I just wanted to hop on here and apologize for not posting very often lately. For those of you that don’t know, I am expecting baby number nine and it has been a doozy of a pregnancy! We had a difficult first 4 months and now it seems that at around 5 months I am having some heart issues.

Maybe if I get put on bed rest,I will have all kinds of time for blogging!

Ah, alas, even from the bed a homeschool mom of 8 must find ways to accomplish a lot!

Actually, my children DO help a ton around the house and it would be very different if all my children were very small. There have been many lessons for both mom and kids along the way! We still have MUCH to learn about living and loving and I suspect we always will!

I had big plans for this blog and thoughts of posting videos and such, but with the kind of swelling I am getting from my heart and liver issues, I am afraid I am not very camera friendly right now! Perhaps I will let my dear sweet kids do the talking for me!

I definitely have those days Just Like You when I don’t feel like doing much and seem to get little accomplished.

That and issues like health concerns that pop out of the blue are very good reasons that ALL of my readers should be looking to have their own online business that works at least partly on autopilot. No, there isn’t much that you can do, even online, that you won’t have to do any work for, but you can reach a point where the work gets less and less and you still can reap those rewards.

Most people won’t become millionaires (though the internet has produced many), but the idea of having income whether you are punching a time clock or not or right there doing all the work, should interest you. It sure does me! It’s quite fun!

Here’s to your search for success! (May it start with your family!)
Kim
CanDoMom
who finds that can’t IS a word (sometimes:)

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Hey Friends!

I know it has been a long time since my last update…..okay a really long time in the blogosphere!

Things have been HOPPING around here and I bet they have in your circles, too!

The first exciting news is that I am expecting baby number 9!
Yes, that was no typo….baby # 9.

I usually am pretty sick all day up until around 14 1/2 weeks.
And to be honest, nothing much interests me.
I really kind of just do what I must do during that time.

I am blessed now to have older children that really help take care of things for me. They really are great.

Earlier I put a schedule in place so that each one (or group of younger ones with Mom) has a day to cook and clean up the kitchen. It has been one of the best ideas I ever had!

They are learning responsibility and I had the benefit of not having to be in the middle of cooking the food every day (which if you have dealt with “the pregnancy yuckies”, you know how that is difficult).

I can’t tell you how nice it is to be finally over all that! I feel like running a marathon! (well, maybe not

I didn’t mention that I have a couple new business ventures in the works AND my dear husband caught the internet bug and he has been really focusing on a couple business models himself……and guess who is this “how do I check my email?” kinda guy’s techie?

I have put more hours into his business than I have my own! Actually, I have pretty much put my own stuff on hold. You know how it is don’t you, ladies?!

I am totally thrilled to see him fired up and excited about something again! It has been good for both of us and really neat that we have been able to work together. Should have done it a long time ago. (But, then again we might have killed each other years ago! Ah, the grace tempering with age!)

We are still working on the finishing touches and so the sites are not quite up. You will get a chance to critique them as soon as they are up.(Please?)

One business model is geared toward contractors and the other is an Entrepreneurial Conference that will be an all day event on how and why you should be in your own business,etc,etc.

There are actually 8 speakers lined up from all over the country to speak on all sorts of different aspects of business. I am really quite impressed!

The conference will be advertised more locally, but anyone is invited. I’ll keep you updated as to how well it goes.

It is so great to have so many friends I can share this exciting news.

I will definitely be updating more often now that I am feeling better!

I have missed all you and especially some special new friends on twitter.
If you want to follow me on twitter- http://www.twitter.com/kimeskola .

I hope this post is not too long! I could keep going on about all sorts of neat kid stuff,too!
Next time!

Wishing you the BEST of Blessings!
Kim
the sometimes Can(’t)Do(ItAll)Mom

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Housework will be with us always. How do you manage to keep up with household chores while working or schooling and being a mom and wife (the list goes on!)?

Focus on what you really need to get accomplished first. Concentrate on the most important home management tasks: meals, clothes, keeping the health department at bay, getting kids where they need to go,etc. Once you have a good working plan in place for these things, you can begin to see some light and room for the things that you WANT to get done as well.

Plan, plan, plan! Setting up simple home management routines for shopping, cooking, laundry, and cleaning may at first seem to be too much, but hang in there….getting into these habits will save you tons of time in the end.

Putting together a household notebook or setting up a simple tickler file for household tasks will put you on the road to organization. Get it in writing, and you’ve taken the first step to getting it done.

Bring your children onboard. Housework is a part of life, and should be part of everyone’s responsibilities. Integrate your children with shopping and cooking. It won’t be long until they can take over the task of meal planning and maybe even shopping for you. Older children learn about child development as they entertain little ones while you work on dinner or work on your business. Sending teens to do the shopping or sending them to pay the family bills teaches consumer education in a real-life setting. These real life lessons are invaluable for future parents and household owners. Harness those little hands to help out at home, and your future sons- and daughters-in-law will rise up and call you blessed.

Schedule the housework first. Add rock-bottom necessary chores to the daily schedule or planner at the start of each day. It may be difficult getting each family member behind you at first, so be sure and stress the benefits that everyone receives from the housework and chores getting done, such as an unexpected trip on Saturday since the housework was completed for the week or even an extra story time with mom,etc. Once the kids see a benefit and reward for helping out, they will more likely be happy to help.

Look for new methods to save time. Learn to do home management chores the modern way. Many busy moms find bulk freezer cooking saves time each day. Modern speed cleaning methods involve team concepts ideal for busy families. Using a timer is a very effective way to quickly accomplish tasks that we might normally drag our feet on (Adults and kids alike!).

Stoke your own fires with a support group. Being a mom in today’s world is a hard, if rewarding, job. With all the demands of children and school, work and spouse and house it’s easy to burn out. Build time for rejuvenation and renewal into your own home management routines. It sounds paradoxical, but it’s true: the more you feed yourself, the more you have to give to others. Find a supportive friend or support group, and feed your soul!

And let’s not forget feeding our bodies properly. It is so easy as a mom (guilty as charged) to focus on the well being of everyone else in the house, that we ignore or forget to take care of mom. Besides, being aware of what we eat and getting enough fruits and veggies into our diets, it is very important that we go ahead and do the research and find a good muti-vitamin designed to fit a mom’s needs. I find these are the most beneficial. Vitamins that I have heard the most wonderful reviews from my personal friends are the SuperMom vitamins from www.Beeyoutiful.com . They are not the least expensive by far, but the results will make you a believer. I just placed another order myself!

Get yourself a plan starting with the basics and tweak the plan until it works for you. My plan will not work for you nor yours work for me. Keep on keeping on-it does get better and easier!

Much love to my fellow CanDoMoms!

Kim

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I recently came home from a 5 day trip. I began to gather all the dirty laundry within minutes of our arrival. Within 3 minutes my washing machine went bonkers (how’s that for a technical term).

Coming out of the laundry room already frustrated at my newly purchased washer going on the blink, I started looking around my house. I saw some dirt in a few corners, toys not put away (already?) and suitcases that somehow the kid’s must have thought had a home in my living room.

I said to myself….”I must be crazy thinking I can help someone with home management!” My home did not look like I had much to offer let me tell ya.

I called the kids in to take care of their “stuff”, put someone on the vaccuum and began feeling a little better.

I was seriously thinking of calling this blog off.

Then I went into the kitchen and it was time to prepare dinner. I had cleared the fridge before we left. My 5 year old opened the fridge door and gasped,”Mommy, look there’s no food!” I think he had never seen the fridge in such an empty state before!
I thought for a minute and remembered my emergency freezer meal that was prepared some time ago for just such an occassion! No pizza tonight- real food! (Sorry, kids:).
Hmm, maybe I CAN offer something?

Later on, I came to a deeper understanding of what this blog is for. It is not for me to establish myself as “an expert”. It is all about You busy moms and encouraging You that you can be a CanDoMom, too!
That does not mean that we won’t fail or that our homes will be in tip top condition all the time. It is really all about ATTITUDE!

We CAN improve our lives and the lives of our families! And we can do it one step at a time! Working Mom or not, all busy moms are well served to seek improvement in home management.

We are here on this journey together and let’s have fun being Mom! Getting better organized will free you up for more time with your kids, more time with your husband, and just more time to enjoy being you.

Here’s to all you CanDoMoms!

Live, Love and Give Joy!
Kim
CanDoMom

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     People that know me or find out that I am a mother of 8 AND I homeschool AND I run a business from home, the question is always “How do you do it?!” 

I always seem to have some encouraging and helpful tips for anyone with a question and so at the encouragement of way too many folks to mention, I have started this blog for Mommas everywhere. Every Mom is a busy mom and managing a home is like running a business. Homeschooling is like having an outside job, you just do it at home. But, when you combine home management with teaching at home and/or working from or away from home, then you have a need for serious management skills!

I have not arrived and I don’t claim to have! It is very humbling to take the advice of my friend and “put this out there for others”. I finally became convinced that I could help when I got so many questions on Twitter (follow me /KimEskola) on top of all that I was already getting. And, to my amazement I am helping people.

I have so many thoughts and ideas in my head that I really don’t know where to start! 

So, I really need a favor from all my new friends! PLEASE leave me a comment and tell me you would like to hear about first!

That is what this blog is here for! Though I still struggle myself with so many things like balance, consistency,etc. I know I need to be willing to give back and help my fellow moms.

I want to share with you the lessons I am learning because I know how much time and disappointment it can save you. So, I will be sharing with you my journey as I go- the good,the bad, the ugly!

Let’s make this a place where we can share our journey! We can draw strength from and encourage one another (because let’s face it, it is NOT easy!).

Please leave a comment-no matter how brief and let me know how I may best serve you.

Love, Joy, and Prosperity to you!

Kim

CanDoMom

Filed under: In the Beginning | 7 Comments →