A Well-Feathered Nest

Teach Them Diligently Conference Discount

noreply@blogger.com (Crystal @ A Well-Feathered Nest) — Mon, 08 Apr 2013 20:06:00 +0000

The line-up of speakers at this year's Teach Them Diligently Conferences is excellent! These homeschool conferences are being held in Spartanburg, Nashville, and Omaha. If you plan to attend one of these events, you can get $5 off of registration with the code: CCRMNC.

There is even a classical education track sponsored by Classical Conversations!

Note: This is an affiliate coupon code, and I may receive a reward if enough people register with this code. However, my opinion about the conference is fully my own, and I wouldn't promote it otherwise.

In which I tell you about my failure...

noreply@blogger.com (Crystal @ A Well-Feathered Nest) — Fri, 05 Apr 2013 00:56:00 +0000

Some things are just plain hard. Self-discipline is hard, but I guess that's why it's called "discipline."

I ran a 5K in February, and I would have to say that, physically, that was definitely the hardest thing I've ever done. I was nervous about it, but I wasn't nearly as frightened as I should have been by the "rolling hills" in the course description. Do you remember my goals? Well, I attained my goals. Y'all, there were times I seriously thought I might not make it. The hills were KILLER, but I was determined to run the whole race. Well, my run is probably a jog, but it's all relative, right?

I finished the race. I ran the whole way. I did not die or collapse. I did not puke, although I thought I might.

I even set a personal record in spite of the crazy hills.

It HURT. And I was sore for days. I tried to pick it up on Monday, and my leg hurt, and my hip hurt, and I knew I needed to rest. But I rested too long.

In the midst of musicals, training sessions, conferences, board meetings, information meetings, and church activities, we were home very little.

I quit. And I gained a little weight. So now I'm trying to get back on the wagon.

In the midst of this whole experience, doing things I've never even tried to do in the past, I keep thinking through the passage in 1 Corinthians 9 where Paul talks about the runner and the race. I'm sure that doing physically hard things has helped me to better understand this striving to be disciplined, and I think the physical striving can help to strengthen the spiritual striving. That's what I often think about as I'm running--doing hard things and growing in self-discipline. Each hard thing is a choice, and spiritual discipline calls us to make a host of hard choices on a daily basis. But I digress...

Our schedules have lightened a bit. I'm backing way up in the Ease into 5K program to get back to where I was. I am determined not to give it up totally, but I don't think I'll ever consider myself a real runner, either. I'm just a person who needs to do hard things sometimes.

Best Ever Pencil Sharpener

noreply@blogger.com (Crystal @ A Well-Feathered Nest) — Mon, 25 Feb 2013 17:23:00 +0000

Over the summer my kiddos managed to kill the electric pencil sharpener we were using, so I set out on the search for a long term answer to our pencil-sharpening needs. I like electric sharpeners, but they tend to be a magnet for little hands to stick things into. Those same little hands have no concept of when enough is enough, and we end up with lots of nubs. You also have to keep the ones that plug in near an electrical outlet, and there are so few of those to go around at our house.

I was determined to find a great sharpener at a fair price. I'm willing to put some extra dollars into items like this that will be well-used and last a long time.

In the midst of my search my friend, Melissa, reminded me that she has a pencil sharpener that she's loved for a while. She's a homeschooling mom of 6, so they go through a lot of pencils at her house! I decided to look into this sharpener that she loved so much, and the people at Classroom Friendly Supplies were kind enough to send me a green one to try out. These things come in the coolest colors!

I got this sharpener back in September, and we've been using it ever since. I fell in love with the way it holds the pencil for you as you sharpen it. It also gets really "loose" when the pencil is sharp to let you know when to stop. They have videos on the web site if you need a little extra help to figure out how it all works. It isn't hard, but it is different. The videos came in super handy when a lead tip broke off and was stuck inside. I was able to quickly learn how to get it out and get back to sharpening.

This pencil sharpener would be great for an office, classroom, and definitely a home with a lot of pencils to be sharpened. It's easy enough that my four-year-old can use it. It's durable. It's portable. It's affordable at $24.99 (with discounts if you buy more), and it does an awesome job of getting those pencil tips pointy.

I did receive a free pencil sharpener in exchange for this review, however, the opinions expressed in this review are completely mine. I'd buy another one of these pencil sharpeners in a heartbeat!

Six

noreply@blogger.com (Crystal @ A Well-Feathered Nest) — Tue, 19 Feb 2013 14:11:00 +0000

Happy birthday to a special boy who changed my life more than I could ever have imagined. Can it really have been six years already? These days my hands usually seem full but my arms often seem empty. Many times I've wished that I could have held you longer and that you could have grown into a little boy so full of mischief like your brothers. But I would never really wish you back to this world. I rejoice in the fact that you didn't have to suffer long on this earth, and I long to be made whole just like you some day soon. Happy birthday, David Elisha. I'll never be the same because you lived.

2013 Planner Price Reduced

noreply@blogger.com (Crystal @ A Well-Feathered Nest) — Wed, 06 Feb 2013 15:19:00 +0000

Since we're already well into February, I'm dropping the price on my 2013 Plan Your Life printable planner packs. You can now get either version for just $5.97!

I'l soon begin working on new products and the 2014 version of the planner, so I'd love to hear any feedback you have about the designs or items you'd like to see available as add-ons.

Mid-Year Slump

noreply@blogger.com (Crystal @ A Well-Feathered Nest) — Wed, 30 Jan 2013 15:52:00 +0000

For many reasons, this time of year has always been the hardest for me when it comes to homeschooling. I fall into a mid-year slump where I despair over the things that seem to be going wrong, and it's harder to see all the things that actually are going well. It's hard to recover from the holiday break, and my family is in the midst of a lot of big obligations. The plates are all spinning, and I focus so much attention on the big ones that I'm sure some of the smaller ones will come crashing down any moment.

I get discouraged.

I get tired.

I look longingly at that yellow bust stopped outside my house for a few seconds.

Then I remember all the reasons we're doing this, and I take one more step forward. This year that may mean letting go of some things that aren't adding so much to our homeschool. It may mean pulling back a bit on some others. I'm always reminding myself to focus on the basics. If we can really get those, then the rest will come naturally.

I've been an admirer of Charlotte Mason since I discovered her work on educational philosophy. I would most describe our homeschool as a blend of Classical and Charlotte Mason for the elementary years.

She gives me freedom.

So I was excited to find this book on a recent trip to the used bookstore. I've almost bought it before, but I couldn't pass up a used copy. Plus, it found me at just the right time. I think with my feet planted firmly on solid rock and few good books, I should be able to make it through the mid- year slump once again.

We've logged just over 100 days this school year, and Charlotte will encourage me through the rest--remind me why these long days are so important and that I shouldn't hold some things too tightly.

Countdown to 5K

noreply@blogger.com (Crystal @ A Well-Feathered Nest) — Wed, 16 Jan 2013 17:23:00 +0000

It's happened. I've gone out of my mind and committed to something I never thought I would do. I mean, I used to make fund of people for running long distances for seemingly no purpose at all. You know, the cross country team in high school. Fast forward 15 or so years and having a couple of kids and much lower metabolism has led me to seek out the easiest, fastest, and cheapest way to burn some calories. I like to eat, so I need to like to exercise.

I registered for the Sweetheart 5K that is coming up next month here in town, and I'm still not sure I can do it. I will say that I ran farther without stopping today than I ever have in my life. It was slow, but I made it. Coming out of the holidays it's been harder than I expected to get back in the groove of eating right and exercising, so I thought this would help to motivate me. I need a goal to keep me from wimping out.

This whole running thing is such a mental battle. My body is saying, "You can't do it. Not one more step." So my brain has to take over and say, "Yes, one more step...and one more..." until I make it to my goal. Now you know I'm crazy.

I have no intention of making this a health and fitness blog, but it is a part of my life and how I'm working on developing some discipline...both physically and spiritually. And so I will write about it from time to time. If nothing else, maybe I can help someone out there to see that if I can do it, they certainly can!

I'm thinking I need some accountability just in case my $27 and some odd cents isn't enough motivation to keep going. Because of that, I'll probably be posting some updates. You'll be glad that it's only 3 1/2 weeks away. This week I've switched from the Ease into 5K time-based plan I told you about, and I've been trying to find a good place to pick up this plan to increase my distance (because I'm so slow).

I have two goals for this race:
1. Finish the course.
2. Do not die...or collapse.

If I can accomplish these, I will be ecstatic!

So It Comes To An End

noreply@blogger.com (Crystal @ A Well-Feathered Nest) — Fri, 11 Jan 2013 02:29:00 +0000

Our boys returned from spending some time with their grandparents today. It's been too quiet around our house the last week or so, but it's time to jump back into real life tomorrow.

Planning for Success

noreply@blogger.com (Crystal @ A Well-Feathered Nest) — Fri, 04 Jan 2013 15:58:00 +0000

A friend pointed out on my Facebook page after my post about losing 30 pounds that the key to any weight loss/fitness plan is consistency. That is so true. I already had a list of things I wanted to add to my original post floating around in my head, and that was at the top of the list.

One thing I wanted to stress when I shared about the tools that have been helping me to lose weight is that they have been so helpful because they have made it easier for me to follow through. The last several years of my life have been full of excuses and Monday starts (and indulgence in the mean time). That's how I ended up where I was at the beginning of this journey. Once I began, I knew all of that had to stop. The biggest key to my success has been choosing to do it now--whatever "it" is. Exercising, eating breakfast, not eating sweets, not eating fast food, cooking at home are all choices I've had to make NOW rather than tomorrow...or Monday.

So whatever plan you choose to follow, the key will be how well you stick to it. For me, that's one of the biggest reasons I need a plan. I see things in black and white, so I need to know that I have a plan. Your plan is important because it needs to be something that you can follow through with.

The Eating Part of My Plan

I tried to keep my goals for eating simple and straightforward because a girl can only handle so much change at one time and sill keep up with real life. I had a few simple goals:

1. Stop eating out. I'm a mom, and I'm busy, and I stink at planning ahead in the kitchen. When 5:00 rolls around, and I don't have a clear plan grabbing fast food always seems like the best answer. But that was tough on our bodies...and our budget.

2. Cook at home. This is the flip side of the first goal. I've always been bad at meal planning, so this was the most overwhelming for me. Three meals a day for four people adds up to a lot of work in the kitchen even if you're not trying to measure everything and be aware of calories. In the end, I've been saving recipes on Pinterest and trying out new stuff. At my house everyone eats the same thing for dinner PERIOD. I am not a short order cook, and I want my kids to develop healthy eating habits, too.

Now that I've got some standard things down, I would usually rather eat at home because I know I can have way yummier food and better stay within my goals. (Part of this goal is also to eat real food made from real ingredients which we tend to do anyway when cooking at home.)

There are a couple of tools that have helped me achieve this goal.

Pinterest - If you are not on Pinterest, then you should be! You get to choose who you follow and which boards you want to see. I've loved this site from the moment I found it two or so years ago, and I have found TONS of great recipes on there. I can keep boards for main courses, soups, lunch ideas, tried and true recipes, etc. to keep everything organized. You can even browse just the food and drink category. It helps me keep track of links to everything I've come across all in one place...visually!

Calorie Count - The recipe analyzer on this site is the fastest and easiest I've found for getting an overall picture of a recipe. I often find recipes on Pinterest and run them through the analyzer by copying and pasting to see if it's even worth pinning.

Skinny Taste - OK, so this is really a blog, but I have found so many yummy recipes on Gina's site that I had to recommend it to you. Most of her recipes are 500 calories or fewer per serving, and they are still tasty. I tend to go with the full fat dairy products and tweak things here and there, but I've probably found more of our new recipes here than any other site.

Plan to Eat - I am super cheap, and I normally would never pay for a subscription site. That said, I know my track record for follow-through when it comes to meal planning. I have never developed a system that didn't take a ton of time for me to maintain. Plan to Eat has set up a system or me, and it gives me the tools to keep it going.

I can easily add recipes to my account either by entering them manually or with a bookmarked button. Sometimes I need to copy and paste some information, but overall it's very quick. If I find a recipe I like in a Martha Stewart magazine, then I can look it up on the web site, use the button, and add it straight to my recipe list. I can add recipes I want to try soon to my queue, and then I have inspiration when I'm creating our upcoming meal plan.

I really love the planning feature because I can drag and drop my recipes onto the calendar, and it puts together a shopping list for me. Then I can access the shopping list from my phone at the store and check things off as I shop. I can even add other items to my shopping list before I head out to the store.

If something comes up and we get off track, I can easily move things around, and I don't have to redo the whole meal plan. I really think Plan to Eat will save us money on our grocery budget while it keeps me organized in the kitchen. They do offer a free 30-day trial if you're interested, so you don't have to commit up front. There are so many other features that I haven't even mentioned! This tool has been the most important in my being able to be consistent with my plan while saving my valuable time, so that has made it worth the extra expense. If your current system is working well, then it may not be for you.

3. Focus on eating more fruits and vegetables. I like to think more about all the things I can eat rather than the things I can't eat. Plus, you can eat so much more (in volume) if you choose wisely.

4. Stay within my calorie goals 6 days per week. This can vary according to how quickly you'd like to lose weight and how active you are. That's why I love having My Fitness Pal to help me track everything and earn extra calories.

5. Don't feel guilty about going over the calorie goal one day per week. I tend not to call this a "cheat" day because it's not cheating if it's a part of my plan. Also, I don't want it to be an excuse to binge. I do think there is some good in taking a break from calorie restriction. It may keep your body guessing, and it's great for your sanity! Usually, I plan this around an event when I know I won't be eating at home.

Oh, and there have actually been weeks when I didn't use my "cheat" day. I intended to, but with making good choices and being active, I realized I stayed within my calorie goal after all.

There is so much more that could be said, but this is the basic plan I set up for myself. It's doable for us, and that's why it's worked so far. Do you have a plan for eating better in the new year? Have you set goals for yourself?

FREE 2013 Printable One-Year Calendar

noreply@blogger.com (Crystal @ A Well-Feathered Nest) — Mon, 31 Dec 2012 12:28:00 +0000

Can you believe we are just about to bring 2012 to a close and begin a new year? My family has been thoroughly blessed in 2012, and I pray that 2013 will be the same.

To celebrate the transition into the new year, I wanted to share a printable one-year 2013 calendar with you all. You can print this page onto paper or card stock and add your own 4x6 photo to the blue frame. You could even trim it down to 8x10 and put it into a cute frame for a fun, easy calendar to display on your desk or in your home. Click Here to download this PDF file.

Also, because we all want to start 2013 out on an organized note, I'm having a sale on my printable planner and add-on binder pages. Use the code: NEWYEAR2013 to receive 40% off of the items in my shop through January 10th!

These calendar and planner pages come in a PDF format, so you can print as many as you'd like for personal use. You can customize your 2013 planner and create your own household binder to get organized in the new year. Take a peek at how I put my planner together using these printable pages!

I wish you all he best in the New Year!

Resolutions

noreply@blogger.com (Crystal @ A Well-Feathered Nest) — Sat, 29 Dec 2012 17:20:00 +0000

I, along with many other people, will resolve to lose weight in 2013. There's always a mad dash to find the latest diet and exercise fads that will transform us in the new year.

Actually, back in September I decided that I had to quit making excuses and there was no reason to wait for the new year. Christmas day I was so excited to see that I made it to my 30 pounds lost goal. Woo hoo! When I was first getting started, I wanted to read all about what has worked for everyone else, so I thought I'd share what's been working for me for those who may be curious.

MyFitnessPal - Free Calorie Counter

I will say that one thing I have learned is that you have to find what works for you. We all have different tastes in food, lifestyles, and schedules, so specific things that work for one person may not be right for others. Also, I am by no means an expert. This is the first time I have successfully lost a decent amount of weight on purpose, and I still have a long way to go. This post is just as much to encourage me in the new year as it is to help anyone who may want tips.

I will also say that, unless you have an underlying medical condition, everyone can lose weight the same way. Wait for the secret!

Burn more than you eat.

It's that simple. All the tips and tricks I will share are just ways to help you do that, stay happy, and keep your sanity.

I often joke and say that my iPhone has been the biggest key in my weight loss.

That is actually pretty true. It would have been so hard for me to keep track of everything before. It's made the tools that I've been using super accessible. Today I will share some of the web sites and apps that I've been using on a regular basis and what they do for me.

My Fitness Pal
My Fitness Pal is a site that will help you to track your food on a daily basis and to set goals. You can sign up on their web site, and you can use the site from your computer. The best thing I have found about MFP is that it contains a huge database of foods. If something isn't in the database, then you can add it in yourself. You can also add and save your own recipes which makes it very simple to add your home-cooked meals to your diary. You can even just add calories straight to your diary.

Like I said, you can do all of this from your computer, but the mobile app makes life on the go so much easier. If I'm caught out and can't avoid a fast food meal, then I can look up menu items to make a better choice and I don't have an excuse to go off track for the day. You can even scan the labels of foods with your phone to immediately bring them up in the database. Want some of that Friendly Farms Pumpkin Spice cream cheese from Aldi? Just scan the tub, and add it to your diary.

When you add food, it subtracts the calories from your predetermined daily amount and gives you an updated number. Did you do some exercise? Add that to your log, and it will give you more calories to eat. That's super motivating!

You can even have friends on My Fitness Pal for encouragement and motivation, and they just made it possible to find friends through Facebook if you have your accounts linked.

Fitbit
I love my Fitbit! This little device has been invaluable to me in my quest not just to lose weight but to be more active, fit, and healthy. It's basically a glorified pedometer, and that may not be impressive to some of you. I have a Fitbit One, so it tracks steps and flights of stairs. After using it for a couple of months, I really think the Fitbit Zip would be adequate for what I want it to track. Both devices allow you to sync to your iPhone via bluetooth. I can't remember if it works with other smart phones. The Fitbit One will also track your sleep for you, but I usually just put it in sleep mode without actually wearing it at night.

The thing I love about my Fitbit is that it's a little reminder of how active I'm being throughout the day. When I've exercised in the past, I've seen it as sort of a chore, and I might make it an excuse to be a little lazy during the rest of the day. With the Fitbit, my goal is set, and I'm always working toward it. I'm not done just because I exercised in the morning.

Also, it means any walking counts. Did you park a bit farther from the store today? That adds up. Did you have to walk around Target 3 times to find something on your list? That counts, too. I love that you can see how the little things add up. I may or may not have walked in place while watching a TV show in order to meet my daily goals on more than one occasion. But I would never have done that a few months ago, and I wouldn't be as aware without my Fitbit.

The Fitbit syncs to your computer automatically whenever you're within 20 feet of it. You can access your dashboard from the computer to see how you're doing for the day. The thing that makes the Fitbit so much better than a regular pedometer (besides the accuracy and automatic logging of your stats) is that it uses your height, weight, etc. to estimate the number of calories you've burned according to the walking you've done for the day. It uses the rate of your steps to do this. You can look at your dashboard and see how active you were during any 5 minute increment. I can usually tell exactly when I was doing specific activities when I look at my graph.

All of this is cool information to know, but what makes it awesome in my mind is that my Fitbit stats will sync with My Fitness Pal. That means that the more I walk, the more calories I get added to my daily food log on MFP automatically. This is so motivating! You can see a direct (and automatic) correlation between calories burned and the calories you can eat to be within your goals. It doesn't work quite as well if you're not able to sync throughout the day. That's why I love the iPhone apps. You can log your food on the Fitbit site, but the database at MFP makes it worth using two different sites. The food you enter at MFP will sync to your Fitbit account, so you can see how many calories you can eat there as well.

Ease into 5K
In order to work on the "calories burned" part of my plan, I've had to figure out what works for my schedule and my goals. It really helps me to follow a prescribed plan because I am much less likely to wimp out. I'm motivated by goals, and I like the idea of doing things that I wasn't previously able to do. I like to see progress. The Ease into 5K app has been really helpful in giving me goals to work toward. It makes easing into running very easy. It's basically like the couch to 5K plan, but I think some of the times are a bit different. I think there are also some free C25K apps, but I don't know about their features.

I like that the Ease into 5K app lets you choose a playlist that's already set up on your phone, and it will play music from that playlist as you do the workout. A voice will come on and tell you when to walk, when to run, and when you're doing the cool down. All you have to do is follow the instructions. It will keep your pace and some stats, but I haven't looked at all of that a whole lot, and you have to get an in app upgrade to activate the GPS.

Endomondo

This is probably the app that I could live without, but it's handy for when I'm walking or running and not using the Ease into 5K app, although I use them together in order to log everything on Endomondo and because I like to hear the voice tell me when I've gone 1 mile or 2 miles and what my pace was. It uses GPS to track your route, distance, and speed. It keeps track of your workouts, and you can see your stats on the web site. You can also keep up with your friends, and they can send you pep talks while you're working out! I use this one mostly for fun.

In general my goal has been to make little changes in how we eat as a family that we will be able to sustain in the long term as well as finding ways for us to be more active. We're exploring new hobbies and activities and just making time for things we often pushed to the side before. I'd sum up my exercise strategy by saying,

"Set goals. Do hard things. Move more."

In the coming days, I hope to share some of the changes and tools that have made the eating part of all of this possible.

From our family to yours...

noreply@blogger.com (Crystal @ A Well-Feathered Nest) — Tue, 25 Dec 2012 03:37:00 +0000

Weekly Assignments

noreply@blogger.com (Crystal @ A Well-Feathered Nest) — Mon, 17 Dec 2012 15:38:00 +0000

My 9-year-old is lamenting the fact that he isn't on Christmas break yet. We are having a bit of a lighter week this week, and I'm taking the opportunity to work on some semester "projects." I'm pumping him up and making them seem like a big deal in hope of heightening the sense of accomplishment he might (I can only hope.) feel when we make it through this last December school week.

I'm also hoping to knock a big chunk out of a time line notebook project I've been wanting to start with the boys this year. I think it will be a fun visual way to organize all the history we're learning throughout Jonathan's last trip through all of our Classical Conversations cycles.

Now I just have to update my resource list because I'm losing track of which books Jonathan's read. This time of year is always a struggle for us because my boys forget that they get a special break after Christmas.

If you homeschool, are you still going strong? How do you make it through December without too much grumbling?

This Space

noreply@blogger.com (Crystal @ A Well-Feathered Nest) — Thu, 06 Dec 2012 15:16:00 +0000

For a while now I have been struggling with just what to do with this blog space. In the past I've thought it should look like tons of other blogs out there. You know, to be a successful blogger your blog should have... You should write about... and so on. But all of that advice is geared towards a goal of growing a blog and making it profitable.

That's not why I'm here.

Carolyn Mahaney and her daughters recently wrote a series of blog posts about the internet, social media, and their impact (good and bad) on us as mothers and homemakers. It reminded me that there's no reason for me to do anything with this blog that I'm not passionate about because ultimately I write for me. It also reminded me of how discouraging it can be to see everyone else's lives only when they are all put together and to hear so many voices.

"Teach your children this way."

"Feed you family this food."

"Make your home look this way."

"How-to" posts, and things of that nature aren't all bad. They can be helpful, and I do want to share some of what works for our family. I don't ever want to be one of those voices that says, "To be a good mom, you have to do things exactly as I do." I want to be the one saying, "It's hard to follow Christ, and to overflow with His grace toward our families, and to get dinner on the table."

HARD.

And that's why I need Christ and His grace. That's why I need to keep a proper perspective. Keep first things first, and then let the others come as they will. Don't be self-defeating. That's what I want this place to be. A place where you can see that life is messy, and houses are messy, and disasters happen, and IT IS OK.

Because we have a Savior

a Redeemer

a Friend.

Rest in Him.

50% Off Sale

noreply@blogger.com (Crystal @ A Well-Feathered Nest) — Thu, 22 Nov 2012 03:16:00 +0000

Have you been thinking about creating a planner for the new year? All of my Plan Your Life printable planner and organizational resources will be on sale from Black Friday through Cyber Monday! Use the code: BLACKCYBER50 to take 50% off of everything in your cart.

Do you know a couple of people who could use a little organization in their lives? Something for the person who has everything? A PYL planner would make a great gift, and you can print one for every person on you list if you'd like!

Click here to purchase.

Plan Your Life: Printable Planning Pages and Calendars

noreply@blogger.com (Crystal @ A Well-Feathered Nest) — Mon, 24 Sep 2012 01:17:00 +0000

…and a freebie!

I hinted a few weeks ago about a project I have been working on. It began as an effort to create some custom documents for myself, and it blossomed into a full line of digital products. I’m excited to share my new Plan Your Life products!
Currently, I have two calendar planner options available and one add-on package. My hope and intent is that I will be able to release new add-on packages as I am able to work on new designs and forms.

Each printable planner pack includes:

- Two cover designs with a horizontal and vertical option for each (4 total)

- Perpetual Calendar for important dates

- 3-year calendar

- 52+ weekly planning pages in EITHER a horizontal or vertical format

- 12+ monthly calendar pages

- Grid Page for additional planning or notes

Click here to download one of these instantly for ~~$8.97~~ $5.97!

The Set 1 Add-On Pack includes:

- half-page Chore Charts in two colors (labeled and unlabeled versions)

- Running Task Sheet

- Favorite Dinners page

- Family Clothing Information page

- Two-Week Meal Plan

- Weekly Meal Plan

- Goal Planning worksheet

- Babysitter information page

- Weekly Cleaning Schedule (filled-in and blank versions)

- Daily Planner page (colored and white background versions)

Click here to download this set instantly for $4.97!

All of these sets come as downloadable PDF files that allow you to print as many or as few pages as you would like. I wanted to share a little peek of how I am using my Plan Your Life pages.

I had all of my planner pages printed with a full bleed by a professional printer. (If you print them at home, they will likely have a small white border around each page, but nothing will get cut off.) Then I arranged the pages along with a file folder that I cut up for a divider. I had the covers printed onto card stock, and I laminated them myself before taking the whole packet to be bound at Office Depot. I’m interested in seeing how this holds up. You could choose to get a clear cover and hard backing when you have it bound if you like. I had the 3-year calendar printed on the back of my front cover.

I put all of my monthly pages at the front, and used the file folder as a divider. I just printed them single-sided.

I chose the horizontal format for my weekly pages, and I had them printed on one side with the grid page on the back of each one. You could choose to print them double-sided or leave the backs blank. The vertical version has space to write in morning, afternoon, and evening across the top, or you could put names and keep notes separate. You could label them with home, work, etc. or with family member’s names.

I wanted to have my calendar bound for convenience, but I have chosen to print my add-on pages as I need them and place them in a binder. The vertical covers will work to slide into the front of a binder, and you can hole-punch the forms or place them in page protectors.

Here are a couple of the other pages from the Add-On Set 1 package:

And finally, here is a free shopping list that coordinates with the Plan Your Life packs!

This is considered a 2013 calendar, but I have included pages for the remaining months and weeks of 2012 for those of you who purchase early!

I’ll continue working on additional add-on packs. Are there any forms you would like to see in the next set?

Friday Freebie: September Calendar

noreply@blogger.com (Crystal @ A Well-Feathered Nest) — Fri, 31 Aug 2012 12:47:00 +0000

This week I have a little sample for you from a bigger project I have been working on. You can download this printable calendar for September. There will be a much bigger announcement in the weeks to come, but I’m excited to give you all a little taste of what’s in store!

Trade-Off

noreply@blogger.com (Crystal @ A Well-Feathered Nest) — Tue, 28 Aug 2012 21:34:00 +0000

Yesterday, that big yellow bus pulled up outside our house. The bus stop is on our corner, so we always get to watch the kids climb through that narrow door in the mornings to take their seats on the bus. I would be lying if I said there weren’t days when I have wished my children were in that line.

I know and love families who have made all sorts of educational choices for their children, and I don’t believe there is one right answer for everyone. There are days when all I can see are the dishes produced from three meals at home, the messes made by a preschooler while I’m teaching his older brother, and my chores that pile up because I can’t get to them until our school work is done for the day. Our house is rarely quiet, and “me” time is pretty much nonexistent.

Then the days come when I can see things as they really are. My boys spend more time with each other than anyone else, and I pray that this will produce a strong relationship as they grow older. I get to share the learning experience with my children and teach them how God is writing the world’s story. Our schedule is flexible, and I can meet my children at their instructional levels. The boys get to interact with their dad during the day when weeks come where every night is filled with obligations for him. We get to live life together.

It’s then that I realize how our choice to homeschool is simply a trade-off, and our family is very blessed.

E-book Sale: Back to School Boost for Moms

noreply@blogger.com (Crystal @ A Well-Feathered Nest) — Thu, 02 Aug 2012 23:26:00 +0000

I wanted to let you all know about a little e-book sale that’s going on to help provide quick and practical help as the school season approaches. Five bloggers are partnering together to offer a great lineup of e-books in a bundle for one low price.

Here is what is included:

Create Your Perfect Cleaning Schedule: So You Can Get More Done In Less Time ($5.99) by Christine at I Dream of Clean.
The No Brainer Wardrobe: Get Dressed with More Confidence and Less Fuss ($7.99) by Hayley at The Tiny Twig.
Cupcakes: 12 Months of Hapiness! ($4.99) by Liz at Hoosier Homemade.
Feast in 15: Speed Cooking Weeknight Dinners ($4.99) by Tiffany at Eat At Home.
Tell Your Time: How to Manage Your Schedule So You Can Live Free ($4.99) by Yours Truly (Amy Lynn Andrews) at Blogging with Amy.

Price? $10 (total value: $28.95)

The sale runs for 1 week only, and this bundle price will expire on August 8th. You can find out more about all of the e-books that are included over at the Eat at Home blog.

Click here to visit Eat at Home.

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links.

Boy, oh boy!

noreply@blogger.com (Crystal @ A Well-Feathered Nest) — Thu, 26 Jul 2012 00:01:00 +0000

If you have a little boy in your house, you know they can be a riot. One minute they have you rolling on the floor laughing, and then next they might have you frustrated to no end. I took some time yesterday to listen to this talk by Andrew Pudewa called Teaching Boys and Other Kids Who Would Rather Be Playing in Forts. If you have a son, or if you teach boys, or if you are ever around boys you might find his description of the physiological reasons boys are the way they are very interesting.

Custom Library Stamps

noreply@blogger.com (Crystal @ A Well-Feathered Nest) — Tue, 17 Jul 2012 00:24:00 +0000

For quite some time now I have drooled over photos of various library stamps that are out there. Etsy has tons of cute custom stamps that are available from various designers. I just never quite got up the guts to put so much money into one—not that it wouldn’t be worth it. It’s just hasn’t found its way into the budget.
A few weeks ago, I came across a photo of some cute custom stamps on the Wit & Whistle blog. I was super excited to see a link to the place where they had been made. I was even more excited to see great prices.
Since we’ve been in the business of collecting books lately, and we also have a tendency to loan books out (and subsequently forget who we’ve loaned them to), I’ve been feeling more of a need for an easy way to identify the books that belong to us.
After a little photoshop work, I had a nice little image to upload to order a stamp.

I also ordered an address stamp because they were offering free shipping on orders over $20. I ordered two of the 3/4” x 1 7/8” self-inking stamps. You can either type in your custom text, or you can upload an image. I love the endless possibilities with these! A few people mentioned that they might make great Christmas gifts, and I can’t help but think about how I loved anything personalized when I was a kid.
You can make a JPEG image in Photoshop Elements like I did, or you can probably use some free programs that are out there. You might do a little googling to find some. I’m thinking maybe Gimp or Inkscape would work.

I love it when I come across things that are pretty, useful, and a great deal! Don’t forget to search online for a coupon code if you decide to order. I think I was able to find one for 10% off.

Printable Task Sheet

noreply@blogger.com (Crystal @ A Well-Feathered Nest) — Fri, 06 Jul 2012 11:56:00 +0000

UPDATE: This item is no longer available for free. It is now a part of a package of printable forms available in my shop.

I have "to do" lists for several different ongoing obligations, and I've been trying to find a way to keep up with the necessary tasks for each one as well as a way to record goals for things I'd like to accomplish in the future. I just feel like I need more than my one daily "to do" list to track my progress for each area. Does anyone else's brain work that way?

I initially thought I would just print something off that I'd find somewhere else online, but my searches didn't really turn up anything like what I wanted. That, of course, means I spent way more time than I should have creating a printable sheet for me to keep track of each list.

Now I'm sharing my Running Task Sheet with you! Click the image above to download a pdf of this helpful planning tool.

July Pantry Challenge

noreply@blogger.com (Crystal @ A Well-Feathered Nest) — Tue, 26 Jun 2012 19:31:00 +0000

We just returned home on Saturday from lots of traveling and time away. I was able to accomplish a good amount of decluttering and reorganizing before we left, and I am feeling the need to simplify things in general around here. In an effort to just stay home more and to clean our pantry and freezers (as well as save a bit of $$), I have instituted another pantry challenge for the month of July.

Since we have found ourselves dipping into our July budget already (hence the need to save some $$), the challenge is already in full swing at our house. I made this week's menu plan based on meats that I knew we already had in the freezer, and I plan to work on collecting a master list of recipes to help with meal planning in general.

I plan from Monday to Sunday, and here is the menu for this week:

Monday - Hot and Spicy peanut chicken, rice (This is a new crock pot meal that was prepared and frozen right before we left.)

Tuesday - left-overs (It's just Benjamin and me.)

Wednesday - beans and weenies (Don't ask me why everyone in my house loves this so much. Hey, at least it's cheap and easy.)

Thursday - chipotle shrimp, sweet corn on the cob, veggies

Friday - pizza bites

Saturday - rosemary pork loin, mashed potatoes, steamed broccoli

Sunday - slow-cooker apricot chicken, rice, veggies

breakfasts - cereal, granola bars/cereal bars, yogurt with fruit, muffins, eggs

lunches - salads, sandwiches/wraps, quesadillas, snacky stuff, left-overs

snacks - fruit, chopped vegetables, powerballs or cookie dough bites, pineapple salsa

Weekly Cleaning Schedule

noreply@blogger.com (Crystal @ A Well-Feathered Nest) — Fri, 15 Jun 2012 22:02:00 +0000

I've been searching through lots of examples of weekly cleaning schedules to find something that will work for me and our home. In the end, I came up with a checklist of daily and weekly tasks that addresses our biggest needs in our home. I hope to work on a quarterly/yearly list in the near future, but if I can keep it up, this list should keep things running smoothly on a daily basis.

I have changed some of the tasks to be a little more general on the printable cleaning list that I'm sharing today. You can click the photo below to download the aqua version or click here to download a yellow version.

I laminated my list and hung it on our refrigerator, so we can mark the tasks off with a wet erase or dry erase marker each day and throughout the week for the weekly tasks.

Living Intentionally

noreply@blogger.com (Crystal @ A Well-Feathered Nest) — Fri, 08 Jun 2012 15:36:00 +0000

I don't know about you, but I find that if I am not careful, time flies by leaving some of my greatest hopes behind me in the dust. This isn't such a big deal for little, insignificant things here and there, but I don't want to have a whole summer or even years pass without accomplishing some of the things I hold in my heart for my family.

I had a sad mommy moment recently realizing that my oldest is already half way out of our home. I want to live so that we're "making the best use of the time because the days are evil." (Eph. 5:16) I know that some of the silly things we like to do to fill the summer days don't mean much on their own, but added up they can be significant. They signify time spent together as a family building bonds and deepening relationships, so we can share more important things later. They offer time together to set examples and to simply listen to our children and model the gospel to them in small ways to prepare for bigger times to come.

Although, I have found that the days slip away unsiezed unless I take some time to intentionally plan them. I love the collections of summer "bucket lists" that so many families are sharing online lately. They offer tons of ideas for small things we can do to spend time together and make fun memories.

Meg at Whatever created such a pretty checklist on a chalk board for her children last summer. They planned specific activities for each day of the week, and she has links to their lists from other years as well.

Keri at The Home Teacher made an actual "bucket" list for her children this summer using popsicle sticks, and she has a color coded list with I lots of activity ideas in her post about how they are using the buckets this summer.

Lila at Sweet and Lovely Crafts has created a "Summer Fun" printable activity list to share.

I have a whole Pinterest board dedicated to ideas for fun summer activities in hopes of heading off those exclamations, "I'm bored!"

We haven't made a formal list of our own, but it's something I am definitely planning to do. I think it will be helpful for my boys to have something visual, and they love to check things off! Our schedule is filled with lost of fun things already. In the midst of the summer planning, I'm thinking about fun ways to develop skills that will carry over into the new school year, and ~~I though it would be a great time to share the updated version of my printable goal chart with you all.~~ (The free version of this form is no longer available. A full-color version is available in my ad-on pack of printable forms.) I'm updating some of my forms so that they all have a similar design. This goal planning sheet isn't new, but it does have a new format and look.