It’s that time of year when the urge to clean and declutter often hits me… it has hit me, but I’ve been too sick to really do anything about it right yet.
Over the past several years, I have been replacing a lot of the store bought cleaners with ‘cleaner’ versions that we can make here at home.
Most of our DIY cleaners involve vinegar and/or rubbing alcohol. On occasion, I do purchase some cleaner concentrates from Amazon that we dilute for all purpose cleaners around the house. I will link those at the bottom of the post.
We really like to make citrus vinegar to use in our DIY cleaners, as it smells AMAZING! We have found that it can also help to repel flies and other insects. Check out some easy recipes below:
I will say that last month went pretty well, and our home does feel a bit fuller of JOY. This month, our theme will be KINDNESS. We will be looking at ways that we can be more intentional in showing KINDNESS in all that we do.
I’m going to take a quick look at what we have planned for the month so you can get a little idea about how all of our systems work with each other.
Calendar
My morning routine means that I check our calendar every morning, and here is what I am looking at:
There are few appointments that are noted, and I have reminders set in my Cozi app. We have several appointments this week, so I remind my husband about them to make sure he remembers.
There are a couple of birthdays, and I am noting the special meals in my planner.
Sometimes the kiddos are tempted to skip over chores, but it catches up to them later on when things break down or run out. We are trying to teach them important skills that they will need later on in life, skills that will hopefully make them successful in all that they do.
Homeschool
We are currently finished with our 2025-2026 homeschool year so we just do our Morning Meetings right now.
I note when we plan to start back.
I add the appointments to the monthly lesson plan calendar as well, so I can plan accordingly. I realize that I may need to alter our start date and just use that as a Home Blessing day to get the house back in order, so I just swap a few things around really quick.
I also go ahead and update the sites for our lessons so everything is set to go for Monday!
These quick changes will keep us from having a very frustrating week back to school… at least I pray it will.
This month, I will be focusing on adding Science tasks to our homeschool routine, so I will look over those tasks to see what I can work in with our lessons.
Science (April)
Nature is usually wide awake around this time here, so we get to spend a lot of time outdoors. This makes for the perfect opportunities to do some Nature Journaling. I also want to participate in the ONE SEED CHALLENGE on YouTube, so this would be a good time to get started.
April is also the month that Earth Day falls in, so this makes a great time to talk about stewardship of our natural resources.
Some ways we are doing this are:
Creation-based worldview:
look at science from GOD’s perspective as the CREATOR
study the complexity of the world around us, including the universe
check out some meteor showers during the month of April and jot down the dates for future showers, if this interests you
Stewardship of creation:
talk about environmental stewardship and conservation
Research Bible verses on taking care of the earth:
Check accounts to see what payments have cleared, and highlight them on the worksheet
Note any bills still left to pay
I usually do this first, so I know what I have left to spend. My bill pay worksheet makes things much simpler as I can see what I have paid, and what needs to be paid.
I write in the birthdays and special holidays for the month, and then add those ingredients to the grocery list. Clicking on the link will give you a ready-made list of holidays for the month and links to recipes and menu ideas to make them special.
I look over the planned meals and pencil them in.
I note the days when we have appointments and swap those meals for easier meals, if needed.
I check the grocery list that the kids have been filling out on the fridge, and add items to the main list.
I also check my pantry restock list to see what I need to add to the list, if money allows.
I make sure I have the ingredients to preserve the produce that I plan to pick up this month as well. I will add supplies to the grocery list, if needed. Some of these posts have not been published yet, but you should be able to find the printables in the library.
I will either schedule a time to go shopping or place an order for groceries and set a delivery or pickup time that works for us. When I go to town, I usually plan to take care of several errands at once.
At the beginning of the month, I will also place a Sam’s Club order for bulk supplies to be shipped, as well as any supplies we need from Amazon.
Some of the produce I’d like to buy for preserving:
Strawberries
Blueberries
Herbs
Dried beans for canning
If money is short, we can skip the restock and the preserving items until next month. I don’t like to skip things too often, but we do have our pantry pretty well stocked, and as long as we replace what we use, we should be fine.
Garden & Animals
I usually try to get feed and garden supplies once a month to cut down on the number of trips I make to town. The feed store is in the opposite direction of our normal grocery store, and I need all the space in the back of the van for feed, so I can’t really combine these tasks, or I would.
I go out to the greenhouse and garden just about every day, so I keep a running list of things that I need. I will also check my monthly list of tasks that need to be done. I went over my lists this weekend, and I have:
placed online orders for seeds and plants
I need to:
get some more seeds started for the Spring
continue transplanting plants
direct seeds some crops
deep clean the coops/pens
Some of the tasks are also listed with my yearly tasks to make sure that I don’t forget them 🙂
I also check with the kids to see what animal feed we have, check that against my master inventory list, note down what we need in my phone, and then I will make time to go get the feed. I try to combine a few tasks during the same trip.
When I go to get the feed I will:
get feed and animal supplies
pick up seeds or plants at the Farm Center
check with the nursery to see what they might have available
stop at the grocery store, if there is anything we need before the next grocery order
fill up with gas on the way home
When I get home, I always have the kids unload the feed right away, mix anything that needs to be mixed, and put the surplus in the old freezer that we use for storage. Once the feed is taken care of, they will clean out the back of the van 🙂
I try to make sure to do this mid-week, as Fridays & Saturdays are a bit crowded at the Feed Store. It’s always a bit stressful when we get too low on feed as well, so by making sure we have a regular schedule, we can alleviate some of the stress and replace it with PEACE and JOY, as we know we have what we need. We can also use these tasks as ways to show LOVE & KINDNESS to one another.
To-Do List
I also like to start a To-Do List because things always pop up that I can’t fix right away. I also find things when I am out in the garden that need to be taken care of, I will usually snap a photo and then add it to the list if it can’t be taken care of right away.
This is our list so far:
Master Bathroom
Fix Master Bedroom Floor
build new garden beds – we finished the first ones, but then bought more
add solar lights to chicken coops
finish chicken tractor
hang cameras
put the StarLink on a pole
add trellises to garden beds
create a sensory garden and/or integrate sensory-themed activities into our existing garden – we do have a special surprise coming for this area!
Finish our new poultry area
Build a new area for our bunny bunnies
Add shade pergolas to the garden
It isn’t too long yet, but it will grow longer the further we get into the year… hopefully, we can stay on top of it. We are checking things off… a little slower than I like, but progress is progress.
This is just a quick look at my weekly plans… I have all month long to work on some of them, and I will try to knock out as many as I can. I know that by handling the smaller things now, it will free up time I might need in the future for BIGGER and BETTER things. A little maintenance helps to keep things running nice and smooth… it also helps us to appreciate all that we have been BLESSED with.
I pray that you will find something useful in these links.
I am hoping to make a new devotional for each month this year… that’s a big challenge, but it is something that has been on my heart. For April, our monthly theme will be KINDNESS. We will be trying to find ways to show a little more KINDNESS through routines and habits.
Here is the FREE printable, if you’d like to join us:
This time of year seems to be a little busier for us, so I thought it might be helpful if I just got all my special meals and recipes gathered for the month. I checked the menu plan and have made a list of the holidays that we want to celebrate.
If you haven’t seen our Perpetual Meal Plans yet, then you really need to check them out, as they have all kinds of special and unique holidays listed. Now is the time to start making your bucket list for Fall things, if you haven’t already.
22: Earth Day – many people choose a vegetarian meal, but you could also try something fun like an Earthquake Cake, a Mississippi Mud Cake, or a Rainbow designed fruit tray – it is also National Jelly Bean Day
This year, the USA is celebrating its 250th birthday.
Why do we care?
We care about the USA’s 250th birthday, because we believe that the United States of America was founded on Christian principles, standing as a light for freedom and hope around the world. It is an imperfect, but radiant nation; a testament to the blessing of God on a flawed but faith-filled people. It’s a joy to celebrate the birthday of a good land!
We care about the USA’s 250th birthday, because we believe that we honor our Creator by remembering His hand in our history, so that we can set our hope in Him for the future.
“We will not hide them from their children, but tell to the coming generation the glorious deeds of the Lord, and his might, and the wonders that he has done… so that they should set their hope in God and not forget the works of God, but keep his commandments.” (Psalm 78:4,7)
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