Before School Checklist
Yesterday... it was so lovely! The kids were back in their enrichment program and the house was quiet for the first time in weeks. Yes, we home school our kids, but a couple times a week, they are at an enrichment program through the local school district and yesterday... all 3 kids go full day! The quiet that Mondays bring is much needed for my tired soul. I used to feel guilty about needing a Monday, a day off. Like needing a day without my kids and the chaos of our wonderfully, sometimes joyfully, sometimes painfully noisy school days at home bring made me a bad mom. Like needing a break made me somehow less because what I perceived that others needed.
For many years, I had all 3 kids home 24 hours a day 7 days a week. And I nearly lost my mind. There were definitely a few days where my husband came home to find me in our closet with a chocolate bar... It was after one of those days that I decided that having people around 24/7 was more than this outgoing introvert could handle. This enrichment program has brought balance back and we are so blessed to have it close by.
I choose this for my kids because it makes me a better mom and wife the other days of the week. It gives me the space to pursue the other things that God has called me to and allows my soul to rest, even if I am still working from home those days. Although I felt so much "mom guilt" in those early days, I feel it no more. God wants me to be happy! He designed me and wired me exactly the way he meant for me to be. And for me, that means that I need a little bit of quiet space in my week, so that I can manage the chaos of the rest.
He wants me to pour out of the overflow of my heart and not from an empty well. This means He wants me to take care of myself. Not in an over the top or selfish way, but in a way that ensures my soul is being fed. In a way that keeps me healthy, physically, mentally and especially spiritually. I can't give what I don't have.
How do you keep balance on the school days, when everyone is home and chaos ensues? A few things:
1. I wake up early. I am normally up sometime between 4 and 5am depending on David's schedule that day. I could sleep through his early wake up call and wake up later with the kids, but this precious time between 4am and 7:30am is my best kept secret. It may not be early morning, but late night for some, but find the pocket of time where you house is quiet and you can feed your soul and take care of your body. This time for me includes my Bible Study and prayer time, Journaling the Word, Writing, Eating a nutritious and slow breakfast, enjoying my coffee, working out, reading and writing, planning for the day and so much more.
2. Know where when the end is. I always take a mid afternoon rest. Sometimes I actually sleep, sometimes I read or catch up on email, but it is always in my room with the door closed and locked. This is the light at the end of the tunnel. It helps bring a sense of urgency and order to the day when everyone knows that is when school concludes for the day.
3. Have an entry ramp for the day. I have shared the Before Screens You Must Checklist before. It sees us through vacations and non school days as the on ramp to the day. This checklist is slightly different, but also familiar. It gives the kids a list of things to do in the time between waking up and school starting, while I am finishing up showering and getting ready for my day. It is the steady and consistent beginning to our day.
I pray that your love will overflow more and more, and that you will keep on growing in knowledge and understanding. For I want you to understand what really matters, so that you may live pure and blameless lives until the day of Christ’s return. May you always be filled with the fruit of your salvation—the righteous character produced in your life by Jesus Christ—for this will bring much glory and praise to God. --Philippians 1: 9-11
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