24 Hours in a day...Can I have an extension?

24 Hours, 1440 Minutes, 86,400 Seconds

Can it be done? 

Lessons in 7 Subjects

Laundry

Dishes

Dust

Vacuum

Karate Class

Guitar Lesson

Prepare Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Shopping & Errands

Serve at Church

Help my aging parents

Work part time

The list goes on and I just realized I didn't even include shower, brush teeth or sleep.  After all I'm a mother, wife, daughter, sister, church servant, friend, chauffeur, etc etc etc so aren't those luxuries?  

Good Lord, show me how it's done.  Amen

We all have our lists.  Whether we homeschool or not, whether we work or not, whether we have other people depending on us to take care of them or not, we all have our lists.  But, God made a day 24 hours for a reason.  He also told us 

"Come to me, all you who are weary and carry
heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you.
Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle,
and you will find rest for your souls.
For my yoke fits perfectly, and the burden I give you is light."
Matthew 11:28-30 

God will never give me, or you, more than you can handle.  Aha!  That's it!  He will never give me more than I can handle! So, the question is....how much do I take that wasn't meant to be mine?  I'm guilty.  I'm guilty of taking on more than I can carry, holding it, finding ways to try and do it all myself, and then grumbling about it.  Solution:  Seek God's will in my life.

Easier said than done sometimes, at least for me.  I admit I'm a strong willed, independent woman.  But, now that the Lord is my Savior and I have dedicated my life to serve Him, it's a whole new world.  When I gave my life to Jesus, I became a new creation.  And, just like how I believe all of the Bible is true and I can't pick and choose what is comfortable for me, I also can't pick and choose what parts of my life I'm willing to surrender to Him.

Becoming a wife and mother also opened up a whole new world for me.  That world included a hallway of doors that had piles of responsibilities and many hats to wear.

That Proverbs 31 Lady can do it.  So can I!  But, first I can learn from her.  If you aren't familiar with this woman, then click HERE.  I'm not going to get into the details about her, but I will say that she has taught me a lot and I try to follow in her example.  

The question posed to me this week by the TOS Blog Cruise is how do I divide household duties and needs with my homeschool schedule?  Trust me, there is no cookie cutter solution.  (Although I have turned to a cookie once or twice or more times to help me get through my day, but that's another story).  Yes, I know, I only have one child so maybe my struggle isn't as grand as someone with multiple children.  But, I work!  Maybe you don't?  So, there is lesson number one.  I will not compare myself to another woman.  My life is my own and her life is her own.  God has a plan and purpose that is unique to each of us.  That lesson alone will help me manage better in leaps and bounds.  But, let me break it down for you a little more.  Here's what I try my best to employ in my life so I can manage all the things God has given to me:

• Pray daily and spend time in His Word
• Prayerfully make decisions that effect my time
• Allow myself to say NO if I don't believe that what is being asked of me is God's will for me
• Prioritize my roles in life - Daughter of Christ, Wife, Mother, etc in that order
• Delegate.  I don't have to do it all myself.  It's OK to ask for help
• Be cheerful in my serving.  Just as Christ asks me to be a cheerful giver, He asks me to be cheerful in my heart.  Proverbs 17:22 "A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones."
• Train up my child in the way he should go.  That includes being a part of the team, which is our family.  There will be chores taught and responsibilities assigned.  I taught my son how to do his own laundry when he was 9, he is capable of making his own meals if absolutely necessary, he has a checklist of his chores to be done every day plus his karate and guitar practice.  These are just a few things that I don't have to think about and nag about in my day.  That makes us both happier.
• Make time for fun and family
• Get 8 hours of sleep a night.  You may be able to survive on less, by God made me for 8 hours of sleep.  Mamma gets grumpy when she doesn't get her sleep.  So, I'll get to bed earlier so I can still rise early.
• If we don't get through every lesson, experiment, book, or project planned for today, the world will not end.  I will not ruin my child if we get a few lessons behind. 

There's more, but this surely gives you a glimpse into my goals.  I say goals because I fall short of perfection regularly.  That is why I have to remember to go back to the first one every day  - pray daily and spend time in His Word.

Just as the sun will set each evening on my long and full day, the sun will rise again and I will be given a new day.  I love the "re-dos", don't you?

If you are curious about what my fellow Crew members have to say about this same topic, then click HERE.  Don't forget to leave them a comment.  We love comments!