Latest / Homeschooling and Life Unfiltered with Court & Jess / Episode 38 Habits That Help: Little Things That Make Homeschool Life Easier

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Episode 38 Habits That Help: Little Things That Make Homeschool Life Easier · Homeschooling and Life Unfiltered with Court & Jess

0:02
SPEAKER_00: Welcome to Homeschooling and Life Unfiltered with Court and Jess, where Real Talk meets real life.
0:07
SPEAKER_00: Court and Jess are two friends, fellow moms, and business partners who live in different time zones and juggle homeschooling alongside motherhood and entrepreneurship.
0:15
SPEAKER_00: Jess is a mom of eight and Court is a mom of seven, and together they're raising 15 kids and navigating the wild, wonderful world of homeschooling, each in completely different ways.
0:25
SPEAKER_00: Every week we invite you to pull up a chair for honest conversations, practical tips, and uplifting encouragement.
0:31
SPEAKER_00: You'll hear from moms across the country who are homeschooling in a way that works best for their families.
0:36
SPEAKER_00: Whether you're a veteran homeschool mom just getting started or somewhere in between, this is your space to feel seen, supported, and inspired.
0:43
SPEAKER_00: Because no matter how different our paths may look, we are all in this together.
0:49
SPEAKER_01: Hello and welcome to homeschooling and life unfiltered with Court and Jess.
0:54
SPEAKER_01: I'm Jess, and here with Courtney today, we are going to be talking about how you do not need to have the perfect routine or more hours in the day.
1:03
SPEAKER_01: You just need a few repeatable actions or habits that support the life that you and the home that you have always wanted to build.
1:11
SPEAKER_01: So remember, the goal is not to do everything that is impossible.
1:16
SPEAKER_01: But we're going to try to work together to make important things easier to do consistently by building good habits.
1:24
SPEAKER_01: So, Courtney, do you want to start us off by talking about your habits that you've built over the years to shape your the home and the family you've envisioned?
1:33
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I will say this is like a fluid thing for me.
1:36
SPEAKER_00: Like it's constantly changing and moving.
1:39
SPEAKER_00: And um I actually, one of the things I started, I think I actually started it last year when we talked about goals.
1:45
SPEAKER_00: One of my goals that I was doing was habits, right?
1:47
SPEAKER_00: Like I I've been very intentional this year about setting up good.
1:52
SPEAKER_00: Um, I mean, they're kind of like little mini goals, but really they're habits.
1:56
SPEAKER_00: I'm trying to establish habits like drinking water, like 100 ounces of water.
2:00
SPEAKER_00: Um, yeah, you're drinking water made me think of it.
2:02
SPEAKER_00: Um, and I actually like hi, you guys, my brain is the worst.
2:07
SPEAKER_00: I swear the older I get, the worse I get.
2:09
SPEAKER_00: The more because I had the less brain cells I lost, like I lost in a lot of.
2:12
SPEAKER_00: And so I need those constant reminders, or not even reminders, but like when I get to the end of the day, like I'm like, what did I do today?
2:20
SPEAKER_00: Or what did I what did I want to do today?
2:21
SPEAKER_00: I don't, I don't remember.
2:23
SPEAKER_00: Um, so I I have that habits app, I think I've talked about it here, um, that just has like a list of things.
2:28
SPEAKER_00: Like these are the things that I'm trying to do every single day.
2:31
SPEAKER_00: And I kind of um reevaluate it every couple months.
2:34
SPEAKER_00: So they've kind of changed, you know.
2:36
SPEAKER_00: I'm like, oh, okay, I've got this as a habit.
2:38
SPEAKER_00: Um, like I've been really intentional with my reading this year, trying to like get back into the habit of reading, which I feel like I've got a good habit of reading.
2:45
SPEAKER_00: But now my habit tracker says non-fiction reading because I was like major fluff reading, you know.
2:50
SPEAKER_00: I just I hadn't I wasn't expanding my mind or learning anything, which I just really like to do.
2:54
SPEAKER_00: And so I was like, okay, I yeah, I read every day, but I need to put the non-fiction, like that needs to be what I'm working on.
3:01
SPEAKER_00: Um, I um drinking water, like drinking water is stupid.
3:04
SPEAKER_00: Like everybody knows to drink water, like it's not rocket science, but it's hard, it's hard, and it helps me keep track of like I my goal, like I want to drink this amount of water, you know what I mean?
3:14
SPEAKER_00: Like I ever I do drink water, everybody drinks water, but actually I have friends that don't drink any water, you guys.
3:18
SPEAKER_00: It's just crazy to me.
3:19
SPEAKER_00: They just they just don't.
3:21
SPEAKER_00: Like I just don't understand it.
3:23
SPEAKER_00: I would die.
3:23
SPEAKER_00: I think I would die.
3:24
SPEAKER_00: My body would be like, um, what is wrong with you?
3:26
SPEAKER_00: But I I noticed that like if I don't drink enough water, then I'm like thirsty all night long, and you know what I mean?
3:31
SPEAKER_00: So anyway, so I have a goal for just remembering um that and like a step goal, like to get up and move.
3:38
SPEAKER_00: Because honestly, if I'm not intentional about like moving around, I I think my my normal if I don't do anything intentional is like 2,500 steps, which is like nothing, right?
3:48
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, so um so I have to be intentional, like hey, if I'm on the phone, I'm like, oh, I'm gonna walk around while I'm on the phone, or it's finally nice here in Arizona, so I can go back outside.
3:57
SPEAKER_00: Like I do way better, it's much easier for me to go outside and walk around, just to like go on a walk around the block, you know, in between things because I want to be outside and I want to listen to the birds and I want to feel the sunshine.
4:10
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, so like that one, that's a much easier habit.
4:12
SPEAKER_00: So I still don't so I feel like that's a habit I'm working on, but it's definitely not a habit I have like put in place.
4:18
SPEAKER_00: Like it's it's not one that is like an automatic thing.
4:22
SPEAKER_00: I have to think about it.
4:23
SPEAKER_00: Um, some of my habits that I put in from like the get-go, like many years ago, that are now so ingrained I don't think about it anymore, is I meal plan every weekend.
4:31
SPEAKER_00: I I meal plan, I order my groceries or I grocery shop or whatever I do every weekend so that I know ahead of time before the week starts what we're eating every single day.
4:40
SPEAKER_00: Um, so that's a habit that I started.
4:43
SPEAKER_00: I mean, when I say over 20 years ago, that sounds insane, but that's how long I've been married.
4:47
SPEAKER_00: Like I literally haven't worked on that one for that long.
4:50
SPEAKER_00: So I don't think about that, I don't have to think about that one anymore.
4:52
SPEAKER_00: So those are the ones that I think are the best and like most important, like those things that set you up for success.
4:58
SPEAKER_00: Because I constantly get questions like, how do you do all this?
5:01
SPEAKER_00: And how do you do this?
5:02
SPEAKER_00: And how do you, you know what I mean?
5:03
SPEAKER_00: Has it worked over the years?
5:05
SPEAKER_00: Like, we don't sit down at the table every day anymore because I have kids that are gone from you know five to eight every night.
5:11
SPEAKER_00: And so half the time I make dinner, and like I know on Tuesdays and Thursdays I'm actually gonna take dinner to the two littles that aren't home, and we eat dinner in the car before like their lessons, and then they go into lessons and then I come home and then we eat dinner with everybody else.
5:26
SPEAKER_00: So we've we've morphed it into what makes it work, right?
5:30
SPEAKER_00: Um, but that would be really, really hard if at five o'clock I'm trying to figure out what we're having for dinner and and I still need to take it to somebody to eat at 5 15.
5:40
SPEAKER_00: You know what I mean?
5:40
SPEAKER_00: Like that that wouldn't work if I didn't have this like super great system, whatever.
5:46
SPEAKER_00: Um I actually hate the word systems.
5:48
SPEAKER_00: I mean, I don't know.
5:50
SPEAKER_00: I I don't know.
5:51
SPEAKER_00: I love the word.
5:52
SPEAKER_00: I know, and I'm working, I'm actually taking a systems course right now, you guys, to help set up better systems.
5:58
SPEAKER_00: Um, and and I but to me they're not as like yes, they're systems, but I like to think of it as like this is just a habit for my life that I'm setting up, you know what I mean, like to be successful.
6:08
SPEAKER_00: Um I'm trying to think of see, you guys, my brain, I don't even remember what I'm working on right this second.
6:13
SPEAKER_00: Let's just see, let's look back.
6:14
SPEAKER_00: Um oh, so oh, I know one that I'm like super excited about, but see, I need the reminder is I have been this this set of times.
6:25
SPEAKER_00: Um, I have I found okay, so my last, you know, two-month cycle of systems um or habits, I was just constant, I got really burnt out.
6:34
SPEAKER_00: I was just like, oh my gosh, I just can't do this anymore.
6:36
SPEAKER_00: And I can't just constantly like I and work was been really crazy and a lot of hours, and so it just, I was like, oh, I'm just done.
6:42
SPEAKER_00: So I'm kind of like an all or nothing thing.
6:44
SPEAKER_00: Like if I know that I can't check all those boxes that I'm like, screw it, I don't know how can I do it.
6:47
SPEAKER_00: So I'm like, I needed a little more um joy, like after Maria um went our interview with Maria from a couple weeks ago.
6:55
SPEAKER_00: Um, and so I put on there, I was like, okay, what brings me joy?
6:58
SPEAKER_00: Like, what's something I could do every single day that I really like?
7:00
SPEAKER_00: And I love to be creative.
7:02
SPEAKER_00: Um, and I I like hobbies, like I like things like that.
7:07
SPEAKER_00: And so I decided every single day I'm gonna work on a hobby.
7:09
SPEAKER_00: And that might be doing a puzzle, or it might be, um, look, you can see this is on my desk.
7:13
SPEAKER_00: Like my knitting is on my desk.
7:15
SPEAKER_00: Um, I have embroidery and I have like reading for fun would be part of another hobby, or listening to audiobooks.
7:22
SPEAKER_00: Um, I've been on an audiobook right now, and I don't normally do that, but that's kind of been like one of my like an easy, happy thing, right?
7:29
SPEAKER_00: I've been listening to fluffy audiobooks.
7:30
SPEAKER_00: And I'm super sad because I've been listening to this series on hoopla and I'm out of things until next month.
7:35
SPEAKER_00: And so I can't.
7:36
SPEAKER_00: The books leave off very cliffhangary, and I can't do the next one until November.
7:40
SPEAKER_00: So anyway, so I was like, well, I need to find something else, but just even coloring, like I've been coloring.
7:44
SPEAKER_00: We got these really fun, you know, like those I can't think of what they're called, but those coloring books that have like the bigger pictures are just really if they're everywhere, like they have designs on them.
7:54
SPEAKER_00: No, it's not like the the adult what they call adult coloring books where it has like all the teeny tiny little things.
7:59
SPEAKER_00: No, these are like super fun pictures.
8:02
SPEAKER_00: Oh no, I'll find one.
8:03
SPEAKER_00: I I'm just trying to see if I have one in my own.
8:07
SPEAKER_01: Hold on, wait, I have one.
8:08
SPEAKER_01: Because I have no idea what you're talking about.
8:11
SPEAKER_00: This was like one from Spring.
8:12
SPEAKER_00: It's like this brand.
8:13
SPEAKER_00: Have you ever seen these before?
8:14
SPEAKER_00: Never, no, no, they're so fun.
8:16
SPEAKER_00: But look at the pictures.
8:17
SPEAKER_00: Let me find one.
8:19
SPEAKER_00: They're like big things.
8:20
SPEAKER_01: Nice.
8:21
SPEAKER_00: And we got like those um, you know, like those markers that are the you have to put a piece of paper behind it because they bleed their, but they're like the alcohol markers, like the good, the good markers.
8:30
SPEAKER_00: Anyway, it's just like simple stuff like that.
8:32
SPEAKER_00: So when the kids are like, hey, let's watch a movie, and this time of year we tend to watch a lot more movies because we watch a lot of holiday movies.
8:38
SPEAKER_00: So we were watching, like, we have a list of like Halloween movies we watch every year, and and then we're you know, we leave Halloween and we go straight to Christmas because Christmas is a season, it's not a day, it's not, you know.
8:48
SPEAKER_00: Um, so anyway, so I mean it's just things like that.
8:51
SPEAKER_00: And so I've just it's been fun.
8:53
SPEAKER_00: It's been fun to like have something to look forward to every single day that just brings me joy.
8:59
SPEAKER_00: And so I've never ever put like that in as a habit.
9:02
SPEAKER_00: I wouldn't consider that something to be a habit, but it is like I I love it.
9:06
SPEAKER_00: It's been so fun.
9:07
SPEAKER_00: And my kids have been doing it with me.
9:08
SPEAKER_00: They'll be like, What are you doing today, mom?
9:10
SPEAKER_00: Oh, I'm gonna do that.
9:11
SPEAKER_00: Oh, like Grady was like, I'm gonna color with you.
9:13
SPEAKER_00: Like a 13-year-old boy, he's gonna I have to all color with you, or he's been getting out like those sticker puzzle things, like he'll sit next to me and like do the little stick.
9:20
SPEAKER_00: The mosaic ones, yes, yes, everybody's kind of oh, we've oh games games is another one of like I would consider a hobby, and so I've taught all my kids how to play mahjong, so we play all the time.
9:30
SPEAKER_00: We've like literally leave the mahjong table up all the time.
9:33
SPEAKER_00: It's now just a permanent picture in my family room.
9:35
SPEAKER_00: That's awesome.
9:36
SPEAKER_00: I love it.
9:36
SPEAKER_00: Just doing like little things like that.
9:38
SPEAKER_00: So that's not really something that sets me up as a mom for success, but it does because it fills a bucket for me that's making all those other things that sometimes can be kind of drudgery, just not and it gives myself permission to have fun.
9:51
SPEAKER_00: I love that.
9:52
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I don't know.
9:53
SPEAKER_00: I'm an overly yeah, well, I'm an overly productive person, and so like giving myself like time, because so many times when they'll be like, But do you want to play mahjong?
10:01
SPEAKER_00: And I'm like, Yeah, but I should be holding laundry, I should be like, I think nobody should be doing anything, but just go ahead but that's okay.
10:08
SPEAKER_00: I love it.
10:09
SPEAKER_00: I don't know.
10:09
SPEAKER_00: So that's really where I've kind of been focusing like my habits, you know what I mean, is to like building in those times for me more than like trying to be more productive all the time.
10:22
SPEAKER_01: I love it.
10:23
SPEAKER_01: That's awesome.
10:24
SPEAKER_01: Well, mine are totally different, shocking.
10:26
SPEAKER_01: Of course, some of them are are the same, but um I uh and and it's so I was just telling Courtney before we started recording that this is like the fourth day that I've gotten very little sleep first night in a row.
10:40
SPEAKER_01: And so I'm really thankful for habits during like the for the solid habits that I've built.
10:44
SPEAKER_01: Because even when I feel like I'm totally running on E just because I'm sleep deprived, um, I still know that the important things are are being done and and and and they're getting done because I've built the most important things into habits, or at least I've tried, right?
11:01
SPEAKER_01: I mean, certainly there are times when I don't, um, where I I I miss them or I forget or you know, different things like that.
11:08
SPEAKER_01: But so my big ones, and I and I've talked about this in a different podcast, so it's a little bit of a repeat, and I'll share a couple other ones, but the ones that I've been really, really, really focusing on are um going to bed early.
11:20
SPEAKER_01: Uh, and so that one has really revolutionized things for me, um, is that habit of going to bed early.
11:26
SPEAKER_01: And early is different for everyone, but if I'm in bed before 10 o'clock, like that's a huge win for me.
11:31
SPEAKER_01: And there were years that I didn't get to bed before midnight.
11:36
SPEAKER_01: I mean, years.
11:38
SPEAKER_01: And so I would always hear that thing like, oh, the best sleep for you is is the are the hours you get before midnight.
11:43
SPEAKER_01: And I'm like, great, I get no hours before midnight.
11:46
SPEAKER_01: Like a decade or maybe two decades.
11:49
SPEAKER_01: Um, and so now sometimes I'm in bed by nine, between nine and ten, and it's just it really is awesome.
11:56
SPEAKER_01: It allows me to even be a tiny bit functional when you know the baby is up, or I'm, you know, up too early because of you know, just various things.
12:07
SPEAKER_01: And so, but the baby has not been sleeping well, and so I'm so grateful for that habit that I have had to go to bed early, otherwise, I would not be sitting here right now.
12:16
SPEAKER_01: I would have had to go take a nap and canceled this recording.
12:20
SPEAKER_01: Um, and so uh that's that's a big one for me.
12:23
SPEAKER_01: And then um one of my other habits that I that I have that's been really different for me uh the last couple of years, I don't even know how long it's been now.
12:32
SPEAKER_01: Maybe I'm not sure how long it's been, but is getting up early.
12:36
SPEAKER_01: And so I really like it.
12:39
SPEAKER_01: Uh and so um my husband uh especially lately has also been an early riser.
12:46
SPEAKER_01: And I'm kind of like, oh, it's my time, you know, like I get the house to myself, but no, it's totally fine.
12:51
SPEAKER_01: I I love him.
12:52
SPEAKER_01: But um I love getting up earlier than everybody else.
12:57
SPEAKER_01: Um well, that's not true.
12:59
SPEAKER_01: My son has a morning Bible study at 6:30 in the morning, so he's often um at least in part of a part of that morning time with me, which I do love, but he's just like quick out the door, you know.
13:08
SPEAKER_01: Um, but I love getting up early.
13:11
SPEAKER_01: I think that it's um it's just so good for me.
13:13
SPEAKER_01: It allows me to take off a lot of my habits.
13:16
SPEAKER_01: Like, so for me, it's a little bit like habit stacking.
13:18
SPEAKER_01: So now that I've built the absolute, like I've built the habit of getting up early.
13:23
SPEAKER_01: So now if I have a new habit, oftentimes I'll put it like as one of my first or one, two or three things that I do right after I wake up early to try to just establish that new habit because I'm already in the habit of waking up early.
13:33
SPEAKER_01: Um it's early for you.
13:35
SPEAKER_00: Like what's early?
13:36
SPEAKER_01: Well, when the baby is not demanding that I get up or she's she sleeps late, but the problem is that she just has been getting up early and then I can't get back to sleep.
13:46
SPEAKER_01: But early for me is anywhere from like one day this week, I chose to, I I got up at um with the baby, and then it was 4 45, so I just stayed up.
13:57
SPEAKER_01: Um, and so she went back to sleep and I stayed up.
14:00
SPEAKER_01: So that was a really early morning, and I've actually had a couple of those this week.
14:05
SPEAKER_01: Um, but uh usually anywhere between it, it'll depends a little bit because I really want eight hours of sleep.
14:12
SPEAKER_01: So a lot of times I'm laying in bed, like when I get into bed for the night, I'm doing that quick math to see, okay, what time should I set my alarm for?
14:21
SPEAKER_01: But oftentimes when the sun rises, I'm just naturally getting up, which is something that I that I like.
14:28
SPEAKER_01: Um, it's not gonna be great forward.
14:31
SPEAKER_01: What's that?
14:32
SPEAKER_01: Have you ever read this the 5 a.m.
14:33
SPEAKER_01: club?
14:34
SPEAKER_01: I have heard of it, but I have not read it.
14:36
SPEAKER_00: I I read it a couple years ago, and I love that idea.
14:38
SPEAKER_00: I love the idea of early mornings.
14:40
SPEAKER_00: I just can't do it.
14:42
SPEAKER_01: You know what though?
14:43
SPEAKER_01: It so somebody said this to me, it was so encouraging, and it is actually I think it's uh it was true for me.
14:48
SPEAKER_01: How about that?
14:49
SPEAKER_01: Um, you only have to do it for like three to six mornings, and then it becomes a habit.
14:54
SPEAKER_01: Um, and now I and then there's other people that say, you know, well, it takes 20 days to make a habit, but actually the research says it's more like 55 to 65 days to create a habit.
15:04
SPEAKER_01: But so it's not really that it's created a habit at three to six days, but it just becomes easier somewhere in that three to six days, it becomes really easy.
15:11
SPEAKER_01: And then once you get in the habit though, of waking up early, it's really hard.
15:15
SPEAKER_01: Like I'm sad when I'm in bed too late to get up really early.
15:19
SPEAKER_01: Um, but I love to be waking up between five and six.
15:22
SPEAKER_00: Okay, so funny.
15:23
SPEAKER_00: So last week Darren was in Alaska and I was I had to take Rory to school.
15:26
SPEAKER_00: So she leaves the house.
15:27
SPEAKER_00: We leave the house at 6.20.
15:29
SPEAKER_00: So I mean, I was up and ready by 620 every day.
15:32
SPEAKER_00: So I can do it.
15:33
SPEAKER_00: And I did it for a week and it wasn't even that bad.
15:35
SPEAKER_00: And I my body got all used to it.
15:37
SPEAKER_00: I was like, I'm just gonna keep this up so that I can, you know, like keep it up because I really enjoyed like having time.
15:42
SPEAKER_00: You guys, Monday morning, screw it.
15:43
SPEAKER_00: I was like, nope, I was tired.
15:45
SPEAKER_00: I was like, no, it's not gonna happen.
15:46
SPEAKER_00: And then I it's just so I'm so mad because I mean I know I can do it if I have to, but I cannot do it for myself.
15:53
SPEAKER_01: Do you know?
15:54
SPEAKER_01: I find that um when I'm when I'm like really solid in the cycle too of um so a few weeks ago of waking up early, a few weeks ago, um it was I don't even know what the circumstance was.
16:06
SPEAKER_01: Maybe it was like a Saturday morning.
16:08
SPEAKER_01: I'm just like, you know what?
16:09
SPEAKER_01: I'm gonna just I'm feeling a tiny bit under the weather.
16:12
SPEAKER_01: I'm just gonna let myself sleep in.
16:13
SPEAKER_01: And I had like three days that was so hard to get back into it.
16:17
SPEAKER_01: And so uh for me, I personally find there's no like cheating when if you want to wake up early, you just have to stick to it.
16:26
SPEAKER_01: Yep.
16:26
SPEAKER_01: But even if like I get to bed late, my body is now kind of conditioned.
16:32
SPEAKER_01: I'm not gonna be getting up anytime later than probably 7:30.
16:35
SPEAKER_01: So um, so anyways, I really love getting up early.
16:39
SPEAKER_01: Never thought I would say that.
16:41
SPEAKER_01: Uh, I was not a morning person before.
16:43
SPEAKER_01: Um, uh another um habit uh is which you already talked about was reading.
16:48
SPEAKER_01: I am a big reader.
16:50
SPEAKER_01: Um when I really started to walk a lot, um, because it's another habit with getting my steps in, uh, anywhere from eight to 10,000 steps.
17:00
SPEAKER_01: Then I, as I was bringing that on, I did the habit stacking with okay, now I'm gonna listen to a book or I'm gonna listen to a podcast.
17:07
SPEAKER_01: And and I don't, and I go between I used to only do nonfiction, but Courtney got me onto fiction.
17:12
SPEAKER_01: So now I kind of go between depends on my mood.
17:15
SPEAKER_01: Um, and now with Christmas coming, I feel like I'm gonna do more fiction because they have all those great seasonal reads.
17:22
SPEAKER_01: Yes.
17:23
SPEAKER_01: Um oh, another really great habit that actually I've not been doing super well at lately because in Minnesota, if you live in Minnesota, you know that it is box elder and ladybug season or Asian ladybug season, so and black gnat season.
17:37
SPEAKER_01: So they are worse than mosquitoes by far.
17:41
SPEAKER_01: Do they bite?
17:42
SPEAKER_01: Yes, the black gnats bite so bad.
17:45
SPEAKER_01: Um, the box elder bugs and the Asian lady beetles or whatever they call them, they don't bite, but they're just like like in the air, like you walk in and they're all over you.
17:54
SPEAKER_01: It's just awful.
17:55
SPEAKER_01: Um, and so I haven't been very good lately, but I was getting that early morning sun, that habit for me.
18:02
SPEAKER_01: And then so really technically, my habit is just going outside, but really what I strive for is to get out in that that early morning sun, so like before 8 a.m.
18:13
SPEAKER_01: Um, and sometimes you guys, it's literally just I I walk outside and I'm there for like two minutes and I come back in.
18:21
SPEAKER_01: Like if that's all that my day can spare for that morning sun.
18:25
SPEAKER_01: I mean, hopefully I get outside later in the day, but I literally will just go stand in my driveway and like feel the sunshine and then go back inside.
18:33
SPEAKER_01: So it doesn't have to be perfect every time.
18:37
SPEAKER_01: Um, and then I can just, you know, I've I I did it, you know, I kept up the habit.
18:42
SPEAKER_01: I did it.
18:43
SPEAKER_01: Today wasn't great, but I did it anyways.
18:45
SPEAKER_01: Um, and I'm gonna imperfectly do it again tomorrow.
18:48
SPEAKER_01: Uh and then the last one is this one, I don't know what happened, has also been really bad for me lately, but um I usually have a habit of um really trying to stay with like whole clean foods.
19:03
SPEAKER_01: Uh and that is um something that's super important to me.
19:06
SPEAKER_01: And I just, you know, it's just been like, well, I haven't been sleeping.
19:10
SPEAKER_01: So I just I had you know, things have been suffering.
19:14
SPEAKER_01: So, but um typically that is a um habit for me too.
19:18
SPEAKER_01: And then um the other habits that I have around like work-specific things or school-specific things, school for my kiddos.
19:28
SPEAKER_01: Uh, one thing that's been really great is I have this habit now of checking.
19:34
SPEAKER_01: I have had AI every week, sends me uh based on like I use AL AI a lot.
19:43
SPEAKER_01: And so based on the conversations we have, so like I we are leaving on a trip soon.
19:49
SPEAKER_01: And so my AI knows that because we've been, or I let me use a different example.
19:55
SPEAKER_01: We had we just recently went on a trip, AI knew we were on a trip, and then so every uh Friday it sends me a weekend reset plan, and so and it's based on things it knows about me, but also just like different challenges, and then also things that they know that happened in my week.
20:12
SPEAKER_01: So when I got back from Chicago the the uh other week, I got home on a on a front.
20:20
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, and so then I got my reset plan and I'm I have it here, and so it said like um uh do Oh talks about gathering all the dirty clothes from all the bags into one place and then starting with the most urgent load, and then uh make sure I dress my stains right away that we got on the clothes because they've been sitting for three days, and uh, I wasn't traveling with it.
20:44
SPEAKER_01: It probably assumed I was traveling with a child because um we've done that.
20:49
SPEAKER_01: Uh and so, anyways, it so I've gotten into this good habit of checking my um my reset plan.
20:55
SPEAKER_01: It's called my home CEO reset plan.
20:58
SPEAKER_01: And so that's been really, really good for me.
21:01
SPEAKER_01: Um, and then the other habit I think that I would talk about is um just like our our power hour cleanings that we're we're kind of in this new, like you said, we cycle.
21:11
SPEAKER_01: So we're cycling through like this new chore plan.
21:14
SPEAKER_01: It's been working pretty good.
21:15
SPEAKER_01: Um, and so we're just kind of getting we're in the habit of getting into that right now, but my chore habit always looks different.
21:21
SPEAKER_01: So probably in six weeks it's gonna look different.
21:24
SPEAKER_01: So we're always in some sort of cycle with some chore habits.
21:29
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, for sure.
21:30
SPEAKER_00: That's definitely like a mom thing, like that.
21:33
SPEAKER_00: I think it's always on our radar.
21:35
SPEAKER_00: We tend to I divvy out the chores, right?
21:37
SPEAKER_00: And we normally change like every quarter, but I feel like last year the kids are like, We've had these chores for a year.
21:42
SPEAKER_00: And I was like, I kind of think we have.
21:44
SPEAKER_00: But right when school started, I realized they had to change because the person who did the dishwasher was Rory who's gone in the morning, and like we can't wait until noon to get the dishwasher empty.
21:53
SPEAKER_00: Right.
21:54
SPEAKER_00: That kind of like triggered the, you know, the redo of that chore thing.
21:59
SPEAKER_00: Um What other habits do you have like for your house though?
22:02
SPEAKER_00: Like I'm just trying to think of other things that we've kind of established now.
22:06
SPEAKER_00: Like mine is like we do we start school with breakfast.
22:08
SPEAKER_00: So it's like that's the trigger that we all eat breakfast every day.
22:12
SPEAKER_00: That's when school starts, kind of a thing.
22:14
SPEAKER_01: Um do you have anything else that you I mean I wake the girls up at nine and we do um we do World Watch and eat breakfast.
22:25
SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
22:25
SPEAKER_00: So we're gonna your kids.
22:28
SPEAKER_00: My kids would love if I let them sleep till nine every day.
22:31
SPEAKER_01: Well, we have to remember we have some medical things that we have to be really careful of sleep.
22:36
SPEAKER_01: And so my kids need, I have a kiddo who needs 10 hours of sleep.
22:40
SPEAKER_01: If she doesn't, she will be very sick.
22:43
SPEAKER_01: So we uh we just we were and and honestly, she she needs like 12 hours of sleep, but if she has to have a minimum of 10 hours of sleep, and so um, yeah, and so it just works for us.
22:55
SPEAKER_01: So we I get them up at 10 or up at 9 and we do that.
22:58
SPEAKER_01: Well, they're expected to be at the table at nine o'clock, like we push start at nine, so they're maybe up.
23:04
SPEAKER_01: Like I have um some of my daughters need to be up a tiny bit earlier because they want to maybe shower or whatever, and then um my one, she just wakes up like 15 minutes before we have to be at the table.
23:14
SPEAKER_01: So um, so I'd be a habit.
23:15
SPEAKER_01: Another habit is for that my kids are in a good routine, they make their own breakfast so they know like they get up and make the breakfast.
23:21
SPEAKER_00: Yep.
23:22
SPEAKER_01: Um, and then we have habits around like our co-op day.
23:25
SPEAKER_01: Um, they pack their nights their lunches the night before because I do not want to be dealing with that in the morning.
23:31
SPEAKER_01: Um I have one daughter who she prefers to make hers in the morning, and that's great.
23:37
SPEAKER_01: It works perfect for her.
23:38
SPEAKER_01: She wakes up super early on her own and it's really good.
23:42
SPEAKER_01: I'm trying to think other habits um around the house, other than just getting ready the night before, is a big one.
23:49
SPEAKER_01: Like, do you have all your dance stuff pulled together?
23:51
SPEAKER_01: Do you have your soccer stuff pulled together?
23:54
SPEAKER_01: Oh, another one too.
23:56
SPEAKER_01: Um, I I always I always do it, um, but it's sometimes it's in the evening at the last thing I do before I go to bed.
24:03
SPEAKER_01: Usually it is.
24:05
SPEAKER_01: Um, so I will look at my phone at my week, my like my work day ahead, my appointments I have.
24:12
SPEAKER_01: And then often, almost always in the morning, then I will actually write out my schedule.
24:17
SPEAKER_01: So I'll I I do not keep them all in one schedule.
24:20
SPEAKER_01: I have my uh calendar, and then I have a calendar on my phone.
24:27
SPEAKER_01: That's where I put like if I'm out and about in a doctor's office calls me and I make an appointment, I'll put it in my phone and I'll transfer it later.
24:34
SPEAKER_01: It's a whole big thing.
24:35
SPEAKER_01: But it's all like a dopamine hit for me, so it works.
24:38
SPEAKER_01: Um, and then I have my work calendar that's online.
24:40
SPEAKER_01: So like I'm I have my little um journal that's over on my on my little coffee table, and and I'll write out my day, like, and then I'll put some goals there too if I have any other goals or like weird things that need to be done.
24:52
SPEAKER_01: Um I was gonna grab it and read it, but um yeah, so I'll just put like little random things that that have to have to be done that I that aren't typical for us.
25:05
SPEAKER_00: So I just okay, thought of one more that I want to share because it's what's on my thing right this second.
25:09
SPEAKER_00: Um, what's twofold because I was trying to think of what else is on my schedule right now that I just changed.
25:13
SPEAKER_00: Okay, this one I think everyone needs to do it.
25:15
SPEAKER_00: Here you go.
25:16
SPEAKER_00: Here's my my hot tip.
25:17
SPEAKER_00: Everybody needs this habit.
25:19
SPEAKER_00: Do something for Christmas every single day, right now.
25:22
SPEAKER_00: Move that now.
25:23
SPEAKER_00: Like it has been so like I am more prepared for Christmas.
25:27
SPEAKER_00: I've only been doing this for two weeks, I think is when I started more prepared for Christmas than I think I probably ever have been.
25:31
SPEAKER_00: And it might be like one day I ordered tape and tissue paper with my grocery order for Christmas present, like because those are always some things that you forget, or even it might just be, you know, making a list of ideas for somebody.
25:43
SPEAKER_00: It hasn't always been purchasing something.
25:45
SPEAKER_00: Sometimes it's purchasing things, but other times it's just been like, oh, this kid mentioned this, I'm gonna write it on the list.
25:51
SPEAKER_00: Or um, you know, I wrote one day I worked on our advent activity calendar, like just plugging things in.
25:58
SPEAKER_00: And so it doesn't have to be big, huge, grandiose things, but that one has been awesome.
26:03
SPEAKER_00: Like I loved doing that one.
26:05
SPEAKER_00: I've kind of two birthdays in the holidays, like I have a Thank Three birthday and a Christmas birthday.
26:09
SPEAKER_00: And so I kind of like attached that.
26:10
SPEAKER_00: So like today's activity that I did for my Christmas sake was Grady and I planned out his birthday party and picked his shoes that he wanted these shoes, you know.
26:19
SPEAKER_00: Like I hadn't picked the color, and so it's just little things like that.
26:21
SPEAKER_00: So I mean, I didn't technically spend any money today, and that's okay.
26:24
SPEAKER_00: My other thing that I've been doing in coinciding with this is like working really hard on the budget and like tracking all the things, and like every single day I have to do something with the budget, and I have to do something with Christmas, and it has just been awesome.
26:36
SPEAKER_00: I know I'm such a nerd, but I like love it.
26:39
SPEAKER_00: I have never done it or started so early, and anyways, I highly suggest everybody just think something about Christmas every single day.
26:47
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, no, I will definitely do that.
26:51
SPEAKER_01: That's so fun! Yeah, I yeah, and I like I look I I adore Christmas, like, and I know you do too.
27:00
SPEAKER_01: Absolutely, and I just I hate it when we when we have a season where we get to Christmas and it was just so stressful that I'm like, oh wait, what?
27:08
SPEAKER_01: Like my goal, I would love to just get to Christmas and be like, oh, it's been an amazing season.
27:13
SPEAKER_01: And then this was just like the icing on the cake, you know?
27:15
SPEAKER_01: And so I have been buying a lot of Christmas decorations, so we've been doing a lot of thrifting and I've gotten some really good decoration, so I kind of have already started, but I'm gonna do this.
27:25
SPEAKER_01: I wrote it down one thing for Christmas every day.
27:27
SPEAKER_01: That is such a good idea.
27:29
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, um, okay, so I have a question for you.
27:32
SPEAKER_01: Um, I did something and I I told we also have been like super um hyper focused on like um, you know, like you just start you get to this age, right?
27:42
SPEAKER_01: We start thinking about like retirement and all these things.
27:44
SPEAKER_01: And I'm like, so we're we've been super budget, hyper focused as well.
27:49
SPEAKER_01: And um and I had to tell my husband, I said, I did a thing and we didn't talk about it, and I'm sorry, but I think we need it.
27:56
SPEAKER_01: And he's like, What you do?
27:58
SPEAKER_01: Um so venture upward, um, who sponsors this podcast just gave away a skylight calendar for the families that we work with.
28:06
SPEAKER_01: Uh well, not they didn't all get one, but we did this big survey thing and and they could win us win a skylight calendar.
28:13
SPEAKER_01: And I became a tiny bit obsessed, and I got one.
28:16
SPEAKER_01: So wait, really?
28:17
SPEAKER_01: I did.
28:18
SPEAKER_01: I'm so excited.
28:19
SPEAKER_01: So it comes on Monday.
28:20
SPEAKER_01: We'll be out of town, but um, when I get back, did you get the small one or the big one?
28:25
SPEAKER_01: No, yes, go into everything at all.
28:28
SPEAKER_00: So can you get the app and start organizing it now on your trip?
28:32
SPEAKER_00: Because that's a great thing to do on the plane.
28:34
SPEAKER_00: Yes, you can.
28:35
SPEAKER_01: So here's the cool thing.
28:37
SPEAKER_01: I I'm not kidding you.
28:39
SPEAKER_01: So far, I am if Skylight wants to sponsor this and send us both another one, please do.
28:44
SPEAKER_01: But they do not sponsor this, and no one is paying us to say this.
28:48
SPEAKER_01: I um I ordered it and I don't know what the timeline was, but it was so fast.
28:54
SPEAKER_01: I actually took a screenshot to show you, Courtney, because I was so impressed.
28:58
SPEAKER_01: Um they sent me um uh a thing that basically said, like, your skylights on the way.
29:11
SPEAKER_01: Um but you can start like, oh, here it is.
29:16
SPEAKER_01: Okay.
29:17
SPEAKER_01: Um your skylight calendar is on its way, need a sneak peek, start here, and then it gives you a link and it has like puts you right into like their user guide tutorial stuff.
29:29
SPEAKER_01: Oh that's so fun.
29:30
SPEAKER_01: So like it's like they're trying to get you prepared to be really excited and be able to use it well.
29:36
SPEAKER_01: And so yeah, it's it's pretty exciting.
29:40
SPEAKER_00: So I'm curious to see what you think.
29:42
SPEAKER_01: I'm excited.
29:43
SPEAKER_01: Well, we so we are not as good at meal planning.
29:46
SPEAKER_01: Like when you're talking about like the last thing you want to do is like the day of, and I'm sitting here thinking, like I know that's me.
29:55
SPEAKER_01: Meal planning is I go in streaks, right?
29:59
SPEAKER_01: Like, I'll have a week here and there where it's really good, and then I'll have a string of weeks where I'm literally figuring it out every couple of days or even on the day up.
30:07
SPEAKER_01: So stressful.
30:08
SPEAKER_01: Um super stressful.
30:10
SPEAKER_01: Um, so like today I was ordering groceries for our we're doing a huge sock feeding the boys and girls soccer team, and then we're feeding the missionaries at our house later the night.
30:19
SPEAKER_01: Um definitely should have gotten more sleep last night.
30:23
SPEAKER_01: And uh, so I'm ordering groceries like this morning.
30:26
SPEAKER_01: So yeah, a little stressful, but I mean that's just kind of how I roll when it comes to meal planning.
30:31
SPEAKER_01: I it's I've been it's just been such a struggle for me to get out of that.
30:34
SPEAKER_01: And so um, but anyways, supposedly the skylight calendar has like this phenomenal meal planning functionality.
30:44
SPEAKER_01: Like you can even take a picture.
30:46
SPEAKER_01: I mean, I'm sure any AI could do this, honestly, but uh in the app, you're supposed to be able to like take a picture of your fridge and it will plan the meal for you, like based on what you have.
30:56
SPEAKER_01: So super interesting, but um, I'm super excited for like the chore checkoff is like the probably and then this the calendar thing.
31:05
SPEAKER_01: So um just like trying to figure out where all the kids, because we have we're so heavy, like this is a really heavy season for us and activities, and so just trying to figure out like where everybody's supposed to be.
31:16
SPEAKER_01: And my son just got a job, so trying to keep track of his.
31:19
SPEAKER_01: I mean, he doesn't need me to track for him, but I want to know where he's at.
31:23
SPEAKER_01: And so, like trying to track all of that.
31:25
SPEAKER_01: I'm just looking forward to a little extra electronic help um with this great digital camera or calendar, I mean.
31:33
SPEAKER_01: So it'll be great.
31:34
SPEAKER_01: So interested.
31:35
SPEAKER_00: I can't wait to hear.
31:36
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I will report back the next time we record.
31:39
SPEAKER_01: I'll have been a couple weeks in, so um, or several weeks in.
31:42
SPEAKER_01: So um, I will let you know.
31:45
SPEAKER_00: Love it.
31:45
SPEAKER_00: All right, that's awesome.
31:46
SPEAKER_00: This is a great conversation.
31:48
SPEAKER_00: Um, starting next week, um, so this will air the end of October.
31:52
SPEAKER_00: Um, and then we're into the holiday season, guys.
31:54
SPEAKER_00: In November, we are gonna do a best of holiday editions.
31:58
SPEAKER_00: We recorded some great holiday episodes last year um that we're gonna refresh and share again with everybody.
32:03
SPEAKER_00: So um it'll hopefully motivate you for your that could be your Christmas thing.
32:08
SPEAKER_00: Listen to a podcast about what to do at Christmas time could be your Christmas thing.
32:12
SPEAKER_00: I love that idea.
32:12
SPEAKER_00: I'm gonna add that.
32:13
SPEAKER_00: I should go find some holiday podcasts.
32:15
SPEAKER_00: Um, anyway, so enjoy, have a great um Thanksgiving, and we will be back here with live episodes, the beginning of December.
32:24
SPEAKER_01: Awesome.
32:24
SPEAKER_01: All right, thank you everybody.