At this point, we’ve spent almost half the year navigating our way through a pandemic. It’s not easy to explain to your kids what you don’t fully understand yourself. But one of the main things that’s helped us stay the course in the midst of a chaotic situation is consistency. The three main areas that I practice being consistent in is:
- My Faith. Keeping God my focus and at the center of my life is the only way that I’m able to get through such a difficult time. Prayer, daily devotion, church and bible study with the hubs are non-negotiable essentials.
- Saving. Listen, times are hard, and money is tight. But I refuse to let myself fall into the, “we can’t afford to save” trap. The reality is, you can’t afford not to. In a perfect world, I would be saving a lot more, but I always, ALWAYS save.
- My Daily Routine. If I want my kids to flourish, my hair to stay on my head and my mind to stay in tact (yep, I want all those things), I HAVE TO MAINTAIN A DAILY ROUTINE.
Maintaining a daily routine creates a space to be more proficient, self-confident, to maintain good habits, and cultivate an attitude of gratitude. I don’t allow my kids to play video games all day during the week. Because of that, when they do get game time, they appreciate it that much more.
Consistency is structure.
It reinforces hope, reassurance and a sense of normalcy. It’s tempting to lounge around in my pjs watching Netflix all day- trust me, I’ve tried it. But it just gets old really quickly, and inconsistency doesn’t pay.
Here’s a peek into my daily schedule during the week. Of course, it doesn’t always go line-by-line, but it’s what I use as a guide, and it’s extremely helpful with keeping me focused.
Morning
| 6:00AM-7:00AM | Morning Devotional. This is my quiet time with God, and every day is different. Sometimes I read, pray, study, worship…it just depends on how I feel led to communicate with Him. |
| 7:00AM-8:00AM | Coffee & Scheduling. This is the time I use to plan out my day, and it takes a while because I’m extremely detailed. I make a list of what needs to be done for work, which chores need to be tackled, which photos I need shot for the blog, and which posts need to be written. I also plan the meals for the day. |
| 8:00AM-8:30AM | By this time the kids are waking up and trickling in my room one-by-one for snuggle time. We chat a bit about our night, and we set our goals for the day. |
| 8:30AM-9:00AM | Breakfast, which usually consists of cereal or oatmeal and fruit. I usually reserve the big breakfasts for the weekends. |
| 9:00AM-10:00AM | Lately I’ve been working from home, and I use this time to read/reply to emails, return calls and work on any job-related tasks. Unless I have a major project, I usually can get it all done before 10A. |
| 10:00AM-12:00PM | I dedicate this time to homeschooling the kids. They normally attend camps during the summer months, but since they’re home, we’ve been maintaining daily educational activities during the week. |
Afternoon
| 12:00PM-1:30PM | Lunch/Break time. Once I make the kid’s lunch, I take about an hour of free time for myself. I’m usually either on social media, catching up on a show or chatting with my mom. After the kids are finished with school and lunch, they tidy up and are free to enjoy the rest of the day. |
| 1:30PM-3:00PM | I usually dedicate this time to chores, and there’s definitely always something that needs to get done. I try not to watch television while doing chores (especially if I watched a show during my break time) because it will definitely slow me down. If I’m not listening to my favorite podcast, I’m listening to a replay of the message from church. |
| 3:00PM-5:30PM | Content creation. If I’m not recording or editing a video for YouTube, I’m taking photos, scheduling posts or creating some form of content for the blog. |
Evening
| 5:30PM-6:30PM | By this time my husband is home from work, and I’m getting dinner started. |
| 6:30PM-8:00PM | Family time. After we eat, we get some time with the kiddos. |
| 8:00PM-8:30PM | Bath time & bedtime for the kids, and while I’m giving baths, hubs is usually cleaning the kitchen. |
| 8:30PM-11:00PM | I’m winding down in bed, and my work is a little more relaxed. I use this time to research and write for my blog, as well as work on my website. Lately I’m usually the last one to fall asleep, and we rinse and repeat the next day. |
It’s not the best routine that I’ve ever had, but in this season of our lives, it’s working for us.
Until next time…
mjr.