Cindy Rushton

Tag: organize

  • Planning the Family Thanksgiving Meal the EASY WAY!

    The family unanimously decided that you are in charge of the Thanksgiving meal this year. Can you pull it off? Yes, with a little bit of planning ahead of time, you can throw a great family Thanksgiving get together without stressing or staying busy for weeks. The key is advanced planning

    Step 1: Make A Guest List.
    It’s next to impossible to determine how much food to buy and cook without knowing how many mouths you will be feeding. Contact friends and family early and request they RSVP by a certain date. Follow up with them in the weeks before Thanksgiving to make sure you know who is and isn’t coming. Plan for at least 2 extra guests – more if you are entertaining a larger crowd.

    Step 2: Plan the Meal
    Once you know how many guests you’ll have, then the fun begins. You get to dream about food. Of course, there are the old standbys like ham and turkey that you will probably be preparing, but there’s so much more to a wonderful Thanksgiving meal.

    First, contact family members to find out what they can each bring. That will help you to adjust your menu plan accordingly. Take note of everyone willing to bring a dish – even if they aren’t sure yet what to bring.

    Make a list of Appetizers, Main Dishes, Side Dishes, Breads, Salads, Soups, and Desserts. What would be your favorite Thanksgiving meal of all time?

    Do you have anyone with special dietary requirements? Perhaps your Uncle Stan is diabetic or Aunt Sally is allergic to peanuts. Be sure to keep their needs in mind while you’re planning. Try to offer some lighter, lower calorie alternatives to balance out some of the “heavier” traditional dishes.

    Step 3: The Master Plan

    Once you determine what you’ll be serving, it’s time to break it down into manageable tasks.

    Contact the people who didn’t know what they wanted to bring and assign them a dish. If you’re short on desserts, ask them to bring one. If you dread making mashed potatoes, see if they wouldn’t mind bringing them. Anything you can’t delegate will be up to you to make of course.

    Now, you know what everyone else is bringing, you can make a grocery list and a timeline of the items you’ll be cooking.

    Take a little time and sit down to make your grocery list. Keep recipes handy so you know exactly what you need. Don’t forget some of the spices you only use a few times a year (like sage). What tools (like a disposable roasting pan) are you going to need to prepare the meal? Don’t forget to stock up on extra napkins and paper towels. If you are planning on using disposable table clothes, plates etc. make a list of those items as well.

    Get as much done as early as possible.
    Did you know you could even freeze some mashed potato recipes weeks in advance? It’s true! Get started early on the shopping of non-perishable items for the party. Cross items off of your master shopping list as you get them.

     

     

    Need more encouragement? Need some practical how-to’s? Grab Cindy’s books and audios for HALF OFF! Just use the coupon code: ALLTHINGSNEW

  • Confession of an Organizational Derelict by Angela Childress

    I’ve got a confession to make…. You ready for it?  I am an organizational derelict.   Does this surprise you?  Probably not, but at least I am finally admitting it.

    I didn’t grow up in a home that was organized, and I am not naturally organized.

    No matter how hard I try, I just can not come to a point that I can say I have “arrived” and become organized.  And I have tried a lot.

    I live in a 2 bedroom mobile home with my hubby, my 3 kids, and 1 dog.  I can’t yet claim the cat that adopted our front porch, but I think my hubby is about to give in.  We all share limited space with 1 bathroom (the dog doesn’t share the bathroom).

    Needless to say, with all the stuff a family of 5 acquires, our home feels pretty small.  One thing being out of place can quickly cause a ripple effect and lead to complete chaos.  And with my lack of organizational skills this happens a lot.

    So through my years I have sought out tips and advice from more experienced home-makers.  My journey has led me to other women who are willing to share their experiences and wisdom to help me in the areas of my life that are lacking I’ve slowly gleaned ideas on how to be more organized.

    One thing that I have learned and have done to help me is develop a beneficial evening and morning routine.  My morning routine helps me to have a smoother start to my day.  It helps my day flow and sets me up to handle interruptions with less stress.

    A routine is simply a series of things you do each day, and eventually they become a habit.   Whether or not you realize it, you already have a routine that you follow in your day to day life.  The question is, does your routine develop helpful habits, or habits that interfere with your day.

    My routine is in the form of a written list.  My 8 mo is still not sleeping through the night, and most mornings I am still too groggy to think about what to needs to be done. So my list is a tool that helps me to know what to do each morning so I can stay on track in my routine.  I am starting to be a lover of written lists.

    When I started to develop my routine, I first started with what could be done in the kitchen during the evening to prepare for the next day.   I don’t know why, the rest of the house can be in complete disarray and I’m fine.  But if my kitchen is out of order I can not function.

    So I came up with a evening routine that included straightening up the kitchen, writing out what needs to be done the following day, and thinking of what I need to do to prepare my self for a smoother morning. I would then make sure that each of us had a complete outfit that was clean to wear for the next day.

    After I had an evening routine fairly well set up, I started working on my morning routine.  I would think of one thing I could do to make my day start better, and I would work on making it a habit.  Once I did that one thing pretty regular, then I would add another thing to add and work on.  Eventually my routine became fairly regular and consistent and I noticed a big improvement on how my day started and progressed compared to when I neglected to do my routine.

    What happens now on days I don’t follow my routine?  I feel lost, the whole day feels helter skelter.  Interruptions large and small can bring the rest of my day to a stand still, and I have a hard time figuring how to restart it.

    My morning routine now looks like this:

    Rise and Shine! Feed baby J.
    Get baby dressed and happily occupied or put her back to sleep.
    Make Bed.
    Shower
    Brush Teeth, do my hair, and put on makeup (sometimes)
    Wipe bathroom counter and quickly hand mop around the toilette
    Spray the tub
    Make some tea or coffee
    Read Bible and devotions…

    I try to get my routine done before my girls wake up, but since baby J is not sleeping through the night yet.  I like to grab all the sleep I can and usually wake up right as they start to stir.

    It’s not a very long list, and I don’t always do everything on my routine list. But just doing some of these helps me to be ready to face the day ahead.

    If you don’t have a routine, I highly recommend you start one.   Just pick one thing that you can do to help your day go smoother, and develop it into a beneficial habit. And keep developing good habits one at a time, and I’m sure that soon you will start to see your days run smoother too..

    Angela C

    Love this? Get to Know Angela better on her blog. Here is the link: http://blessedby3jdcs.blogspot.com/

     

    Need more encouragement? Need some practical how-to’s? Grab Cindy’s books and audios for HALF OFF! Just use the coupon code: ALLTHINGSNEW

  • Friday Freebie! Restoring Balance To Completely Overloaded Lives with Cindy Rushton

    Our Friday Freebie!!
    Restoring Balance To Completely Overloaded Lives
     Audio Mp3 with Cindy Rushton

    Overloaded! Busy! Hurried! Overworked! Stressed! Rushed! Relate?? This is reality for most in our culture today–EVEN homeschooling families! We exceed our limits. We take on WAY TOO MUCH! We write checks that our body and mind cannot cash! Everything (and EVERYONE) suffers. It gets harder and harder to hear God as He whispers direction, encouragement, and wisdom along our path. We miss the best! We wonder why we end our days (more…)

  • Easy Record-Keeping for the Reluctant Homeschool Mom! by Cindy Rushton

    Record-keeping!  Does your hair stand up when you think of record-keeping? Do you begin to grind your teeth?  Did you feel like skipping this article just because it seems impossible for “EASY” and “Record-keeping” to ever go together??

    Relax.  I know that there is not a “one size fits all.” I know that in spite of how hard we may search, there is not a perfect system for every mom!  That is OK! My prayer is that if you are in need of some ideas to make a couple areas a little easier or if you have no idea of where to begin, that you will find a few ideas as you come home with us to see how simple record-keeping CAN be.  Ready for some quick tips??? Here we go… (more…)

  • Restoring Balance To Completely Overloaded Lives! by Cindy Rushton

    Ever had an “unbalanced tire?”  Recently, I had a tire that was driving me crazy! It made the ride horribly rough.  I was wore-out just from trying to drive to town because it kept pulling me off the road—obviously in the wrong direction! Just a simple trip to town was completely stressful. My hands were blistered from trying to hold on to the steering wheel the whole way to town and back! I was certain that my car was about to blow up…that something was permanently wrong!  Imagine my relief to find that my problem was from one tire that was out of balance! Easy to fix.  The smooth ride only took a few moments to restore.

    Ever had an “unbalanced life?”  Well, the similarities are unbelievable! Talk about a rough ride! Talk about a pull in the wrong direction! Talk about stress! Sure it is easy to fix—but, oh so hard to do!

    We are overloaded! (more…)

  • Restoring Balance To Completely Overloaded Lives! by Cindy Rushton

    Ever had an “unbalanced tire?”  Recently, I had a tire that was driving me crazy! It made the ride horribly rough.  I was wore-out just from trying to drive to town because it kept pulling me off the road—obviously in the wrong direction! Just a simple trip to town was completely stressful. My hands were blistered from trying to hold on to the steering wheel the whole way to town and back! I was certain that my car was about to blow up…that something was permanently wrong!  Imagine my relief to find that my problem was from one tire that was out of balance! Easy to fix.  The smooth ride only took a few moments to restore.

    Ever had an “unbalanced life?”  Well, the similarities are unbelievable! Talk about a rough ride! Talk about a pull in the wrong direction! Talk about stress! Sure it is easy to fix—but, oh so hard to do!

    We are overloaded! (more…)

  • Setting Up Your Home to Learn by Cindy Rushton

    Homeschooling? Thinking about Homeschooling? BUT…do you have to turn your home into a school? No, my dear friend, you do not need to turn your home into a school. Your home can still be a HOME. A home ready to learn! Ready?

    Ready? This is EASY as ABC…

    –>  Find a good nook! It does not have to be huge. Certainly does not need to be expensive.  All that is needed is a place that invites your children (and YOU!) to think, work through the studies (writing, reading, studying, proofreading, projects, experiments…). Ask yourself, “Where do they gravitate toward to read…to research…to write…to print?” (more…)

  • Destressing the Stressed Out Gal with Cindy Rushton

    Stressed? Been stressed a little too long? Too often? Need some help? Well, try the following and see if they don’t help a bit!

    –> Go on a Prayer Walk—regularly! Praise and worship the Lord. Pour out your heart. Talk to Jesus the whole way! Listen to His sweet “conversation” with you. Be refreshed!

    –> Use a Daily “To-Do” List to operate from. List your TOP FIVE things each day the night before. Go back over each morning during your Quiet Time and pray about your day before you. Take it all to God and lay it before Him. Keep in your own “Brain-in-a-Binder” so you can rest your mind. Go over your list as you throughout the day to keep a tab on how you are doing (also so you will not chase rabbits). Watch how much more peaceful each day will be.

    –> Turn on Praise Music—LOUD! Got an iPod? I call mine my “stress-buster.” I LOVE turning it on while I clean or while I work on my daily chores. Not only does it make the work much more fun and easy, but I also find myself taking the Lord into every aspect of my day. Priceless!

    (more…)

  • Psst! A Secret to Scheduling Success! by Cindy Rushton

    Want to know one of my biggest secrets to homeschooling the easy way? Want to know one of my biggest secrets to scheduling success? This one secret can make your daily schedule finally fit. It can end your scheduling frustrations forever.

    I am not a “schedule by the minute” type of person. (GRIN) I fail with schedules like that. They don’t meet my needs. My life includes too many areas that have different needs daily. Timed schedules just do not work for me.

    So, what has worked for me? Setting up a framework to my day. This is one incredibly powerful tip. It can make a HUGE difference in your day as well. It just might be the secret that has alluded you through the years.

    Wondering what I mean by a “framework” for your day? By framework, I mean a general flow to each day that includes all of the areas of my life that I juggle. But, how do I do that? Here are some quick tips:
    (more…)

  • Let’s Try Notebooking

    Notebooking … ahhh, just the thought makes me hyper! If I could ask every homeschooling family to do just one thing, it would be to just give notebooking a try. This is the one technique that pulls everything together—studies, research, real life, personal interests—everything! It reaches even the most reluctant writer! It makes homeschooling fun and easy! Who wouldn’t want to try that?

    Not just that! Everything that normally clutters up the busy homeschool home can be tucked away into a notebook! All of those precious narrations can be safely protected in notebooks. All of those daily copywork lessons can find their home in notebooks on each of the topics that your children love so much. Even those awesome handouts that you have piled up from field trips can find the perfect home in your notebooks! Homeschooling is recorded. An heirloom is built! (more…)