1. Take inventory of your supplies
This is a two part process. First, you must go through all of your materials. Throw out broken crayons, dried out ink pads, crusty paint bottles, things you’ve been saving for over a year that you “might be use one day” but have yet to use, outdated textbooks, etc. Be selective in the supplies you choose to keep. The second step is to take inventory of what you do have. Have you made any rediscoveries? If you are like most homeschoolers space is at a premium so your supplies may be packed away in various locations leading to the famous case of “out of sight, out of mind” . You can easily combat that by taking inventory of what you do have that is both usable and in good condition. I like to take a spiral notebook and create “categories” on the top of each page. You should base your categories by the way you think. I categorize by subject. For example under “ART”, I would list all of my art supplies and art related lesson plans and books; then I would proceed with my other subjects such as math, science, handwriting, Montessori etc. Since I also utilize unit studies in my home school, I list the unit study topic at the top of the page, and then list all of the materials I have to support that topic underneath. Remember to organize your personal inventory by the way you think. You may choose to inventory by child (listing the child’s name at the top and all of the materials you have for that child), grade level, vendor, or even more general headings such as consumables (paper, pens, glue, paint—things that run out), curriculum, games, or workbooks. This will give you a visual list of everything you currently own. This will also help you see the areas that you may be lacking in, as well as areas you may want to consider downsizing; this aids avoiding future overbuying. Once your list is complete you should place it in a place where you can easily access it in the future. I usually retype my supply list and place it inside my homeschool notebook (which I discuss later) for future reference. If you bring this list to your next homeschool convention, you can keep your lists current, and your purchases under control, by listing the items you purchase directly under the appropriate category. No matter where you choose to store your supplies your inventory list will serve as a visual reminder of all of your homeschooling resources.

2. Catalog your resources
This includes reference materials, magazines, DVD’s, CD’s, learning software, children’s literature, and living books. I suggest using an online catalog system such as Librarything.com to organize your books. By doing this I have discovered instances where I had multiple copies of books of the same book which I was then able to share with others. Librarything.com also allows you tag your books by category, where the books are stored, who they belong to, or all three! You determine your own tags. It’s a very flexible and easy to use online program that I highly recommend for all homeschoolers. You may be surprised by the number of books in your home library. Although Libarything.com is an online cataloging system, it does allow you to print out a list of your books which you can then place with your inventory list. The free membership allows you to catalog up to 100 books online. If you have a well stocked home library you may want to consider their special lifetime membership offer, currently available for $25, which allows you to catalog an unlimited amount of books. If this seems overwhelming to you, you can use Word or Excel or even lined notebook paper to create your own inventory of resources. No matter what system you choose to use, take the time to inventory your supplies. You’ll be glad you did.

3. Organize your space
Now that you’ve gathered all of your materials, discarded those that no longer serve you and grouped them together by category to create your inventory lists you are ready to organize your space. As your homeschool needs change year to year, so do your supplies and thus your organizational needs; Assess what worked last year and what didn’t. If you have to be creative in your storage planning consider what items you use most often and which you may need only occasionally, or less often. Store the things you use most often in your most accessible places; items you use less often can be stored higher or in less easily accessible space. If a storage area is too difficult to get to, try to avoid storing items there as you will most likely avoid using them just because of their difficulty to retrieve. When organizing your space try to think out of the box. If you don’t have fancy china to store in your dining room and you find yourself using your large dining room table for school anyway, why not store supplies in your china hutch?

4. Create a homeschool binder
Just as you’ve tailored your home school to your child’s learning style, your teaching style, family dynamics and values; You should tailor your homeschool planner or binders to how you think and what you need. Three ring binders give you the most flexibility over the traditional planners you may find at an office supply store or or most standard teacher lesson planners. Organizational experts such as Emilie Barnes, author of “More hours in your day”, have been recommending this for years. If you’ve never created your own planner using a 3-ring notebook now is the best time to start. Two exciting planners have recently hit the homeschooling market and will make this process relatively quick and easy for you. Two that I highly recommend are The Schoolhouse Planner ($39) and The Master Plan ($37.95). Virtually every form and planning tip you’ll ever need is included in both of these planners. Remember, by using a 3-ring binder planning system, you can also design any additional forms you may need and insert them directly into your personalized planner. I use two 3-ring binders to keep myself organized. I keep my homeschool binder at my desk as a reference, and the other notebook is my lesson planner for the upcoming school year. Depending on the number of students you have in your homeschool, you may choose to combine yours in one or divide them in two as I have. Again, customization is the key, but here are the tabs that I incorporate in my homeschool binder:

CONTACTS
Insert all of the phone lists you’ve received from your co-op, homeschool support group etc. You should also include blank form pages where you can write in other important contacts you make throughout the year. This will serve you when it comes time to plan playdates or outings in the future. Don’t forget to ask for email addresses if you prefer to communicate that way!

WEBSITES
Sure you’ve been faithfully hitting “add to favorites” on your browser but now that it’s a mile long do you even know what sources are on there? How many are inactive? What about those password protected sites and membership sites you have joined? I faithfully log my favorite websites into the binder by category and also have another sheet (available in homeschool planner, X planner and DonnaYoung.org) that I use to log the website url, my user name and password.

INVENTORY
I insert all of my inventory, book and supply lists here.

RESOURCES
I include a list of my favorite magazines and catalogs complete with customer service numbers, subscription information and customer numbers.

FIELD TRIPS
I insert all of my field trip finds in this binder along with our tried and true favorites. Then when I’m desperately trying to come up with a field trip idea, I have something to leaf through and jog my tired mom brain. Since many places offer special programs I also make sure to include contact information and program outlines (which I update each August in preparation for the upcoming school year). Don’t forget to include website addresses, contact information and hours of operation to aid in your future planning.

DIRECTIONS
I have no sense of direction so I keep a list of directions to just about everything in here: friends homes, field trip locations, etc. This saves me time looking it up each time and also has proved useful when I need to provide directions to others.

FORMS
I make extra copies of forms that I might use throughout the year and store them in page protectors in this binder. These forms include: to do lists, library book lists, field trip sign-up sheets, etc.

WISH LISTS
As an eclectic homeschooler I tend to overbuy. In my quest to be a better steward I’ve discovered the “wishlist”. It’s simply a list that I keep where I write in each product, book or curriculum that I’ve come across that I think I just NEED. Then I wait. I revisit the list each quarter and again at the end of the year before convention. Although I’ve purchased items on this list, there were many that I DID NOT PURCHASE and better yet, by recording the vendor and price I’ve been able to take advantage of true sales and discounted pricing when I’ve come across them—instead of just purchasing from the first place I saw the desired item. So whether you tend to overbuy, or are on a tight budget, consider keeping a wish list. You may also want to keep a list of the products you’ve come across that you can use with your children when they are older, or are ready for the material.

5. Plan your year & work your plan
Take the time to plan out your year. To do this you need a map and directions to your destination. The map is your master calendar. The destination is your scope & sequence or homeschool goals for the year, and the directions are of course your lesson plans and the activities you will use to achieve them. Make a master calendar that includes all of your homeschool commitments, teacher work days (you should have them to plan and prep, I have one each month), vacation time, holidays, field trips, park days, co-op’s, support meetings, etc. This will prove helpful to you when good opportunities come by, before you commit you can see if you are overscheduled. That doesn’t mean that you need to let good opportunities pass you by, but you can see what you need to switch or delete to make room for the additional activities. Next you will need to figure out what subjects you need to teach, how often (how many days a week), how many weeks and in some cases the hours you are blocking each day for school. It doesn’t really matter what format this plan is in, as long as you HAVE one that works for you and you actually LOOK AT IT and USE IT. If you don’t refer to your plan it’s useless. If you have one that is too complicated you will avoid it, or give up. If you’ve never made a plan before remember that it takes 21 days to form a habit. Stick with it, with only minor tweaking along the way, and it will soon become a useful habit.

6. Have a backup plan
Sometimes even the best laid plans don’t work out. So what do you when the great new curriculum that everyone raved about is getting the thumbs down from your child and leaving you pulling your hair out? Do you have a back up plan for its replacement? What will your homeschool day look like when you are unable to work with one child because you have to nurse another sick child? Do you have a box of fun educational games you can pull out, or easy projects he or she can work on by themselves? What about when the rain or snow keeps you inside for days on end and everyone is getting cabin fever? You’ve made your master plan, now include a backup plan.

7. Pick your uniform
Yes, I’m serious. You probably have one already. Do you get up each day, pile your hair in a twisted pony tail on top of your head, pull on some sweat pants and a ratty t-shirt or sweat shirt? If you have never done this you are one of the lucky few. Oprah did a show a few years ago where she showcased moms across the country dressed in exactly the same uniform I described above. If you are like most moms you hit the ground running each morning and probably neglect to take care of yourself and make yourself look pulled together. Doing so is not only a blessing and a gift to your husband, its one to you as well. Studies have shown you will feel better about yourself and have more energy if you are dressed for the day. Even the Flylady lists this crucial step (including shoes, not flip flops or barefeet) in her homemaking advice. So decide what your uniform will be and you will save yourself time in the morning. Living in sunny Florida my uniform includes a nice blouse and dress shorts. I lay my clothing out the night before and I keep my makeup simple so I can literally apply it all in less than 2 minutes. By investing in a good hair cut I also avoid pony-tail-knot-on-top-of-my-head syndrome and I don’t have to hide behind the soda bottles in the grocery store when I see someone that I know! What will your quick dress uniform be?

8. Stay connected
As keepers of our home and educators of our children we tend to isolate ourselves within our homes or families. With so much to do and seemingly few hours available to do it all, it’s easy to do. Of course it’s wonderful to spend time with your family and be content within your home; however God created us for fellowship. You were not wonderfully made for isolation. Stay connected with others, including your spouse. Have regular date nights with your spouse or just time alone that you reconnect and discuss things OTHER than your children and what needs repair in your home. Make time to connect with friends. You never know when you may need them for encouragement or when you can be a word of encouragement to them. Consider joining a local support group, Mom’s group, gym or anything that gives you opportunity to fellowship with others. Since my husband is a frequent business traveler there have been times that I have not been able to get away because I had no one to watch my children. If this is also true for you, do not despair; you can turn to online support as I did. There are numerous websites and forums you can turn to, to connect with others online. Through the years I have developed many close friendships with people that I may never have met in person, but whom I consider my friend and connect with regularly online. We offer one another friendship, advice, support, and even share tips and resources. I would also be remiss if I didn’t take this opportunity to remind you to stay connected to our Creator. He desires a relationship with you. Daily devotions and prayer are essential in your life and your homeschool so make time for them as well. One of my favorite devotionals, Devotions for Homeschool Mom’s and More devotions for homeschool mom’s by Jackie Wellwood, is written just for homeschooling Christian moms. You can also subscribe to a free daily email devotional from crosswalk.com.

9. Stay educated
You are a wife, mother, homemaker, and educator. Be the best you can be. Stay educated on the latest homemaking tips, parenting advice, marriage tips and educational studies and resources. Professionals regularly turn to trade publications and books to keep them current in their field. You should do the same. Especially in today’s political tide it’s critical that you keep up to date with homeschooling laws and news regarding the current state of our rights as homeschoolers. By joining local and national homeschooling support groups including HSLDA (Homeschooling Legal Defense Association) you will receive regular newsletters to keep you updated. Subscribe to homeschooling magazines, parenting magazines, and homemaking magazines that share your philosophies or beliefs. Browse your favorite library or bookstore for new releases in the areas that interest you. Read parenting advice books from sources or experts that you respect. There are numerous books and articles available to you to aid you in every possible issue or problem you may encounter while raising children.

10. Treat yourself to new school supplies
Most of us already do this for your children, but let’s not forget to do this for ourselves. One of my favorite memories as a child was the start of the school year. There was something about having a fresh start and new supplies that inspired me then and is still true today. Treat yourself to a new binder, book bag, pens, pencils, highlighters, file folders or even a desk organizer. Brighten up your desk or school room with something that will mark the start of a fresh new year.

11. Celebrate milestones
Training your children in the way they should go is a big responsibility and a long road, which sometimes is traveled more quickly than we would like. Instead of just focusing on the “big picture” don’t forget to celebrate the little milestones along the way that will one day form that end result. Celebrate milestones in both your children’s character and their education. Don’t forget to celebrate your own milestones. Did you manage to teach your child how to read despite your sometimes overwhelming fears? Did you master math while trying to teach it to your child? Did you finally come up with a meal planning system that is working well for your family? Celebrate these milestones along the way. Look for reasons to celebrate your children and your family. It makes for a happy home and an enjoyable journey.

12. Be prepared, present & enthusiastic
Do you have a memory of your favorite teacher in school? Emulate him or her. If you didn’t have one, now is your opportunity to be the teacher you wish you had. Give your children your time and full attention so they will give you theirs. Don’t teach distraction by example. Avoid talking on the phone or surfing the internet during your time with them. Be prepared to teach the days lessons. This means being familiar with the material and having all of the supplies necessary on hand and available. Don’t waste time running around the house looking for supplies or stopping to read the lesson plan when you should be teaching it. Being prepared makes transitioning from one activity to another easier and helps keep your children focused. Homeschooling is a gift, treat it as one. Remember you set the tone. Be excited about learning and about your time together. You have an opportunity to make traditionally boring subjects come alive. Don’t let the opportunity pass you and your children by. I promise, if you are prepared and fully present with a joyful heart, the enthusiasm will follow. I wish you and your children a great start to an exciting new school year. You can do it!

Karin Katherine is a proud stay-at-home mother of four who feels blessed to be the mother of 5 year old fraternal twin boys and two daughters, ages three and 10 months. You are invited to follow her homeschooling adventures at www.PassportAcademy.com and her adventures as a mother, wife, homemaker, decorator and organizer at www.MommyMattersBlog.com