heartofdakota.com

Thank you for sharing this Julie. It is such a breath of fresh air to hear that others are slowing down. I've always admired your schedules and wished that I could be as organized as you and get things done as efficiently as you, but it just never happens in this house. Your schedules always inspire me though to do better and this one does as well. It's nice to ponder other ways of constructing a schedule and arranging our days.

I was just thinking the other day how quickly it seems the years are going. The days may drag on at times, but the years are flying by and my dear children are no longer babies, toddlers, or even little children. They are quickly heading toward the teenage years and some days I feel like I am missing it. I love that you are taking that special, snuggle time with your youngest ds and savoring this special time. It really blessed me to read that you are scheduling your Bible quiet time for the afternoons. I've always felt if I didn't get my Bible quiet time in during the morning, I was not doing it right. I have heard others say it is ok to have a quiet time at night or other times, but it always seemed like everyone else had their quiet time in the morning and that was the right time to do it. It is nice to see someone else putting that at a different time in the day because that is when they can consistently have peace to spend time with God. I like that you are taking into account what your body and this season of life is presenting. It makes me feel better about slowing down and not feeling guilty about taking more time to rest when needed. So thanks for sharing your situation and how you are adjusting your lifestyle for this season in your life. It frees me of guilt, challenges me, and inspires me. Thanks!

P.S. Could you tell me what a clean sweep is? I've read it in your schedules for a while now and wonder what it is and how to implement it? It sounds like it would be a great way to keep a tidier house!

pjdobro wrote:Thank you for sharing this Julie. It is such a breath of fresh air to hear that others are slowing down. I've always admired your schedules and wished that I could be as organized as you and get things done as efficiently as you, but it just never happens in this house. Your schedules always inspire me though to do better and this one does as well. It's nice to ponder other ways of constructing a schedule and arranging our days...I was just thinking the other day how quickly it seems the years are going. The days may drag on at times, but the years are flying by and my dear children are no longer babies, toddlers, or even little children. They are quickly heading toward the teenage years and some days I feel like I am missing it. I love that you are taking that special, snuggle time with your youngest ds and savoring this special time.

Pjdobro- You are such an encouragement to me! I know the Lord has brought you to the HOD Board to be a support to so many moms out there with your wise advice and kind way of helping, but I especially feel blessed that I get to interact with you here. You are one of the reasons I look forward to coming on the board and reading it. Thank you so very much, as your words are often a balm for this weary soul.

pjdobro wrote:...It really blessed me to read that you are scheduling your Bible quiet time for the afternoons. I've always felt if I didn't get my Bible quiet time in during the morning, I was not doing it right. I have heard others say it is ok to have a quiet time at night or other times, but it always seemed like everyone else had their quiet time in the morning and that was the right time to do it. It is nice to see someone else putting that at a different time in the day because that is when they can consistently have peace to spend time with God. I like that you are taking into account what your body and this season of life is presenting. It makes me feel better about slowing down and not feeling guilty about taking more time to rest when needed. So thanks for sharing your situation and how you are adjusting your lifestyle for this season in your life. It frees me of guilt, challenges me, and inspires me. Thanks!

I felt this way about Bible Quiet Time too. Though I know ideally first thing in the morning is best, for me, waking up extremely early meant I was falling asleep during my quiet time. Trying to do it while the children were getting ready first thing in the morning was very loud and held many interruptions. My afternoons are quiet, as the boys go outside to play. They are the best times for me right now to meet with the Lord. Thank you for sharing you have felt the same way, as I too have felt guilt about this. I can feel my walk with the Lord getting closer though, so for now, I believe this is a good time for me to meet with Him.

pjdobro wrote:P.S. Could you tell me what a clean sweep is? I've read it in your schedules for a while now and wonder what it is and how to implement it? It sounds like it would be a great way to keep a tidier house!

Mike, my dear brother-in-law, coined the phrase as well as the idea "cleansweep," and I use it now too. When the dc cleansweep the house, they must go through it room by room, "sweeping" up anything that was left out (i.e. school tubs, pillows or blankets on the floor, bringing up items left on their step of the stairs, etc.) and "cleaning" anything untidy (i.e. a dirty dish in the sink, lots of crumbs under the table, etc.). We do this before bed and it helps our next morning start off much sunnier. HTH, and thanks for your kind words here!

In Christ,
Julie

Thanks, ladies, for sharing your thoughts here in this thread! All of your ideas and musings are so helpful as we each ponder the order of our days. I pray it can help all of us think through what is best now for each of our individual situations.

In Christ,
Julie

Julie,
Thanks for posting this. I really needed a major change in my schedule (children were fine with the old)
so I used this as a springboard and an 'ok' to rewrite my schedule and not have to have everything done by
noon. I also planned in 2 hours of downtime for myself in the early afternoon which I really need.
Actually my oldest loves the fact that he gets 30-50 minutes of my undivided attention in the afternoon.
My middle likes that he gets my teaching time by himself in the early morning, and my youngest enjoys having
big brothers to play with in bigger chunks of time, since they take turns spending time with her while I'm working with the other one.
Thanks again!

Mikki

Thank you Julie for your kind words. It made my day. Thanks for sharing about your cleansweep too. I'm sharing that with my family and hope to implement it at our house.