Name: Spreading the Feast Gathering
Start: 2025-07-11T00:00:00-05:00
End: 2025-07-12T23:59:59-05:00
Location: LaGrange, KY

This topic has 13 replies, 8 voices, and was last updated 14 years, 3 months ago by Sara B..

Viewing 14 posts - 1 through 14 (of 14 total)

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February 21, 2011 at 3:50 am
Sara B.
Participant
Has anyone used this book by Steve & Teri Maxwell?
http://www.titus2.com/ecommerce/products/prod_listing.php/1100
Wondering if it’s a good investment, since the library doesn’t have it for me to check out first, and whether it fits with the CM lifestyle. Thanks!
Sara 🙂
February 21, 2011 at 4:22 am
Jennifer
Participant
I have the book and it is a tremendous blessing! I was overwhelmed with how much that had to get done in a day. After reading through the book and putting my schedule together, I saw that I actually had a lot of extra time during the day. I have had the book for several years now. I am new with CM so I cannot say if it will fit or not. I have started looking into CM for us to start next year.
Jennifer
February 21, 2011 at 5:23 am
suzukimom
Participant
I have it, and worked on a schedule… and found I don’t have enough hours in a day.. lol. I was working it out before I had the baby last year, with it including the baby.
I’ve been contemplating looking at it again
February 21, 2011 at 3:12 pm
csmamma
Participant
We love the Maxwells stuff. MOTH helped to get a good visual of what we needed and wanted to make time for. It helped sort out priorities in the day and amazingly, as Jen mentioned, left extra time for hobbies/interests. However, after several months into it I found myself following it more as a routine than a timed schedule. Personally I do not do well with minute by minute rigid schedules, which I found MOTH to be – if followed exactly as prescribed. Routines win at our home but I know many who prefer the clock. Either way, I always enjoy what the Maxwells have to say. God Bless!
February 21, 2011 at 11:22 pm
knitnspinner
Member
I’ll echo what these others moms have said-great tool. I have her book on a meek and quiet spirit as well. I’ve enjoyed them both. I can’t do a true schedule very well-just a routine-but the book was extremely helpful to me.
February 21, 2011 at 11:41 pm
Sara B.
Participant
knitnspinner-
I am not good at being on a time schedule. FlyLady (with routines) was helpful in the past, but I found it not very helpful when adding in school at home and multiple children. So what exactly does this book do then? Does it keep you on a rigid time schedule, and then you adapted it to routines, or something else?
I just don’t want to spend money on yet another organizational tool that fails, kwim?
Thanks,
Sara 🙂
February 21, 2011 at 11:43 pm
suzukimom
Participant
Sara,
basically it helps you setup your own schedule. It does do it a bit differently than I’ve seen offhand….
February 22, 2011 at 12:08 am
Jennifer
Participant
I do not follow a strict time schedule but it has helped me figure out what I want to get done each day for the time I have for that certain day. What laundry, chores to do etc. That way I am able to make sure everything gets done each day. But of course life does happen and sometimes not everything gets done. 🙂

February 22, 2011 at 12:59 pm
csmamma
Participant
Sarah, to answer your question about what the book does – you might find these reviews helpful.
http://thehomeschoolmagazine.com/Homeschool_Reviews/reviews.php?rid=371
http://www.homeschoolchristian.com/curricula/reviews/moth.php
February 22, 2011 at 2:42 pm
Rene
Participant
I think it can be very helpful if you don’t feel like a slave to it. Make the system work for you. Do you have Planning Your CM Education? I found Managers of Their Homes to be kinda like that but for life, and all day, not just school. Does that make sense? It’s basically deciding what all needs to be done everyday, who needs to do what, at what times, and plugging it into a daily schedule.
I don’t stick to a rigid schedule, but a lot of what I do *does* generally get done around the same times every day – with free times in between. Even if you leave off setting up the schedule in 30 minute increments, the basic idea of knowing what everyone should be doing each day can be very helpful. Or you could schedule parts of the day, but not the whole day.
I personally like the book and think it’s a good investment, even though I don’t use it exactly as the Maxwell’s would. HTH! 🙂

February 22, 2011 at 10:56 pm
Suzq
Participant
I own this book and if you want to pay for shipping, I will send it your way.
Just PM me.

Suzq
February 23, 2011 at 12:22 am
lakrueger
Member
You also might want to check your library for some of Don Aslett’s books. In the past I’ve tried FlyLady and only ended up feeling defeated and condemned becasue I just couldn’t keep to a schedule or routine. I recently read one of Don’s books and finally feel like I’m free to clean – without having to devote my whole day to it! I would hightly recommend his books! Oh, and he also talks about getting the kids involved in keeping house and how it will set a good foundation for them for the rest of their lives, not only with cleaning but in every area of life. =)
Linda
February 23, 2011 at 1:40 am
knitnspinner
Member
Sara,
Yes, I’m like that, too-strict routines don’t happen here. One possibility you can try is build into the “schedule” some extra flex time. Leave 15-20 free in your morning schedule for some padding in case something takes longer, etc. My problem is getting started on time in the first place!
The main thing I can think of right now that I found invaluable was her recommendation to have your dc spend one on one time together for X amount of time(she breaks everything down into 15-30 minute increments)This is something that I have scheduled into our afternoon. It has made a world of difference in my children’s relationships to one another. The bickering was slashed to nearly nothing-they are enjoying each other’s company! If we let the afternoon routine go-easy to do-they are back to unhappy attitudes in no time. Just one example of things I found helpful.
I don’t use it as written, but it is a book that I refer to…maybe yearly? She has lots of moms’ testimonials throughout-one mom just used a schedule for a few hours in the am to start with- to get herself into the habit of following a routine. Then she expanded it-kind of like baby steps :~)
February 23, 2011 at 3:33 am
Sara B.
Participant
Thank you, everyone! Between your feedback and several others’ in different forums and FB about this book and scheduling/routines in general, I am really getting a feel for what will truly work best for our family. I am going to spend some more time in prayer and thinking about all that I have learned the past couple days before making a decision (and hopefully sticking to it for good this time!).
Sara 🙂