Ever heard the phrase:
The days are long but the years are short.
If you’re a parent you know how true this is. As a child you think you’ll never be a grown up. You wait and wait and wait til you’re a teenager. Then you wait an eternity and finally you can drive! You wait and wait and you graduate. And college and/or marriage. Before you blink you now have a litter of children that are halfway to their own graduation.
If you’re anything like me I go through my days wondering how I’m going to make it. All energy is gone by 9am. No amount of coffee, soda or chocolate is going to help. It’s pure chaos. Little voices begging for attention. Diapers need changed. Mouthes need fed. And I still haven’t showered.
The days I remember the best are the ones that are organized. The ones that are run on routine.
This may look overwhelming and it is a lot of work. But the couple of days that it takes to create a family schedule will save you so much more time! And children love routines! Do you ever notice how their little internal clocks know exactly when snack time is?
This particular schedule was created using the MOTH system {Mangers of Their Homes}. I highly recommend this book. It took me three years before coming around and actually buying it. Really wish I had bought it at first thought. This is helpful for all ages but I think particularly so if you have small ones. And it may say it’s for homeschoolers but truly anybody and everybody will benefit.
My favorite part of these books is that they strongly encourage you to seek the Lord’s will for your schedule. I’ve tried many times to use other peoples schedules and failed miserably. Not all families run their houses the same. And priorities vary widely. Where one family may have time to wash their baseboards another family may need that time for cleaning their garage. You get the idea. Pray and listen to His will. You’ll be surprised at what He reveals to you.
Please do not think that you have to get it all done each day! Cause you won’t. If you do you may be doing too much. Make time for interruptions. Especially if the Lord opens the door to a new friend or a chance for your children to play. Or maybe you just need a rest! Don’t be Martha. Be thankful for your schedule but don’t hold to it as gospel.
{If you need help in beginning your children {or yourself} on a chore schedule look into their book Managers of Their Chores. But that’s another post}
Blessings!
