The "CHCHC NEWSLETTER" is set up to be a day ahead (because of all the different time zones of everyone involved). The Stats are from the previous challenge day, as well as the next day and what the room challenge is. "Today" is what room we're in the remaining days of the challenge left. "Planning Ahead" is for you to read each night to encourage you and remind of things for the next day, and then spend time in prayer with the Lord before heading to bed. "Looking Back" is for you to post about your day, "Looking Ahead" is what room or devotion is coming next in the challenge, and "For Your Information" has fun pictures and comments from others doing the challenge. C.H.C.H.C. STATS from Day 5 - 172 women!
Day 6: Friday, April 7th ROOM CHALLENGE: LIVING ROOM DAYS REMAINING IN CHCHC: 46
PLANNING AHEAD (Things to sit down and think about tonight to prepare for the next day): DAY 7 - Saturday, April 8th ROOM CHALLENGE: Living Room COMPLETION GOAL: Saturday
"TO DO" LIST:
Tomorrow we'll finish in the LIVING ROOM... If you're done, you can either go on and begin Monday's project, or, take a day off to enjoy with your family! The Challenge schedule has been arranged with the idea that the weekends are "family time", so unless you want to get a jump on next week, give yourself and everyone else a break and enjoy each other! Be sure to share how the living room clean up went!
Even though it's the weekend, maintainence still is essential, so make sure everything you've worked on so far is NOT falling apart! That's a huge part in the problem we have of getting behind. You have those areas clean, now you must teach everyone in your home to keep it that way. This may mean following them around and making sure that everything that gets taken out, gets put away. (This is an area I really struggle in...)
What's for breakfast tomorrow? Get anything ready that you can tonight. (Even if you're not cleaning, keeping your schedule going is important, especially when kids are involved. The appreciate having things routine and that they can count on. You may choose to let everyone sleep in, but try and make sure that you still keep things somewhat similar.)
Lay out clothes while you're at it so you don't have to search for them in the clothes pile too (um... just in case you'd have to do that... BY THE WAY... JUST BECAUSE WE HAVEN'T TACKLED THE LAUNDRY ROOM, THAT DOES NOT MEAN THAT YOU DON'T HAVE TO BE DOING LAUNDRY! Make sure you've got that on your schedule so you don't get further behind and have a real disaster to catch up when we get to that room!)
Have you looked at your Weekly Challenge Calendar and know what's happening over the weekend? (appointments, etc that you can't forget...)
Write in your Prayer Journal and make sure to tell about your day. We never know what will happen from one day to the next, and your journal is an important part of remembering your journey throughout The Clean Heart, Clean Home Challenge.
Just to remind you... I've made an extra six pages of the prayer/journal pages. Just add them to your organizer, and be sure that you add them inbetween the devotionals (since the following week is on the back of one of the pages, for those of you who printed on front and back!). You can get them by clicking the following link: EXTRA PRAYER PAGES
LOOKING BACK:
Leave a comment on how the challenge is going for you! (For those of you who are not "homeschoolbloggers", you can still leave comments! If you have a blog somewhere else, than just leave your link in the comment. For those of you who don't have a blog, please leave a comment and sign your name (first name is just fine if you'd rather not leave your full name, or sign "Amy from... and your state"). Keep in mind that your comments may uplift and encourage someone else! Be a blessing!)
How is God speaking to you?
How is you Challenge Schedule/Plan going? I'm curious to know who is doing school, and how much. How many of you have taken a break? When do you find is the best time to get anything done? You're still in the first week, so keep hanging in there. Mark things that aren't working and need to be changed. You can evaluate that more this weekend. Be sure to keep it in prayer as well.
LOOKING AHEAD (What's coming): DAY 8 - Sunday, April 9th DEVOTION DAY
After the Living Room, we'll be starting our second week of the challenge by reading the WEEK TWO Devotional.
Plan on taking some time out to spend with the Lord, as well as evaluate how the week went and any changes you might need to make to make it go more smoothly.
DAY 7 - Monday, April 10th ROOM CHALLENGE: Entrance COMPLETION GOAL: Tuesday
Monday we'll be in the ENTRANCE. This area is whatever your visitors walk into when they come into your home. Take time to plan out what needs to be done in there. If you need to, look at the Detailed List and mark what needs to be done on your "To Do" List.
For Your Information:
Here are some who have posted some pictures or commented on how their challenge is going...
DawesAcadamy wrote about her challenge in the livingroom.
True Stories was having a hard time... she's doing better, but take a moment to encourage her and say a prayer.
I had to hop in my kitchen today and get some cleaning done because company is coming, but instead of getting stressed that I wasn't able to finish my living room, I feel good knowing that I got some things checked off my "To Do" List anyway! Some of you haven't been doing the "challenge schedule" to a "T" either. If you're not, then one way you can still take advantage of the "At A Glance" calendar by just crossing out the rooms as you finish them, no matter what day they're on. That way you'll know how long it took you to complete the room, as well as make sure you're "on schedule" and will get things done in the 52 days!
For those of you who have gotten a late start, or are "behind", you need to decide what will be best for you. Do you need to "re-start" your week on Day One, or continue and begin "fresh" this Sunday on Day 8 (in week 2). If you get discouraged by feeling behind, then seriously think about staying with us and start the WEEK TWO devotion on Sunday. You can always come back to the other rooms/areas after the challenge, or, as I mentioned above, just cross out the rooms in the challenge as you get them done. You may get ahead and then you could come back to the other challenges then. I know how hard and discouraging it is to feel behind, so pray about what you should do and be ready on Sunday for whatever you choose.
Once again, I'm changing the newsletter a little. It will give you all the information you still need to get ready, but the timing might help me a little more. I hope this will work out for everyone else as well. This means what you receive will tell you the stats about yesterday, tell you what room we're in on what day, and look ahead to see what's coming. I'm trying to make sure you all get it in time (since we're all in different time zones) but not loose my sanity at the same time! Thanks so much for your patience as I continue to figure this out right along with you!
PRAY: Dear Heavenly Father, As the week comes to an end, help me to continue cleaning my heart and home. Keep me at a steady pace that glorifies you, keeps my children content, and my home organization increasingly better. Help me tomorrow to focus on my family as well as my home. Create in me a clean heart, Lord... and renew a right spirit within me and my home. In Jesus' name, Amen. (If you'd like to be a part of The Clean Heart, Clean Home Challenge, it's not too late to join... to ready more, read "The Clean Heart, Clean Home Challenge".)
Well, my challenge is not going exactly according to plan but progress is being made. I ended up dealing with an area of the bedroom today that needed attention worse than the living room. Tomorrow I am tackling the living room. It's been a hard week and I've been out of the house more than usual.
A new post is up at the grocery challenge for those who are participating or want to at A Fire in the Hearth
Hi Amy,
I signed up but don't know if I did it right. I am not getting the emails. So if I didn't this is my 2nd sign up. I have however been cleaning away with all of you ladies. My living room looks lovely. I also worked on keeping my kitchen clean throughout the week. Just by not letting things pile up.
Since we just moved into this house 2 wks ago and took off school for the last month, we started school again this week. Things went really well. I am actually thinking this is because I was ORGANIZED!!! Imagine that things go well when you have a plan. We did a full schedule and completed everything, praise the Lord. So my kids were educated, my home was cleaned and my honey was blessed. Overall I would call that a success. I am tired though!
I am looking forward to Week 2. Thanks for all of your encouragement Amy!
Blessings,
Andrea
We had a beautiful sunny day after the flood waters stopped and receded. More tornados, but they stayed south of us. Pray for families not so fortunate in the last 24 hours. I posted our vehicle make-over photos on my website.
Thanks again for the ideas and encouragement,
Maureen
I love your "entrance". I dont have one either but this gives me a few ideas about rearranging my furniture. My house is small so I dont have too many choices about where the furniture sits but I can try.
I'll admit that I'm behind. My vacuum cleaner/shampooer broke earlier this week and is in the shop. I cleaned about 3 feet of carpet and the beater-bar broke completely off. (Yeah, it's old but it's a Kirby and still has a lot of cleaning left in it). The repairman was going to TRY to have it ready by Friday but I havent heard from him.
I'm planning to catch up, even if it means doing double duty for a day or two.
and a woman seeking the Lord's Will (daily), a wife (striving to keep the romance alive), a "Smamma" (Step- mother) of one and a homeschooling mom of seven (I was never going to have children), who starts every day over (after messing SOME thing up the day before), knowing God's grace is overflowing (just like my laundry), and so thankful He's blessed me more than I'll ever deserve.
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•Friday, April 7, 2006 - Untitled Comment
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Elaine <><