Have you ever thought about the fact that you can make choices to affect your reality? Perhaps you have. It seems like such a simple idea, I know. But for me, this has been quite a revolutionary train of thought.
Of course, I believe that God is all powerful and sovereign over every detail of our lives. But even with that said, isn't it true that so much of our life, our work, and our everyday is simply the acting out of a series of choices?
I've recently decided to be a bit more proactive and intentional in some of the choices I'm making. The slight change in thinking has been revolutionary for me. Does that sound dramatic? Maybe, but I'm telling you, that for me, in this stay-at-home-with-the-kids-everyday role, the days can start to run together and I can forget that I have choices and that in fact, I HAVE CHOSEN to stay home!
I've been trying to choose to get up, shower, and have a few moments of quiet before the kids are awake. I've been choosing to make our bed...two minutes of my morning routine that make a huge difference in how I perceive our space.
And the most freeing thing I've chosen to implement is what we're calling "Timer Time". I've put together a weekly cleaning cycle, so I have one cleaning task each day. Every morning after breakfast, I get the kids cleaned up and then I start the timer...30-45 minutes depending on that day's task and whether or not we have somewhere to go. Then I get busy while the kids play by themselves...unloading the dishwasher, cleaning up breakfast, working on my cleaning task, and doing any other misc. household stuff that catches my attention. Most mornings I am moving! And in the week since starting this, I've gotten a lot done. Hannah has thrived with it. She knows the routine and she and Caleb have kept themselves thoroughly entertained. In fact, today Hannah started crying when the timer went off because she thought it meant they had to stop playing.
I am not one who naturally implements structure and discipline. I like to be a go-with-the-flow kind of person. That generally causes me to feel alive and energized, but in a season of life in which my time and energy is so frequently demanded of by little ones, I have realized some freedom can come by choosing at least small bits of structure. So far, it has offered a lot of satisfaction. However, I'm not the best at sticking with something for a long time either, so we'll see how long this lasts. :)
Cheryl's Birthday
2 years ago
3 comments:
It IS revolutionary. I think I need to steal the timer time idea. Set the timer for 30 minutes when I get home from work and get things straightened up. I think it would make me feel so much better the rest of the night without worrying about what I should be doing. I think I'll try it tonight. Oh golly what am I going to do when I have kids? Craziness! Love you sis. Been thinkin about ya and how I want to come visit sometime... whaddya think?
What a great post! I've been thinking about some things like this a lot lately. I was just moments ago talking with Will about this "choice" to stay home. I think choices are big for the stay-at-home mom because for the most part, we are completely in charge of our days AND how we feel about them. We can dread them, complain about them, and barely survive or we can enjoy them and roll with the punches and live. I've also recently been contemplating adding in more daily structure. I love this 45 minute idea. I've done something similar a few different times recently, but the first time it got out of control and lasted 3 hours. A timer sounds like a great tool to reign it in, something manageable, too. Great thoughts. I'll be thinking about what would work well for us around here. Isn't it exciting that our children are beginning to play well by themselves and with each other!? Praise the Lord! Love you, Carmen.
I dug out my egg timer this morning and tried this. I sent the kids downstairs after breakfast and spent 30 minutes cleaning house. Now I can use their nap time as free time for me and not feel guilty.
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