Mama’s Daily Schedule

Seeing as how it is a new year, and I have been obviously taking a leave of absence from posting here, I thought I would share my current schedule. I have been needing a more formal schedule for myself, mostly due to the 4 children who are keeping me busy! 🙂  It still astonishes me how much we can all accomplish when we use our time wisely.

Momma’s Daily Schedule

5:00 am – Katie early morning feeding
5:30 am – personal preparation
5:50 am – Bible and prayers
6:15 am – get children up
6:30 am – make breakfast
6:45 am – breakfast
7:15 am – clean up breakfast/start dishes
7:45 am – daily meal preparation
8:15 am – Katie morning feeding
8:30 am – school preparation
9:00 am – schooltime
10:30 am – morning snack
10:45 am – clean up snack, lunch prep.
10:55 am – chore check
11:00 am – outside playtime

a) sweep porch/sidewalks
b) switch laundry/fold

11:30 am – Katie midmorning feeding
11:50 am – clean up, prepare for lunch
12:00 pm – lunch
12:30 pm – clean up lunch/dishes
12:45 pm – storytime
1:00 pm – quiet time

a) switch laundry/fold
b) nap/nurse, 20 mins
c) internet/computer work

2:00 pm – children up
2:15 pm – afternoon chores

a) clothes away
b) behavior practice
c) switch laundry/fold

3:00 pm – afternoon snack
3:15 pm – clean up snack, dinner prep
3:45 pm – Katie mid-afternoon feeding
4:00 pm – monitor outdoor chores
4:45 pm – clean up, prepare for dinner
Brian home from work
5:00 pm – dinner
5:40 pm – clean up dinner/dishes
6:00 pm – children’s bathtimes
6:30 pm – evening worship
7:00 pm – children’s bedtime
Katie evening feeding
7:30 pm – next day meal preparations
8:00 pm – internet/computer work
8:30 pm – quiet time with Brian
9:00 pm – bed

Now, lest you think I am some kind of crazy supermom, please keep in mind that this isn’t something I arbitrarily came up with.  I wrote down the flow of our days for over a week before writing this out.  This comes from “real life”, not something that I came up with to have a boot camp style life at home.  May I encourage you to write your days out, and see where you’ve lacked direction, motivation, or just energy, so that you can also find a way to get the most from YOUR life!

Early Morning Blessings

I’m over at Keeper of the Home today,
sharing my ways of finding the joy in an early morning relationship with God.

Head on over and take a look!

Called to Cover interview

I was interviewed by Lina, at A Set Apart Life, recently about my journey to headcovering.
Head on over and take a look!

Titus 2 Thursday: When Women Argue with the Potter

This morning’s post was written by Jess.  She is a blessed wife, and mom to four neat people 7 & under. Lord willing, that will change to five neat people 8 & under in July. Disciple of Jesus. Learner. Expat. Homeschool teacher. Recovering feminist.  She is a sinner through and through and yet her desire is to be influenced by Christ and His precious Word rather than the culture of this world.  She blogs at Making Home.

In several places in the Bible, we are reminded that God is the Potter and we are like clay in His hands. Romans 9 is one of those places– it speaks of God’s sovereignty as the Creator- and how He crafts certain “pots” (that would be us) for honorable use and some for common use.

Growing up, I struggled so much with how I was made… competitive, outspoken, opinionated, and strong-willed. In my mind, I was built more for the debate team than for home-ec. Built more to be the leader than to follow. Built more for greatness & achievement (I thought) in political office than for the quietly serving my family in the home. When I was in college, this all came to a head, and I found myself asking God, “WHY DID YOU MAKE ME THIS WAY?!?!?!?!? Why didn’t you make me a man? Why do you tell me to ‘keep a quiet heart’, and to ‘submit’?”

Read the rest here.

Join me each Thursday as I share a devotional that has encouraged me in my walk as a wife and mother.

Titus 2 Thursday: Called to the Home

This morning’s post was written by Melissa Keen.  She is a home-school graduate who lives at home with her parents, serving her family and her church community through hospitality, calligraphy, sewing, and caring for young children.

The propriety of Christian, Bible-believing women having careers is a controversial subject in the modern church. However, I believe that God has something to say about everything, even if it is simply a subtly stated principle instead of a direct command or explicit explanation. When tackling any subject, it is vital to use Scripture as the basis for all points of discussion. Following are my personal thoughts and beliefs on the subject and the interpretation of this matter that God has laid on my heart.

In Proverbs 9 Wisdom is personified as a woman who is skillful, industrious, and resourceful. Amazingly enough, she accomplishes all her tasks from her home — “Wisdom hath builded her house… whoso is simple, let him turn in hither” (Proverbs 9:1, 4). She has built her house, decorated it, and furnished it. She has prepared food for her guests, using what she has at her home. Not only is her home fully functioning and productive, but she is also able to invite strangers in to enjoy and benefit from her well ordered, exemplary home.

As Christian women, we have the responsibility to look not only to our God-given realm of the home, but also to expand our ministry to those outside of our home. There are so many possibilities with the skills we are given! First, we are to use them to benefit our family and home. This is where our priorities and loyalties should always lie. Second, we are to extend the boundaries of our home to include others in ministry and hospitality. “Come, eat of my bread, and drink of the wine which I have mingled,” cries this wise woman (verse 5).

Read more here.

Join me each Thursday as I share a devotional that has encouraged me in my walk as a wife and mother.

Titus 2 Thursday: Respecting Sons

This week’s post was written by Mrs. Julie Fink.  She is the wife of a pastor, and a ladies ministry coordinator.  She teaches the Ladies Sunday School class at the Grace Baptist Church in Lockport, Illinois.  You can find more of her insightful lessons at Lessons for Ladies.

Let us remember that the whole goal of child training is to bring up our children to maturity. It should be our desire to see them reach their full potential physically, spiritually and socially. The only way we will be able to achieve this is to depend upon God to strengthen us and enable us with the wisdom, endurance and love that we will need for this whole children rearing process.

Psalm 144:12, “That our sons may be as plants grown up in their youth.”

Proverbs 22:6, “Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.”

Sons are different than daughters. God has created our sons to grow up and become leaders and providers. Because of this, it is very important that we treat them in a way that is respectful so that he will have the confidence that he needs to do the many courageous things that God will call him to do.

Read more here.

Join me each Thursday as I share a devotional that has encouraged me in my walk as a wife and mother.

Titus 2 Thursday: The Real Women’s Liberation Movement – Christianity

This morning’s post was written by Stacy McDonald. She is the wife of Pastor James McDonald of Providence Church and Family Reformation Ministries. She is the mother of ten precious blessings, and the grandma of one treasured cuddle bug, so far!
Surely, she is and does other things, but these are the most significant to her.
Stacy is also the author of Raising Maidens of Virtue and co-author of the popular new book, Passionate Housewives Desperate for God

“Despite the anti-Christian prejudice evident in much of the feminist movement, it is to the teachings and example of Jesus Christ that women owe most of their freedoms. The advent of Christianity raised the dignity, freedom and rights of women to levels never before known in any other culture or religion. Indeed, as one historian put it: ‘The birth of Jesus was the turning point in the history of women.'” – Dr. Peter Hammond

On our way home from church this evening, I glanced over at my tired husband who was driving our large crowd home. Today he delivered a sermon (The Christian Husband, Leading and Loving) that made me realize just how completely Jesus “set the captives free.” Yes, He set free the captives of addiction, of prostitution, of despair, of hopelessness. He broke the chains of perversion, hatred, and bitterness. He set us free of sin – the cruel master we so willingly served – and so desperately hated. Now we gladly—and thankfully—serve the King of Kings.

But, ironically, as women, He set us free in another way too. Many feminists rant about the oppression biblical teaching places upon women; but, Christianity is what freed us from that oppression! Why then would we want to place upon ourselves newly forged chains of egalitarianism?

Read more here.

Join me each Thursday as I share a devotional that has encouraged me in my walk as a wife and mother.

Titus 2 Thursday: Breastmilk, Ice Cream and Infant Feeding Schedules

In this season of what seems like never-ending nursing sessions, I thought I would share this wonderful essay that Mrs. Parunak wrote.

This morning’s post was written by Andrea Parunak. Daughter of the King, full time help meet to her knight in shining armor, and mother to four exuberant blessings. She blogs at Pursuing Titus 2.

There is a question that ranks right up there with childbirth method, homeschooling, and whether or not you’ll let your children watch TV. Proponents of both sides promise you a happy, healthy child if you follow their advice, and a maladjusted, sickly child if you go with the other side. There’s been a lot of rhetoric spewed back and forth, along with condemnation, hurt feelings, and accusations. What am I talking about? The mother of all parenting questions: Are you going to feed your baby on a schedule (or “flexible routine”), or are you going to feed on demand (or “cue feed”)?

I used to find the debate frustrating and bewildering. I knew what I believed in my heart, but I was disturbed by so many other Christians who just as strongly believed something else. Then a couple of years ago, I stumbled across some information that finally helped me understand how people could have such enormously different experiences with feeding their babies.

Breastfeeding is a supply and demand process, and the way the “demand” is communicated to our bodies all depends on something near and dear to the hearts of countless women: storage space.

Read more here.

Join me each Thursday as I share a devotional that has encouraged me in my walk as a wife and mother.

Titus 2 Thursday: “Overworking” our children

This morning’s post was written by Kelly Crawford from Generation Cedar.  Kelly is the helpmeet to Aaron, and mother to 8 precious blessings.

I heard it again…quite a typical comment about grown children of large families:

“She was the oldest of six and felt like her mother required too much of her….so she doesn’t want a large family.”

Size of family debate aside…the issue here is not the number of siblings or the work load, but rather a fundamental lesson of the Christian life that the parents failed to transmit.

The conclusion that “I had to work too hard...” does not echo the perspective of a follower of Christ.  The first misunderstanding is that life is somehow not largely about work.

Read more here.

Join me each Thursday as I share a devotional that has encouraged me in my walk as a wife and mother.

Titus 2 Thursday: Motherhood or Moanhood?

This morning’s post is written by Serene Allison, daughter of Nancy Campbell, founder of Above Rubies ministry.  If you haven’t scrolled through the articles, devotions, and stories cataloged on the site, I would encourage you do so.  Often.
I have found SO much encouragement through them.

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“Who can find a virtuous woman for her price is far above rubies.” Proverbs 31:10

As mothers and wives we often spend wasted brain space mulling over just the opposite. Do these words sound familiar? “I can’t do it anymore!” “I don’t have the energy!” “I’m drained! I have nothing more to give.” “I’m too tired! I’m completely exhausted and wasted. I can’t do one more thing!” We talk ourselves out of any last vestige of energy, and by the power of our minds we feel even more tired than we really are!

I am often drawn to this text as I pray for God to mold me into the woman He desires me to be, no matter how much against the stream of normalcy it seems.

My Interlinear Bible, which is translated directly from the Hebrew, inspires me when I read, “Who can find an able woman? For her value is far above jewels.” The word “able” hit me with a giant thud. I wasn’t as pricked by the word “virtuous” as virtues seem to abound in the feminine sex! I’m only being slightly sarcastic! But “able”! “Able”?

Read more here.

Join me each Thursday as I share a devotional that has encouraged me in my walk as a wife and mother.