Taking Charge of My Mornings: Juggling Life’s Demands

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As a homeschool mom of four kids, my days are very busy, and sometimes quite chaotic. But for some reason, I seem to give the impression that I “have it altogether,” or that this whole stay-at-home, homeschooling mom thing comes naturally. And so I get asked rather frequently,

“How in the world do you keep up with everything and get it all done??”

Well, the short, and completely honest answer is simple: I don’t. 

I have a lot on my plate these days. I homeschool two of my kids, while caring for two younger ones. We host a weekly small group bible study at our house. I sing in the church choir and have weekly rehearsals. I attend a weekly women’s bible study (though we are now out for the summer). I write and create content for this blog. And add to all of that the regular day to day cleaning and chores around the house, cooking healthy meals, cleaning up those meals, etc. and my days are very full.

So the truth is, I don’t always get it all done. I almost never check everything off the to-do list, and there are days (ahem, weeks) where my house is a complete wreck because I was just too busy to get to housework.

But over the years, I have learned how to be organized, and most of the time (though not always) do not feel overly stressed and frazzled. I definitely do not do things perfectly, and like I said, often there are things that don’t get done (um, giant basket of laundry, I’m lookin’ at you), but overall, I have learned to be intentional with my time and energy so that I can plan, prioritize and feel like I’m spending my days well.

One of the biggest influences in my life to help me focus, prioritize and make good choices has been Crystal Paine at Money Saving Mom. I have been reading and following her site for over 6 years and I have learned not only how to save money and live frugally, but how to use my time wisely, set goals and focus on my priorities.

3 of the Most Important Things I Have Learned:

1. Make Time in God’s Word a Priority

Even though I have always known that time with the Lord should be a priority, I was not always willing to get up and read the Word and pray first thing in the morning. I continued to tell myself that I would do it during naptime, or after the kids were in bed. But what I have realized through much trial and error, is that if I don’t spend time with the Lord first, then I don’t make time at all. And that is NOT what I want.

2. Starting the Morning Right Sets the Tone for the Day

There have been days when I’ve had a terrible, awful morning, and by stopping and starting fresh at some point, have been able to redeem the day. But generally, if I start my day with the right attitude and on the right foot in the first place, my day goes more smoothly and I have a better attitude and more patience when dealing with my children.

3. Having a Productive Morning Allows More Time in my Day for Things I Love

When I get up and get several things done (chores, blogging, reading, etc.) before the kids are up, the rest of my day is more peaceful. I don’t have the pressure to “keep up” (or “catch up!”) so I can take time to enjoy my kids, enjoy our school time rather than trying to rush through it, and spend some time in the afternoon doing things I love like reading or blogging.

And although I have learned and implemented so much, I still struggle to get up and get going in the mornings, because to be honest, I am not a morning person. So I need all the help I can get!

I am SUPER excited about Crystal’s new online course, Make Over Your Mornings. I have already begun to work through the course, and it is encouraging, helpful and easy. It won’t take much of your time to watch the video and read the lesson in the workbook, but if you really take some time to work through the assignments and make slow, steady, simple changes to your daily routine, it will change your life.

One of the biggest changes that I know I need to make is in my evening routine. I am so tired at the end of the day that by the time the kids are in bed, I’m ready to do nothing. And then time gets away from me, and it’s entirely too late! This is one of the first things she addresses in the course and I may spend a little more time on getting that in place before moving on to my mornings! 🙂

I know that once we start school again in August our days will be even busier, so I’m excited to get this started and get important changes implemented over the summer, so we can start next year right!

Want to know more? Find out all about the course here! And if you decide to do it, let me know! We can hold each other accountable! 🙂

~Math Geek Mama

 

P.S. Not sure if this is worth the money? Don’t worry, there’s a money back guarantee so if you go through the course and feel like it wasn’t helpful or didn’t meet your expectations, simply request a refund! 🙂

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