The Proverbs 31 Woman

From Chaos to Calm: Day Forty-Four

A Schedule Check-up

Scripture Memory: “The LORD will give strength unto his people; the LORD will bless his people with peace.” Psalm 29:11

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By now you should have your kitchens clean. If you have not had time to finish the kitchen, which was a huge job (I know!) I want to encourage you to set a day this week and complete the project before continuing.

Today, I want you to get out your schedule again and let’s look at it. What is working? What isn’t working? What do you think is hindering you the most?

When I look back at my own struggles with working out a schedule and sticking to it… I realize that for me, it was often hard to keep a schedule for more than one reason.

Reason #1 – A Lack of Self-discipline. For those of you who are not naturally inclined to being organized or who are prone to laziness, this will be your greatest challenge. As you tweak your schedule, don’t overdo the details. You will only frustrate yourself if you try to be detailed in your planning. Begin by setting aside chunks of time for certain tasks, but do not plan in 15 minute intervals. As you make your loose schedule a habit, you can incorporate more details one at a time.

Reason #2 – Too Much to Do. This is a hard one. I recently found myself in this position. Actually, I often find myself in this position. As a homeschooling mom, a pastor’s wife, writer, and Director of A Virtuous Woman, it is easy to get overwhelmed by everything I need to accomplish on any given day. My solution is to schedule only the basics and do what I can to work the rest in. I keep my children on a schedule and work around them. When I follow my schedule, I often find myself with small bits of free time to sit and relax during the day!

Evaluate your schedule and make changes as needed. You can sit down and do this any time you feel that your schedule is not working well. It is not set in stone. As your life changes, so you will your schedule!

If you feel like you’ll never get it right, trust that God will pull you through. If you struggle, if you fall off track, if things go wrong one day or many – just keep picking up where you left off and start over. As we continue to clean the house, make it your priority each day to keep the areas we have covered clean before you go to bed. The kitchen should be your priority. If you are only able to keep the kitchen clean for now, don’t sweat it! Feel proud of yourself as you go to bed each night with that clean kitchen. Thank God for His power that is working in you to create the home of peace and calm you have always wanted.

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How is your schedule or daily routine going? What are you struggling with?

From Chaos to Calm: Day Forty-Three

Exercise

Scripture Memory: “She girdeth her loins with strength, and strengtheneth her arms.” Proverbs 31:17

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Yesterday, we talked about water and how essential it is to our health. Today we are going to talk about the importance of exercise.

Exercising is one of the most important activities we can do to improver our health and the quality of our lives. Knowing that we need to exercise is not the problem. We all know we need to exercise. The problem is our own lack of self-discipline.

We have talked about self-discipline over the last few weeks. Exercising, for most of us, is just not on our top ten list of Fun Things to Do With Our Time. I have gone from being a skinny Eat-Anything-I-Want sort of girl to being a Watch-Everything-I-Eat sort of Woman. It has not been a joyful experience. But I have learned a lot about what it means to take care of my health. When I had no issue with my weight, I had no real desire to be fit. (Yes, it is possible to be skinny and in bad shape.) So, whether you are as skinny as a rail or could stand to lose a few pounds, exercising is something you can do for yourself that will really make a difference in your life and maybe even the lives of those around you.

So, how do we find the will power or self-discipline we need to get moving 6 days a week? First, we go to God and ask for the strength and the motivation we need. Your Heavenly Father wants you to be healthy. You can trust that He will help you. Each day, as you wake up early and go to your prayer corner for your time with God, ask for help in this area. Add it to your prayer list. Be faithful to pray for yourself!

There are a few things you can do to help get motivated:

#1 Find a friend to exercise with. Having a partner to experience the joy and the pain of getting fit can really help! If you don’t have a friend who wants to get in shape, advertise! Place an ad in your local paper or post flyers at the park, library, and/or grocery store.

#2 Use a program you can enjoy. Join a group or start one! Pilates, Aerobics, or Strollercising are some fun ways to enjoy getting in shape. See what your area has available.

#3 Purchase workout clothes that make you happy. I love working out in my good looking yoga pants and matching tops. Instead of looking frumpy in a sweatsuit or sloppy shorts and t-shirts I can look stylish while I workout – even though I workout by myself. Workout clothes that are designed for exercising are comfortable to move in and will keep you cool. Yoga pants stretch and move with you. If you are comfortable and look good you will be more likely to keep it up.

#4 Get a puppy. Walking is one of the most effective and easiest forms of exercising. I love walking my Labrador Retriever every morning. He makes it fun! Walking is also a good time to reflect on what God has planned for your day. Enjoy the nature around you!

#5 Exercise with your children. My daughters love to exercise with me. They gain a healthy body image and get in shape while developing a good habit that will serve them well as they become adults.

Exercising daily should be a priority. It doesn’t have to take long. A 15 minute walk each day is enough to help you lose weight, lower your cholesterol, prevent heart disease and more! We all have 15 minutes. Just schedule it in.

Do you struggle with finding time to exercise? Have some tips for the rest of us? Please share!

This question was in response to my article: Structuring the Day for a Toddler.

Q: I like what you said about being present, but in your schedule you don’t mention daily interruptions like volunteering at school or going to the grocery store. I seem to go somewhere 3 or 4 times a week and they are at different times. Am I doing a larger disservice to my elementary aged kids by not volunteering or my toddler by not being scheduled.

P.S. Your house sounds clean!

A: This is a great question!

I think the biggest gift you can give your children is to be “present.” When you have more than one child, you may have to divide your time and be “present” with different children at different times.

For instance, even in my home, I have to divide my time between each of my children and my husband. Sometimes we are all doing things together. Sometimes I am talking one on one with only one child or maybe I’m sitting together with two of them reading a book.

Sometimes one child will be talking to me and another child will come in and interrupt and I will say something like, “Wait, it’s Emily’s turn right now. Wait until she’s finished.”

My point is that, as long as you are making it a priority to love and nurture each of your children every day you’re okay! The schedule I presented was only a suggestion. Every family situation is different. Whether a mom volunteers at the school a few times a week or works outside the home or is home all day with all of her kids, you can provide a gentle routine to your day and to the hours you are at home.

For example, start with the morning routine. This could consist of {after the children are dressed and ready for school} breakfast and morning worship and prayer before you head out the door. Create traditions for the time that you say good-bye to the older children, i.e. have a special saying for good-bye like “See ya, later Alligator.” Or special hug. Include your toddler in it.

When you come home from say, 8:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., use that time to do a load of laundry, give your toddler a snack and maybe play a game together after you’ve done your morning chores.

When it’s time to go to the school for volunteering (or run errands, etc.), {I don’t know if you are dropping the toddler off at a sitters}, it’s time to go to school. When it’s time to come home from school, keep the afternoon routine the same. Come home, eat a snack, encourage some play time or nap time, whatever it is your child needs.

End the day with a regular evening/bedtime routine that is familiar and that your toddler can look forward too. He will know he’s loved! Bath time, bedtime story, lots of hugs and kisses, etc. And so will your older children because you are taking an active roll in his or her life. And that’s really what’s important. Being present and taking an active roll!

By keeping the morning and evening routines fairly “routine” you’ll help your youngest child to feel secure by knowing what to expect.

Sounds to me like you are a great, Mom. Keep seeking HIM and God will bless your efforts!

As for my house being clean, sometimes it is and sometimes it’s not. Right now… it’s half and half. We’ve had a lot of upheaval in our lives recently and I take things one day at a time. I’m gone from home a lot and it makes it hard. I catch up {hopefully} on Sunday afternoons.

I don’t want to come across as perfect. There have been times in my life where I really have it together and other times when I just feel broken {like this past year}. But thankfully, God loves me anyway!

I do want to add that I prefer my days to be the same. And being at home most of the time makes a huge difference in the quality of your/ my homemaking. It makes it so much easier to have a solid routine and keep the house clean. It drives me crazy when everyday is different.

The thing is, life happens. And it can be really messy. And when you are really busy, it will be even messier.
We each have to decide how best to spend our time because really, TIME is all we have. Sometimes, things happen that are beyond your control and then you just have to give it all to God.

Right now, much of my life and time is out of my own control because we have elderly family members who require a great deal of my time and it takes me away from my home – which is where I really want to be. There are parts of my house that need a major overhaul right now because I am just not here often enough to do more than just the basics with a little extra on the side. It saddens me. I want to change things. I don’t know when things will change – it could be years.

Sometimes there isn’t an easy answer. I am open to suggestions!

I pray that God blesses your sweet family. These years will pass quickly. Savor each moment!