Prayers answered...

It took a little while, surrounded by books, planners, ideas scratched on papers, calendars, pencils, notecards and ideas. Then some organized thoughts came together and I was able to make a plan. Monday through Thursday are planned out pretty much by the 1/2 hour. I also have a wonderful young lady who will come and help me Tues/Thurs from 8:45am-10:30am. It's not long-but I think it will make a world of the difference. Benjamin makes homeschooling so incredibly stressful. Subjects like history, science, and geography have kind of gone by the way-side in recent months because I can't read aloud to the boys with Benjamin around. So I am going to use the time I have help to do those subjects again. I'm so excited!!! And to do each of the boys more individual subjects like math and language arts I have whichever boy is not doing school with me, play with Benjamin.

Since we homeschool year round, Friday's will rotate: Clean day, Cook-ahead day, Bake-ahead day, and Field trip day (my favorite).

I've been wanting to work on Samuel's baby album for a while, spend more time studying the Bible, systematic theology, apologetics, as well as almost everything else (I love to learn!), and I just never seem to have time and I squeeze in somehow the have-to's of menu planning, grocery shopping, and anything else outside of the every day doings. So I decided to plan what to do each evening of the week after kids are in bed. (the goal is dinner and family time from 5:30-7:30, everyone in bed by 8)

Sunday: School planning
Monday: Menu Planning
Tuesday: (Afternoon grocery shop, Dekalb farmers market 1 x per month, Wal-mart/Publix 1 x per month, Ingles and Kroger early in the mornings on Friday for specials) Evening: Blog and Bible Study
Wednesday: Bible/Theology Study
Thursday: Scrapbook
Friday: Family night
Saturday: Steve and I night

Steve and I also scheduled time spent alone with each of the boys. We will rotate on Sunday afternoons, one Sunday I'll take a boy out (or do something special with them at home, just the two of us) and then the next Sunday Steve will take the next boy out, oldest to youngest. So in the span of 10 weeks, each boy will have had special time alone with both Steve and I, twice-once with dad and once with mom. We used to try and do this every week-but we truly just don't have time. Spontaneous alone time with each child does happen, we just couldn't plan on it that often.

Having my days planned out by the minute feels in a way constricting and I hate it. But on the other hand, I feel overwhelmed without it, liked I'm drowning in more things to do than I have time to do. And I think I do have time to do it, I just need the energy- and a plan gives me energy. I'm just not one of those people who can just kind of "wing it". I get overwhelmed with that method. It was overwhelming just to think about everything I have to do-I guess when I get it all down on paper and in plan-format, it takes the pressure off. I don't have to think about it all. Just the next thing on the list. The next thing on the schedule. And maybe, just maybe, this will give me more time to do the things I love....

time in God's word and learning more about him

letter's to friends sent snail mail :)

swinging outside on the front porch watching my boys play

working in the garden

learning along side my boys

homemade cookies and granola bars

field trips

scrapbooking


Up to now, the tyranny of the urgent has consumed me. Prayerfully I will manage my home better instead of letting it manage me! :)

This was poor planning to post on my blog because I still need to finalize my plans and take care of the spontaneous baby food I made a little bit ago when I went downstairs to look at the food situation for the week and saw the oatmeal in the fridge that needed to be turned into babyfood-and that is also when Samuel woke up, after being put down to sleep an hour before, for the night (often he wakes up about 45 minutes after being put down and I have to nurse him again, and then before I go to bed at 10:30 or 11, I nurse him again). So in my kitchen is the vitamix with soaked oatmeal babyfood with organic bananas and blueberries. Yes, I'm giving him grains now. He is 10 months old-and I'm soaking them beforehand, so I think it is okay.

Maybe I have ADD? And that is why I need a structured plan? I think maybe so. Okay, off to work.