Update on my Routine

Last week our routine fizzled out a bit with sick kids. Everything was outta whack with being up a lot in the night. Yesterday and today have been better. I've been up early again, but still need more focus/routine to my time in the Word. I decided to praise the Lord verbally this week all the way to pick up Silas from school 30 min. away. I need to practice that habit. I think it will really get my mind of self and on my true purpose of honoring Him! Have a great day walking mightily in His power (Eph 3)!

Simple "Date Nate" at Home

Date night at our house has not always meant going out. This is important for those of us with little ones or those on a tight budget. Many times (especially when we only had the two older kids) it meant putting them in their room to play. We told Silas he needed to stay in his room with Mercy playing in her crib. They absolutely had a blast doing "room time" and actually asked when they could do room time again! Craig and I simply made chai tea, lit a candle on the coffee table, sat on the couch, listened to relaxing music and TALKED! Sometimes we'd read an enjoyable book which always sparked conversation. Sometimes we'd pray too. What wonderful times these are! We have been going out more lately since the Lamberts can watch the kids, but we now that our house is fairly in order, we are thinking we can just go down to the basement tv room with a hot drink and leave the kids upstairs with the Lamberts babysitting. Date night at home is also a fun time to enjoy a cozy and clean house...the house we have worked so hard to make comfortable for our family. It takes a little prep during the day, but it is worth it to have a special at home date night. Also, I love trying to look nice that night...even if it only means five minutes in front of the mirror before Craig comes home. How precious to spend time with our husbands!

I need to go "Shopping for Time" again!

"We need to get those messed up priorities back into "whack"! We need to spend more time with our Saviour!" That was the general concensus of the small group of ladies gathered for prayer a few weeks ago at church. So the Crossway ladies' book study was born. These women (my dear friends) have started a closed blog so we can encourage each other in our priorities, time in the word, etc. We are reading, "Shopping For Time" by the Mahaney ladies and it is awesome. I have read it in the past and it is proving to be encouraging again...because it is biblical (see my book review on this site). Here is what I posted on our Crossway ladies' book blog. I thought it might encourage you and give you a peek into my quest to use my time to honor the Lord with my time.
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"Well, I am blazing my way through the book once again! I am integrating it into my morning devotional time. I have been waking up at 6:15 or 6:30 each day for about 3 weeks now and it has really been a huge blessing! I was feeling a bit hopeless about lack of a truly quiet "quiet time". Waking up just a tad before the kids WAS NOT working and I left my devotions feeling like I had wasted time instead of profited from my time in the word. So I am really excited about the thought of adding more godly routine, priorities and discipline into to my life. After we moved into our house, we still were living in the chaotic whirlwind of boxes, junk, toys, etc. I worked non-stop to get back to normal life once again. But once the dust (or the boxes, rather) cleared, I found myself with few routines in place due to the crazy unpredictable past year and the changing nature of kids development, and of course my own sinful habits. I needed a kick in the pants and asked Craig to push me out of bed in the mornings if I didn't get up when he did. No pressing the snooze button! It's been great!

I have reinstituted some old practices which I had decided were profitable the last time I read the book and I plan to add more. Basing life on priorities rather than selfish desires is so profitable...but I have a really long way to go. I wrote out a new weekly prayer list last week but need to organize my time in the word and time reading godly books more. The kids' schedule has really taken shape...but they need some catch up in the the routine department as well. I guess Mommy's lack of discipline wears off on the kids too. Sooo...I have much to learn and much more discipline to learn to submit myself to. But it's going great.

Here is some of our weekly evening schedule based on what I gleaned from the book last time. We have put these things back into place. This stuff is partially fruit I gleaned from taking a couple of personal retreats to Panera last year (chapter 4).

Monday- date night (priority-marriage)
Tuesday- read aloud w/ Craig night (priorities- marriage and growth in godliness)
Wednesday- mid-week fellowship (priorities- fellowship and growth in godliness)
Thursday - free
Friday- movie night (rest)
Saturday- get ready for company & church/cleaning (serving my family/ serving the church)
Sunday- company over/ movie night (fellowship/ serving/ rest)

Of course there is alot of laundry, kids' discipleship, shopping, meal preparing, dishes, paperwork, etc. that goes on during the day. BUT, other time eating pursuits have decreased. When I see things clearly...I see I have to order my days according to priority and principle and have no time left for many other things! Even good pursuits have gotten nixed because they are simply not at the top of my priority list. Also, I am hopeful and happy as I am striving to honor the Lord. A change from a few months ago. May Jesus Christ be praised!!! His fruit is what we are seeing in our lives!

Lord of the Laundry

"I know that you can do all things; no plan of yours can be thwarted." Job 42:2

The other day I was complaining in my heart about the laundry. I thought, "Sheesh! this laundry is unrelenting and neverending! Why can't I get a handle on it! This laundry is like a task master forcing me into eternal domestic servitude." I thought, "This cannot be right...something must change."

WRONG!!!

I then remembered that Jehovah God is in charge of how much laundry I have, how fussy and sick the kids are, how busy Craig is, and EVERYTHING ELSE. The laundry does not happen on accident. It is God's perfect will for me. If He wanted to change it, He could in an instant. He's powerful, wise and good. God's plan cannot and will not be thwarted. If His plan for me is unending laundry...then bring it on!

What an encouraging verse...
"I know that you can do all things; no plan of yours can be thwarted." Job 42:2

God is so good! Can I get an amen?!