Tip of the Day #9

·         Try to be flexible like a straw, so we don't get so bent out of shape.  Although it has been a challenge to not let a schedule be completely sent out the door!

·         Flexibility is a must! Blessed are the flexible for they are never bent out of shape.

If you find yourself getting irritable, short tempered, or downright angry as the day goes on, ask yourself, "Is my day not going as I wanted it to?" People, like me, who need to have control, will get angry when their schedule is interrupted. But is that Christ-like? God wants to be in control of our days and if we are too rigid to allow Him to interrupt it, we could lose blessings that He has for us.

Our family follows a loose schedule something like this:

Breakfast:           Somewhere around 8 a.m. Then chores need done, farm animals fed and dishes done up.

School work:      I begin working with the little boys somewhere around 10 a.m. My high school senior generally gets up before the rest of the family to get the bulk of her work done so that she can help me throughout the day. My ninth grader works independently, for the most part, throughout the day.

Lunch:                   Somewhere between 12:30 and 1 p.m.

Rest Time:          3 p.m. This is probably the least flexible thing in our day as I value this quiet time so highly.

Supper:               Mostly around 6:30. But since we have college students in the home with evening classes and church on Wednesday evening, we try to work this around everyone's schedule.

Bedtime:             For little boys, we start reading around 8 p.m. We read a chapter or two and then lights out. Everyone else is pretty self-governed.

I've tried in the past to live by a schedule that was more rigid: Math 8 a.m., Reading 8:45, etc. That drove everyone crazy. I've also tried to not answer the phone, warn friends and acquaintances, "Do not call before lunch, we are doing school," or otherwise closely guard our days from any interruptions (even from my husband). But over the years, I've found that to be offensive. Now, if the phone rings, our friends understand if I say, "I'm in the middle of a reading lesson, can I call you back in 15 minutes?" But if the friend is in the middle of a crisis and is desperate for someone to pray with her, I answered her call and my children don't mind the interruptions at all.

 My mother prompted my re-thinking of interruptions. She has a habit of dropping in unannounced in the middle of school time with donuts. I could get really perturbed about this. But I realized that we don't know how much longer she will be around to pop over and then I would be sorry I missed all those visits with her, my children missed all those visits with her, and that we all missed all those donuts!