The Christian Homemaking Podcast: Simply Convivial with Mystie Winckler

Instead of doing what feels best in the moment, we take the time to think it through, make it clear, and so save ourselves not only time but also willpower points. Because making decisions takes energy and willpower, having the checklist to work from keeps us on track more consistently. A procedure checklist is the best tactic for overwhelmed moms at home . In the podcast we talk about Using check...

This month inside the Simply Convivial Circle we’re talking all about procedure lists – when to keep them and how to keep them simple. One key principle that applies is keeping them short & specific. But that’s harder than it sounds! So today I’m sharing an excerpt from a member-only mentoring session where we discussed what a priority is and how it affects our planning. I think you’ll find it...

Are you an overwhelmed mom ? Frustrated with too much to do? A set of procedure checklists is just what you need to get the traction you want. When you’re looking at how to organize your life , getting a few key procedure checklists is the perfect place to begin. This month inside the Simply Convivial Circle we’re talking all about procedure lists – when to keep them and how to keep them simple. W...

The truth about any athlete able to maintain balance in awkward positions is that although they look stable and unmoving, their entire body is actually tense and continually on the move, adjusting and twitching to keep their position. It looks effortless, but their entire body is constantly engaged to make it possible. We, however, in our lives, have something better than appearing to be stable. I...

Balance is something that we all strive for – at least sometimes.  Sometimes we definitely give up. What’s the right balance in our home management duties? What’s the right balance in seeking balance? Today Virginia Lee Rogers and I are chatting about balance, why it’s so hard, and how to keep it in perspective. We want balance because life feels wobbly. Today my friend and Simply Convivial custom...

September’s theme topic inside Simply Convivial Membership is balance, and one of our members, Julie, summed it up perfectly: “I think that’s why so many programs and planners and classes or groups are appealing, because they often promise that key to life that we all feel like we’re missing. I always feel most balanced when I am truly centered on the true Center — the more I abide in Christ, the...

Balance. The dictionary defines the verb to balance as "to keep or put something in a steady position so that it does not fall" or "to offset or compare the value of one thing with another" The first definition is the one we usually mean when we talk about achieving balance in our lives. We want to be steady, regular, diligent, consistent. We hate feeling like we're scrambling, dropping the ball,...

Learn how to organize your calendar! If you’re a busy mom and you want to be organized, you absolutely MUST have a working, accurate calendar. These 3 tips will have you using an organized calendar and bing more in control and aware of your time. Time management is an important skill for both the stay at home mom and the working mom. These organization tips will boost your productivity and enable...

A mind is a terrible thing to waste.  Don't let useless thinking waste your mental energy, your time, or your brain power. Get your thoughts organized with these organized mind tips that will help you have an organized mindset and mom life.  You need to know how to organize thoughts so you can problem solve and keep track of your thoughts and ideas, whether you're a sahm or a working mom. Every mo...

Perfectionism kills productivity and progress. This strategy will help you beat perfectionism with action and improve incrementally.  Perfection is a mindset. It is all in our heads. So we beat perfectionism by starting with our attitudes. We need a thinking strategy that will help us to talk back to perfectionism. I call this strategy iteration . Iteration means that we take a small steps forward...

A weekly review is my secret weapon to stay organized. It’s a time reserved for big picture thinking, planning, and list making. More importantly, it’s a time to LOOK at those lists – and my calendar. A weekly review does not need to take an hour. You can take 15 minutes to get your stuff ready for the week ahead. A weekly review is the key, the linchpin, to all other plans, all other planners, al...

To get more done at home you need to keep your to do list short. It will help you focus on priorities and feel success, day by day, at home. Every stay at home mom needs a to do list, but we have to do it right if we’re going to experience productivity. These tips will help you get organized at home as you focus on a daily top 3 to do list for optimal sahm productivity. I’ve been a stay at home mo...

A brain dump – which means write things down – is the best way to declutter your mind. Clear your mind so you get get organized more effectively. Whether you use a brain dump journal or just a cheap spiral notebook, a brain dump strategy will clear your mind and prepare you for organization at home. It’s the first step to declutter your mind so you can declutter your life. If you want to know how...

Want to get organized at home? I have 5 essential practices you need to be organized – this is tip #1 and it’s all about your attitude and mindset in being organized and getting organized – and even staying organized. Declutter your home by decluttering and organizing your mind first. When we try to organize and declutter, we usually start with the stuff, but we need to start with ourselves. These...

Who doesn’t want a life that is smooth and easy? Years ago, when I had only quite small children and I had immersed myself in books on educational theory, I latched onto an oft-quoted bit of wisdom from Charlotte Mason: "The mother who takes pains to endow her children with good habits secures for herself smooth and easy days." She’s right, of course, but also wrong.

To blaze a trail or to lay down the rails is to intentionally decide and built the habits that we know will make our lives more effective. It will not make life easier – building the habits is hard work and paying attention and doing what’s called for in the moment requires attention and effort – but once intentional logistics become habit, then it takes less energy to maintain your equilibrium an...

So, last week felt like a rough, terrible week. However, the school checklists got done, the house hadn’t really fallen apart, and we’d had no major disasters. Really, it was a typical week. Why did it feel so bad? This week has felt pretty good. Even though I am definitely not getting to everything I think should be (like exercising), still most of the school was done and the house hasn’t fallen...

My bedroom was a wreck. Again. I might make my bed consistently, but I just can’t keep my room clean. Maybe I should not sigh so much at the children’s bedrooms. Usually, when faced with this situation, I set aside a morning or an afternoon and dig in. I take care of everything and get the room back in order. Then, inevitably, begins the slide all over again. But this time was different.

Although the hope of a fresh new year often expresses itself in new planners, pretty markers, and a renewed resolve, the reality of life lived with and for others often undermines our planner-related ambitions.

Over the years I’ve read numerous parenting books, mostly focused on the early years – those years where you feel like you’re going crazy and really, really want to do it all Right. Once you get a teen or two, it’s easy to drift into tired mode and say, “Well, whatever. I tried.” Sometimes you can pull off formula parenting with toddlers, but teens won’t let you – and that’s a good thing.

Character is one of those words we toss around often. Too often, we do so without a clear understanding of what it is. We say we care about character, perhaps even homeschool for the purpose of shaping our children’s character, but what exactly does that mean and how exactly do we go about such a task?

As homeschooling moms, our sanity is vital and often at-risk, isn’t it? Here are five strategies I have for keeping my mental and emotional buffer padded.

No matter how good our routines are, there are times that they slip. Everyone in the family gets a stomach bug. There’s a flurry of trips and activities in the summer leaving us no time to keep up at home. There’s bed rest or a newborn that turns everything upside down and zaps our energy. A big project or a family emergency need takes all our attention. There is no routine and no resolve that is...

Homeschool life is a muddle, there’s no denying it. I think we are all familiar with the feeling of being overwhelmed by everything that needs to be done and frustrated by how quickly everything needs to be done yet again. We’re always wondering if what we’re doing is right or the best way or if there’s some magic sauce we’re missing that will smooth the path for our daily business and daily inter...

“No, I’ll do it.” We often associate these words with two-year-olds, eager to enter the larger world and assert their independence. However, too often mothers are the ones saying it – perhaps not in so many words, but by their actions. Would you rather do it yourself?