restful productivity to live deliberately & avoid overwhelm 

Encouragement for the Mom of Young Kids

Encouragement for the Mom of Young Kids

To the mom of young kids, I see you.  I hear your need to just sit in silence without anyone touching you. I get it that the laundry situation is impossible. I understand that the floors need to be swept and that you can’t even think straight. Tiny humans are hard in so many ways. …

My Counters Affect My Productivity

My Counters Affect My Productivity

How changing my habits with the dirty dishes and my cluttered kitchen counters rippled into my creativity. My Story – My dad was a professional chef and when I was little I was taught all about kitchen efficiency.  I learned about cooking tools, ways to prep your station, how to chop fruits and vegetables, and how to batch together tasks…

5 Energy Levels in Homemaking & Working from Home

5 Energy Levels in Homemaking & Working from Home

Managing myself is hard. I have to constantly assess what is most important and then spend time on those things. I must be diligent about how I invest my energy or it will be wasted on the unnecessarily urgent, the things that matter to other people, and the tasks that are fun. I have been…

New to Homeschooling? – Start Here

New to Homeschooling? – Start Here

Welcome to Homeschooling! This is a unique lifestyle and can be a place where you and your kids will grow exponentially. Everyone enters homeschooling in a unique way. We each bring different family dynamics, personalities, and relationships to education. Learning at home is a journey for the parent who is teaching just as much as the…

Gaining Control When I’m Overwhelmed

Gaining Control When I’m Overwhelmed

How to gain control when my head is spinning. Productive tips for moms, humans, and homemakers about what to do next. Article Outline: My Story Questions to Ask Practical ways to solve overwhelm Simple Checklist My Story The kids were gone at Home Depot with Jim. I had at least an hour to myself to do whatever…

Why Hobbies Matter

Why Hobbies Matter

My Story –   I have found that hobbies have become an important part of being “just April”. Myself. Just me. Not all the roles I play and things I do. But just me, creating something for the sake of creation. I used to tell myself that I will have hobbies when my kids are grown,…

Pivot – A Change In Plans

Pivot – A Change In Plans

I love plans, routines, schedules, charts, lists… all of it! But I also understand that I am not the all-powerful Oz who knows everything that will happen or take place. This means that while I can attempt to plan for all contingencies and events, it is impossible to do so.  Kids get worn out, it starts raining, things fall apart,…

Transitions – Start & End Well

Transitions – Start & End Well

I absolutely love connecting productivity concepts from high-powered business executives to mom life and homeschooling. It just gives me joy to make my life at home more efficient and effective. I fully believe in the concept of work smarter, not harder.I view productivity as tips and ideas to make my life easier so that I…

Homeschooling is a Job

Homeschooling is a Job

Why do we need to treat homeschooling as a job? For a long time I thought what I did as a mom and as a homeschool mom did not count. I fell into the trap of believing that other people are out in the world doing something “important”. Sometimes I still get caught in these myths.…

Work/Life Balance with Homeschooling Series

Work/Life Balance with Homeschooling Series

Let me begin by saying that balancing any kind of activities is a myth. It is a concept we are all trying to chase without success. But it is catchy. It is a phrase that is accepted in productivity conversations and something we are all hoping for. So however you or I define it, what…