Black Friday shopping is normally not my thing. Unless it involves somehow being warm and toasty in my bed – not fighting crowds and lines.

The below online deals are some that I would recommend checking out from the warmth {and safety} of your own home. {grins}. Some of the deals run several days, but a few are only one or two days, so don’t miss the ones you want!

First up, take an extra 30% off one book at Amazon.com Friday when you use the code BOOKDEAL. This is good for up to a $10 discount! Code is only valid on eligible books sold and shipped by Amazon.

Picture Smart Bible is offering a whopping 35% off their products if you use the code HOLIDAY35. The code is good from November 28th through December 2, 2013 and good only via this site here: http://bit.ly/16QKk3K

If you’ve been eyeing any of the digital products from Bright Ideas Press, including Wondermaps {they ROCK!!} or the go-alongs for Mystery of History, use the code fantasticday to take 20% off your order {11/28-12/2 only}.

 

Save 20% off Truth in the Tinsel, the Advent series for younger children. Use the code HOMESCHOOLCREATIONS during checkout.

The folks at What’s in the Bible are offering 20% off all orders over $30 if you use the code ABF20. Their {almost complete} series is fun and educational for the entire family.

See the Light is offering 20% off {and FREE s/h} on all orders over $50. Use the code STL during checkout from 11/29 through 12/2.

Motherhood on a Dime has an amazing preschool curriculum called God’s Little Explorers. This 28 week curriculum is normally $14, but through December 1st you can pick up your copy for $10. ALL of her profits are being sent to an orphanage in India to help raise the $38,000 they need for a building project. Use the coupon code givethanks to save $4.00!

The Discipleship and Discipline class is only $8.99 {50% off}. BUY NOW – Use code: FRIDAY.

We Choose Virtues is offering 30% off your entire shopping cart with the promo code: HOLIDAY30.

Save $25 off a lifetime membership to Notebooking Pages. I cannot even begin to tell you how many notebooking pages this site offers – HUGE deal!

If you are looking for a homeschool fitness program, Family Time Fitness is offering $20 off their Digital Core 1 Program and $40 off the Platinum Fitness Package along with a Free $10 gift with purchase {11/28-11/30 only}. Shop Family Time Fitness now.

Green Kids Crafts has two great deals: save 40% off a Discovery Box with code blackfri and save 50% off your first month of a monthly subscription with code cybermon. All sales begin on Friday 11/28 and end at midnight, Monday 12/2.

Phew!! That’s all I have right now, but if I find any others, I’ll be sure to add them to my Facebook page throughout the day!

“I recognize there’s currently a lot of judgment in the green movement – ‘If you’re not doing fill-in-the-blank you’re not doing a good enough job.’ Forget about good enough. Start making small but healthy choices. They will truly make a difference.”

– Hilary Kimes Bernstein, Accidentally Green

The goals of the Ultimate Healthy Living 2013 Bundle Sale were to put together a comprehensive health library, offer something for everyone, and provide so much value for an itty-bitty price that it would be irresistible – and really, they did that and more.

In a nutshell? This bundle is brimming with 86 ebook and ecourse resources, written by authors and bloggers that are known as authorities in their field, and carefully put together to make sure that it will not disappoint. A few of my good friends have ebooks in this bundle that I cannot wait to dig into myself.

For less than $30, you can pick up your own bundle complete with more than $809 worth of eBooks. That’s just 36 cents each!

The Ultimate Healthy Living bundle contains ebooks and courses in the following categories:

• Healthy Kitchen
• Allergy and Special Diets
• Meal Planning and Preparation
• Natural Skincare
• Natural Health
• Healthy Lifestyle
• Fitness
• Gardening and Sustainability
• Green Living
• Special Health Concerns
• Healthy Kids and Babies
• Learning About Real and Whole Foods

Mentoring with Coffee Table Conversations

As an added bonus with the Ultimate Healthy Living bundle, you will get FULL access to the Coffee Table Conversations. For 12 weeks starting in January 2014, there will be a weekly one-hour live conference call, where you can join in and ask your questions on relevant and timely healthy living topics to a panel of eBook authors.

Topics covered will be allergy-friendly cooking, fighting fatigue (and finding energy!), eating well on a tight budget, an introduction to alternative health and herbal remedies, and tips and tricks for making real food in less time. You’ll be able to listen to authors converse with each other on any (or all) of the 12 calls that you choose to take part in, and get answers to your questions in real time! There will also be a private Facebook group where you can chat about the various topics.

Important Things to Note

The Ultimate Healthy Living Bundle is available for purchase for 6 days – from 8 a.m. (EST) on Monday, November 4th to 11:59pm (EST) on Saturday, November 9th. {You can also pay via Paypal now.}

Visit the Frequently Asked Questions page for help with file types, downloads, bonus offers and any other questions you may have.

Ready to purchase? All you have to do is click the button below and start reading today  {or pay via Paypal HERE}.

Over the next few weeks, I’m going to share different helps and tips for time management, scheduling, and organizing that have worked for our family. If you have a specific question, please feel free to ask! I’ll try to address it as best I can.

Keep in mind, some days are more productive than others. Others, we’re lucky to have 3 meals show up and get the basics of homeschooling done. Stuff happens, and we get sidetracked {I think perhaps you can relate?}

Budgeting Your Time

Have you ever had to create a financial budget for your family? Many years ago, our family needed to get our finances in order to get out of a big heap of debt that we had managed to accumulate. The first step in the process was creating a budget so we could see how we were spending our money.

After reading the ebook Tell Your Time: How To Manage Your Schedule So You Can Live Free by Amy Lynn Andrews, I had an ‘aha’ moment on the concept of budgeting my time. It had worked so well for our finances, and it made sense to apply the same principle to my daily time. While we already had a general routine in place, sitting down and laying it all out in front of us to see what we actually were doing, well – that was a little different.

One of the most helpful things for me was the Grid in Tell Your Time that helps differentiates between negotiable and non-negotiable things and also flexible vs. non-flexible items.

Non-negotiable: homeschooling, sleep, church, eating

Negotiable: reading a book

Once every and anything was listed out on the grid, it was plugged into a weekly schedule {or chucked out the window}. Keep in mind that the schedule is something that is ever-changing as our life changes and different things are added to our months. 

A Look at Our Weekly Schedule

Want a peek at my weekly routine? Well, before I share it, I want to note a few things….

• This is not a ‘to the minute’ schedule. I am not a drill sergeant that yells at my kids when it is 1 minute past the allotted lunch time.
• We are more routine driven {i.e. the flow of our day goes in a certain order}.
• We are not slaves to the clock. Just because it is on the schedule, doesn’t mean it has to be done then.
• Budget  MARGIN in your life! Leave wiggle room in your day {kids get sick and life happens}. There is white space, but that doesn’t mean I’m sitting around doing nothing. Inevitably something always comes up or spills over into that margin.
• Just say NO. This is something that is hard for me to do. Just because an opportunity comes up, doesn’t me that we have to participate and be a part. Guard the time that your family has together and don’t overextend yourself.
• Yes, it is color coded, but that’s just to help me visually see the different blocks. I am a visual person and it helps me pick out things quickly.

Click on the image to see a pdf of our weekly schedule.

Notice the white space? That’s margin, my friends.

• Yes, we ALL have an afternoon rest time. It keeps the kids {and me} sane. Oh – I’ll be sharing more about that!
• A typical school day takes us about 4.5 hours {less for the youngest, a bit more for the oldest – but she works independently}.
• During the time that I am working or doing something around the house, the kids have free time. This typically means Legos or reading. Or making a general mess. Or riding bikes. You get the picture.
• I do shower on Sunday, but don’t feel the need to remind myself.
• Our house is in constant clean-up mode, but we try to pick up and keep things tidy, so it is easier overall.
• When you see ‘computer off’ the goal is to have the computer powered down from Saturday evening until Sunday evening
• This is the overall routine – there are other activities that pop up during the week {like an extra co-op or a field trip}, but nothing consistent weekly like music lessons, etc.
• And yes, our kids go to bed fairly early, because they are up early {and my sanity is rather important to me}.
• We don’t have a lot of extra activities in our day – no sports, etc…because at this point that is an area we have chosen to pull back from. Our summers are busy with swim team.

Sit Down and Map Out Your Schedule/Routine

This week, I would encourage you to take a bit of time, grab the ebook Tell Your Time {and a cup of tea or coffee}, sit down and take a good look at your overall schedule. Track what you really do {or forget to do} in a week and try to map it all out.

The goal isn’t to create a perfect schedule/routine on the first try. You’ll have to tweak it and re-tweak it, but it WILL help you see what your time-suckers are, and hopefully help you avoid them a bit in the future.

Questions to Ask Yourself When Planning Your Schedule

1. Is it important and a priority for your family? In relation to homeschooling, does it align with your goals and purpose for your family? Again, not everything is necessary – guard your time!
2. Is this the right timing? There are certain things that may need to be put on the shelf for a bit, and can be dusted off later and brought back out. For me, this was scrapbooking and crafting.
3. Are you getting enough sleep? I can’t stress how much of a difference this makes in my life. Although I like to think that I have boundless energy, sleep is what helps me focus, be alert, and not nod off in the middle of the school day.

But First – DO NOT COMPARE!

Let me just take a moment to set the record straight on something. I do not have it all together. I am in no way a superwoman, and I do not get it ‘all’ done.

The word ALL is a really misleading. We tend to get glimpses of what other’s lives appear to be and don’t see the entire picture – and then feel that we are in some way missing the mark in our own lives.

It’s important to remember that…

• We all have different family priorities.
• There are different demands and seasons of our lives.
• We are each created uniquely to be US.

If the comparison trap is something that you struggle with, I want to take a quick moment to encourage you – you are uniquely who God created you to be. AVOID the things that cause you to compare or discourage you. If it’s Pinterest or Facebook – shut it off. If it’s a homeschool blog – stop reading {even if it’s this one!}.

Additional Planning Helps

In the next few weeks I’ll be sharing other helps for planning out your day, so stay tuned. Do you have a question that you’d like to ask? Feel free to leave a comment, and I’ll do my best to get back to you!

Do you have a time management tip that has worked wonders for your family? I’d love to hear it!

In the meantime, here are a few links for you that have really helped me out.

• Tell Your Time ebook
• How to Plan Your Homeschool Day
• Setting Homeschool Goals and Knowing Your Purpose
• What’s in My Homeschool Binder
• Organizing Homeschool Paperwork
• Weekly Homeschool Planner
• My Daily ‘To Do’ List {free printable}
• Main Dish Menu Planner {free printable}
• Monthly Menu Planner {free printable}

The four locations for the 2014 Teach Them Diligently Convention have been announced and registration is now open! From March through June 2014, you will find speakers to encourage and teach you, have the opportunity to meet other homeschool families, and get an up-close peek at homeschool products from many well known vendors.

Attend in one of the following areas:

• Nashville, TN – March 20-22
• Spartanburg, SC – April 3-5
• Washington, D.C. – May 15-17
• Dallas, TX – June 26-28

Speakers at Teach Them Diligently 2014

Speakers for the 2014 year include Ken Ham, Voddie Baucham, Tood Friel, Mark Hamby, Carol Barnier, and Rachel Carman. Be sure to visit the speaker page of the city you are planning to attend for a full list of speakers, because these are just a few of those Teach Them Diligently has planned!

Last week I hinted at it, but this year I was asked to speak as well.  At the Nashville, Spartanburg, and Washington, D.C locations, I’ll be joined by one of my good friends, Carisa from 1+1+1=1. To say I’m overwhelmed would be an understatement – because you all, I am just another homeschool mom like you. It is exciting and an honor to say the least, but I look forward to sharing some of the things we’ve learned over the last eight years of homeschooling.

And psst…there are some other fabulous ladies {and guys} lined up as well!

Attend Teach Them Diligently 2014

Register online for one of the 2014 Teach Them Diligently locations. Your $45 Family Registration covers you and your entire family, including your non-adult children, your spouse and your children’s grandparents. This really is intended to be an event for the WHOLE family.

Hope to see you there!!