Well, well, well,...

...that's pretty cool, using the browser to publish your posts.  I know I sound really new at all this, that's because I am.  I've been using the PC computer for some 12 odd years, but even though that sounds like a long time, the way technology advances, my experience is redundant by the end of six months, and I really don't do that much on the internet, except emails and blogs, and so on.  And if you ask me to write a page of html for my blog I have no idea where to start! 

Anyway, on with life. 

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So we've moved again, I feel like a gypsy at the moment, and not the carefree, happy gypsies of movies.  The unhappy packrat type gypsy, who has too much stuff and not enough places to put things.  So once again I am setting up and trying to organise stuff.

Tools I'm using:

• Flylady.net - for organizational  techniques.
• Timetables and Chore charts - for the kids chores and for our homeschool timetable
• Bookcases - I know, whaat???, but if your a homeschooler you know exactly what I mean, if your a book buff, then your in the same boat.  Bookcases are indispensable for organising your books and other collections into a workable, accessible, solution.
• 401 ways to get your kids to work at home - Now I'm not talking about setting up my kids to do all the work around the house, while I sip pina coladas, no, no, no, this books helps you to train your kiddies to do their chores well (has check lists on the type of chores and jobs to be learnt)  and to become 'self-reliant, responsible adults'.  So hopefully in the future they won't be moving from place to place lugging boxes of useless stuff, in a vain attempt to recycle, use, or someday sort and discard!
• Managers of Their Homes - This is for the homeschoolers, pretty full on way of organising, but when you get to the end after setting up your chart its a sure way of keep yourself on track.  Use with caution though, for the perfectionists amoung us (me included) you may get lost in the making rather than the doing.  I'll say no more.  Charts and all sorts of stuff in here.
  

Currently up to the timetable and chore charts, haven't bought any bookcases yet, so our book collection is in boxes.

Timetables and Chore charts:

You can actually get a quite a collection online, and it a variety of organisational books, etc. BUT, they will only work for you if you actually use them, I don't know how many forms I have printed out bought etc. just to find the layout doesn't work for me.  I've found that making your own charts, helps because you know exactly what you want, it can be set out how you want, and use the colours, layout etc. that will make it easier for you to navigate and use.

For myself, I need a simple, clear, uncomplicated chart that I can easily navigate, haven't got them spot on yet, but I have managed a very workable set of timetables that we use regularily.  It is colour co-ordinated at the moment, which I am trying out, not sure if that works, or just confuses me more.  One thing to point out, sometimes children get confused when their charts are too busy, I know, because I did that myself, made this amazingly beautiful timetable, all colour co-ordinated and boxed with borders and a lovely fancy font, only to find my oldest couldn't use it, it confused her and she couldn't understand what tasks she needed to do next.  So her charts are in the basic large size Arial font, black and white, a plain uncomplicated border and set out simply.

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Well that's all for now, will put pictures of the charts we use later, gotta go and start the morning!

 

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