This is the final week of the Virtual Curriculum Fair.  The subject this week is The Nuts & Bolts: Pulling it all Together!  This theme can be really practical, and include any helps you use for organizing, making plans, keeping little ones occupied, remembering to do your laundry, etc., etc. Or you could take a spiritual approach to it. I encourage you to use this week to explore how you get it done,whether it’s due to scheduling and planning or putting your faith in a higher power or somewhere in between.

Before I get to my words of wisdom…NOT!–here are the entries for the other weeks of the fair:

January 2 – Playing With Words: The Language Arts

January 9 – Discovering Patterns: Mathematics, Logic, and some Science

January 16 – Exploring Our World Through History and Science

January 23 – The Art of Art

Ok, so here is my confession to the world…Many people think I am super organized.  The truth is that I am in only some things.  Other things…not so much.  I specialize in organized chaos.  I just do not have it all together.  I just fake it well.

For school, I do have a few tricks up my sleeve.  We have done workboxes in the past and they worked really, really well for us.  My son could find what he needed to do and it all got done.  There was some sort of semblance of order to our day.  It was nice.  This year, we rely heavily on my Homeschool Tracker program.  I have input most everything in it and let it schedule things for us.  I often reschedule things to fit our lives.  But at least we started somewhere.

This year, Chandler has just learned what he needs to do.  I pretty much let him do it in whatever order he wants.  The only exception is his Seminary class.  That is a scheduled class, so he needs to go when it is time.  Otherwise, he just does it as he wants and I collect the grades.  Or grade if I need to.  It totally works for us.  I am glad we can do that now.  It’s less hands on for me unless I want to be immersed in it.  Chemistry is one of those things I want to be immersed in.  Those of you who have read my entries previously know I have designs on blowing things up all in the name of science.

As for scheduling the rest of my life, I am still working on that.  I am pretty good about doing meal plans most of the time.  That is just for my own sanity, rather than for the appearance of being organized.  I simply got sick of being asked the question, “What’s for dinner?”  That is seriously the only reason I even do it.  I just hate that question and the accompanying look of terror when I reply that I have no idea.  You would think I never feed them or something.  Now I just reply that they can look on my blog.  Sometimes I even rattle off the menu.  Once in a while I ask for input.  It just works for me.

I have organized several planners for my own use over the years.  I still have yet to find the perfect one.  I have tried most everything I can think of to remind me to do laundry.  Truth is, I avoid it until we are almost out of clothes.  I usually have to hear that someone is out of underwear before I can be bothered to do it.  I don’t mind doing laundry.  I even like it sometimes.  I like the fresh smell of clean clothes.  I even make my own laundry soap sometimes.  You would think it would be a no brainer to do laundry.  I do really well at times, and then well…you know how it is the rest of the time.  Let’s just say it is a good thing I married a man who will do the laundry when I forget.

Cleaning my house?  I hate it.  I have used several methods to help me get it all done. They didn’t work.  I tried flying with the flylady and I crashed and burned.  Not even a flutter left. The fact is, I just can’t stand it.  I do like things clean though.  I know that probably seems to be in contradiction with each other.  But it really isn’t.  I just have other things I care about more.  Cleaning is one of those things I do because I have to do it.  I probably will never enjoy it.  Scheduling it will probably never work for me.  I’ll find something more important to do instead.

I guess my philosophy on staying on top of everything can be summed up in one sentence:  Pick what is most important to you and do it, and the rest will just work itself out.  If you have sound advice that will help me get the rest of it together, I am all ears.  Just know I have done Motivated Moms and The Flylady several times.  I just don’t fly and I guess I am not that motivated.  LOL!

Be sure to check out these other great posts about organizing in the Virtual Curriculum Fair:

Weekly Homeschooling Schedule by Julie @ HighHill Homeschool

Virtual Curriculum Fair: Week 5: The Nuts & Bolts: Pulling it all Together by Leah @ The Courtney Six Homeschool

Our Schedule’s Working! by Eunora @ All Things NoriLynn

Homeschooling:  How do I do it all? by Debbie @ Debbie’s Digest

Virtual Curriculum Fair— Wrap-up by Angie @ Petra School

Virtual Curriculum Fair: 5 Ways to Use an iPad in Your Homeschool by Pam @ Everyday Snapshots

A Peek Into Our School Day by Melissa @ Grace Christian Homeschool

A Day in the Life… by Nicole @ Schooling in the Sun

Homeschool and Life: How we get it done by Jen @ Forever, For Always, No Matter What

Homeschooling at My House by Jessica @ Modest Mama

Getting a Grip on Things by Susan @ Homeschooling Hearts & Minds

Making Home School a part of LIFE by Cindy @ For One Another

Now Where’s That Pencil Again? by Beth @ Ozark Ramblings

Something About Homeschooling I Really Didn’t See Coming by Letha @ justpitchingmytent

Curriculum, Kids, and a Frazzled Homeschool Mama leads to Controlled Chaos! by Laura O from AK @ Day by Day in Our World

The Virtual Curriculum Fair – Nuts and Bolts by Kristen @ Sunrise to Sunset

Staying on Top of Everything by Brenda Emmett @ Garden of Learning

How Does This Homeschooling Thing Actually Work? Fitting it all Together by Joelle @ Homeschooling for His Glory

Nuts & Bolts: Pulling it all together by Christa Darr @ Fairfield Corner Academy