The Journey Towards Home - From Mess Maker to Home Maker

I have been trying to keep up with the dishes. "Shiny Sink" Flylady thing. And also just trying to be responsible to put things where they bleong when I am done with them. Dirty dishes need to be rinsed and put in the dishwasher, not just left in the sink.

But last night after dinner, I looked at the dishes and pot (cast iron which means a little more time to clean) and said "that will take too much time." But I had done well keeping up on the dishes for two nights now. So I set to it. And od you know how long it look? SEVEN MINUTES! A whole lot less than the hour I had imagined/exagerated in my mind.

One of the things I have always liked about Flylady (and notice that a lot of others have this too) is the use of the timer for 15 minutes to clean. "Set the timer for 15 minutes and do it. You can do ANYTHING for 15 minutes!"

When I set my timmer and actually work on cleaning ANYTHING, I find that I not only did do that mammoth task I assumed would take forever, BUT I am able to do so much more! Oftentimes I find myself needing to find something else to clean as my 15 minutes are not over yet.

I bought a timer that has a string so that I can wear it around my neck (I could not always hear the kitchen timer when I was in a different room). It has been exceptionally nice, and I find it an encouragement to actually do the cleaning. Whenever I feel that it will take too much time, I just set the timer and go at it. And I find I get MUCH more done than I had expected.

In the CD Twenty Four Hours Is All You Get, Mrs. Bradrick talks about how we need to be careful about the time we think something will take. If you schedule an hour to do the dishes, it will take an hour to do them. She warns that we can spend unnecessary time doing necessary things. It really does make you think.

Of course I find her site after already creating my schedule (which I will share below). This means even though for the two days I have now being slightly following my schedule, I will prolly make more modifications. :D

Something I have always believed and tried to live by is that you have to do what works for YOU. God made us all unquie and individuals. When we seek His guideance, what He leads someone else to do may not be what He wants to lead me to do. I have applied this principle to nutrition, to our homeschooling (a mix of Mason, Moore and unschooling), and I have applied to to making a schedule.

My schedule will of course have NON-homekeeping things in it because my life is not just about keeping a home ( I have a husband to be a helpmeet to and kids to play with and love on and a husband to love on too!).

So what has helped me create a schedule?

FLYLADY
While I have not been able to "do" Flylady, I am so thankful for the lessons that I have learned. I continue to visit her site and learn. I have taken a lot from her (the importance of routines and STICKING to them, Shiny Sink, etc.) and put in my schedule.

MOTH
Managers Of Their Homes has also helped me. While we are not as strict as the book suggests (or the applications/examples in the book), it has helped me to manage my (and my kid's) time more wisely.

Twenty-Four Hours Is All You Get
I must say that THIS is what has helped THE MOST. I have FINALLY created a schedule. You can get a copy of this CD (which comes with PDF worksheets) from VisionForum. Mrs. Brodreck talks about the importance of a God-honoring schedule. What would He want me to do? What would He have my children do? It also helped me to realize how much of my day is wasted on things which I think are a high priority but are actually robbing my time to do more godly living (no matter how important I think learned to keep a good home is, KEEPING the home is more important). We are told in God's word we are to be good stewards of what God gives us. Shouldn't that include being good stewards of our time? We only get twenty-four hours a day!!

The Genuine Profit of Home Sweet Home and Making It Home yahoo group
I have JUST discovered this WONDERFUL resource. It is amazing how different each style is and yet what is so wonderful is being able to take a bit from here and there and making it work for YOU. The MIH yahoo group has wonderful reminders throughout the day (not NEARLY as many as Flylady...just a few here and there to help out). And the Genuine Profit blog has a wonderful Homemaking 101 course. I am currentyl reading through those to incorporate them into my schedule.

So here is my schedule. Right now it is VERY loosely followed. Although I must admit that my 6YR keeps asking what is next on the schedule Mommy? :D I am happy to be starting her so early. The following schedule is for weekdays and days where Daddy is working. I have a seperate more loose (VERY loose) schedule for the weekends and days where Daddy is off (as we want to be open to what HE wants to do.

6:30- 7AM get dressed; groom self and room (wipe down bathroom)
7 - 7:30AM Bible reading/prayer/memorization
7:30 - 8AM prepare breakfast
7:45 - 8:15AM Morning Meal Job
8:30 - 9:45AM Morning Work / school
9:45 - 10AM Excercise
10 - 10:45AM Read Aloud to children while they work on handiwork
10:45-11:15AM fun school / creative indoor playtime / sewing (me)
11:15-11:30AM 15-minute pick-up
11:30 - 12PM Outdoor Playtime / Zone Work (me)
12PM - 12:30PM Unload dishwasher / Prepare lunch
12:30 - 1PM Eat lunch / Afternoon Meal Job
1 - 2PM Younger Ones Nap / Older Ones School
2 - 3PM Younger Ones Nap / Older Ones Rest / Personal Time (me - blogging, research, planning, email)
3 - 4PM Afternoon Work / Service and Hospitality
4 - 5PM Outdoor Playtime / Servvice and Hospitality
5 - 5:30PM Prepare Dinner
5:30 - 5:45PM Trainning Time / Life and Practical Skills
5:45 - 6PM 15 MInutes Pick-up
6 - 6:45PM Evening Meal / Talking
6:45 - 7PM Evening Meal Job
7 - 7:45PM Family Night
7:45 - 8PM Bedtime Routine
8 - 8:15PM Bedtime Story and BEDTIME
8:15 - 10PM Time with Hubby / Personal Time / Scrapbooking / Home Business

MEAL JOBS:

• Preparing/Cooking food


• Dishes to sink


• Sweep floor


• Wipe table/counters


• Load dishwasher


• Morning: run dishwasher after loading with breakfast dishes


• Afternoon: before preparing lunch unload dishwasher

MORNING WORK:this will prolly change after reading and incorporating more of what I am learning from Homemaking 101 and Making It Home

• Cleaning Home - blessings hour broken up by day


• Farming/Gardening spring/summer


• start laundry


• See Mon-Fri cleaning schedule (not created yet)

AFTERNOON WORK: this will prolly change after reading and incorporating more of what I am learning from Homemaking 101 and Making It Home

• Cleaning Routine (not created yet)


• Farming/Gardening in fall/winter


• Fold / put away laundry/li>
  
• grocery Shopping


• Library time


• See Mon-Fri cleaning schedule (not created yet)

FAMILY NIGHT:

• Monday - Reading Night (Daddy reads aloud, we do quiet handiwork)


• Tuesday - Family Fun Night


• Wednesday - Family Devotions


• Thursday - Arts, Crafts and Hobbies Night


• Friday - Game Night


• Saturday - Saturday Night Sundaes (we make homemade ice cream while playing games/watching movies)


• Sunday - Family Day

So for what it's worth, there it is. At least for now. It was pretty difficult to come up with a schedule and still be true to the free learning that I want my children to encounter. But that is the great thing about schedules - if they don't work, keep praying and revise.