Fig Milkshakes: vintage recipe box organizer

So I can confidently and without hesitation say we are really enjoying our homeschooling experience. You must have heard, and it is true - that it is very trying. You must have heard, and it is true - that it is also very rewarding.

I really never thought I would be a homeschooling mom. I really never had much of a desire to homeschool. The kid's charter school was pretty swanky - the kids were growing in their education and also making good friends. I can not express the gratitude I have for the teachers and staff at the schools who have helped to lay a foundation for my kids. Goodness knows - they needed it, because I ain't no teacher. :)

But I am a DIY-er to.my.core. ;)

And when we were called to move across the state, it was apparent that it was right for us to tackle the homeschooling thing than to move the children in the middle of the school year.

We're figuring it out piece by piece. And figuring out, piece by piece, that we like it!

I'm also finding that I have to be organized. If I start out the day unorganized, then we end the day having watched five hours of "Mythbusters" and calling it "Science Day".

So here is what we did to get better organized:

Started with these great vintage recipe boxes from Etsy.

MAY I continue to show you? (Okay, I'll stop.) I cut out card stock to fit for dividers and added a second colorful tab to the top for the month.

(Look, Laura - I'm practicing my F-stop!)

This is what I used to stamp on the months. I wanna say...2 dollars at Target? I use them for everything. But they're crazy expensive at craft stores and stuff (upwards of $10) - so I was excited to find them for so cheap in the dollar bin area.

But look - they're not just a pretty face! Just like a recipe box, there are index cards in there. Each index card represents a school day. Each day, as you can see - has the date, name, and their agenda on it for the day. I even will write chores they need to do on the back of it, so it helps organize out their whole day.

Let me tell you. This ONE thing alone has neutralized so much homeschooling chaos. Kid's didn't know what hit 'em.

'But a planner would do the trick and be cheaper and easier to find', you say? You are wise indeed. Just so you know, here are the things I was thinking when I chose these over a planner. 1. The card stock/index cards are just a little bit sturdier to hold up to sticky and careless kid fingers. 2. Ink won't bleed through to the other side of the paper, sometimes making it hard for kids to read the backs of the paper. 3. They're just nicer to look at - I don't know about you, but that's always sound logic to me. Especially when you're going to be looking at it every day doing something you don't particularly want to do. (Little bit of sugar and all that...)