The Non-Negotiables

I am really trying to channel Elliot Ness in the title.......not sure it worked :)
Oh well, I wanted to write about scheduling and organization. Now before you switch to Facebook or go check your email, here me out. Time is money, and even if your job is to be a homeschool mom and homemaker it still is a valuable skill to have in ordering your time. In my 12 years of parenting my organization methods have changed and it will most likely keep changing as the children grow or we have more children or just the weather can put things into disarray. In this particular season of my life, I am working on a daily planner and focusing on my 4 non-negotiables. What are these 4 tasks? These are the top 4 things that if I can do them every day, will make me feel as if I've accomplished something. And even if my day is a bust, if I can squeeze out these 4 things I'll be able to sleep at night knowing that the day was ordered to the greater glory of God. Now, here is the caveat, these are MY top 4, you need to choose your own and they might be different and even if they are not different, the way you approach them or do them will be different in some ways. Keep that in mind as you read on, there is nothing more frustrating than trying to fit a square peg into a round hole. For me, my 4 are: workout, clean, school, and get 5, let me explain:

1. Workout: I need to workout every day. My food choices aren't stellar and so to combat that and make me feel good, I set aside 30 min in the morning to workout. I've tried to workout in the middle of the day or evening, but for me I like to get it out of the way so I can get my shower and makeup on and get on with the other daily activities. Now, I don't get to workout on the weekends most times, but I make it a point to be somewhat physically activity on the weekends. Daily Burn is my drug of choice, but find something that works for you, if working out is a high priority in your life.

2. Clean: The older I get and the more children I have, the higher value I place in a clean house. It totally seems counter intuitive, but there it is. I have tried a gazillion different cleaning schedules and methods and none of them ever work for me. The only thing that has worked, so far, is zone cleaning. Monday we clean the kids rooms and keep the first floor tidy, Tuesday is the master bedroom (you'd be surprised at how much kid stuff lands in my room) and keep the first floor tidy, Wednesday is first floor overhaul clean, Thursday is homeschool room and keep first floor tidy and Friday (weekends as well) are reserved for specific areas that need the most attention but the first floor is always kept tidy. I realized that I can't function if my first floor living space is in disarray so we put a heavy emphasis on that area. Laundry is done in shifts and I am happy with the results.

3. School: It is so easy for me to just let school slide and then freak out because I made the choice to let it slide, yeah I know dumb, right?  And again, like everything else, I've tried so many different things and we have finally landed on something that works well for us. We split our day into two segments: morning and binder time. Morning time is a place where we do all the subjects that can be done in a group and I alternate through things (at this moment we are doing prayers, poetry, scripture, religion and history everyday and alternating music appreciation and Shakespeare). After that, each kid has a binder with the independent work or assisted work for my younger ones and they go off and finish them. This simplification has helped me out tremendously in our school time. Another big factor is me being disciplined in organizing what we need to do ahead of time and not waiting until the last minute. Adulting is hard, but it needs to get done to have a healthy, happy mom.

4. Get 5: Finally, there is get 5. If you didn't know, I run a small business as an Independent Beauty Consultant with Mary Kay Cosmetics, I've been a consultant for 13 years and could not imagine doing anything else for an occupation. Being in direct sales is hard, a lot of people have preconceived notions and prejudices, but they are just not educated in what we do as business women. For me, growing my business is crucial to having a good day. So, to get 5 means to make 5 new contacts with potential or current clients each day. It is something so small that I forget to do, but by end of the day if I haven't put any effort forward in achieving my goals or doing my work, I'm kinda bummed. This might seem trivial to some, but this is a passion of mine and I take it seriously. Teaching people about proper skincare and color application is more than just that, it's about reaching into a person's life and making an impact.

So, you are asking what about prayer time or setting aside time for God? That for me is a given, rosary in the morning, divine mercy chaplet at 3, reading books that make me grow as a Catholic, Mass, Adoration, etc. these are all staples in my schedule. Plus, I feel that the top 4 non-negotiables, if done properly,are praising God throughout the day, using the abilities that he has given me, following through on my vocation and occupation, working as God intended us to work. By keeping an orderly schedule and organizing my time, I'm truly living the call of doing everything to the greater glory of God.