Structure

That has been my "buzz word" the past few months. The Lord has really been speaking to me about discipline; specifically discipline with my time in the home. I'm typically a pretty "go with the flow" kind of girl, and I have had this attitude when it came to managing the home. On the upside, I don't get too ruffled when unexpected things come up. The downside; important things get pushed to the wayside because I'm spending my entire day reacting to things I that I don't see coming.

God has made it clear (especially with the arrival of our sweet Asher) that it's time for me to change the way I spend my days. I think I've felt a reluctance to change all this time because I don't want to be reminded that I am accountable for my time... all of it.

I'm now choosing obedience, and with that, I've been getting advice from others and reading books on the subject. I've spent the past couple of weeks working on a schedule for our family and last week I began implementing it.

I am amazed at how differently and wonderfully our days now flow! Seriously, why didn't I do this sooner??? I'm now getting up at the same time every day; having daily devotionals, "school time", and couch time (reading with the kids); lunch, nap, and room times have a consistent start time; and dinner is getting on the table!

Even though I'm enthusiastic about the changes now, I know it's going to require continued discipline in the future to stay the course or make needed adjustments as this stage of life changes. I'm praying that I will live out the knowledge that there is joy in obedience and remember that sometimes the most beneficial way to show love to my family is by getting out of bed when the alarm goes off.