Psalm 119:133 Order my steps in thy word: and let not any iniquity have dominion over me. 


I am a big-time planner, list-maker, and scheduler. I love to organize closets, cabinets, drawers, and even cubby-holes. I like to have a place for everything and everything in its place. I just had my fifth child, and we home school, so life can get crazy! While my goals are to have things in apple pie order, I’ve had to realize that life happens. This means that many times my goals are not a reality. I’m learning to relax and not stress out about clutter. The toys, books, and sundry articles can be picked up in record time by tiny little hands. We make a game out of it by timing the kids or giving them sections of the house to work on. Dust is my lowest priority. It isn’t as noticeable as a room strewn about with toys, so I leave the dust till last. (But I do dust..eventually. lol!) When we are learning, we sometimes make a mess. The mess used to really bug me, but then I read a quote by a home schooling mom who said “we make messes when we’re being productive.” I like that! I have five productive children in my home. The messes mean we are learning and growing. As long as the mess gets cleaned up, I’m happy.

I’ve had to be more realistic about what I can accomplish each day as I home school, nurse a newborn, and supervise two pre-schoolers. Here are the tasks that I make a priority each day.

*Note – My first priority each day is my quiet time with the Lord ( Bible reading & prayer). When the baby needs me first thing in the morning, then I do it as soon as I can get a few minutes alone.

1. Food – three meals a day, as healthful as I can make them.
2. Dishes – we have to have clean utensils and plates to eat the said meals on. 🙂
3. Home Schooling – I refuse to be lazy on this one! This must get done each school day, even if we must get up early or stay up late to finish.
4. Laundry – my goal is to get at least one load done a day but most days, I get two done.
5. Clean children – Baths, clean hair, nails & teeth are important.

I also have goals to accomplish each week. I used to have specific days these things get done, but now, I just do them when I can. The children complete most of their jobs on Saturday, with a few to be done during the school week. My three oldest children are assigned the following tasks in their chore packs which I wrote about HERE.

Each week they must:

1. Clean rooms – vacuum, dust, pick up, change sheets, empty trash, straighten closets and totes. (We don’t have dressers, just a storage tote for underwear, socks and pjs for each child.)
2. Clean glass doors.
3. Vacuum all rooms, except Mom & Dad’s room.
4. Sweep deck, carport and front porch
5. Clean hall bathroom – sink, counter, mirror, toilet, tub (This is done more than once a week)
6. Dust – I keep cloths with dusting solution on them in an air tight container for the kids to use. This way, they don’t use too much polish.
7.Clean out van.
8.Empty all trash cans.
9. Clean light switch plates and doorknobs – especially during the cold and flu season.
10. They also complete any job as it arises whenever I need help.

My responsibilities include: (and sometimes, I have little helpers :] )

Laundry
Sweeping & mopping
Cleaning my own room and bathroom
Menu planning and grocery shopping
Cooking

It doesn’t always run like a well-oiled machine, but this has worked for us. We tweak our schedules as needed, and of course, there is always a dispensation of grace available to all. 🙂

If you have any tips, ideas, schedules, etc. to share, I’d love to hear from you!

Happy homemaking!