show, we’ll be talking about how we can make a choice every day to honor God with our thoughts, attitudes, and emotions as well as our actions.

Laundry and dishes and dust--oh my! Laundry and dishes and dust! Do you ever feel like you're walking through a dark, creepy forest, but instead of the unknown threats of lions and tigers and bears, you're facing a never-ending mountain of laundry and dishes and dust? Sometimes the busyness of life can overwhelm us and tempt us to forget the profound significance of our work as homemakers. In this episode, we'll consider the importance of homemaking with a grateful heart; learn some practical tips for housework, organization, and cooking; and find encouragement in the real significance of even the seemingly small tasks of our daily lives.    

Ironically, when your family is together almost all the time, it can be challenging to pull away from the demands of homeschooling to just enjoy being together and have fun as a family. But taking a break is good for parents and children alike. In this episode, I'll share some of my favorite ways to make special family memories, including building family traditions, spending one-on-one time with each child, exploring the world, and enjoying the journey as well as the destination. I'd love to hear from you. What special family traditions do you enjoy?    

Flourish At Home People often ask me how I manage to homeschool and run a home business as a single mom. One of the most important factors is that I have taught my sons how to run the household. In this episode, I'll talk about how to train your children to be independent and responsible, how to take initiative, and how to serve others cheerfully. These four things will prepare your children well for adulthood and contribute greatly to building a balanced life for your whole family now. These sample chore charts will give you an idea of how I allocated housework and other responsibilities among my sons at different stages of our family life: Training Your Children - Sample Chore Charts How do YOU teach your children responsibility, independence, initiative, and service? After you listen to the podcast, please leave a comment and share your best tips with us!

Are you committed to homeschooling but finding it hard to get it all done? Join Mary Jo Tate as she shares 6 of her best practical strategies developed over 18 years of homeschooling.

Are you considering homeschooling and wondering whether it will work for your family? Are you trying to choose curriculum? Are you an experienced homeschooler who could use a reminder of the benefits and a little encouragement? Join Mary Jo Tate as she explores the why, how, when, and where of homeschooling. You'll learn that there is NO One Right Way to homeschool because the right way for YOU to homeschool is what works best for you and your family.

Have you ever thought, “I could get everything done if I just had more than 24 hours in a day?” I’ve certainly fantasized about having more hours in my day! Time is our most priceless resource because we can’t get any more of it. Each person has exactly 168 hours a week—no more, no less. Think about the most productive people you've ever known or heard of—prolific authors, political leaders, military commanders, dedicated missionaries, CEOs, brilliant inventors, tireless volunteers, and so on. Now think of the least productive people you've ever known or heard of. They all have exactly the same amount of time each day. And so do you. The difference is that some people use their time much more efficiently and effectively than others. Learning how to protect and prioritize your time will help you be a good steward of the time you've been given and use it for what's most important. In this episode, we'll look at ways to evaluate how you're currently using your time and practical strategies to help you value, protect, and use it better.

Does your life seem like a juggling act? Do you feel like you're always dropping the ball? You're not alone! In this episode of the Flourish At Home show, Mary Jo Tate shares how to give up the juggling act, stop giving in to the tyranny of the urgent, and find a pace you can maintain for the long haul. You'll learn why balance isn't a myth, how to change the way you think about time, and how to find peace in the space between the ideal and reality. Join us if you're ready to trade in the juggling act for a more balanced life.

What is the Flourish At Home show about? Join your host, Mary Jo Tate, as she discusses the challenges faced by homeschool moms, work-at-home moms, and stay-at-home moms and shares her story of moving toward a more balanced life. She promises to be realistic and offer you an attainable standard while providing encouragement, inspiration, and motivation to help you balance your busy life!