I feel a little burned out this week, I have to say, because my house still doesn't look like I want it to look. I feel like I am working really hard to keep it straight, but I am not sure what realistic expectations are for this season of life. I don't want the state of my house to affect how I treat Scott, Ada, and John, but it often does, I am ashamed to admit. If at the end of the day, the house feels chaotic, my mood is usually not a good one, so I am trying to find some balance here. I want to care about how my house looks, enough to maintain some sanity and order, but I don't want to care so much that it affects my relationship with my family. Oh, help me, Lord.
I told my mom that I feel like I am treading water, and if I stop treading for even one second I start to sink. Which means, I still don't feel like I have control of it. Which I am guessing is where being dependent on the Lord, even in this, comes in.
That being said, the goal for this week is to get in bed by 11, so that I can wake up at 6 am before the kids wake up and spend some time in the word and prayer, first thing. The problem is, our house is so small, that usually if I wake up, the kids wake up. They sense it, I think. It drives me crazy. So, again, I am praying that the Lord would work it out for me to wake up without the kids. Prayer, prayer, prayer. What else can I do?
When we started CC this year, I told myself that we were starting now, when Ada was 4, so that by the time she was in kindergarten, and even more importantly, first grade, we would have some sort of routine established. This year is a trial run for us, before our homeschooling really counts. And I sense that figuring out this housekeeping thing is a HUGE aspect of successfully homeschooling my children. We can't successfully complete the day's school task in the midst of chaos. Complete it well, I mean. And I feel like teaching my children order and self control is just as important as academics. It's life skills, I'm talking about.
So...goals for this week, continue with my daily tasks--beds, kitchen, laundry, and clutter, clean the bathroom on Monday, and I am adding earlier to bed so that I can wake up at 6 am before the kids. We'll see how it goes...
And I will leave you with a few pictures of the kiddos as we have been soaking up this spring-like winter. Tonight we even took a family trip to the high school track, and Scott and I talked about how much the weather felt like fall or Spring. It's crazy, but I am not complaining!!
3 comments:
What happened to "baby" John?!?! Those tennis shoes - he looks like such a big boy! Tripp can sense when I wake up too - makes me crazy.
We are in the same boat with the morning wake-ups. My husband and I joke that the kids can sense the molecules in the air shifting as soon as we roll out of bed in the morning! I have been trying (with varying degrees of success) to get up before the kids and get a head start on the day and it is SO discouraging when they wake up early too. But, on the mornings when it actually works, my day goes much more smoothly and I certainly have a better attitude when I start my day with the Lord. Praying that you have some success this week as you keep adding these new routines!
I'm so glad you mention routine. I'm trying to establish a "homemaking" routine now before the baby comes but I'm fighting such fatigue. I found out that I'm anemic right now which explains the tiredness. You've gone through the beautifully refining experience of pregnancy. Please tell me that my energy is likely to return. ;)
I'm inspired by your sharing about the home, and comforted to know that I'm not alone. I think your a fabulous mother!
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