Rearranging the furniture for optimal floor space helps, but pursuing simplicity in the toy and clothes collection is essential.

Ten ways to simplify the toys:

Adoring grandparents. Generous friends. Thrift store finds. Christmas & birthdays.

Before you know it, your child’s room can be overflowing with toys. Toys are meant to be played with. To loosely paraphrase Solomon, “where no children are, the toys are picked up, but happily playing children are a great blessing.” (Prov. 14:4)

 photo credit

However, more toys do not necessarily equal more happiness. A few sticks and pebbles are all some children in the world have. I’m not sure American kids are any happier with their buckets and buckets of toys.

Here are a ten ways that I try to balance fun and simplicity.  (You can see pictures of my children’s room here, though I’ve rearranged it since then.)

1. Distinguish between durable and disposable toys. Some of my children’s toys I hope my grandchildren will play with, like Duplos. Some toys however (say the Easter eggs from the neighbor) I consider disposable and only keep for a few weeks. After the fun has worn off they are donated or tossed.
   
2. Choose neutral toys, when possible. Dolls and trucks are practically indispensable parts of a toy collection, but you don’t need a pink and blue version of everything!
3. Say “No!” Just because you’re offered free hand-me-downs or find a toy for a quarter at a yard sale, doesn’t mean your child needs it. Sometimes, you just need to say “no!” (Or let your children play with them for a few weeks and then pass them on.)
4. Rotate the toys so that there are less toys out and they get “new” toys regularly.
5. Set mess perimeters. I mentioned this in my post on clutter, but having a few guidelines for where and when toys can be played with makes such a difference! We have set clean-up times several times daily as well as a “no toys in the living room after dinner” rule. Play with one toy “set” at a time, then put it away (we’re working on this one!)
6. Keep birthdays & Christmas gifts simple: Laura Ingalls was happy with a tin cup and a penny. You can show your love without going overboard. Choose quality over quantity.
7. Gifts are a way many grandparents, other family members or friends show their love. However, sometimes the influx of gifts can get overwhelming, especially if you’re dealing with multiple children in a small room. This is a sensitive issue and may not be wise or kind in all situations, but  if possible, respectfully address overly generous gift-givers. My children have been blessed with grandparents that are so thoughtful of my children and me with their gifts. But, if you are getting overwhelmed by gifts, try to find a kind way to encourage gifts that will bless your child and you. A frazzled mom is not a good gift! A few possible ideas: offer hints for toys your child would treasure, let them know that what your child has plenty of toys and would most like would be to spend time with them (a trip to the zoo, museum, etc.) or set up an Amazon wish list for your child. (Remember though, never wound someone who loves your child over gifts!)
8. Embrace the simple things. Boxes for boats, blankets for forts, chairs for houses. Children are so creative and content! Often, it’s the parent not the child who thinks they need more.
9. Donate, sell or toss unused toys. Clearing out the toys that aren’t loved makes room to really enjoy the treasured toys. If you find toys consistently taken out and forsaken (for you to step on ) it’s time for them to go!
10. Get outside. Let them play with the sticks and pebbles… and maybe even take a dip in the mud.

This post is getting dreadfully long. We’ll have to tackle the kids’ clothes Wednesday…

(Thank you Jenn, from the lovely blog The Purposeful Mom for inspiring this post with your comment! )

What about you? How do you handle all the toys? I would *love* your ideas (especially since we plan to add little Meg to the kids’ room soon)! 

Linking up at Handful of Heart and Better Mom Monday 

• Introduction: Preliminary Questions and Defining the Terms
• Pros and Cons of a Non-Traditional (Distance) College Course
• CLEPs and DANTES: Two Major Credit-Earning Tests
• Resources to Prepare for CLEPs and DANTES 

Most students can benefit from taking at least some CLEP or DANTES exams. Thousands of colleges and universities across the country accept them. Testing out of a course is cheaper, allows you to study at your own pace, use your own (often free!) textbooks and saves time. It is a wonderful way for high school students to get a jumpstart on their college education or for any student to speed up the time until graduation.

However, some of you may wish to earn a degree entirely (or nearly entirely) through distance learning methods. This is the route Joshua and I took, and why we were able to obtain our bachelors degrees for considerably less than $5,000 each.

photo by Mary Gober

There are three major distance learning colleges: Excelsior College, Thomas Edison State College and Charter Oak State College. These colleges all hold to a similar belief: you don’t have to sit in a classroom in order to learn.

They are geared toward adult learners and self-motivated students. Each college offers some degrees entirely (or almost entirely) through distance learning methods. (Though obviously some degree programs, like biology, require courses with hands-on lab credit which you can transfer from a local college/university.)

They award credit for CLEP and DANTES exams, prior-learning assessments as well as other lesser-known credit-by-examination tests. [Read more about Excelsior's ECE (which even offer some nursing exams) and Thomas Edison's TECEP exams.] Each college also offers its own online classes.

The colleges charge per year of enrollment. Upon enrollment, they evaluate your previously-earned credit to see what classes or exams you need to complete your degree and offer telephone support. Enrollment does not actually pay for any courses.

What we, and many other students do (after choosing a college) is look over their accepted exams and take as many as possible before enrolling, so that we only had to pay for one year of enrollment.

Once enrolled, we completed necessary exams and took any courses that college requires. For example, Excelsior, which we “attended”, requires their 1-credit-hour Information Literacy course in order to graduate.

Below are links to important aspects of the three major distance learning colleges. If you are interested in pursuing a distance degree, I highly recommend the Degree Forum (it appears to be down at the moment!) for much, much more information.

Excelsior College

Naturally, I’m rather biased towards Excelsior since that is where we graduated!

• Degrees offered
• Student Guide to Credit by Examination at Excelsior College:
• Cost:  $975 for one year, $250 for the required Information Literacy course, plus a $495 graduation fee and various other fees*
• Financial Aid:  I’m not sure if this is new, but students can apply for various scholarships and grants!

Thomas Edison State College (TESC)

For students who want a mentor to guide them through the distance learning process, College Plus! works with Thomas Edison to coach students to a degree.

• Degrees offered
• Ways to earn credit: They offer their own credit-by-examination exam (TECEP) as well as accepting credit from numerous other sources
• Cost: One year of enrollment at TESC is $2,858.00 for out state students ($1,533.00 in NJ) with a $272 graduation fee and various other fees.*
• Financial aid: TESC students can apply for numerous scholarships and grants (including the Pell Grant.)

Charter Oak State College

Unlike the other two, Charter Oak offers enrollment on a semester, not yearly, basis.

• Degrees offered
• Ways to earn credit
• Cost: Enrollment is only $220 per semester, but you are required to take at least six credit hours through them at $220 per credit-hour *
• Financial Aid: Charter Oak students can apply for numerous scholarships and grants (including the Pell Grant.)

Feminine Adventures finally has a Facebook page! (It only took three months of procrastination!) I would be so honored if you stopped by and liked Feminine Adventures on Facebook.

(many thanks to Crystal from Your Pic Photography for the original picture for this and my header, and to my wonderful husband for the lovely design!)

Once established, habits are unconscious patterns. Patterns that shape the fabric of our days.

If you’re like me, your fabric could use some fine tuning. This year, I am seeking to establish one habit each month that will help me be a more disciplined woman of God. Care to join me?

 photo credit

Turn a Bad Habit into a Good Rhythm

Not so very long ago, when Joshua was study morning and night during the long law school days, I fell into a horrible habit. After dinner, the last thing I felt like doing was cleaning up the kitchen. So, while Josh hit the books again and our oldest (then a baby) contentedly played, I told myself, “It’s been a long day, why not spend just a few minuts online checking emails and reading blogs.”

Without fail, a few minutes turned into half an hour or an hour as I jumped from post to post, with the dishes looming ever larger in my mind. When I finally got up from the computer, the plates were crusty and I washed dishes while mad at myself for my lack of discipline.

Finally, it had to stop. I enforced a new rule on my unwilling self: don’t leave the kitchen ’til it is clean. Soon, a new habit emerged that changed the fabric of my evening. 

I’ve never been good at following detailed schedules (though I have plenty of practice writing them), but establishing an evening routine has worked wonderfully for me.

Routines are like gentle rhythms that ensure you fulfill basic priorities, without locking you into a strict regimen.

Each evening I follow a basic routine: tidy home, prepare dinner, eat dinner together, wash dishes (while my four-year-old dries, the two-year-old clears the table, Josh holds the baby and the kids and I sing or work on poetry together) and sweep the floor, get children ready for bed, spend family time with children and put them in bed.

Turning one horrible habit into a good rhythm has made a humungous difference in how my home runs (and in my attitude!)

One Habit a Month Challenge: February

After last month’s simple habit (that has also made a profound effect on my days!), I decided to tackle a slightly more challenging habit this month. Since our family has benefited from a basic morning and evening routine, my goal for February is to establish a lunch routine. The pattern will probably fluctuate the first few days as I try to figure out what works best for my household, but here are the things that I want to fit into it:

• Eat lunch (good part of a lunch routine, don’t you think?)
• Read a chapter from a children’s chapter book
• Clean up kitchen
• Do any necessary dinner prep
• Tidy home
• Lay kids down for nap

Echinacea: $4.99

The healing power of echinacea has lived in legend for centuries. Recent studies confirm its benefits. I’m kind of ashamed to admit that someone who loves natural remedies as much as I do doesn’t have a drop of echinacea in the house. It was always something I wished I had when one of us got sick, but I never managed to get over to the store to purchase. Once we were better, it sorta slipped the list.

That problem is fixed now. I purchased a bottle of Child Life Echinacea on Amazon for only $4.99.

Feverfew: $9.54

Feverfew is an herb I only read about recently. It is reputed to be one of nature’s strongest headache fighters. The London Migraine Clinic performed a double-blind study on patients who claimed to have benefited from feverfew. Some patients received placebos, some feverfew. Those that got the placebo said their headaches increased dramatically. Two patients (who claimed their headaches disappeared when they took feverfew) even dropped out because their headaches got so bad while taking the placebo. After they restarted feverfew, the headaches vanished again! (Read more in Mommy Diagnostics and Herbal Drugstore.)

Very important warning: Pregnant and nursing women should not take feverfew. Many thanks to Jenn from The Purposeful Mom for pointing this out!

Apparently, feverfew doesn’t work for everyone, but about two thirds claim relief. Also, it’s not an instant cure. For best results, you are supposed to take it daily. Since my husband gets headaches frequently, we decided to give it a try. I purchased Nature’s Way MygraFew (Feverfew). (The price has fluctuated several times this month. Right now it’s only $9.54 with free shipping if you subscribe. Plus, unlike some other brands on Amazon, you only have to take one capsule daily, so it’s practically $3 for a month’s supply!)

It is on the way from Amazon and I’m really excited to see if it works for Joshua… and will definitely let you know if it does!

Food: Your Miracle Medicine: $2.20

Food: Your Miracle Medicine was my favorite find this month! Shonda Parker highly recommends it in Mommy Diagnostics (read my review here). I’ve never had much success finding good books at the thrift store before, so was extra thrilled to found a hardback copy of this book for only $2 on the thrift store shelf! So far, I’m really enjoying it. (Look for a review in coming weeks!)

Total for January: 16.73

Have you added to your herbal remedies this month? If so, what did you add? 

linked up at Healthy 2Day Wednesdays, Frugal Days, Sustainable Ways and Natural Living Link Up

(Full disclosure: The links to products in this post are my referral links.)

When there are so many areas that you want to change, it is hard to limit yourself to just one at a time. But  seeking perfectionism often paralyzes any action. Choosing one habit, committing to it, and actually doing it, will pay much better dividends in the end. (At least so I hope!)

photo credit

My habit for January was simple: get dressed before breakfast. January is already at an end. Can you believe it? It’s time to check in with a progress report.

With a few exceptions, I have actually carried through on the habit. (It’s quite the difficult task, don’t you think? Haha!) Only twice (on weekends) did I really lounge around in my pajamas and both days felt so much less productive. In fact, not being disciplined to get dressed those two days was incredible motivation for the rest of the month.

This one habit has made such a difference! I have been shocked at how much more productive my day feels when I simply spend two minutes to get dressed before the morning rush begins.

As Crystal, from Money Saving Mom, said, discipline begets discipline. The benefits of choosing to not procrastinate (even on something as simple as getting dressed) have spilled over to the rest of the day.

• My children appreciate the fact that I look nice (my toddler comments daily, “you earrings pitty, Mama!”)
• My morning are more productive
• My brain feels less cluttered
• And, if the UPS guy happens to deliver a package at 9, I can actually answer the door!

Inflation isn’t fun. It is a tax on everyone. 

Rates are rising and it’s easy to want to grumble when it comes time to pay the bills. Like so many things in life though, complaints so often cloak our blessings. We just have to learn to look at them properly. The simple fact that we have a water or heating bill is cause for gratitude!

photo credit

• The average woman in Africa walks three miles a day, just to get water for her family. I pay less than $50 a month to have it delivered to my kitchen faucet!
• Our ancestors spend hours of back-breaking labor to chop down trees and store them for the cold winter months. We flip a little switch and stay warm all winter.
• Writing a rent check means that my children have a roof over their heads and even an indoor bathroom (!!)
• The price of gas doesn’t make filling up the van very fun. But would you rather walk?

Rising prices are not fun, but the next time you’re tempted to complain, just remember, a water bill is cause for gratitude!

linked up at Gratituesday and Teach Me Tuesdays

photo by Mary Gober

In the past three weeks we’ve defined distance learning (otherwise known as a non-traditional college route); discussed its pros and cons and taken a look at the two most common credit-earning exams: CLEPs and Dantes.

Now it’s time to discuss how to prepare for the exams.

Not only does earning credit-by-examination save considerably on per-credit cost, you also don’t have to purchase highly priced textbooks. I about died when Joshua started law school and we had to fork over $80 for the cheapest used textbook on Amazon. We hardly spent that much for all of our undergrad resources combined.

Most of the resources necessary to prepare for CLEP or Dantes exams we checked out free from the library!

Resources to Prepare for Credit-by-Examination

Get to Know the Exams:

The first step when preparing for any test is to familiarize yourself with the exam.

There are 33 CLEP exams. The Collage Board describes the tests and offers a few sample questions. The Official CLEP Study Guide is published by the creators of the CLEP exams and offers full length practice tests, as well as recommendations for preparing for the exam. We took numerous CLEP exams and found the Official Study Guide to be an invaluable resource for checking our readiness to take the exam.

If you want to take a Dantes, GetCollegeCredit.com offers a detailed overview of each test with sample questions. The writers of the exam authored the Official Guide to Mastering DSST Exams to prepare students for their eight most popular exams.

Start studying:

Once you know what you need to study, it’s time to get busy!

Teaching Company Lectures: I absolutely LOVE these! The Teaching Company recruits distinguished professors from around the world to lecture on their area of expertise. They are fairly expensive, but we raided our library’s huge collection. The lectures cover everything from Mastering Differential Equations to The Classics of Russian Literature.

The best part? You can listen while you drive, do dishes or fold laundry! 

My very favorite professor is Timothy Taylor who teaches on Economics. I listened to these while still living at home with my family. The lectures were like a magnet. My siblings inched their way into the kitchen so they could listen too. Timothy Taylor even got an 8-year-old to beg to dry dishes, just so she could listen to the history of economics. Impressive, huh?

Instant Cert: Instant Cert is great for areas in which you need a lot of work. It uses a series of multiple choice questions with detailed answers to quickly help you grasp the pertinent information.

I was delighted with how quickly it helped me prepare for my most dreaded CLEP: College Mathematics. In fact, rather than this CLEP taking the most time to prepare for, I was ready to take the exam in only a couple of weeks.

 Membership is $20 a month and they offer a 100% satisfaction guarantee: if you decide you don’t like it during the first month, just cancel and your money will be refunded (no questions asked!)

Instant Cert also hosts a forum, which you can access for free, that is full of great information about schools, tests, etc…

Dummies or Complete Idiot Guides: If you prefer an actual book, these series have guides to almost every subject imaginable. Sometimes if you’ve listened to a lecture on a subject, it’s useful to follow-up with a glance through one of these guides. I spent an couple hours reading over the The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Economics after listening to Timothy Taylor’s lectures and together they covered all I needed to know for the two Economic CLEP exams.

Conclusion:

Thanks to a wonderful library system, we spent about the same on all four years of college credit than we did on just one of Joshua’s law books. (We purchased one month of Instant Cert flashcards and The Official CLEP Study Guide, and wouldn’t have needed to purchase it, but checked it out from the library SO many times we eventually decided it would be worth it! We also ordered a few other books that are no longer necessary.) Even if your library isn’t as extensive as ours was, preparing for a CLEP or Dantes exam is considerably less expensive than a regular college course!

Even if you’re going to a traditional college, I highly recommend that you consider testing out of some of your general education courses. It will save you time and money.

If you, like us, want to get your entire degree through examination, join me next week when we’ll cover the three major colleges that offer degrees non-traditionally and the pros and cons of each.

linked up at Works for Me Wednesday and Frugal Friday

(Full disclosure: The links to products in this post are my referral links.)

Sometimes God orchestrates our schedules in such a way that it forces us to rely on Him for grace just to make it through the day.

However, sometimes the stress is of our making. Sometimes we fill our lives to overflowing with “brain clutter” and then wonder why we can’t seem to get anything really accomplished.

That’s the brain clutter I am on a journey to get rid of.

photo credit

(Just joining us? Read the rest of the series! 1- 2 of 21 Ways to Clear out the Brain Clutter, 3-10 on Eliminating Technological Clutter and 11-16 on De-Cluttering the Home)

17. Clear your schedule so you have time for the most important things.In today’s fast-paced society, you can be as busy as you want. Learn to say “no”, even to events that sound fun, so that you can really concentrate on and enjoy the best
18. Take care of your body: Eat brain-friendly food. (Some foods encourage clear thinking. Some foods rob mental energy.) Get outside and exercise: There’s something about just breathing fresh air and enjoying a bit of sunshine that is so invigorating and brain-decluttering.
19. Get enough sleep. Lack of sleep saps mental energy quicker than just about anything else. Walking around in a sleepy fog makes for a very cluttered brain. Of course, sleep is not always possible, especially as moms to young children. When you can sleep though, do! If your mind starts racing the moment you hit the pillow, keep a notebook by your bed to get the thoughts out of your brain and on to paper.
20. Stop procrastinating. Has a project been on your to-do list (and in the back of your mind) for months? Just do it!
21. Trust God. God knows what you need. Sometimes it’s not always what you think you need. As my friend Kasey, from These Five of Mine Plus 2, put it so beautifully, “I’m a girl that needs my sleep. So God gave me 7 children that I might realize I’m really just a mother that needs my Lord!”

Technology-overload can clutter the brain. So can a cluttered home.

A smoothly-running home creates the perfect atmosphere for an uncluttered brain. There’s something so peaceful about a well-ordered home. A home where everything has a place and is put in its place when not being used.

This doesn’t mean no messes. Homes are supposed to be lived in. Children are supposed to play. And, even though I don’t always act like I believe it, a cheerful attitude is much more important than a tidy home!

Life happens. An uncluttered home isn’t first priority, but it does help clear out the brain clutter. The following ideas have helped our home (and my brain!) be less cluttered.

photo credit

(Read tips 1 and 2 of 21 Ways to Clear out the Brain Clutter and 3-10 on Eliminating Technological Clutter)

11. Establish a household rhythm: I am really good at making detailed schedules. I am really horrible at following them. Find the balance between discipline and flexibility that work for you. Having a basic meal plan, a morning routine and a rotating cleaning schedule help clear my brain. I don’t have to spend lots of mental energy at 4 pm trying to think of what to have for dinner and I know that my home will never get overwhelmingly dirty. Find the balance that gives you flexibility and clears your brain of unnecessary decisions.
12. Set “mess perimeters”: Your home should be lived in, but that doesn’t mean it should always be messy. Set up a few guidelines that make your home peaceful. For example, we established a “no toys in the living room after dinner” rule. The kids can build forts in the living room during the day, but in the evening the living room is for relaxing and reading. We also have set clean-up times before naps, dinner, and bed; and before leaving the home.
13. Get rid of stuff that clutters your home, your closet, your vehicle and your brain! Purge until it almost hurts. Clutter everywhere leads to a cluttered brain!
14. Put things all the way away, right away!  When you’re done with something, put it all the way away, whether it is laundry or books or notes. Avoid piles.
15. Set up a donate/sell and a “return” box. Don’t just purge once or twice a year! As soon as an item ceases to be useful and just clutters your home, put it straight into the box. When the box is full, donate it or put it into your garage sale stash. Did the shirt you bought your husband not fit? Put it straight into the return box (kept handy or even in the van) so that it’s ready to be returned next time you visit the store. (Make sure to stick the receipt with the item or in your purse.)
16. Read, sort and dispose of mail as soon as you bring it inside. Handle mail only once (unless it’s a personal letter to treasure!) File important papers, write important dates on your calendar (ahem, this is one I’m notorious at!) and toss the junk mail. Pay bills immediately or set up automatic billing. Not worrying “did I forget to pay my water bill?” definitely clears out brain clutter!