Notes From Home- Making Room for What Matters Most
On ending the homeschool year, little entrepreneurs, decluttering, and learning to embrace this season slowly.
Hi again! Welcome back to another Notes from Home post. Thanks so much for being here and following along.
I had every intention of posting last week, but instead, I found myself in a familiar and unpleasant newborn-season experience — one I’ve encountered several times before and would be perfectly happy never to repeat again. If you’ve ever breastfed a baby, you probably know exactly which dreaded infection I’m talking about.
Thankfully, antibiotics worked quickly, and I’m feeling much better now.
But motherhood is full of bittersweet moments like that. Even in the middle of the fever, chills, and exhaustion, I kept reminding myself how much I still had to be grateful for— a healthy baby girl, beautiful spring weather, a husband working from home to support our family, and the glimmer of the school year coming to an end.
1. In Our Homeschool — Finishing Strong (by Finishing Early)
It’s that time of year when both kids and moms start to feel the weight of wrapping up the school year. Lessons take longer, attention spans grow shorter, and everyone is anxious to close the books and head outside.
That’s part of the reason we begin our school year gently in July, work hard from September through May, and aim to wrap things up by Mother’s Day — which honestly feels like a pretty wonderful gift to me.
Last year, I wrote this post about how to finish a homeschool year well. My original plan was to continue for a few more weeks before beginning our summer break, but my husband reminded me that sometimes the healthiest thing we can do is slow down and say “no” even to good things.
This newborn season has brought more interruptions, more pauses to feed or hold the baby, and more moments where my attention is pulled in several directions at once.
So we wrapped up our schoolwork, placed sticky notes where we left off, and stepped into summer mode with a huge sigh of relief!
Honestly, it feels like the right decision with no regrets.
2. Mini Entrepreneurs
This week, one of the homeschool co-ops my kids and I are part of hosted its annual spring Market Day, and I’m still amazed by how creative all the kids were.
Each child created something to make and sell.
My kids made homemade popsicles, notebooks, squishy fidget balls, and bookmarks. Other children sold flower bouquets, baked cookies, painted nails, made hair clips, and so many other creative ideas.
Giving kids opportunities to create and run little businesses helps them take ownership and responsibility for something that feels entirely their own.
All week long, my kids were blending popsicle ingredients, hot-gluing notebooks, and coloring bookmark designs. Even though our schoolwork had already wrapped up, they spent hours each day working on their projects — not because they had to, but because they genuinely wanted to.
That’s what I love so much about project-based learning. It taps into motivation in such a different way. I’m already brainstorming ideas for next year!
3. My Weekly Rhythm — A Free Template
I mentioned my weekly rhythm template in a previous Notes from Home post and received so many messages asking if I could share it — so here it is!
It’s become one of my favorite ways to organize my week— meals, goals, to-do lists, homeschool plans, and even thoughts I want to hold onto during motherhood.
I function so much better when everything is written down in one place instead of swirling around in my head.
If you’d like to try it yourself, you can download it here, make a copy, and edit the sections however you’d like to fit your own weekly rhythm. It’s incredibly simple, but it makes a big difference in how my weeks feel.
4. Getting Real with Decluttering
In my last Notes from Home post, I mentioned that my husband and I had started a major decluttering project.
We both feel noticeably calmer when our home feels orderly instead of chaotic — and for us, that chaos usually shows up in the form of clutter and too much stuff (especially from our not-so-tidy kids!).
So we’ve been slowly working through one area at a time. So far we’ve tackled the outdoor space, a bedroom, the bathroom, the linen closet, and parts of the attic filled with old clothes, toys, and holiday decorations.
We don’t live in a large home, and with seven people under one roof, there really isn’t room for much beyond what we truly need.
We’ve had to become fairly ruthless about what we keep, because decluttering never really works unless you’re willing to let things go.
One night while feeding the baby, I came across a video tour of a family who converted a backyard shed into a home. It was beautiful, thoughtful, and surprisingly inspiring. Watching people use small spaces intentionally always leaves me rethinking what we truly need.
5. One Thought to Keep
Lately I’ve been realizing how often peace comes not from adding more, but from releasing something.
Finishing school earlier than planned. Letting go of clutter. Saying no to extra commitments. Slowing down enough to enjoy the season we’re actually in.
Sometimes the best thing we can do is simply make room for what matters most.
As always, thank you so much for being here and following along! I’m so grateful for so many of you who have sent messages, left thoughtful comments, and connected personally about motherhood and life.
Stay tuned for another Notes From Home post next week!
Loved this post, Mollie! Your practical, efficient ideas speak to me even as a Mimi. Plus now you have me wanting a shed so there’s that too! 😉