Keeping Home Archives - Home With Purpose

The Busy Homeschool Mom’s Guide to Daylight: Managing Your Days Through the Homeschool Years

May 4, 2015 By Kara Leave a Comment

This has possibly been our busiest school year ever, or at least it’s felt like it.

I think multiple factors have contributed to making it feel even crazier than usual. A major job and work schedule change for my hubby, a new church, and my youngest hitting school age and starting to participate in extracurriculars alongside his siblings, just to name a few. Regardless of why, I was unprepared, and our household and school routines have suffered. So, the opportunity to review Heidi St. John’s The Busy Homeschool Mom’s Guide to Daylight, published by Real Life Press, came along just when I needed some encouragement and inspiration to get things back on track.

The Busy Homeschool Mom’s Guide to Daylight is subtitled “Managing Your Days Through the Homeschool Years”. Heidi, a busy homeschool mom of seven, writer, and speaker, aims to encourage both moms who feel overwhelmed by all that’s entailed in running a household and homeschooling, and those who just need some fresh inspiration. She covers not only the practical stuff like how to make a schedule, time management, tips for organizing your home, meal planning and preparation, etc., but also heart issues like being intentional, the importance of flexibility, procrastination, the tendency toward legalism, and more. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Education at Home, Review Crew, Staying Organized, Time Management

Flourish: Balance for Homeschool Moms (Review Crew)

July 24, 2014 By Kara Leave a Comment

It’s that time when many of us (myself included!) are deep in the throes of organizing and planning for the new homeschool year.

I’ve been a homeschool mom for well over a dozen years now, and I still haven’t outgrown the need for encouragement and support in juggling the many roles and responsibilities this job entails. Even the most seasoned homeschool mom can easily become discouraged and burned out if she’s not careful.

For a variety of reasons, life has been incredibly stressful for our family for the last year to year and a half. The effects have shown in my home management and our homeschool – it feels like we’ve basically been in “survival mode”. We’ve finally seen the end of some of the trying circumstances we were dealing with, and I’m really feeling the need to focus and get back on track as we move into fall. As part of that preparation, I’ve been working my way through Flourish: Balance for Homeschool Moms from Apologia Educational Ministries.

Flourish was written by Mary Jo Tate, a single mom who homeschools her four boys and also runs a successful home business. She wrote the book to encourage and equip exhausted, overloaded moms who feel like they’re barely getting by. By sharing the story of God’s faithfulness in her own life, she wants to give God glory and inspire hope in those who are struggling that they can not just survive, but flourish in the role God has given them! [Read more…]

Filed Under: Bookshelf, Education at Home, Mom's Bookshelf, Review Crew, Staying Organized, Time Management

Neglected Garden Bounty!

May 26, 2014 By Kara 2 Comments

Our poor little garden has been pretty neglected this year.

We live on an “almost” quarter acre city lot in a quiet suburban neighborhood just inside the city limits. With major job and schedule changes going on, there just hasn’t been time or money to devote to it this spring. But, even with the very minimal time and effort we’ve been able to put into it, our little “homestead” is providing quite a bit for us! [Read more…]

Filed Under: Garden, Keeping Home

The Kraken Case for iPad from Trident (Review Crew)

May 19, 2014 By Kara Leave a Comment

My iPad is one of the most used devices in this house.

Even though it’s “officially” mine, it’s frequently in use to occupy a younger sibling while the olders are working, and even for some schoolwork too. My youngest two love to watch Netflix on it, because it’s easier for them to navigate than on the television with the remote. Karate Kid has a couple of games he likes to play on it that aren’t compatible with his iPod. And I use it for everything I can too, saving the laptop for things that I just absolutely can’t do on it.

All that to say that it gets put through its paces every day! A sturdy case is a must. I’ve had a padded leather “tripod” type case on it for the last couple of years that allowed it to be propped up for watching movies, typing with my bluetooth keyboard, and so on, but it was beginning to show its age, and I’d been contemplating what to replace it with. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Keeping Home, Review Crew

How to Use Vinegar for Ketchup Stains

April 28, 2014 By Kara 1 Comment

I’m assuming that my kids aren’t the only ones who like to use their shirt as a napkin and/or aren’t the neatest eaters on the planet.

This leads to some interesting and colorful stains on clothing. One of the most common seems to be ketchup stains. Sometime ago, when my oldest two were still little, I picked up this tip somewhere and it’s been a lifesaver over the years: [Read more…]

Filed Under: Household, In the Kitchen Tagged With: Works-For-Me Wednesday

The Ultimate Homemaking Bundle: Feather Your Nest This Spring!

April 23, 2014 By Kara Leave a Comment

My time is valuable, and so is yours.

That’s why I ‘m very selective in what resources I choose to highlight here at Home With Purpose. I only select those that I have found of value personally and think would be a benefit to my readers as well. And, especially now with the advent of online publishing, there’s a ton of stuff to wade through.

The packages put together by the team at Ultimate Bundles, though, have consistently impressed me! I’ve had the opportunity to use several of them now. They key word there is USE. These resources don’t get downloaded and buried in a folder, never to be opened again. The ebooks I’ve received as a part of these bundles are ones I turn to again and again! They’re the cream of the crop! And they’re so well organized that they make downloading and accessing them a snap!

The Ultimate Homemaking Bundle is their latest comprehensive package. It includes encouragement for all aspects of keeping your home, from homemaking, motherhood, and marriage, to homeschooling, working from home, financial stewardship, and much more. I wish there had been something comparable to this available to me as a young newlywed or new mother, when I had no idea where to start!

Whether you’re new at keeping a home and family or a seasoned veteran, there’s encouragement for you in this bundle! From the practical, like Taming the Laundry Monster by my good friend Angi, or scheduling and planning help, to personal encouragement in your relationships with your children and spouse, and everything in between, there’s something for everyone here. I’m super excited about the new Kindle option too!

Keep reading for all the details. You’re not going to want to miss this one! [Read more…]

Filed Under: Keeping Home