31 Days to Bless Your Home: Easy Tips for the Domestically Challenged
Week 4- Developing Habits and Routines to Maintain a Blessed Home
Day 22 – What to Do with the Morning Hag
“She’s up before dawn, preparing breakfast
for her family and organizing her day…
First thing in the morning, she dresses for work,
rolls up her sleeves, eager to get started.” Proverbs 31:15, 17 The Message
for her family and organizing her day…
First thing in the morning, she dresses for work,
rolls up her sleeves, eager to get started.” Proverbs 31:15, 17 The Message
This week’s challenge: Begin new habits and routines that will help you maintain the blessed atmosphere in your home.
Today’s challenge: Plan and write down your new morning routine and begin tomorrow to make it a habit.
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| Don’t let this happen to you! |
I thought I was so cool! I would drive my daughter to school in our little black convertible so she could arrive in style. However, the top stayed up so I could hide beneath the false image I was trying to portray. If only her friends could see the hag behind the wheel! My poor daughter!
Since I had retired from teaching about three years ago, I spent the first year or so practicing some lazy habits! Each morning, I rolled out of bed, leisurely sipped my coffee while my daughter got ready for school, and I did nothing else until time to go. I was a hag, I tell you! Here I was in my clown pants, my “I don’t do mornings” shirt, my tacky slippers, raccoon eyes, and wild Medusa hair. Don’t look too closely; you might turn into stone! (Of course, I stepped out of my “hagness” as soon as I got home. This was not an all day habit; it was just a lazy start.)
While I assumed my façade of coolness had me safely hidden behind the wheel of the car, I pulled up to the front of the school building to drop her off. One particular day, however, it seemed as though every single teen in the entire high school was standing or walking somewhere in the vicinity of the front entrance to the school as I sat there watching Natalie struggling with the trunk release so she could get her books. I suddenly realized that what I had feared had just come upon me! I was going to have to get out of the car and help her get the trunk open! IN FRONT OF EVERYONE! YIKES!
I didn’t care what the other moms thought because I assumed they were all in their pj’s too, but poor Natalie! She had to explain the scary sight to her friends! Would she admit that the frump standing by the car was her mom?
Just then I had a flash back of all the times my own mother had said to be sure to wear clean underwear because you never know when you might be in an accident. Well, you never know when the entire student body of your daughter’s high school will see you in clown pants either! How humiliating for both of us!
Well, it didn’t bother me nearly as much as it did her!
That was two years ago, and she is now a senior in high school. Yep, she survived! However, that incident caused me to change my morning routine a bit.
I have learned that the very beginning of each day will set the course for the entire day. What kind of day do I want to have? It is my choice! Is it enough for me to just passively coast through the day, unprepared, and wasting precious time and opportunities? Am I strengthening my self-confidence by staying in my “frump suit” for the majority of the morning? How can I avoid the stress and frustration of our hectic and rushed mornings? How many of you can say that your day begins as one big pile of stress and just goes downhill from there?
On the flipside, we can choose and take steps to have a productive, peaceful, and enjoyable day. We can have smooth and calm mornings that lead into dynamic, positive, and fruitful days when we begin on the right foot. We really can make it happen!
If you are like me, you know how challenging it is to hit the floor running early in the AM. I confess; I am such a sleepy head in the mornings! I am a night owl, and I often have my best inspiration late at night. Therefore, it is practically torture for me to get out of bed early enough to establish a strong morning routine. However, even with my internal-nocturnal clock, it is still vital for me to get out of bed early in the morning and begin each day with a power routine. (Keep in mind that early is a relative term. No, I am NOT a 5:00 AM person anymore, nor do I have any desire to brag about getting up earlier than all of you. 6:30 – 6:45 works just fine for me now! 7:00 is even better when I can!)
I began incorporating change in my routine by writing a list of things I need to do to begin each day on a strong note. I will share with you things that have helped me in the mornings, but your own personal list may look very different from mine. The important thing is to find what works best for you.
Next, I made a commitment that for the next 30 days, I would follow this list strictly to establish new habits. We are all creatures of habit, and we love routines, believe it or not! It takes 21 days to create a new habit, but because I was so stubborn, I decided to add a few more!
Here goes:
1. Wake up early. Drink a glass of pure water. So good for you first thing in the morning!
2. Take dogs outside; give them food and water.
3. Make bed – A must!
4. Wash face, brush teeth, put on real clothes, and brush hair. I refuse to get caught being a hag in public again! (Make up can wait until my eyes are more wide awake!) (Oh, and I took a shower before I went to bed, so I’m clean!)
5. Put everything away in the bathroom that I used to get ready. Wipe down sink, counter, and toilet if needed.
6. Start the coffee maker.
7. Put in a load of laundry in the washer.
8. Put dishes away in dishwasher. Or, if it wasn’t full enough to run last night, be ready to run it after breakfast.
9. Have a healthy breakfast. Clean all dishes right away! It only takes a minute!
10. Check what I am having for dinner and thaw any meat if necessary.
11. Either create or check over my to-do list for the day so I can budget my time and set my priorities.
12. Now that I have put my “maids” to work and have my day organized, I can sit down and focus on my quiet time with the Lord. Most people like to do this before their feet hit the ground, and that is wonderful, but I focus better when I get myself sorted first. I like to go outside on the deck or into the formal living room where no one will distract me. I like to start with Scripture memory and/or Scriptural confessions to get my mind on track. I also pray for the Lord to direct my steps today and to help me glorify Him in all I say and do today. This is a great time to pray for your husband and children too! Whom else will God put on your heart to pray for?
13. Now I can have my coffee!!!!!!! Somewhere during this time, my daughter yells that she is ready for school, and I drive her.
14. When I get back home, I put the clothes in the dryer, put a new load in the washer, and then get back to my time with God. Depending on which day of the week it is, I spend the next couple of hours or so studying and/or blogging.
15. I am now ready for housework, deep cleaning, church work, or to put on one of my many other hats for the day!
Well, that is what works for me! Since we all live very different lives, what do you need to do to begin your day in the most positive way possible?
What a difference it makes to have a plan! How wonderful it is to not have to be embarrassed or to hide when someone knocks on my door unexpectedly! How wonderful to not have to panic when my daughter calls and needs for me to come to the school, or if a church member calls and needs me to visit or run an errand.
Ladies, I want you to feel good about yourselves and have the best day possible every day! It is OK to be casual, but make an effort to never be caught in public looking like I did in that picture! May my scary picture inspire you to begin each day with a productive routine so that you will have your house and your face ready for whatever the day may bring! Make it a good one!
Be sure to join me for the remainder of the week as we practice great habits for evening routines, dishes and laundry, and our personal habits. Yes, the way we take care of ourselves makes a huge impact on the atmosphere of our homes! You, Moms, are what make the difference, not stuff!
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Thank you, and God bless you and your home!
Shari Lewis
I sure have been there! When my children were little, my devotion time was much shorter and often with interruptions. Sometimes just a few verses to meditate on was all I could get in. If I didn't grab my Bible very early in the morning to get a jump start on my early birds, I would miss out. Prayer was an ongoing conversation with God throughout the day because it was hard to get alone to pray at a set time. Sometimes my quiet time was shared with them as I read from the children's Bible or their devotion book. It wasn't always on my level, but it still lifted my spirits. It sure takes creativity! I admire young mothers!
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Thank you for reading and responding. God bless!
As a mother of 3 that are 6,4, And 2. I have a hard time "getting going " and a lot of times don't seem to do consistent quiet time.It seems we're late more often than not. I struggle trying to get it all done. This was such a good read. How do I follow your blog?
Yes, God certainly does deserve our first fruits! I was a teacher for many years with little ones to get ready very early in the mornings, and I also homeschooled several of those years. Back then, my quiet time with the Lord was the first thing, but it was only about 15 minutes before jumpstarting the day, and then it was crazy busy after that! However, now that I am in ministry full time, I need several hours of Bible study per day, so I require a larger focused time to study. That is why I had to rearrange my schedule to have more time. I also want to give Him my best, and that is why I feel I must dress and clean up before my time with Him. We all do what works best in our unique situations, and God honors that.
Nope, first thing is time with the Lord. He is to get the firstfruits of my time. As for the rest, I've been a go-to-work wife and mom my whole life, so I've never had the luxury of not getting up and getting ready for the world to see.