Managing our Home

Lately I have been criticized a lot for being so busy. As one person put it "You really glorify busyness." The little comments have been like daggers. They hurt for a lot of reasons. One, I am not all that busy. Two, even if I was, what would I cut out? And more than anything I don't have "busy work", everything in our lives is called by God. Everything we do is part of the path we feel He has placed us upon.

When I look at our lives, I don't see busy. I see blessings, I see provision, I see the love that our Father has poured out upon us.

Majority of our are days taken up by me playing with the kids. We spend hours on the floor laughing and having fun. We make time for playdates and rarely have to tell anyone we are too busy to come over and play.

When I was done being angry and offended I realized that it wasn't people judging me. From the outside I do seem like I am too busy. That I wouldn't have enough time for what is important.
So I want to show you how I manage my time. Maybe it can help some of the other "busy moms" out there.


School

School is planned out almost entirely by the curriculum that we purchased. Every night before I go to bed I put up on our chalkboard what we will do the next day. This helps to keep me from having to flip through books and just lays it all out there.

Rhiannon's school takes anywhere from an hour to three hours depending on how many extra fun activities I add in. Most of it I sit with her and do. But I am able to tidy up while she works on activity sheets. We go back and forth from reading and application activities allowing me to walk away often to meet the needs of the other two kids.

It's all a really simply concept while she is in preschool. Not too much is required at this point.

Housework

 

We have another chalkboard. Apparently chalkboards are key in our organization of our home. On this board, I have our meal plan. Seriously this is crucial in saving money for us. No guessing what is for dinner or trying to pull together ingredients we don't have. Laying it all out there has saved major time but also cut our budget. All the meals up there right now, plus lunch and snacks cost us $94 at our last grocery run.

Also on this board is an idea I found over at Bringing Up Burns. I have my Daily Minimums that take place in the AM and PM, plus our Zones. I do the minimums around the entire house and deep clean the zone of the day. By doing just a little every day, the house stays clean with little time invested.

Business
Both school and housework is done by noon every day. That means that I have time to dedicate to my work during afternoon naps. I also take advantage of getting work done while the kids sleep at night. I do my best to never work while I can be spending time with my kids. On occasion I do get swamped with orders or have a big show, in these cases, I have the kids "work" with me. The kids will help me chose fabrics or sew with their lacing boards. They love to be a part of mommy's business.

So long and short, how do I do it all?
-Make lists
-Stay organized
-Maintain a routine
-Pray...a lot

By the grace of God, we are able to fit all things into day and have plenty of time left over for playing and goofing off. We have put Him first and made sure everything we are doing is in His plan. In the end, He is giving us what we can handle and what is best for us.

Rely on Him. Pray to Him. Follow His will.
It's not busy work. It's life. It's dedication. It's who we are.