Summer Homeschooling - Executive Functioning Week

Welcome to Executive Functioning Week! This week, you’re stepping into the role that usually runs quietly in the background—the one that plans, remembers, organizes, adapts, and keeps everything moving. For the next few days, you’ll practice the real-life skills that adults use every single day: planning ahead, managing time, juggling responsibilities, handling surprises, and following things through to the end. You’ll learn how decisions get made, how systems keep life from falling apart, and how to stay calm when plans change. This isn’t about being perfect or doing everything right—it’s about learning how to think, plan, adjust, and take responsibility for your world. By the end of the week, you won’t just understand how much work goes into “running life”—you’ll have tools you can use to run your own.

🗓️ MONDAY — LIFE SKILLS & FOLLOW-THROUGH

Warm-Up:

• Speed-sort challenge (digital or physical)
• Memory challenge (10 items → recall order)

Focus Training:

• 25-minute Pomodoro (no phone)
• Track distractions + recovery time
• Read → summarize from memory

Time Awareness:

• Guess how long tasks take
• Map your day, time block what you did
• Compare estimated vs actual

Wrap-Up:

• Tomorrow, you will be parents for the day, so you have to work together to get everything done. No fighting or arguing, just teamwork, running a house together. The roles will be reversed, David and I will be the kids. 
• This will not only help you with Executive Functioning, but it will also show the "mental load" parents have to take on. Mental load is the "invisible" brain power used to plan, organize, and remember everything needed to run a home, such as remembering school forms, scheduling playdates, or knowing when to buy new shoes. It is the mental to-do list that keeps family life running smoothly, distinct from the physical chores themselves.
• You have time now to interview me and/or David with any questions regarding how to be a parent.
• Make your own To-Do List, what are the things you have to do as the parent? See how this lines up tomorrow.

🗓️ TUESDAY — YOU'RE THE PARENTS (DAY ONE)

Mom Log (write in here each night):

• Home: Is the house clean enough? What's broken, low, or annoying?
• Animals: Any weird behavior?
• Car: Gas level? Anything in the car that shouldn't be?
• People Care: Is the house calm or tense? Who needs help today? Who's overwhelmed? Who's mad and why? Who hasn't eaten enough vegetables?
• The Invisible Jobs: "These count even if no one sees them." Remembering, Anticipating, Following up, Worrying quiet, Making decisions no one thanks you for; Must log every time you: Thought about something before it happened, fixed a problem no one noticed, Made a choice to keep peace
• Tuesday Prompts:
• What took the most energy today?
• What decision surprised you? What decision took the most thinking?
• What did you forget?
• What would you do differently tomorrow?
• Wednesday Prompts:
• What surprised you mist?
• What was harder than expected?
• What do you now understand about being a parent?
• What jobs should be shared forever?
• What should never again be taken for granted?
• What do you want your parents to know?
• Tell them:
• What they did well
• Where you saw growth
• One thing you felt deeply appreciated about

Daily Tasks (either right it down or attempt to memorize it, I'll give you 10 mins to read it, and then, you have to write it from memory, what would the consequence be for missing it):

"You don't have to do everything. You have to notice everything."

• Make sure I get up for school on time, since it's Summer Break, we'll say 7:15 AM
• Take the dogs out, feed them
• Make sure I brush my teeth and hair, feed Spike, do my list
• Do these things for yourself to get ready for work, take shower if needed, make up
• Leave on time, 8AM - I'm just going to the computer
• Check the house status, review today's needs
• Feed dogs, take them out
• Eat breakfast
• Ready for work by 9AM, clock in
• Do your legal case, put together a brief and next steps, what do you think we should do/options (why), what are the risks if we don't; if you don't get this done by 5PM, you don't get paid
• Cases: Issue, Facts, What questions do we need to ask? (you can come ask me), Decision, Reasoning, Next Steps
• Resident set our house on fire because we asked them to leave since they weren't paying their rent. When the vendor arrived to change the locks, the fire department was there. The home is a complete loss. Home is in Birmingham, AL.
• We accidentally didn't pay a resident's water bill (the city wasn't sending us the bill), so their power was disconnected, and they lost all the food in their fridge; we got it turned back on in 48hrs, but they have filed a lawsuit against. They want money (they provided receipts for one McDonald's visit and $250 worth of groceries, where only $35 of what was purchased was refridgerable items), and they want the power turned into their name, so it doesn't happen again. The power is attached to the water bill, and if they don't pay it, the city can take the house from us. Court is July 20th in Kansas City, OH.
• The roof of one of the houses leaked, so a resident slipped, fell, and had to go to the hospital; they want us to pay for the doctors bills, as well as give them money for emotional pain and suffering. They have filed a lawsuit for $100K. Court is July 7th in Houston, TX.
• People keep breaking into one of our vacant houses and squatting/living there. We keep having to repair the doors and windows each time. The city is now taking us to court and charging us for the people breaking into the house. They have charged us 3 $7K fines for the police department having to show up to these break-ins. Court is July 14th in Chicago, IL. 
• An HOA is fining us because they want a tree taken down off our property. However, it is not our property; it is the city's property, so we don't have any control over it. We're up to $8K in fines. Home is in Atlanta, GA.
• Take dogs out several times a day
• Run roomba
• Eat lunch
• Check in on friends and family via text
• Cleaning & organizing: Pick up around the house, declutter, wipe down surfaces, organize, check trash, take out if needed, wash clothes, vacuum
• Make dinner
• Make sure animals get fed, whether by you or kids
• Reset house: Check the floors, counters, bathroom, clutter; Let people know if they left anything out, ask them to clean up, check for dirtiness around the house to keep things clean and sanitary, sticky counters, sticky handles, so you can keep everyone healthy
• Make sure dishes get washed
• Make sure kids get bath and brush teeth, do list
• Make sure they are in bed by 9PM
• Call a friend or family member to check in; prep for tomorrow, what will tomorrow need before tomorrow arrives, write a "Mom Log" reflection
• Brush teeth, get ready for bed
• Make sure house is locked up before bed, all lights are off, there are no fire hazards 
• Try to be in bed by 10PM, because you have to do it all over again the next day

Things Happening this Week:

• Recycling picked up Tuesday morning, bring in the toter
• Order meal pickup before 12PM, for pickup at 5PM (off Mom's phone) - use budget to manage how much you'll spend; plan the meals for the rest of the week, check what's already in the house, is anything running low, ask kids what they want and to write it on the fridge, avoid duplicates, account for preferences and allergies, stay in budget
• Trash picked up Thursday morning, take out the toter Wednesday night, check we have all the trash in there
• Go read to the animals some time this week, what day?
• Plan something to do this weekend, budget for entry, gas, food, and any extras.

Budget:

• Your family bank account has $650
• Savings account has $100 (only use for family trips and emergencies, if you have to)
• The electricity bill is due Wednesday - $220
• The internet/wi-fi bill is due Wednesday - $60
• Leave over extra, in case something comes up, and to build up savings for our Cherokee, North Carolina weekend
• Tire goes out Wednesday, $50

If they ask, "What should I do?" Say, "What would Mom think about first?"

🗓️ WEDNESDAY — YOU'RE THE PARENTS (DAY TWO)

Same as yesterday.

Plan the calendar for next month:

• All appointments have to be around 1-2PM timeframe, since that's your lunch break; they can't be on Tuesdays because that's your office day, or Wednesday because that's your big legal meeting with the leadership team; get paid every two weeks, so try to space out paying for additional stuff, so you don't take out too much at one time, pay days: 7/4, 7/18, 8/1
• Here's the stuff already planned you have to add to the calendar:
• HOA payment 7/1 - $90
• Spotify payment 7/2 - $10
• Independence Day 7/4
• Netflix payment 7/5 - $10
• Change air filter in the house 7/5
• Boat payment 7/7 - $320
• Make sure Spike has someone to check in on him during Cherokee trip - $20 per day
• Insurance payment (cars, boat, rental house) 7/15 - $425
• Pack for Cherokee trip 7/16
• Leave for Cherokee, NC 7/17, get back 7/19
• Give dogs flea pill 7/25
• Aladdin Jr Camp starts 7/27
• Car payment 7/31 - $370
• Back to School shopping 8/1 - $250
• Here's the stuff you still need to plan:
• Your dentist visit
• Both kids doctors visits
• Appointment on base to get ID re-done, can only do these on Tues and Thurs
• Get Lottie groomed before the Cherokee, NC trip - $80
• Order kids vitamins - $60
• Order dogs vitamins - $60
• Order dogs food - $280
• Tell them last minute that I have a dance I want to go to the night of 7/2

🗓️ THURSDAY — TURN GOALS INTO PLANS

Warm-Up:

• Logic puzzles (Wordle, Sudoku, chess challenge)
• Time-estimation game

Goal Check-In:

• Sort goals from vision board:
• ✅ Completed
• 🟡 In Progress
• ⏸️ Stalled
• ❌ No longer important (permission to release)

• Where did I stop?
• Why?
• Too big
• Forgot
• Lost motivation
• Didn’t know the next step
• Needed help

Teach: Dropping a goal is a decision — not a failure.

• Which goals still matter - and why?
• Choose 3–5 active goals to focus on through the rest of the year
• For each active goal, rewrite it as: By ___, I will complete ___.
• Use the SMART Goal method: 
• Specific (S): Goals should be clearly defined and unambiguous, answering what needs to be accomplished and who is involved.
• Measurable (M): The goal must include criteria to track progress, allowing you to know when it has been met.
• Achievable (A): Goals should be realistic and attainable, considering available skills, resources, and time.
• Relevant (R): The objective should align with broader, long-term goals.
• Time-bound (T): The goal requires a specific deadline or timeframe for completion to create urgency and focus.
• Identify:
• Why it matters
• 3–5 small steps
• What could get in the way
• Plan B
• Which goal should you focus on first?
• Create a realistic timeline
• Assign steps to weeks or months
• Add check-in dates
• Limit to 2 active goals at a time
• Create a Weekly Personal Plan
• School
• Fitness / hobby
• Family responsibility

Teach: Big goals fail. Small steps win.

🗓️ FRIDAY — EMOTIONAL REGULATION & EXECUTION

Warm-Up:
Game with rule changes mid-play

Plan A / B / C Thinking:

• Plans change
• Motivation drops
• Tech fails
• Life happens

Build a Personal Reset System:

• Warning signs
• Reset tools (movement, music, space, journaling)
• Who to ask for help

Create a Weekly Action System

Each week:

• 1 focus goal
• 2 small actions
• 1 reflection question

Wrap-Up:
One word you want this season remembered by. Add this to your 2026 Vision Board.

👩‍👧 PARENT ROLES

We are:

• Coaches, not micromanagers
• Support, not rescuers
• Accountability partners, not reminder systems

Parent prompts:

• “What’s your next small step?”
• “What got in the way?”
• “Help or space?”
• “What would you change next time?”