• Schedule

    Monday, January 14, 2013

    ~ 
    I woke with a host of intentions,
     to write as the wisps of dawn filled my morning
    and now with the sun deeply set behind the rocky cascade
     I find those moments I wished for at the new of this day.
     
     A lot of living happens within the life we call ours.
     
    With five children three of whom are two and a half and younger
      many of my mothering moments are spent
    nursing,
    feeding,
     changing a diaper,
     ‘wearing’ a baby in a sling,
    laying a baby down for a nap or getting one up,
     occupying a toddler
    all awhile
     nurturing
     these sweet babies of mine.
     

    Running along those constant baby needs are so many other duties that call,
    my older darlings are being educated at home,
     and my toddler loves nothing more than to be mommies ‘helper’ slowing every job preciously down to a snail pace.
     Laundry loads runs in the double digits these weeks, a marriage to cherish, creativity to stimulate  and...
      I like a tidy house!  
    All this smothered in love,
    laughter,
     kissing and cuddling these babes that are growing frightfully fast,
    I desire a map for my duties,
     so that my
    Life
     the spending time exploring God’s nature,
    reading a good book all curled together,
    nourished by tastes of home,
    memories built into the everyday,
    can be given.
    My schedule is only that, a map.
     A guide I need.
     
    My brain is written into blocks, laminated and hung, and I am happy!
     I have a system; I have order,
    a peaceful busy, that settles into our days.
     I cherish this. I am thankful!
    This is what has helped me.  
     
    With the handy little tool Microsoft Office I custom built a very promising schedule, I have one for me and one for each of my older girls.

    It is printed twice, one for my wall, one for my home management book.
     
    I have everything I frequently need to see on the wall, everything else gets inserted into clear paper covers and stored in my home management book.
    Such as monthly menus, grocery lists, weekly school plans, contact numbers, appointments.
    I like that everything is in a book so I can haul my ‘brain’ around with me. 


     
    I then have a smaller journal.
    At the front it has our family calendar, than there are blank pages to fill in my ‘notes to self’.
    At the back I have some clear zipped envelops one for mail, one for recites.
    This journal is the one I take ‘out and about’ it fits nicely into my purse.
     
     
    Also on my wall are our ‘Family Filled with Love’ goals, our house cleaning schedule, and a personal goal list for the three oldest children. 
     As goals change, we conquer some or become aware of others, I make new ones.
     
    To make these pages a little less ‘military’ I have pasted clip art found through the internet onto the pages.
     My kids love this.
    I have laminated them so they have a bit of strength against little fingers.
     I often ask my kids to take their own goals and sit some-where quiet and think on what is written just for them.
    I have found this a great way to reinforce (lecture free) what you hope of them personally (and also reminds me of what I am focusing on parenting them through).
     Even Lachlan who is at that wonderful age of 2.5 will sit on the stairs with his little list in hand repeating to himself “yes mom, my pleasure” “pee in potty”!
     
     
     
    On the opposite wall we have a chalk board calendar with a basket hanging from it,
     we fill in the calendar as needed there is a blank spot there to write momentary notes to self or the kids.
     The basket is a catch all for those things you need nearby but that drives me nuts hanging out on my counter tops. All this hangs out on the wall by our kitchen.

     
    It’s a system. It’s a map. It’s a guide. It works for me! 
    ~

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