Daily routines are something that God has really helped me with. God has used a lot of books and people to help me figure out a system that works for my family. Most recently the book The One Thing has helped me immensely to dance through my day and do the things that really matter. 7 habits of highly effective people, A woman after Gods own heart and the Flylady system have all helped me as well. Are there any books, blogs or people God has used to help you in this area? I'd love to hear about them in the comments!
First things first- mancrush Monday!! Here is a pic of my dad who was my first mancrush. He gave me the foundation to choose a warrior husband and understand the love of my Heavenly Father. Doesn't he look amazing in his suit? He was a great intimidator of young suitors until the right man came along.
Back to the point of this post. Overall my day is ordered around the following 7 categories and in this order- spiritual, physical, personal, relational, job, ONE THING (I'll explain) and finances. These routines are not meant to be legalistic. I have found that if you touch base with each of these 7 priorities most days, that your life will basically move forward. If you take care of these things but still have a pile of laundry left undone now and again, get over it! There are seasons of life, when your house won't look as immaculate because you have more important things to do like play with your kids, write a best seller or make love to your spouse! These routines help keep the chaos to a minimum and make sure that nothing vital is overlooked.
Take care of myself 1. spiritually, 2. physically, 3. personally and 4. relationally.
1. Spiritual- I get up with the Mighty Warrior and send him off to war with a kiss and a hug, make some coffee, check my calendar, and spend some time in Gods word and a personal development book before the Heiress awakes. Currently enjoying The Maxwell Leadership Bible as well as the Youversion bible app and a personal development book called psycho-cybernetics. What are you reading? 
It is vital over everything else that attention to my relationship with God be first. It's more important than doing dishes or even playing with my kid. He is the vine and we are the branches. Apart from him we can do nothing. Without this foundation, all other things we try to do with our life crumble like a poorly planned building.
2. Physical- 20 minute workout and eat breakfast. The Heiress awakes so I feed her too while I'm at it.
I have made the dangerous error of putting my physical body dead last, thinking I was putting others first. In reality, if mama's body falls apart because she isn't exercising or eating properly, she can't take care of her family. I learned this the hard way. Taking care of your body increases your production capacity while ignoring your physical health can not only lessen your capacity, but end it all together. As an achiever type personality, one of my biggest weaknesses is actually pushing my body too far without taking time for proper healing when needed. A dysfunctional pelvic floor during pregnancy that lasted up to a year postpartum taught me that if I had just taken care of myself physically in the first place, I would have healed faster and been able to care for my family better in the long run. It's akin to the rule, "put your own oxygen mask on first." I'm also slowly making my way through an amazing nutrition book called Trim Healthy Mama. Good nutrition has my energy levels through the roof! I work out at home with a subscription to fit2be.us. It's perfect for pregnant or healing mamas.
3. Personal- get dressed. Dink around for 15 minutes. Reboot the laundry and dishes. Tidy up.
Take time for things that energize you. I believe many people go overboard with hobbies like softball, hunting and bowling when their family really needs them during certain seasons of life. If your child needs braces you can't afford without using a credit card and yet you are playing slow pitch softball 10 hours a week I believe your priorities are out of order, as putting that 10 hours toward a part time weekend shift at Applebee's would pay for your kiddos braces in no time. At the same time taking a little time for what you love is healthy and how much time you can devote depends on the season of life you are in. Drawing, painting, walking in nature, practicing guitar for 10 minutes, working on a novel, or reading a fun book are all ideas that may or may not energize you and make you feel more alive.
4. Relational- do a puzzle with the Heiress, send the Mighty Warrior an encouraging text. Take time to giggle and snuggle.
In relation to the important people in my life, I believe it is my duty to respect my husband, train my children, honor my parents and grandparents and be a light to everyone. I try to reflect each day on how I'm doing in key relationships.
Daytime- take care of my job
5. My "job" as a homemaker can be different from day to day- that can be cleaning the house, teaching a music lesson or training my toddler to put her books on the shelf. I personally have a lot of odd jobs that allow me to be a home builder first. I'm able to take my daughter along to most of it. I have a long, long way before I have "arrived" but the proverbs 31 woman was like this. She made sashes and took them to town to sell to the merchants. She took her income from that and purchased a field where she planted a vineyard. A vineyard is not like some little rinky dink homebased business. You can make SERIOUS money owning a successful vineyard once the plants mature which takes about 5 years if you are blessed. The husband of this woman never lacked gain because of her and she helped the family financially. If you are blessed enough to have a husband who makes enough for you to be a homemaker, is there anything you can do to add to your home financially without hindering your ability to be a wife and mom first? If your husband's job covers the bills, I can assure you that it's a great idea to put something away towards retirement. Do you have any skill you can do from home? I know many moms who supplement the family income with their photography, knitting, music teaching, babysitting and more! I don't really see the proverbs 31 woman as someone who doesn't contribute financially except for short seasons possibly due to health, a brand new baby or a special needs child or some other unforeseen circumstance. I hope this sounds as loving as I mean. My heart is not to offend those who disagree. That's just what I see in scripture. I really love and respect you no matter what you choose to do!
If you have a normal 9-5 job like most people, take pride in your work. Work as unto The Lord and not unto men. Chances are, you NEED that job right now to take care of your family so be thankful for the business owner who provided the job and do your best. If you are a mama on a payroll hold your head high and be proud that you are helping provide for your loved ones. I can't imagine having to entrust my little one to a caregiver in order to go out and bring home the bacon but I do look up to you mamas who have to do that.
Afternoon routine- take care of my ONE THING and finances.
6. ONE THING- from 3-5pm each day we have blocked out time to get the One Thing done. If you don't know what that is, read the book! What's the one thing you can do each day that by so doing it will make EVERYTHING else in your life easier or unnecessary? It's different for everyone depending on what your dreams are. If you work full time but you want to be a professional writer, then your ONE THING is probably to write! If you have written an amazing book that is yet to be published, then your ONE THING might be to market your book. If you plan on being a pro musician it might be practicing scales or networking and setting up gigs. If you are a real estate agent your ONE THING is probably to generate leads.
7. Finances- in addition to your monthly or weekly bill paying, take time each day to reconcile your check register. You don't use a check register you say? You just check the website you say? Well, I can tell you for certain that no one is ever successful financially by winging it. I suggest everyone read Total Money Makeover by Dave Ramsey and take his Financial Peace University course right now! The average family who takes his course moves ahead $8300 during the 9 week course. The class is only somewhere around $100 so that is a no-brainer investment!
After supper routine
I pretty much follow the Flylady system for this part of my day. There are 2 routines since some evenings I am home and some evenings I have gigs right after dinner.
Home evenings- In no particular order- kitchen tidy, laundry reboot, 5 minute cleanup, bath, relax.
When she is done eating, the Heiress signs "all done" and then points enthusiastically at her puzzles. I leave her in the high chair with a puzzle while I load the dishwasher and get the kitchen tidied up for the next morning. This takes all of five minutes. We do a fun, enthusiastic, 5 minute toy and book cleanup together and I reboot the laundry. If laundry needs folded this may take 15 minutes. If The heiress needs a bath then she gets one otherwise I hold her down for our nightly toothbrush and screaming session and then she can play till bed time. Once she goes to bed I can relax and take a bath. Then I can read, write, relax, learn Spanish or do whatever I need to take care of myself.
Non-home evenings
Eat dinner as a family and then delegate the rest to one of our lovely part time maidservants. Hey it's in proverbs 31! No but really, two of our babysitters are like part of the family and the heiress loves them. It's perfectly acceptable to ask the babysitter to help with evening tasks I'm not there for in exchange for decent pay, free music lessons for her and five bazillion of her siblings, access to any food in our fridge that she wants and other perks such as the occasional family trip to the beach. Do whatever it takes to keep great sitters! Oh and side benefit- these young women keep me up-to-date with technology and fashion!
Upon returning from a very late night, I try to at the very least, wash my face before falling into bed. I usually fail at this on nights we are out late and wake up looking like a panda with a zit.
Do you have any time management tips or tips to help me with my daily routines? Leave in the comments!
One more very important thing. Please take time today to pray for Christians all over the world who are undergoing persecution. I have a way to remember what to pray for each day using alliteration. Today is Missionary Monday. Pray for Pastor Sayid imprisoned in Iran and for the Christians and other minority groups targeted by terrorist group Isis (Islamic state of Iraq and Syria). Pray for Erin Foley who serves in Cambodia. Pray for the Trenckmann family serving all over the world. Pray for your local pastor. Their job is tougher than you know. They love you so much and yet they are often under harsh criticism.
Mondays, I also pray for my mental health and the mental health of anyone who may be struggling. Post-partum mamas, soldiers returning from war, and anyone who is more prone to suffer from depression. If you have any prayer requests, feel free to comment. I will pray for each and every request.
Happy Monday! Remember to be wonderful! Psalm 139.
