Being a homeschooling mom keeps me very busy, and running in all kinds of directions. My mornings are my busiest times of day. Without organizing the morning, I find nothing but chaos and stress. My children fight because they don’t know what to do with themselves. I’m torn in 5 different directions, not knowing what to do first.
In light of this, I organize my mornings to cut down on the stress and choas. Granted, they aren’t perfect, but they do run much smoother when I follow the plan.
I also want to add…though I am still working on getting up early every morning, before the children wake up, when I do, there is a huge difference in my day. I am able to get a little head start on my day by waking up, having my morning coffee and spending that very important time with Jesus. I cannot stress enough how important this is. This is foundational for a smooth day for me. So, although I am still perfecting this, I do notice when I do it, it makes a huge difference. So, I am going to add that into my morning, even though I don’t do it everyday.
- 5:30am – wake, have coffee, pray, Bible reading
- 7am – feed kids, clean up from breakfast
- 8:00 – Bible reading with kids (5-10 mins)
- 8:15 – get dressed, chores (empty dishwasher, 1 load of laundry)
- 9:00 – begin lessons (all children need to have structured time or nothing will get accomplished)
- 10:00 – nap time for babies (2 and 8 months old); continue lessons
- 12pm – lunch; clean up; afternoon chores
- 1:00 – finish lessons (more structured time for all)
Ok, so I went a little over the morning routine, but you get the idea. This is ideal…doesn’t always happen, but it’s what I strive for and what helps keep our mornings smooth, productive, and with little stress.
Everyone needs to do what works for them. The key is to have a plan, and follow it as closely as possible.
A morning routine works for me!
**Come visit me at Is This Modest? today!**
March 11, 2009 at 9:15 pm
Christin, I agree with everything you’ve shared here. Last week I was able to make it up and have time for prayer, Bible reading and study 3 mornings and it made such a difference in my day. Then the weekend arrived and with it the time change and I seem to have been knocked down. I am extremely tired this week and have slept in each day.
We are having Spring break from school this week so getting up and getting into our school routine might be part of what has me thrown too.
March 11, 2009 at 9:26 pm
thanks for giving a peek at your routine! right now i’m only schooling a kindergartener, but as our kids grow in age and number, i’ll have the same issues!
March 13, 2009 at 4:01 am
[...] Christin from Journey to a Gracious Woman writes about her plan for a structured morning routine. [...]
March 13, 2009 at 1:41 pm
Your routine looks great! Its hard balancing lots of little ones isnt it? I always gave myself a free pass when I had a baby (my youngest is 19mo. and I no longer have a free pass) Go with the flow. You are doing a great job, my friend.
Brenda
March 13, 2009 at 2:56 pm
I like your routine a lot. Mine’s is similar except I really need to start waking up earlier…ack… my downfall sleeping in….
Thanks for the inspiration today!
Catryna