Only 24 Hours in My Day
Idyllic perfectly describes our summer. Plenty of time to hang out together, garden, entertain, plan camping trips with friends. I have to admit, one of the biggest perks of summer, to me, is just plain “time” out.
Time to keep the house clean, for instance.
Then another school year begins. The alarm clock moves back to my side of the bed, and each day becomes a race. A race of schoolwork, daily household chores, and planning meals while teaching the difference between angiosperms and gymnosperms. You’d think after five years of homeschooling I’d have this balance all figured out. Hee. Not. Because we’re fully involved, you see, it’s not just juggling homeschooling and housework, it never is, is it? It’s all the fun stuff too…four friends having babies in two weeks time, Sunday School classes that need teachers and curriculum for the fall quarter, apples to harvest and process, orthodontic appointments (okay, so dental work isn’t so much on the ‘fun’ side)…
My biggest hang up is me. I practically require a clean house and a little “me-time” to function properly. Homeschooling has a way of sweeping “me-time” and “clean-time” under the rug, right along with the paper scraps accrued during my four year old’s cutting projects!
I started out this school year half-excited, half gritting my teeth. Promising myself time out for hot tea and chocolate and maybe sneaking a chapter or two in my latest Ted Dekker novel kept me patient with the girls as we plodded through math review and the Latin terms in our science textbook. And not surprisingly, I’d get caught up in the learning curve myself, the day would speed by and three days later I’d still be anticipating that as yet uneaten chocolate and unread book!
Even better, with so few hours remaining after the schoolbooks are shelved, I’ve realized that if we’re going to have a decent supper, I’ve got to start on it right after lunch. (Yeah, I know several of you might find that scandalous…having your own meals planned out scads in advance! You go girls!) Making more minutes count equals feeling more satisfaction at day’s end.
I guess it’s taught me that the important things can be done in a twenty-four hour day. Sure, it means defining important, which for me means getting up a little earlier, and going to bed, honestly, about the same time. Midnight or thereafter. It means simplifying the housework and detailing the lesson plans. Folding the laundry as soon as it’s dry, and planning for meals in advance of actual meal time. Letting your hot tea grow cold, time after time. And prayer. Plenty of it!
Scripture sure is convicting…
“Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men, but as wise, making the most of your time.” – Ephesians 5:15-16
“Whatsoever you do, do it heartily as unto the Lord and not unto men.” – Colossians 3:23
“Now this I say, he who sows sparingly shall also reap sparingly; and he who sows bountifully shall also reap bountifully.” – 2 Corinthians 9:6
May God bless you as you ease into another school year, and I hope that in the resuming of old routines, you’re embracing the lessons and beauty that each season has to offer.
