Oct. 22, 2007
Two Kinds of Mondays
Posted in Journal Page
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I’ve come to notice that there are two kinds of Mondays in my house, and which one it turns out to be depends on the Sunday before it. The first kind of Monday, and the far better one for sure, welcomes me before dawn with a clean house, a plan for the day, homeschool lessons prepared. On this Monday I wake up to a quiet, sleeping house, greeted by the delicious smell of automatically brewing coffee. I spend the early hour before the sun peeks out alone with my God, followed by a refreshing shower. I toss in a load of laundry, and make breakfast for the kids. After they eat, I cheer them on to their morning chores, and prepare the table for lessons. All the meals are planned and ingredients on hand. After dinner, I read to the children, pray over them and kiss them goodnight. Matthew and I settle into the quiet of the evening, and spend a couple of hours snuggled together. Like a deep cleansing breath, this kind of Monday nourishes and refreshes our family.
But the refreshing Monday does not ever happen by accident. It’s born of focus and discipline throughout the weekend, staying on top of laundry and housework, and diligently planning lessons, copying pages and sharpening pencils. It’s the direct result of a deliberate Sunday night preparation, complete with clothing set out for Monday morning, automatic coffee pot prepared, alarm clock set and an early lights out.
Then there are the other Mondays. A day of recovery, I suppose, with lots of laundry, dishes, cleaning, organizing—putting together the pieces left strewn about over an unfocused, undisciplined weekend. I can usually be found still in my PJs come dinnertime, exasperated that the whole day is gone. There were no lessons to speak of, save those caught by observant children who hope to have fewer days like these in the future. On these Mondays, I usually wake up when the kids do, or even after one or two of them. I shuffle downstairs and sigh at the sink full of dishes, heat up a cup of coffee left in the pot from the afternoon before, and begin to work with little direction. I remember to make breakfast when the kids complain that they’re hungry…and the rest of the day just happens to me. These Mondays usually end with me at the computer planning or preparing for something (a birthday party, holiday, unit study). Something about that planning helps me recover and refocus.
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Comments
Nov. 1, 2007 - um okay
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