I have just had the most productive four days that I've had in years! I took PTO time on Thursday and Friday in order to get the house in order and prepare for a weekend campout with the scouts. I was cruising through my housework on Thursday when I received a phone call telling me that we were postponing the campout due to the heat advisories. The heat index was expected to be over 110 on both Saturday and Sunday. Up until that time, we had been hearing that the excessive heat warnings would end on Friday night. Well, we've got some tough kids but camping in that kind of weather is just plain crazy. This gave me an extra three days to get some serious organizing and work done!
I reworked my schedule from week 1. Now this may seem a little nuts, but keep in mind that I have to have everything done and be out the door at 7:15 each day. (I would LOVE to hear from other moms that work 8-5 outside their home to see how they handle this.)
Week 1 - Morning Schedule
4:00-4:15 Wake up and put sweats on.
4:15-4:45 Quiet Time
4:45-5:15 Treadmill
5:15-5:30 Iron clothes
5:30-5:45 Shower
5:45-6:15 Hair & Makeup
6:15-6:30 Make bed & get dressed
6:30-7:00 Breakfast
7:00-7:15 Brush teeth and out the door!
Week 2 - Quiet Time
Start with a worship song - Selah on my mp3 player
Read one chapter per day starting at Genesis 1:1
Write down one verse that really stands out to me.
Devotion - Work through 30 days of Leading your kids to Christ
Prayer Daily-Prayer from Power of a Praying Wife/Parent
Monday-Parents and extended family
Tuesday - In-laws and extended family
Wednesday - School & Scouts
Thursday - City & State Leaders & Emergency Workers
Friday - Our country's leaders & military
Saturday - Friends & Co-workers
Week 3 - Exercise Plan
I'm keeping this really simple. I'm not too big on exercise indoors. I like to walk outdoors but at that hour of the morning it just isn't possible. I'm just going to walk on the treadmill for 30 minutes each day. There is a tv by the treadmill so I can catch up on the morning news or maybe find something to record on the dvr. My goal is to lose 30lbs by Christmas.
Gee.....ambitious much? I'm hoping I'm not jumping into this too fast. I've been trying to manage quiet time in the mornings but haven't been doing too well. In order to add in exercise and everything, it's going to have to be early morning wake up calls for me!
I also spent a lot of time these last few days organizing chores, menus and calendars. I have master chore lists that include all the things we need to keep this house in order. I made a daily list for every member of the family so that everyone knows what they need to do this week. I've been to the grocery (needed a loan for that one...) and made menus for the week. This should keep us eating real meals instead of popcorn for dinner. It will also keep us from hitting the golden arches or the home of the fourth meal. I have a kid that hates fast food and having a home cooked meal on the table each night will make him a happy boy. All of our laundry is caught up too and everything is put away where it belongs. Amazing! Our white board is back on the fridge so everyone can see the day's activities and dinner menu at a glance. It gets a little tricky because my husband's schedule changes from day to day and week to week. My son now has block scheduling which means keeping track of whether or not it is a green or white day so he knows which classes he has. Honestly, you moms that have more than one child? Y'all blow. me. away! I don't know how you do it. I can barely keep track of the three of us. I have to mesh together our personal calendar, school calendar, hubby's schedule, band calendar and scout calendar. It's kuhraaazy!!!!
So, if you are still with me, throw out any ideas you have for getting me some more sleep and still getting everything done. Right now I'm feeling very organized, but I'm feeling like every minute of every day is scheduled. My goal with this was to free up time for my family. But, in order to have quiet time, exercise time and keep the house in order, I feel like I'm never going to get to sit down and enjoy my family, a book or a tv show again. I'm conflicted. I'm going to have a home that is company ready at all times, but I'm not going to have time to entertain any company. What's a girl to do?
Independent living
3 years ago
6 comments:
Wow, I love your plans! This post is so inspiring to me! Thanks so much for joining in, Mary, and thanks for joining in the discussion via FB!
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Holy Smokes Girlfriend! You've done such an amazing job in a very short period of time. Keep up the good work. Remember that you may have a few days of just not making it happen, and that is ok.
I know many of us have goals for keeping our houses spotless, but a friend with four kids encouraged me one time that she doesn't try to keep her house spotless because her kids need to feel like it is their home too. I loved that because it helped me realize that not EVERY toy needs to be picked up ALL the time. Our friends have grown used to walking into a Lego disaster on the floor because that is what we are playing.
I admire all that you are tackling. Keep it up!
Oh wow!! Where to start...
OK, first of all, I'm one of those "8 to 5" moms. I go into the office 3 days a week (with an hour commute each way) and I work from home two days a week (but my son still goes to daycare).
I have a 17 month old son, so he doesn't have the crazy schedule thing going on yet. I have a stepson that starts middle school this week and plays on two baseball teams...so we definitely have the crazy schedule going on there. My husband works swing shifts.
So, like you, I'm merging a ton of things - when I work from home or office, hubby's work schedule, when my stepson is with us or not, two baseball schedules, plus all the normal stuff (dr appts, etc).
Anyway, here is what my office morning routine looks like. The BIG difference between mine and yours is the 30 minutes of exercise.
5:00 up and shower
5:30 quiet time (includes 10 min of exercise, 10 min of Bible time, 10 min of planning)
6:00 hair/makeup/dress
6:30 get son up and ready
6:45 out the door
The only way I could do more quiet time stuff would be to get up super early like you do, which I honestly don't think it feasible for me (but everyone is different). I just think I would get burned out quickly and easily if I got up at 4 a.m. :)
Wow, those are some detailed plans! It sounds like you're really feeling good about being so organized, and I hope you find some time to actually have fun and entertain friends, too! Could you do your Bible, prayer, or worship time while you're on the treadmill?
Could ironing happen every two days, perhaps alternating it with something else on your schedule that you could just do every two days? Does breakfast have to take 30mins? All the best!
Is there anything in your morning schedule you could do the night before? I have to be home from my run by 7am (so my husband can leave for work) so I understand the pressure to get up "early". I find that wearing my running clothes to bed (minus socks and shoes) helps me to be able to get out the door quicker in the mornings after my devo time. Keep up the great work!
Wow. I love how ambitious yet realistic you are with your time. I often forget to schedule in time for things like brushing teeth etc.
A couple ideas for saving time:
1. Plan wardrobe for the week and iron all clothes on Sunday.
2. Shorten your quiet time by combining prayer time with your time on the treadmill.
3. I agree with Ashley, if you can, sleeping in your workout clothes is a great time saver.
Those three right there could save you as much as 45 minutes.
Great job!
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