Without speaking our need publicly, the Lord knows.
Lending Library
Making it easier for the Christian woman to obtain wholesome reading material. Visit today!
From Me to You...
FEARLESS TEMPLATE TINKERING
A Guide For the Faint of Heart
By Carrie Rella
$6.95/ebook
If I can learn how to create and tweak templates without any technical training or knowledge, you can too! It's fun and easy! I'll show you how! Includes lots of
online and periodical resources, HTML coding and other aid.
"FEEDING YOUR FAMILY ON LESS
How To Cut Your Grocery Bill By At Least Half
Without Sacrifice Or Discomfort"
By Carrie Rella
$5/ebook
Learn how I am able to keep costs down for feeding our family of ten to under $150 bi-weekly. It's easy! Includes several helpful printables for your own personal use.
Binder Help
If you're feeling "stuck" in the task of creating your own routine/binder, let me help you. You can make a difference in your life for the better. This binder includes everything
you need to get you started. The zippered leather case offers space for important financial cards, addresses, your daily routine, weekly schedule, bills, and more. Plus, it comes
with a calculator, my booklet on organization and the creation of a binder, and more. See our shop by clicking on the link, below, for more information.
If you have any experience with miscarriage, stillbirth or neonatal death and would like to share your story with others, please contact me. I am looking for contributions
for a (publisher printed) book I'm working on. I will be happy to send you the outline if you're not sure your experience would be a "fit". Thank you in advance!
9pm rolls around, and I'm late tucking the little ones.
"Hurry, now. Head to bed. Up, up, up..." I urge them as they climb the stairs ahead of me. "Up, now. Hurry. You've got to get to bed. You'll be tired tomorrow at this rate!"
My mind is spinning with the last hour of rushing each of the smaller children through baths, dressing into nighties, and closing supper time. Now, as I tuck the littles, I am quickly doing some last minute tidying as they each crawl under their covers. A stuffed animal tossed into a cubby here, a pair of shoes put in a drawer there... a toy truck thrown into the toy basket, a blanket folded and put atop the other small ones...
"Are you going to sleep well, tonight, and have nice dreams?" I ask as I hug each of them one last time and switch off the lights.
With the 2, 3, 5 & 6 year olds tucked into bed and firmly reminded to stay quietly in place, I rush down the stairs to the living room to relieve one of the oldest girls of the baby who's been crying for me.
"Thanks," I tell her as I grab the phone up quickly to make my nightly call to a widow friend, and head toward the stairs again. "Just switch loads and tidy up the living and middle room one last time. Start folding and I'll be down shortly to help you once Baby is taken care of."
I see 11 year old slowing down again, in his evening chore and urge him forward. Then, I peek through the doorway of the kitchen and make sure my other older daughter has begun the dishes.
I cuddle the baby as I ascend the open staircase.
"You sweet little dear," I coo. "You're adorable, aren't you? Yes, and you know it, too! Don't you?"
As I pass by the two littles' bedrooms, I notice 6 year old sitting on her bed slowly reaching for a toy in the basket next to her. "No," I tell her. "Lie down, it's bed time. Not play time." She grins and obeys.
"Quiet down, now," I scold 5 year old. "Go to sleep. Your singing will keep everyone awake. It's time to relax and settle."
I go into my bedroom and close the door. At least two dozen tasks still stand before me, and my energy is about gone. I'd hoped to get a shower in yet tonight, too.
I lower myself into the rocking chair with the baby and cover her gently with a receiving blanket. The fan hums away and I just sit and relax for a moment before dialing my elderly friend's number.
Twenty minutes later, the baby is satisfied and in a dry diaper. I am trying to close my phone call to no avail, while dressing the baby in her night clothes and tidying my bedroom. Then, I go downstairs to help my older daughter finish folding the laundry.
I still have the olders' schooling to do yet, and I need to get that bathroom picked up again, too. There are two more loads to go through the dryer and I have three garbages needing emptying. Oh, and those bills I was supposed to prepare for tomorrow morning's mail...
It seems the tasks are never ending. If it's not one thing screaming for attention, it's another. If I'm busy in this part of the house, someone in that part of the house is calling me. Busy, busy, busy... I just keep moving all the while, praising God for health and strength.
When, finally, I sit down as I am now to relax, it's tempting to feel discouraged. I was active all day long. I got a lot done, even if there were a lot of interruptions through it all. But there's still so much I was unable to tackle. So much I couldn't do.
That's when I turn on my "blinders".
And I suggest you do the same!
There comes a time when we all need to rest. Relax. Put our feet up for a spell.
Psalms 127:2 tells us:
It is vain for you to rise up early, to sit up late, to eat the bread of sorrows: for so he giveth his beloved sleep.
How very kind of God to take into account our need for quiet and "recuperation" from all the stress and busy-ness of each day! Don't make the mistake of shunning His gracious gift!
Here are some tips that I've learned along the way. May they help you, also, get that shower in at the end of a chaotic day!
Work through your day off of some type of routine, or list of "must-do"s! Write them in order of priority, and then do them in that order! At the end of the day, if you didn't get to everything, at least the important stuff is crossed off!
Set an "end time" for yourself. Decide in advance when you are going to QUIT for the day. And don't feel guilty for it! My "check out" time is no later than midnight! No matter what, when it gets to be that hour, I'm DONE!
Before you reach that "quit time", try to prepare yourself in advance. An hour before your "self-imposed" closing, begin to ready yourself for the next day. I like to set up my coffee maker the night before, for example, because the smell alone helps wake me up. And I cannot do it, mornings, when my arms are otherwise occupied! I also like to neaten up the rooms I'll see first thing and get together clothes for the little ones in advance.
Have something in mind to close your busy day with. A bath? A letter you want to write? A book you've been meaning to read? Oh, but this gives you a treat to look forward to!
You might as well face it, now. You will never be able to "do it all" every day.
Be kind to yourself, and be realistic. Pray for God's aid in prioritizing your day and be patient when emergencies and other unexpected things occur.
We are our own worst critic, while God looks on the heart. So long as we do all things as unto Him, we can end each and every day with a contented and wholly satisfied feeling!
Sometimes I go to bed so discouraged at what I didn't accomplish through my day that I am not thankful for what I did get done. It seems the tasks never end, but my favorite saying is tomorrow's another day, and tomorrow all those things I didn't do will still be waiting there for me. I pray your night is blessed and full of peace.
Thank you for the reminder to put up our feet. Sometimes we just keep going and going. I do not like the fact that when I slow down my mind keeps going and going where is the off switch for it??
I am learning as my mind keeps going to write it down so I can move back to relaxing.
Thanks again and God Bless, mj
You are so right. We can get overwhelmed if we am not watchful. Sometimes the Lord has to shake us to get our attention and tell us to slow it down and take one day at a time.
I get discouraged sometimes too....but all I have to do is remind myself what if I didn't have these things to do? This work of the home is responding to the needs of my wonderful husband, children, and home...I would not have those :o( I also will lay in bed and think of how wonderful the good Lord gives us a new day every day to continue on. What a gift!
I hope that there was not much damage from your fire....hope all is well with that.
As you can see on my blog, I am the 'list master'. I put a ton of stuff on my list and every day something is left undone.
90% of the time, I just don't let it bother me......
I can only do what I can do in a day. And the days that I cannot get it all done, I have either listed too many things, or I have wasted time on the phone / computer / or doing things for others outside of my home...........anyway you slice it, my choices are usually what prevents me from getting it done!!
The older I get the less I stress about 'completing' a list!!
Laura
Since the baby arrived I have found it very hard to finish my list. I have decided now to do things in order of importance. I now do not have a "routines" like before I do things when I can get to them. I know longer will make lists like I did before I need to change it up a bit. Too discouraging like before.
Got to go change my little ones diaper Thanks for your post.
Thank you so much for this post! This is just what I needed to hear. It does seem that sometimes running on all cylinders isn't quite enough....yet doesn't give us more than we can handle. Thank you for your wise advice. I'll read it again and take heed. May the Lord bless you in your endeavors...
FREE DEVOTIONAL FROM STILLWATER MINISTRIES
Not only does Still Waters offer practical, godly devotions for every day, you'll find their booklets extremely helpful in reading your Bible through in one year.
Their plan is easy and fun!
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