Home Mangement Binder

I have gone online to see if I can find a site that shows a Home Management Binder for working women. So far, I've come up empty. There are tons of HMB for stay-at-home women, which I used to be until this year, but nothing for one who works outside the home.

I have a HMB that I have used and should really just revamp it myself. It shouldn't be hard. It would have morning chores (laundry, unload dishwasher, etc.), after school chores (dinner, fold laundry), and evening chores (including getting ready for the next day). It would also need to include Saturday chores.

Sunday Happenings

At my church on Sunday nights, our pastor is doing a series on effective prayer. Tonight, we were in Psalm 51. David sinned and he didn't want God to see his face because he was so ashamed. He was broken. Then he got to the cleansing part. "Create in me a new heart, oh Lord, and renew a right spirit within me." (paraphrased) Pastor said that if we don't hear God speaking to us, there's either 1 of 2 things wrong: #1: we're not listening, or #2 we need to get something in our life right with God before He will hear us. I started thinking, is the reason I feel God isn't speaking to me because I don't have something right with Him? After the sermon, during our invitation time, I spent time confessing right then and there! There is a lady that I haven't had a right attitude towards. She is a wonderful person, but I have had a bad attitude. When I hear others talking about her, I joined in. I should have walked away, stuck up for her, or either just said "We're Christians, we shouldn't be saying these things". And then I had to confess about my attitude towards my husband. I haven't had the right attitude towards him about some things. I haven't been respectful or submissive. I confessed that sin before God and my husband. I know there's other things I need to confess. I want to be totally broken before God. I want for God to show me every area in my life where I am not honoring Him. I want to be made aware every moment of the day of things that I do and say and my about my attitude. I want for God to create in me a clean heart and to renew a right spirit within me.

Hmmm

Today, I read a post on another blog wherein the writer says she doesn't understand why a woman with children would send their children to a sitter or to school, then she go to school to teach other children. She said if you have the ability to teach, then why not teach your own children. She feels that teaching should be left to men and single women. Now, I know a lot of teachers who absolutely love teaching and who feel good about the impact they make on children every day. These women send their children to other schools instead of home schooling.

Now this hit home personally because I'm one of those women who sends her children to school (the youngest stays with Grandma) and I go teach other children. I have the ability to teach my own children, but don't. And the reasons why I'm teaching are selfish (1/2 price tuition for my children). I'm not doing it for the money, although the small amount I bring home each month pays for groceries and helps with a bill or two. But it brings up a lot of things to think about...are my children better off at Christian school? Are they getting the education that they need? Can they learn more at home? Do they necessarily need to be around other children? If I stay at home and home school, how would we be off financially? What kind of support would I get in our area? I don't want my children to be isolated and feel "left out" by not being able to participate in sports, etc. I leave home at 7:00 a.m. and do not return home until 4:00-5:00 p.m. Am I giving them the time and attention they need and deserve? What about my youngest who is pretty much being raised by Grandma at this time? She behaves better for Grandma...lol. Like I said, this has brought up a lot of questions to ponder.

Today is Lazy Day

Today will be a lazy day for me, and I plan to enjoy every moment! The school is closed for the next 3 days as other teachers go to a teacher's convention. (I was not able to attend this year). And our church is also closed for tonight because they are repaving the parking lot and cars cannot drive on it yet. So I have an entire day of nothing! I'm so excited!

However, I'm sure that I will only enjoy a couple of hours of sitting and doing nothing before I get off my rear and start working around the house. I follow FlyLady, so my house is pretty much 15 minutes away from being able to receive guests. But my bedroom needs a major redo! I have an old metal frame bed, with very old dresser & chest of drawers. There is my childhood dressing table and a modern desk. So as you can tell, nothing matches. I really need to just clean out everything and rearrange so it can make sense at least. And my closet...! I need to empty it out completely and put everything back in neatly and orderly.

Then I'm still working on the yard. We have bushes in the front that need to come up and we're working on a certain area in the backyard. I really need to get to the library this week, too.

Oh well, so much for a lazy day! I'll call it a lazy couple of hours instead.

Why I chose Christian School

I homeschooled my son for Kindergarten. I absolutely loved it! I thought I was pretty good at it because I stayed organized and hardly ever got off the schedule. When my husband's unit left for a year in Iraq weeks before 1st grade was to start, I decided to enroll my son at our church's Christian school. My son loved being with the other children. Then I was left with making the decision of whether to continue to homeschool or Christian school. We decided to continue to send him to school and now he's been joined by my daughter and now me, as a teacher. I can say, however, that if we ever moved and there wasn't a good Christian school available, my children will be homeschooled again. I am adamant that my children do not ever have to attend public school. It frightens me when I hear friend's children talk and the things they are exposed to. I wish to protect my children as long as I can. Don't get me wrong, I'm not putting them in a bubble. I just think that at age 8, there is no need for my son to know any cuss words, or know about anything sexual. I know 8-9 year olds that understand what the word "sexy" means. Not my son!

When the time is right, and we feel there is a need, we-the parents-will tell our son what he needs to know. But we will also teach him that this world today is full of sin and the world tries to make you think of sin through signs, billboards, and commercials. And we will also teach him how to protect himself from that.

Wishing for a simple life

I started this blog because I am wishing for a simple life. I have become a fan of websites of women who devote their life to their family and keeping things simple. I love reading the blogs of women who make their own bread and take the time to cook a homemade meal for their family. These are women who love their Lord and live the life of the Proverbs 31 woman. That's who I want to be.

I am the wife of a wonderful man, and the mother of 3 children, ages 8, 5, and almost 3. I stayed at home with the children for 7 years. However, I'll confess that my days weren't spent striving to become the Proverbs 31 woman. My meals were often fast and out of a can or freezer. If I baked, it was out of a box. In August, I started a job as a 3-K teacher at a Christian School. I am very thankful for this job. It allows us to send our children to a wonderful Christian school at a discounted price. However, the more I read about the lost art of being feminine and getting back to the basic things our grandmothers did, the more I yearn to be a part of that world.


I hope that this blog will help me to get back to the basics of life...the simple life. The life that maybe God intended me to have after all.