I seem to hear that question a few times a week. The honest answer - I don't! I think 'doing it all' is actually impossible. There is a notion in homeschooling circles that you can have a picture perfect home, manicured yard and gardens, grow your own veggies, sew beautiful clothing, grind your wheat and make healthy meals from scratch, give your children a 'well rounded' education, take great vacations and field trips to exotic places, speak a foreign language fluently, volunteer at church, shuttle your children to sports and music classes, be an eager submissive wife and the list goes on. Priorities are critical and some things must go! There are many things that scream for a mothers attention throughout the day. The key is to figure out which of these 'screamers' needs attention and which needs to learn patience! Our family prays daily to be able to "accomplish all of the tasks the LORD has set before us to accomplish today."

My priorities are the following...

1. Spend time with the Lord - "But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you." Matthew 6:33

I got saved at 18 and already had a husband and child. I hear so many women talk about the hours they used to spend with the Lord - time in their prayer closet and actually studying the Word before having children. I never had that luxury - for many years I would beat myself up because I just am not one of those ladies who wake up at 5am to have 'quiet time'. I actually do not like to be up without my family! But I thought to be spiritual I had to make this qutie time happen in my life. A few years ago I was thinking of my childhood and fondly remembered watching my mom rock my brother, she had her well worn bible on her bed and read as she fed the baby. This mental picture sparked a revolution in how I approached my time in the Word - no longer would I feel condemnation for my inability (unwillingness?) to wake early. I have since begun to find time in my day to read my bible - either while the kids eat breakfast or as they settle down to read from their own bibles. I realized that as powerful as quiet time alone with the Lord is, that having my quiet time at a time my children SEE me is a great witness to them. The season of having children in the house is short and I will have many years to seek the Lord in peace and quiet -until then I will seek Him in the company of my children and show them how to do the same.

2. Serve my husband - "Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord." Ephesians 5:22

My job as Andre's wife comes before my job as mother. To learn how to better serve my husband I have read LOTS of great books. My new favorites are "Love and Respect" and "Created to be his helpmeet". I make sure he knows I like him and value his input and his presence. He likes me to look like a lady - so I wear skirts more and make an effort to freshen up before he comes home. When he calls during the day and when he comes home I smile at him and joyfully welcome him into our life - his calls during school are not viewed as an interruption. If I am in the middle of reading or a spelling test, after greeting him cheerfully and finding out if I can do anything for him I let him know what I was doing, he wants me to get back to educating his kids quickly - but I want to make sure he knows he is my priority first.

3. Parenting our children - "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction." Proverbs 1:7

School is a big part of our lives, but the character of our children and them knowing Jesus is FAR more important in our view than academics. Obviously we do not neglect their academics, however, WHO our children are is more important than what they know. We are seeking to raise our children to be Godly adults who are full of wisdom and understanding. When they understand who they are in Christ and that they were created for a purpose, they will be eager willing students who do not despise instruction. 

"I know the plans that I have for you, declares the LORD. They are plans for peace and not disaster, plans to give you a future filled with hope." Jeremiah 29:11

4. Ministry to others - "But as for you, teach what accords with sound doctrine....Older women likewise are to be reverent in behavior, not slanderers or slaves to much wine. They are to teach what is good,  and so train the young women to love their husbands and children,  to be self-controlled, pure, working at home, kind, and submissive to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be reviled." Titus 2:1,3-5

I do not claim to be a Titus 2 woman or Proverbs 31 woman either! In fact, I used to read Titus 2 thinking I was the "older" woman until about a year ago - God revealed to me that I am in fact still a younger woman  which is nice! I am to be the younger woman - I am still in the time of life where I am learning to love my husband and childrean, be self-controlled and pure, work at HOME, be kind and submissive to MY husband. There was a time in the not too distant past that I was kind and submissive to OTHER people, but not my own husband. I am thankful for the trials in my life that have brought me to where I am today and truly honor and revere my husband (I like him too!). I have learned a lot being a Christian, a wife and a mom for the past 16 years and love sharing what I have learned with others.

Now that my priorities are in order I am able to accomplish those things set before me. Practically it looks like this - in no particular order.

Housework - Mostly delegated to the children. As Lisa Bevere so wisely said "You are to serve your husband and train your children." The kids have been trained to take care of our home. (Their spouses will thank me!) First, I created a written list of what each area needs done to be "ready for inspection" and taped the lists in each area on rotation. The children are on a monthly rotation,

October looks like this: Bathroom and Pets - Preston, Living Room - Catherine and Geoffrey, Floors - Cade, Kitchen - Cuyler.

They are also responsible for keeping their rooms clean. Catherine's room is the neatest, Preston's room is the messiest (but he lives in there alone and willingly cleans when told to, he just has LOTS of music stuff and wires everywhere and a tiny space... I mostly just close his door honestly!) The little boys share a room. Three guys in a 10x12 space with a bunk bed, a toddler bed, desk and shelf, and a dresser in the closet. Their room is very small and has lots in it (even though we declutter regularly). They have a list on the wall and each boy has 4 things to do in the room each day.

Cuyler: Make Bed, Clean desk, Sweep floor, Hang all clean clothes

Cade: Make Bed, Put away toys, Pick up trash, Clean under bed

Geoffrey: Make Bed, Put away shoes, Put dirty laundry away, Close all drawers

They know I DO NOT CARE whose toy is on the floor - it is Cade's job to pick up, likewise Geoffrey has to get all clothes etc.

I wake up the kids between 7:30 and 7:45 (most days!) and they must get dressed, clean room and do chore before breakfast which is at 8am(ish). I set the timer and they can complete their items in 20 mins - if they are not done, they do not eat until lunch, move faster! Before dad gets home and again before bed (and as needed during the day) we have 'room rescues' where everyone goes to their area and makes sure it is ready for inspection -this keeps the house from becoming overwhelmingly messy! There are 7 people in this house around the clock!

Schoolwork - During breakfast I read my bible while they eat. After we eat the 3 olders have their quiet time and I have Cade, Geoffrey and Lake (neice) meet me on the couch where Cade reads to us from a children's bible. We talk about the story then Cade begins his handwriting and phonics workbooks while Geoffrey reads his story book to me. About this time the bigs are done with Bible so we all brush teeth while I dress Lake and get ready to bring her to Mom's Day Out (M,W,F).

After dropping Lake off to MDO, we spend 2 hours doing school. I set the timer for 1 hour and we work straight through. Usually the little ones are done at the end of hour one and are free to play. I set the timer again and we work another hour and break for lunch. Lunch is SIMPLE - either leftovers or sandwiches and an older kid can prepare if they are at a stopping point and I am not. After lunch we do read aloud and/or history together (the 2 little guys can listen if they are quiet - or I send them outside or to their room to play computer). Typically the little guys are done before lunch, Cuyler and Catherine finish by 3ish and Preston usually has some things to do in the evening because of his work schedule.

I tweaked my Sonlight curriculum this year. Preston is doing a full core, which will be his last history course for highschool. Catherine and Cuyler are studying World History and I am taking 2 years to complete it which gives us time in our week to participate in co-op and PE. Tuesday's we have co-op for four hours and Thursday we are at PE for 3 hours - those days are especially hard to do school on so we use Tuesday morning to do housework and Thursday is a lighter day of school (Bible, math and phonics or independant reading). We are not doing science at home this year, at co-op Catherine is taking Safe Sitter (CPR etc), Cuyler is taking Human Anatomy and the 2 little guys are taking God's Creation. Woo hoo science is done! Preston needs one more science credit for high school (Chemistry) and will get that next year while he is taking Alg II.

I read the greatest quote the other day "We are a family who happens to homeschool" as opposed to "We are a homeschool family." Family comes first, that has helped my perspective. I have also realized how much of LIFE is education - my children are not just learning from books (though we do love books) they are learning through LIFE, how to comparison shop, how to keep a home, about politics, how to read and use a recipe, how to use the stove, how to safely use a weapon, how to pray and too many more things to list - but you get the idea! I started worrying less about checking every box and completing every assignment and more about making sure they understand a concept before moving on. I do not make them do every problem on every page - if they get it and show excellent understanding it is time to move on. The beauty of homeschooling is creating an environment where each child can move at their pace, whether it is slower or faster than another child.

Meals - Confession - we eat out, too much. Sometimes as much as 3-4 times a week. Sometimes not so much. But we do, especially on crazy days. It does help if I make my menu plan. And I do like playing the pantry game. (What can I create with a box of pasta, a can of chicken and a packet of alfredo sauce...) We have a small freezer and pantry, so I usually shop weekly, we do not have storage space for a months worth of groceries.

Menu Plan: Before I go to grocery, I look in pantry and fridge and plan meals around what we have. I write a planned meal for each mealtime and each day (even if we are having cereal every morning - I just write it in and then I do not have to think!) If we have an event that will have us out at mealtime I jot it in the proper space. I make my shopping list from my meal plan, that way everything I buy is planned to be eaten that week! I also give myself grace, for instance, I have chicken legs in the fridge that were supposed to be dinner tonight - but we went to Olive Garden (yumm) with some friends, so tomorrow we will eat the chicken, no biggie! When my meals are planned I can pull out meat at breakfast time and it is ready to cook when we finish school. I also use my crockpot a lot  - especially on days we are out of the house. It literally takes 5 minutes to toss together a meal in the crock pot and turn it on and oh the joy to come home and have a hot delicious meal waiting on us!

Laundry - Because the bulk of the housework is done by the children I have time to keep up with the laundry. I begin a load in the morning and change it over as soon as I get the kids settled with schoolwork. Tuesday morning is a big laundry folding day because I do not do laundry on the weekends, The rest of the week I wash, dry and fold at least 1 load a day - I fold it at the kitchen table which forces us to get it put away before the next meal and keeps my couch and bed places of comfort!

Deep Cleaning - I have found that keeping up with the daily tasks makes the deep cleaning easier. Because we are a 'family who homeschools' if I am feeling a particular room needs extra attention (or a complete overhaul) we may take off a day of school to tackle the task. Typically though, I do room overhaul in the summer (I redid my kitchen this summer and it is beautiful and so organized!)

Yard Work - Preston mows the grass, the boys pick up sticks and trash (on a not so regular basis!), my garden is a beautiful  collection of wild *ahem* weeds! Ok so it is not beautiful, it actually is quite horrid, but priorities ya know! One day I will have beautifully manicured flower beds - just not today! Today I am busy enjoying teaching my children and keeping my home in a state where I will not be embarrassed by the condition of my living room and bathroom if you drop in for a glass of iced tea - just don't spend too much time looking at my lack of flowers! (Because of our housework routines you actually CAN drop in - www.flylady.net modified to our needs has made sure I no longer live in C.H.A.O.S. - can't have anyone over syndrome!)

Ministry - I teach 2 classes at our co-op, Student Writing Intensive which is a DVD course and requires very little preparation (less than 2 hours a week) and Highschool Civics, a course my highschooler needed and I have thoroughly enjoyed teaching these students. This class does require about 3 hours of prep work, but I really love politics so it is fun to prep for this one! I am the email coordinator of our hs group which requires me to check my email to moderate emails twice a day (I check it in the early am and after kids go to bed). This takes less than 10 mins a day, at most. Andre' and I serve once a month at our church for a children's event which our kids attend. It is lots of fun for us too! A friend and I lead a small group for new homeschool moms twice a month, this group has me out of the house about 2 hours for one evening every other week.

Blog - I really enjoy writing and my typing skills have improved as a result of blogging. I usually "write" the blog entry mentally over a period of days or even weeks before I enter it here. The 'act' of posting a blog takes just a few minutes because it is created in my heart and mind before I even log on!

Andre' and I have looked at our schedule and removed things that were not in line with our priorities and kept (or added) those that are - I believe that is key in not 'doing it all' but 'doing all that the Lord has for me to do'.