So I’ve been following Crystal’s challenge she started a few days ago, and while I immediately jumped on the bandwagon in theory, I haven’t participated until today because, well, life is crazy.  We’ve got house guests at the moment, Kabob has been working out of the house for about 12 hours straight this past week, I’m 36 weeks preggo and achy all over most of the time now, and let’s not forget the usual cross-cultural adjustments that must be made for about every little task throughout the given day here.

But this is no excuse, I’ve decided.  What am I, a weenie?  I think not.

I’m going to do a condensed version of this whole Making Your Home a Haven challenge because, while I agree 100% with making it a priority, I also think there are seasons in life God gives us that require a bit more grace than usual.  I believe I am in one of those seasons.

Anyway.  On to the point of this post.

(And actually, posting all this might be more of a visual aid for myself than any intriguing reading for anyone else, so I understand if you just go ahead and click over to the next blog in your list at bloglines.)

In a nutshell, Crystal is providing a daily challenge for two weeks, adding a bit more each day, to encourage us housewives to have a sensible routine to life.  I find that my daily schedule ebbs and flows, depending on, again, what season I’m in.  The past few months, I’ve found that I can try to write a hard-and-fast routine to my day (trust me, I actually really like that idea), but it changes about every two weeks.  After awhile, it kinda dampers the spirit to even bothering.  But I want to bother.

If you’re still reading and actually care, here’s what she has provided for the past three days:

1. Refresh Your Spirit (5 minutes)

Get your cup of tea or coffee and spend a few minutes quiet before God.  Read the Word, pray, just generally hear from Him.  If you have time, write down three things you’re thankful for – and I’d love for you to post them.

This has actually been a great encouragement to me because I tend to be an all-or-nothing gal.  As in, if I can’t get in at least 30 minutes to an hour of quality reading and prayer time, I don’t bother.  Lately I’ve been reminded of how helpful it is to my attitude, and therefore my day, if I do this even for 5 minutes.  If I’m honest with myself, it’s not hard to find 15 minutes to myself in the morning, so I’m learning to use this time to the best of my ability.  And oh yes, I’m thankful for:

1. Kabob – the best partner in life for me.  God so knew what He was doing.
2. Chickpea & Garbanzo – they are such blessings, and they are healthy.
3. I’m never, ever alone – no matter where in the world I am, no matter what’s on my plate, Jesus is there, too.

2. Morning Routine

Write down five things you want to do in the same order every morning.  Keep it simple and only stick to five things.  If five things seem overwhelming, start with three.  Starting somewhere is better than not starting at all!  Put your list in a very conspicuous place and consult it first thing each morning.  I’d love to have you post your list on your blog to share with us.

This task is sorta natural for me, because I’m a morning person and tend to pop out of bed ready to start getting things done.  I actually need to be better and quieting myself first thing, as mentioned above.  However, it does help to get in the habit of doing five basic things in the same order every morning, providing that oft-needed consistency to a day mostly in the house.  So without adieu, my list is:

1. Spend a few minutes in the Word and in prayer (5-15 minutes).
2. Shower – or if already done the evening before, just my routine of face, hair, contacts, etc. etc., and then get dressed.  (You wouldn’t believe the difference actually getting dressed first thing makes for me – as opposed to staying in my PJs until someone comes over later in the morning.)
3. Empty dishwasher or start laundry, if either are needed.  Who are we kidding, they’re always needed.
4. Check e-mail to see if there’s anything that needs an immediate response.
5. Make breakfast for the fam.

Stop – is your morning routine done?  Don’t move on unless it is!

3. Take Time to Plan (5 minutes)

Make a short to-do list for today of things you need to do.  If you’re married, ask your husband if there is anything you can do for him today.  If he mentions anything, make it your top priority.  Keep your list to 10 items or less.  Number the items in order of importance and tackle the first one.  Don’t move down your list until #1 is completely finished.  Post your list on your blog and cross things off as you finish them!  Let’s help keep each other accountable.  Remember, though, to see your list as a guideline, not a slave master.  If other things come up which are more important, be cheerful and flexible. 

In addition, I encourage you to plan what you are having for dinner. Make it your aim to have dinner completely made or almost completely made by lunch time. This will make for a much more peaceful afternoon and evening.  What’s on your menu?

First, dinner – this is easy, since I menu plan for a month at a time.  December’s done, baby.  However, as is typical to life in this country, plans often change.  It is 10:12 p.m. as I write this, Kabob is currently at a restaurant with men, both fellow expats and nationals, and he did dinner with them.  And Chickpea is at a friend’s house, who asked if she could take Chick to play with her kids for the evening, so that I could have a few hours of uninterrupted time.  Do I have great friends, or what?  So yep, I’ve been alone at home for the past four hours.  And it’s been bliss.  So instead of the potato corn chowder that was planned, I threw together some spaghetti for myself.

Next, my to-do list…

1. order my niece’s birthday gift
2. order extended family’s Christmas gifts
3. reply to Mom’s emails
4. reply to two friend’s emails
5. call neighbor and ask about house helper situation
6. revise and tweak December’s budget
7. work on address database
8. blog
9. take insurance with Kabob
10. write down checklist for hospital bag

As you can tell, I cheated a smidge and blogged this post before getting to some other things.  I couldn’t do #5 by the time I was able to because it was after 9:30, and I just don’t want to call someone that late.  It will go up in my list tomorrow.  Everything else…  well, let’s just see if I get a second wind after this, or if I’ll cave in and crash.

4. Do Something! (15 minutes or so)

Light a candle, put on your apron, turn on some uplifting music, and get busy! 

Monday’s was the front entry.  It’s done now, but it wasn’t until this afternoon.  Tuesday’s was the living room.  It’s a place I have to clean daily anyway, so at the moment, it’s straightened, but I’m sure 10 minutes after Chickpea wakes up tomorrow, it will be strewn with blocks, crayons, and plastic food.  Such is life.  Today’s is the laundry, and I happened to tackle that mountain on Monday, so I’m caught up with that at the moment.

And thus concludes what, I’m sure, is the most boring blog post I’ve yet written.

posted: 07 December 5
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