Daily Life

Many of you have asked me "what do you do all day?" or "how do you get everything done"...so I thought I would post about my normal routine.  Exciting huh?

I start my day at 6:30 when my husband comes in to pray with me.  He wakes me up and I roll over and he prays for our family and our day and our needs and whatever else is on his mind. He is usually done and on his way to work by 6:45.  I then lay there for another 15 minutes wishing I could drift back to sleep....I've decided to start getting up by 7 and having a quiet time because I'm realizing thru trial and error and also thru others that have gone before me that I can't possibly tackle my day without spending time with God first.  If I don't, I wind up being a grump for a mom, a grouch for a wife...by 7:30 my kids are all awake.  Lily, my oldest, knows she's not to come out of her room before 8am unless I come open her door.  Holly and Sage are still in cribs so I hear them chattering away and hollering for me or crying depending on how full their diapers are or how completely starved they believe they are...

By 8:15 we are done with breakfast. I try to stay busy in the morning with "fun" stuff if possible whether that is a trip to the library or meeting friends to swim or play at the park... because by 11:30 we are home for lunch and Holly and Sage need naps and Lily needs to be doing school (or now that it's the summer and I'm pregnant, I usually nap and she entertains herself) but after naptime I am usually preparing dinner and doing chores around the house.  Doug gets home from work fairly early compared to most guys and he likes to eat when he gets home so dinner in our house is usually around 4:30-5 and then we have family time. We go for walks or run errands together(which we like to do now so that I am not running around like a chicken with it's head cut off during the day) or sit and play in the sandbox or the kiddie pool that we have...simple things that don't require money or much thought for that matter.  We just like to be together.   Holly and Sage go to bed at 7pm and Lily is in bed by 8. Even when I was a single parent and working full time, I always put Lily to bed by 7.  It seemed no matter what time I put her to bed, she was always up at the same time in the morning and kids these days don't seem to be getting the sleep they need.  I realize there are many differing opinions about this but what annoys me is when people say "WHAT, you put your kids to bed that early????".  I didn't realize it was so abnormal.  But, it works for us and it keeps my kids healthy and happy for the most part so we are going to stick to what works.  Doug and I also go to bed early compared to most folks...however, many nights I sneak out of the room when I hear him snoring because I still do have alot of "night owl" in me!  It gives me time to blog or catch up on emails or read my book! I also enjoy making phone calls to my mom or sister who stay up late too!  

So there is my "exciting" schedule.  :)  I love to sit and read books to my small kids.  I enjoy baking and cooking things for my family.  I like walking and talking with my husband while our kids are playing outside.  These are things we "do" in our free time.  I sell things on ebay mainly just for a hobby.  I read my friends blogs so I can keep up with their....daily routines!  I want to be an excellent wife, a gracious and loving mother, a best friend, a dependable volunteer, but mostly a faithful servant to God.  In keeping with these goals, I find myself doing the above routines, trying to keep things in order of priority and not cluttering my life with things I can do without.  I guess there isn't alot of excitement in it.....IF YOU AREN'T ME!  I love my life!!!!

Lisa

I have made several attempts over the years to start a blog. I have no idea why it's been so challenging for me to keep up with it. I love reading blogs, I am GREAT about keeping up with my facebook account and my flickr account...but now I feel the need to make this blog work. Why? Because I'm going to be the mommy to 4 very soon (our baby is due in November) and I already am not really able to spend time catching up with friends and family on the phone. During naptime when it's quiet, I spend the time reading or sleeping or just enjoying the quiet. I don't want to sit and jabber. My mouth wants to stay shut (unless I'm eating my lunch...it seems I can never eat my lunch during "lunchtime" for the kids...i'm too busy getting them what they need that I often just wait till naptime to sit and enjoy mine!) and I have found that I'm really in need of downtime where I'm not concentrating on what someone is talking to me about. If I don't get this time, I'm usually not too fun to be around the remainder of the day when naptime is over. I miss catching up with friends and hearing about their kids and husbands and what God is doing in thier lives, etc.  I have enjoyed the blogs of many of my friends and it helps me stay in touch.  When September rolls around, my quiet retreat during naptime will be filled with homeschooling my oldest daughter, Lily. She is entering 3rd grade, she's 8 years old and our 2-3 hour of quiet in the afternoon is our time to do school.  It's extremely easy to punch out an email or publish a post. It takes me minutes to do either one and I can do it even when I have 3 children awake and hollering or singing or talking in my ear. It's quite a bit more difficult to have a phone conversation while this is going on. I have friends that do it but I am not wired that way.  I need quiet in order to really concentrate on what someone is saying to me on the phone. I often wonder how people can sit and watch television while they are talking to me on the phone...I guess if it's just a constant noise that one is accustomed to hearing, it is not a big deal. So, all that to say, here I am, once again trying to get this blog off and running. I hope to figure out how to make it look more appealing (I think my wonderful older sister is going to be helpful in that area!) but if not, at least you'll have a place to come and read about my life and see what's new with us, if you care!  I realize that making a blog invites many people into my life that normally wouldn't even know I exist but I'm really not concerned about that right now. Maybe I'll be able to be an encouragement to other moms out there...other homeschooling moms, other moms that are completely up to their ears in kids, other wives that want to love their husbands in a godly manner, other women who are trying to be good friends....

Thanks for stopping by!