Old Fashioned Lifestyle

Make Your Home A Haven Challenge

 This one includes…. 

Time in Prayer

After spending some quiet time, I realize that I need to do a better job following the schedule’s I have set for myself. 

Name the 5 things to make a part of your morning routine.  Here is mine:

1. Exercise
2. Shower and Get Dressed
3. Meditation, Prayer, and Journaling
4. Review the Day Ahead
5. 15 Minute Clean

To Do List…

These are larger projects I have on my plate…  and all of them certainly won’t get done today – but over the month:

• Refine Schedule
• Order Books
• End of Year Tax Items
• Complete Software Set Up and Conversion
• Pick items for new house (heating system, flooring system, solar?,  etc.)
• Make arrangements for January (we will be gone all month) – animals, house, etc.
• Book flight to Mexico
• Make Mexico Journals for the kids

I’m sure there is more…. and I will modify the list as the month goes on.

And, finally….  clean a bedroom….

 uh…  clean?  clean a what?  uh….  didn’t quite get to that…..

Technorati Tags: Scheduling

Yesterday, as a part of Creating a Haven In Your Home over at Biblical Womanhood, I set out to do the following today (plan is in red.  Result is in Black) 

1. Refresh Your Spirit.  I will spend 5 minutes in deep breathing and meditation

What Happened:  I had a lot of trouble quieting my mind.  Too much going on.  Too much to worry about…  am I addicted to worry?  So, I tried to quiet and the quieting did not come and so – I went on.  Tomorrow will come.

1. Take Time to Plan.   I will take 5 minutes to “remember” and write down what our typical daily structure used to “look like” before chaos hit our household.  The morning routine, etc.

Though I did not see the immediate result of my Refresh Your Spirit time, I realized during my “planning time” that the day – as it used to look – isn’t the day I want anymore.  My soul needs something new.

When I first decided to homeschool, it was unschooling that really inspired me.  However, doubt, guilt, fear, who knows… something troubled me and stopped me from totally jumping off the “school” wagon.  However, the beliefs I held never went away – perhaps they just went dormant.  In the mean time, I had read The Well Trained Mind and it sounded good to me.  There were aspects of The Well Trained Mind that really made sense to me…  I like the organization and structure.  The notebook system is great.  So, in lue of unschooling, I losely followed suggestions in The Well Trained Mind.

Then….  the chaos hit and The Well Trained Mind flew out the window.  We went to unschooling by default – but the unschooling life as it stands is missing something.  What I realized this morning is that what we are missing – what I am missing is the nurturing environment…  the creative wonderland I envisioned…  the place for inspiration.  I realized this morning that what I need to create is a haven in my home – a creative wonderland – an inspirational home …  not a schedule for the day.  (But, I probably DO need a schedule for cleaning – and other mundane housework – as that is the stuff I don’t enjoy and will procrastinate at…)

 And so – during my planning sessions, what I will be planning is the transformation of my home and family environment into a place of creativity, inspiration, and nurturing.

1. Do Something
   1. Inventory the homeschool and craft supplies
   2. Load of Laundry
   3. History Projects with Kids
   4. Finish Decorating for Christmas

I got most of my work done, and am off to do these things now.

Technorati Tags: Family Life, Homeschool, Homestead, Motivation, Scheduling

I have been out of sorts lately.  I have noticed over time that I do much better when I’ve got a routine – a framework for the day.   Our lives have been very busy lately – with a variety of “things” happening….  a recent move, a house being built (and along with it the knowledge that my current home is temporary – I’ve got yet another move on the horizon), travel, work changes….  our home life has not been a “normal” existance lately.  With so much going on, I tend to get overwhelmed – and have a hard time figuring out where to start.

Then – I ran across this challenge over at Biblical Womanhood.

It is the Make Your Home A Haven Challenge – a simple 3 step process:

1. Refresh Your Spirit (5 minutes)
2. Take Time to Plan (5 minutes)
3. Do Something (5 – 15 minutes)

And so Tomorrow …

1. Refresh Your Spirit.  I will spend 5 minutes in deep breathing and meditation
2. Take Time to Plan.   I will take 5 minutes to “remember” and write down what our typical daily structure used to “look like” before chaos hit our household.  The morning routine, etc.
3. Do Something
   1. Inventory the homeschool and craft supplies
   2. Load of Laundry
   3. History Projects with Kids
   4. Finish Decorating for Christmas

Technorati Tags: Motivation, Scheduling

I saw this list at Here in the Bonny Glen and it fits in perfectly with what I have been thinking lately…

6 elements to include in a day:

• meaningful work
• imaginative play
• good books
• beauty (art, music, nature)
• ideas to ponder and discuss
• prayer

I’m looking for a structure and balance to the day… my day and the day for my kids.  Using a list such as this seems like such a grea way to help structure a day.  As we work on our Family Mission Statement, I will come back to and finetune this list…. I will spend some time reflecting upon what elements I would like to put into our days.  Are there other thing I may want to add to the list?

• physical play or sports
• meaningful conversation

What else? 

Technorati Tags: Family Life, Scheduling