Tuesday, June 30, 2020

Scheduling and Routines


I have always been a list maker and a schedule follower. I crave routine! I find that it is more difficult, but very necessary to allow myself some grace and not overschedule. Monday through Friday are scheduled by the hour because I have work and attempt to accomplish most of the responsibilities on these days. This allows my weekends to be more of a routine schedule with morning, afternoon, and evening blocks. This helps with my goal of a peace-filled home. 

For years, I have used the scheduling templates offered for free on Titus 2. They are downloadable and can be easily edited. I am working on a new weekly schedule today in order to make sure I am allowing time for all of the little (and big) things that seem to get pushed to the side.  My schedule and times might look odd to some because I have to be at work at a very early time. A few of the things on my list to include in my schedule and routine:

Bible/Prayer/Scripture Memorization--Daily, begin one hour before bed. This is the Bible I use. I also read daily, even if it is a short section from one of Stormie Omartian's books on prayer. Currently, I am reading and praying through The Power of Praying for Your Adult Children.  I am working to memorize the entire book of Colossians this year. I recently discovered the Bible Memory App and the Bible Audio App. With this Bible Audio App, you can set the app to repeat a chapter, verse, etc. I find this very helpful when working around the house. 

Exercise--Daily, begin one hour before getting ready for work. I will be using Leslie Sansone's Walk Away the Pounds DVDs.

Grooming and Self-Care--Shower daily, wash and moisturize face twice daily, fix makeup and hair daily, paint nails twice weekly. Prepare mine and my husband's clothes for work daily before supper. 

Meals--Prepare my breakfast, lunch, water bottles, and husband's coffee pot each night before supper so that it is ready to pack the next morning before work. Begin supper each after at 3 pm so that is ready when my husband gets home from work at 4 pm. We eat supper early! Meal plan once a week on Thursday evenings based on what is left in the pantry/freezer and adding to the grocery list as necessary. 

Errands--All of my errands such as grocery store, library, post office, etc. take place on Friday afternoon when I get off work. This frees up my weekends to get things done around the house. 

Cleaning--I do three loads of laundry each day, keep the dishes done, and sweep the house daily. The actual cleaning happens on Friday nights. 

Gardening--Right now, gardening is in full swing so each day during the late afternoon I go outside to water everything and see what needs picked from the vegetable garden. Weeding and lawn care are taken care of by my husband on the weekends. 

Sewing, Knitting, Reading--Saturday has become my sewing day each week. I plan ahead during the week what I will work on and get up early Saturday morning to begin. I try to knit a few evenings a week while watching a Youtube channel on either knitting or homemaking. I read every day even if it is for a short period of time. I have a plan where I am always reading a nonfiction book, a series book (currently it is the Mitford series by Jan Karon), a fiction book recommended by the New York Times or another reputable source, and a classic from my childhood (currently the Little House on the Prairie series by Laura Ingalls Wilder). This, I feel, keeps me from falling into a rut and keeps my reading well-rounded. 






Sunday, June 21, 2020

Introduction

As a first post, I thought an introduction would be appropriate. I have been married to my husband for 25 years. Together we have three grown children; ages 24, 23, and 21. I became a stay at home, homeschooling mother when my first baby was born, and I homeschooled all of our children from Kindergarten through 12th grade. Two of them still live at home full time while the oldest lives here part time and in a neighboring town part time while in graduate school. I now work full time while making homemaking a priority as well. 

When my children were young, I was so worried and anxious about everything! As they became teens, I realized how very little control I actually had over them. I became much more mellow and relaxed about life, and that has benefitted all of us! Now I focus on keeping life simple and peaceful! As I get older (I am in my mid-forties), I find that I am gravitating towards simplicity and peace even more. I hope to share some of this here on my blog. 

Thoughts on Sundays

 While getting ready for church this morning, I was thinking about the things I wish I had learned while my children were young (or before)....