Organizing and Planning Your Homeschool

A few websites that I find extremely helpful for organizing our life and homeschool. 

Homeschool lesson planning online:
http://www.homeschoolskedtrack.com/

Online family calendar:
http://www.cozi.com/landing/best-family-organizer

A few tips and how to use Google to help you stay on top of your game. People will be like, "Gurl, how do you do it?!"

Google Drive. Upload stuff to Google Drive. If you have a Google account you automatically get 15 gigs.  https://support.google.com/mail/answer/6558?hl=en

...or email digital copies to yourself.

I don't have a whole lot of space to keep hard copies of everything around. Lets face it, stuff gets lost, PCs crash, accidentally thrown away, misfiled or destroyed.  Sometimes I need a document copy in a flash. Its easy to perform a search through email and whip out that puppy like a boss. When your PC crashes (God forbid) you'll still have copies of those so important records. 

Google Calendar. You can add external calendars like the Liturgical Calendar from Universalis (http://www.universalis.com/calendar.htm#0 (Scroll all the way down to add this to your Google Calendar)

If you prefer paper to digital here are a few resources that I have used and still use.

Catholic calendar, planner, lesson planner and menu planner:
http://www.michelequigley.com/store/shop/

...print Lesson Planners, Household Planners, Calendars, Handwriting Lessons, printable worksheets or papers for several subjects. http://donnayoung.org/

The Bullet Journal. For the list-makers, the note-takers, the Post-It note pilots, the track-keepers, and the dabbling doodlers. Bullet journal is for those who feel there are few platforms as powerful as the blank paper page. It’s an analog system for the digital age that will help you organize the present, record the past, and plan for the future. - See more at: 
http://www.bulletjournal.com

Spiral notebook assignment and lesson planning. Find it here. 
http://amongstlovelythings.com/spiral-notebooks/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+AmongstLovelyThings+%28Amongst+Lovely+Things%29

I keep a composition book with me at all times. Composition books are small enough to keep in my purse. I always have a place to jot down notes, appointments, phone numbers and project planning. I write start and finish dates on the front cover. When I'm done I file it away.

A blast from the past on making a homeschool schedule,2010. http://brisenobunch.blogspot.com/2010/12/briseno-bunchs-faq.html

My hope is that you find something that works for you. I have used all of these and some of these at different times of our life when it suited our family. 

Have a great day and may He always be your strength for the journey.

Briseno Bunch's FAQ 1 & 2

The first most FAQ is #1"Are these all your children?" And the second is #2, "How do you do it?" I don't mind answering any of these questions. It's mostly the frequency of them that gets to me a little. I typically try to answer them as cheerfully as I can because I love my family and I am proud of them. I wouldn't trade my life for anything.

 #1"Are these all your children?"
 Yes.

 #2, "How do you do it?"

Besides the obvious, it takes much, much planning and tweaking to figure it all out.  Its been a whole lot better since joining CLAA and the results of reworking my schedule around CLAA's model has been an answer to my prayers! My previous schedule was pretty close to CLAA's model but my own schedule was centered around chores and schoolwork. Now we work around our prayer schedule. And that has made a big difference. CLAA's very helpful article on scheduling can be found here by following this link:  How to Create a Schedule

Below is our schedule. It's working. Thank you Jesus! And that's how we do it.

Add caption

FAQs of Large Families

Below is an email that I sent to my husband in 2008. I appologize in advance if some of these are not your style. Apparently the authors blog is no longer active. I did my best to find the source and couldn't find anything. Hope I am not infringing on any copyrights...but I am sure glad I saved this one!

--- On Mon, 12/15/08,
Subject: Large Family Comebacks

To: "B. Giovanni ">

Date: Monday, December 15, 2008, 9:16 AM

Gio when you have a moment to yourself (lunch in your cubicle?) Take a look at the FAQs of Large Families :)

You have your hands full!

Yes, happily so!

Yes, and my heart too.


Don't say anything, just look puzzled at your hands. 
(This does obviously not work if you are carrying a baby :-)

Yes, but I would rather have my hands full than empty!


Are they all yours?

-No, I just went to Rent-a-Brat.

-No, this is not all of them, my oldest is at home with the triplets.

-No, actually two are the mailman's and I am not sure whose is that one.....

-We always say YES, because they are OURS....but actually 3 bio, 1 niece, 2 adopted and 4 foster!! But ours in our eyes!!

-No, a couple of them starting following us a few minutes ago. -- This is especially funny when you look at your kids and realize that one of them really ISN'T yours -- he had just started following you and you didn't notice before...
-No, I picked up a couple extra in the produce aisle.
-Gee, I never heard that question before!
-Yes they are! And then one of the boys will pipe up and mention the 21 yo and the 18 yo if they are not there and of course the baby on the way!

-Of course they're all mine. Do you think I take six (or fill in your number) kids shopping for fun?

-"Legally" first 3 are his and the last 3 are ours, I feel in my heart they are all ours.....

-Technically, the oldest 2 are his, the next 2 are mine and the youngest 2 are ours, but we are all just one big happy family (most of the time)LOL, because they all live with us.

-YES!

-Yes, they are all ours. We have been married for 22 years, but only have 11 kids to show for it.

-No.......... I have two more at home! (When it fits)

-Well no they are not all " OURS" but in our hearts they are......

-Yes, and they're such good kids!!!!!!!! !!!!!! (the kids love that one!)
-Of course they are..wait..who is that one?Hes not ours.....oh, yeah,#5,I forgot I had him.

-I don't know. How many do you count?

-Yes. But if you have any you don't want, I'll gladly take them, too


(i'm pregnant. I gave this response.)
-Yes, and this one (pointed to my belly) is too.

-No. I've been an avid collector for years and just picked these up in the food court!

-Yes, at least that's what I tell my husband.

-Most of the time I only have my 7 youngest ones with me, so when someone asks this, I say yes and one of the younger ones will say and there are 4 more. Then we wait to see how long it takes to add 7+4. Then you should see the looks we get.


-While I was still in hospital after having our 5th, visiting hours were over and we were all standing near the elevator, I was holding the newest and the others were all crowded around, (they ranged from 2ys to 14y) a young girl (early 20s) was trying to wade through the crowd and said "are they all yours?" to which we responded "yes", she then pointed to my still rather large belly and said "and you are having another one?" less than 24 hours after having given birth! I think not!! anyway we had a good laugh. (cbrouse23)


Are you going to have more?

Yes, we just enjoy sex soooooo much!

Why do you want to know?

Well, not today.

We are trying to get into the Genisus Book of World Records of (add whatever here) most kids, largest family living in one house, etc.

OH YES! I want to have a family bigger then the one in my favorite movie "Yours, Mine & Ours!" only (add a # here) to beat the 19 they had!!

Yes, I always want just one more.

Well, we do have a twelve passenger van.

Check back in nine months and you'll see for yourself.


Don't you know what causes that?


No, please tell me!

Of course, don't you?

Yes, we do know what causes that and we like it very much, thank you.

Oh yes, we finally figured it out and we now keep the tooth brushes in seperate glasses!

Oh yes, I now wash my husband's underwear seperately.

Oh yes, having a great sex life!

Water or sex but I don't want to give up either.

Smile brightly and say with enthusiasm "Yes and we like it!"

You bet I do......love, love, love ( and; sex, sex, sex.....hehehe. ......)

Yes! So don't get too close to me!

It's in the water. Would you like a glass?

Yes and I know WHO causes it! God gave us these children!

Yes I do........cold winter nights...... ...

LOVE! An overabundance of love!!

Yes,and as you only have two kids obviously you dont do it much.

Yes, and it is something I am very good at...

Of course, and the Lord has greatly blessed us!

A strong husband/wife relationship, big hearts, and the Lord's blessing.


Are you going to get fixed?

Nope, I am not broken!

Why do you want to know?

Huh, we thought everything was working fine for us!?!

We didn't know anything was broken.

Don't you only fix things that aren't working properly?

Well as you can see be the size of OUR family everything is in working order. :)(You have to say this last one with the kinda "I'm not to bright so your question seems kinda foolish don't you think?" attitude.


I can't believe how you do it, I cannot even handle my two!

Yes, if I had kids like you, I wouldn't have any more either!

Yes, you don't strike me as the type who could handle more kids than that.

I do it like most people, in bed and after the kids are sleeping.

I put knobs on the kids. Makes them easier to handle.

Everyone has 24 hours in a day, it is just how you use it...nt

With lots of patience, patience, patience

go and look at them while they're sleeping. This reminds me of what sweet children of God they are and keeps me going!

Oh, I just do it. Wake up in the morning, do what you have to do all day, go to bed when it's done. nt

Pick your battles carefully. It helps to have selective sight and hearing!

Don't sweat the small stuff.

(this is a good one for chat rooms) Oh, straight jackets and handcuffs!


Are you planning to have any more?

I've been wondering about this and maybe you can explain it to me: I always thought you had to plan NOT to have more.

Before we were married we planned on having 2, but I didn't know that my husband couldn't count!

We didn't plan the first six, I don't think we'll plan the next six, either.


I hope you aren't planning to have anymore?!?

You mean, I just figured out what I'm really, really good at, and you're telling me to stop doing it?

Talk to God about it... it's up to Him.

Well, we do have room in our van for 2 more.

OK, I won't plan my next one. Surprises can be fun!

Yup we are going to keep going till we get an ugly one.


Haven't you heard of birth control?

Yes, and I thank God it doesn't always work!

Yes, I've heard of it, I hope you are using it!

(for dad) Yes, but I just can't find a rubber that will fit me!

Yes, that's great stuff for people with ugly kids!

Oh yes, we do know what birth control is; it's for people who don't want children.


Don't you have a television?


Yes, but we only get X-rated channels

Yes! Did you know there are 28 porn channels in this area?

No, we have much better things to do at night!

Yes 4 of them. Why?


How can you afford having so many?

Lifestyles are expensive not kids.

We're not on welfare, in huge amounts of debt, and no, my husband is not a doctor or lawyer. We just budget well.

I figure you spend what you make, you may as well spend it on more.

" You don't know my financial backer!" (Our God, of course)

I'm still not sure how we do it...but it works!


Look at that double trouble! (for twins)

No, they are double blessings!


I am glad it is you and not me!
Yes, me too!

My kids are glad it's me and not you too! ;-)

Oh me too! I love being a mother! and smile real BIG!


Do you get any time for yourselves?

Obviously we get a little time to ourselves, or we wouldn't have six kids.


Did you give birth to all of them?

Yes, I gave birth to them all. Do you really believe the stork dropped them off?

Yes, in my heart...... (for adoptive parents)


When people just keep staring at your family....

No, we're not Catholic. No, we're not Mormon.

Yes, they all are mine!

No, we don't try to overpopulate the earth, just to outnumber the idiots!


Haven't You Had That Baby YET?!!?

"YES. This is the NEXT ONE!!!!!!!!" See if that don't make their jaws drop!


http://www.plomp.com/largefam/co  mebacks.htm

What I wrote today

Today was a pretty awesome day. Not easy, but awesome. Some glory and disapointment. I just had to share with a yahoo group that I just joined how its been over here since joining the group.

Hello new friends,

For the last week I have been reading through the daily digests from this group and saying my prayers for you all while I read. I am so glad I found this group of brave mothers! I say brave because at the sight of my mounting laundry, screaming babies, popcorn lunches, I think about how all of you just take it all on. I think about how we all get through our days, minute by minute with only the grace of God to keep our heads and our hearts in place. 

For me you have all been an inspiration and a source of comfort that I can do this, and that God has a great plan for our family.

Just the other day after hours of looking for a solution to our home schooling issues and temptations to just put the kids in school because there was little school getting done here, a friend of mine suggested Classical Liberal Arts Academy. At first I just wanted to brush it off because my first thought was, yes its wonderful, yes, we can't afford it. But my friend told me to just look into it and see if it might be a good fit. She also told me that CLAA is not financially motivated and there is financial aid. So after a few hours of researching the website, sending an email asking how their financial aid might help us. I was almost floored at the response I got. I was thinking, yeah right, sure they are just gonna give away this program  *sarcasm is evil*, c'mon who could ever be so trusting?

CLAA's response was, (and I am paraphrasing here) just to go ahead and enroll the kids, we would be happy to have all 7 of your school aged children, don't worry about the financial part, God will provide, all that is required is that we trust and obey him. 

For me this was HUGE. This meant that we are doing the right thing and NOT having any money, NOT having any time, plain old NOT having of anything, is NOT a reason Not to CATHOLIC home school :) 

I am so grateful for this opportunity. So now the plan is to pray, trust, and obey :)

I just wanted to share this with you. (thanks MJ)

The10 Second Tidy

Remember the Big Comfy Couch show? If there was one lesson I learned from that annoying show, it was the 10 Second Tidy. It is just that, 10 seconds of mad dash cleaning and picking up scattered toys, shoes, and clothes.

My then 5 year old ds1, would love to sit and watch that show. I hated it because it looked like a low budget production and I wasn't impressed by the cheap looking props. But what we discovered that there was something sort of what you might call a little treasure. It worked so well, that we have kept the 10 Second Tidy in our home long after the show was cancelled. The great thing is that everyone can do it, even 2 year olds! So I am please to share the following You Tube clip.

Old Routine Re-Vamped

The old AM routine was like this.

1.Wake up, say Morning Offering.
2. Make your bed.
3. 10 second tidy in your room.
4. Grooming and get dressed w/shoes.
5. Morning family prayers. The Angeles & Grace.
6. Breakfast.
7. Chores/Zones (including pet care)
8. School

This worked out really great for a while, but there were some missing components and we had not added our PM routine since the twins were born. But now that Apollo, (our new high energy puppy) is here we have to kick it up a whole lot.

So now it looks like this.

1.Wake up, say Morning Offering.

2. Make your bed.

3. 10 second tidy in your room.

4. Grooming and get dressed w/shoes.

5. Take dogs outside.

6. Feed & water dogs.

7. Morning family prayers. The Angeles & Grace.

8. Breakfast.

9. Chores/Zones.

10. Walk dogs and outdoor play.

11. DEAR time (Drop Everything And Read) 30 minutes

12. Nap time for little kids.

13. School.

I have stayed away from a timed schedule for a long time because with a large family, stuff always seems to come up. If I expect interruptions, its less frustrating for me to allow time to roll with the punches. 

So at some point this week I have to add our PM routine. Otherwise, I will end up with wandering kids.

If you don't already know, I am a huge fan of Supper Nanny, Jo Frost. Here is a link to her website with very helpful information about why routines matter and how to set up your family's routine.

http://www.supernanny.com/Advice/-/Your-child/-/Child-care/Why-routines-matter-.aspx

http://www.supernanny.com/Advice/-/Supernanny-techniques/-/Routine-and-teamwork/Family-routine.aspx

Have a blessed and grace-filled day!

Setting the Mood in My Home With Music

My mother used to play classical music for us when we were small children in the evenings. It was something her father would do for his children at night. My grandfather was a poor uneducated farmer in Mexico, who had the common sense to fill his 9 children's hears with beautiful sounds. His wisdom is evidence for me that knowledge doesn't only come from books.

You have probably heard that classical music calms the mind. It's not hard to believe that idea because I myself find that I rest better if I fall asleep listening to classical music. And for my babies, classical music seems to contribute to easier transitions and longer naps. I have also discovered that classical music seems to calm everyone in the home especially during that morning rush or when I feel tense and overwhelmed.

I have also used other genres of music for different times during the day. For instance, if I we are working on Math subjects or Math drills, we will listen to Rock n' Roll and Metal. This idea came from my son's therapist, who suggested to us that listening to this kind of music stimulates cognitive function. So far, yes it does seem to help, but we are very careful that we play positive music and most of the time its Christian Rock.

Another time when I use music to set a mood in our home is when we are cleaning. Dance music seems to really motivate us and makes time go by faster. We house clean to any kind of dance music from Disco to Cumbia.

Creating playlist is great for us because I can limit our cleanup or Math lessons with music that will fill a certain time period. For instance, if I want to clean the house for 1 hour, then I will play our House Cleaning Boogie playlist that contains 1 hour of dance music and it will automatically stop after 60 minutes.

Happy listening and ROCK ON!!

Music Psychology resources:

http://www.sixwise.com/newsletters/06/10/05/how_classical_music_can_reduce_crime_benefit_your_mood_and_increase_your_spending.htm

http://cognitive-psychology.suite101.com/article.cfm/psychology_of_heavy_metal_music

http://musicouch.com/musicouching/music-and-the-mind/

Music listening websites:

CLAA's Sacred Radio:
http://www.pandora.com/?sc=sh182333542409935592

http://www.catholicmusicnetwork.com/

www.grooveshark.com/

www.pandora.com/

http://www.ilike.com/