PRAY FIRST...

The next step in BOOT CAMP is to make a schedule.  Now, some of you may literally break out in hives at the thought of a "schedule"... but if it's one thing I've learned, it's that when you fail to plan, you plan to fail... meaning that everyone has some sort of schedule.  You wake up, you eat, you brush your teeth, you get dressed, you (or your husband) pay bills, you get the mail, you go to church, you pay taxes, ect. In your life, there are things that require your attention at given points throughout the day, month, or year.  To each of these things, you set aside time to accomplish these things to make sure they get done or there will be consequences (especially on the bills!).  Certainly our children are the most important things we have been given charge over.  Planning time for the things that NEED to be accomplished in their lives is crucial... especially for the homeschool mom.  We set the pace.

Now, there are those who follow a very precise schedule, while others are more comfortable with a relaxed goal.  I've tried both ways, and for my family, a "precise goal" seems to be the best.  You see, when I've tried to have a "precise schedule", I've gotten frustrated when I've gotten behind or when "life" happened and everything fell apart.  Likewise, when I had a "relaxed plan" I found that when too much time was allowed for "free time", I spent more time breaking up arguments than getting anything worth while accomplished and I was even more frustrated!

With a "precise goal" I am still precise (definite, defined, clear-cut, specific) with what is to be accomplished, but I'm also reminded that it is just a goal (aspiration, target, intention, objective) that leaves room for the Lord to plan my day as He sees fit.

OOOOOOOOOOOOO... did you just cringe?  Yes, I did just say that!  In making any kind of a schedule you still MUST be willing to allow the Lord to plan your day.  This will take daily prayer, as well as total submission.  Every day you will need to surrender yourself, your plans, your children, and your day to Him.

I have a magnet on my fridge with a prayer I wrote (nothing like a little slap on the face from yourself every now and then right? ) to remind me every day what's truly important...  (For those who would be interested in getting one of these... please email me.)

(actual size 3.43" x 1.93")

 © 2006 Amy Verlennich (Please do not reproduce in any way without permission.)

...THEN BEGIN TO MAKE A SCHEDULE

Okay... so you've prayed and surrendered, right?  Before you go any further, you have to know that if you haven’t done the surrender part, then forget going on any further with this, cuz you're missin' the whole point!  If you're unwilling for the Lord to mold your heart, how do you expect to be able to tend to the hearts of your children?!  Spend time in prayer until you've reached the point where you completely understand that you are the Lord's to do with what He wills, and that while you may be the “mamma” of the house, it is the Lord who is the Heavenly Father to those children you love so dearly, and it was Him who gave you those precious lives to take care of.

To begin making a schedule, it’s important to think “big picture”.  This has always been an area of struggle for me in particular, because I’m a “detail person”.  Details are important, and we’ll get to that, but for now you must THINK BIG PICTURE!  The reason I emphasize that so, is because I believe the majority of disorganized homeschool moms are disorganized because they are detail people.  This is a wonderful attribute on many levels, but unfortunately, isn’t helpful when trying to create order in your homes.  Detail people get caught up and spend too much time on one thing trying to get it right (or worse… “perfect”) and as a result, loose control over their entire home and get overwhelmed (yes, I’m speaking from experience and my husband has pictures to prove it!).  If you are a detail person, pray for the Lord to help you to see His big picture and for you to be flexible!

To begin to restore order in your home, you need to take steps to make a schedule that creates "harmony" with God's plan for you and your family!  This will not necessarily be easy for everyone.  I have struggled with this since I began homeschooling 5 years ago.  The MOST important thing to remember is to lean on the Lord for guidance and peace (“Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.”  Proverbs 3:5-6 (NIV)). 

 

STEP 1:  PRAY! PRAY! PRAY!

PRAY! (I know that sounds so simple, but if you don’t continually seek His guidance, you won’t be completely sure of what the Lord is telling you to do.  You MUST have a relationship with Him and talk with and listen to Him throughout your day in order to know what His plans are for you and your family.)

STEP 2:   Make a “NEED To” List

Make a list of everything that must be accomplished… not what YOU want to get done, but what NEEDS to get done.   If you choose to use my “NEED To” List, then you’ll divide everything into three subjects of HOME, SCHOOL, and ACTIVITIES.  

Some things to include in HOME would be: alone time with the Lord (if you don’t schedule this you may not find the time… this is definitely a NEED to thing!), breakfast, lunch, supper, laundry (be sure to put down “laundry” for each load you do in a day), and shower for you.

If you’re home has “fallen behind” and clutter is taking over, be sure to add that to your HOME list as well.  I knew that I needed to have a section of time to clean in order to keep my home in working order.  I’d also fallen behind in the laundry room and the kids’ closets.  In making a time that I knew I would get to each thing, I felt better about them being that way for the time being, knowing that eventually I would get to them and still keep my schedule working.  I would also suggest that while you’re making your list that you take a week to get as much picking up done in your home that you need (call in help from the kids for this) so that when you begin your schedule the following week, you can at least function.  (This is great if this doesn’t apply to you, but I, for one had an overwhelming task ahead of me and knew there was some cleaning issues that needed to be taken care of first and I did that during the week of planning my schedule.)

In the SCHOOL list, keep in mind that if you have more than one child to list them separately when appropriate and together whenever that applies.  For example, if two of your children are doing phonics together, but one isn’t, be sure to put “phonics – Sue and Beth” on the list as well as “lang. arts – Jim” (you are trying to keep this as easy as possible so group whenever you can).  This may also apply to certain chores (my girls clean up their room together, as do the boys) and would be put under the HOME list.  Do this for as many things as possible.  This will help keep the “big picture” for now.  

For the ACTIVITIES list, remember any recurring things throughout your week (such as AWANA, church, any sports activities, music lessons, ect.)  To get you started and give you an idea of how to get it all started, feel free to refer to my “NEED To” List as an example, but please remember: this is your schedule for your home, so you need to seek what the Lord wants for you!

Take your time on this if you need to.  When I did this, I sat down and wrote out a lot of “NEED to” things that were obvious, but throughout the following days, I kept the list handy.  When I remembered something that needed to get done that wasn’t getting done, I wrote it down and continued to pray for the Lord to show me what He wanted me to accomplish. 

Another thing to remember in making your list is; this is a list for NOW!  This isn’t about what you’d like to see happen… this is what NEEDS to happen NOW!  You’re taking the steps to get a schedule going in your home that will work right away (with the exception of a little trial and error).  For those of us who seem to be in a constant state of change (having a child, nursing, or in the in-between stages), you must accept the fact that your schedule is going to change a lot over time, and may have to be revamped in a few months when the little one takes only one nap instead of two, ect.  Embrace those changes, for they are your life!  Don’t get frustrated.  These steps are easily changed as your life requires.  For the time being, just focus on NOW!

There is no need to prioritize this list… that comes next.  For now, you are just seeking what the Lord wants.  This is a good time to evaluate your curriculum choices as well as any extra curricular activities or chores you are involved in.  For me it was a time to decide what I was going to use first.  I have to confess; I am a “curriculum junkie” and have so many good things that have gone untouched.  I had become overwhelmed with trying to get it all done and not doing anything well.  I really needed to decide what I was going to start with, and then put the rest of the stuff away until I finish the first things!  The list was the first step in making me feel better about our school, knowing that with a reasonable layout, we could get one thing done at a time, and eventually get to the other things after that.  (You could also have a Yearly Planning Form at the beginning of each year that will help you in this area as well, but we're taking care of the present for now.)

Remember to keep this list as general as possible and with only the NEEDED things!  I’ve included a sample of my list in the beginning stages.  As you will find out (in the next post), the next step will be more of what you'd like to happen, and then we will be combining the lists and putting them into time frames.  THEN we will begin working more on the details.  For now, just try to think “BIG PICTURE”!

May God guide you through these first couple of steps, until the next post!

In Him,
Amy

Read how our journey began, then follow along as we continue reviving the heartbeat in our home through BOOT CAMP!