January was overall a good start to the new year. I’d like to reflect on what worked, what didn’t, and how to hold onto the habits that were started.
1) Slow down. I tried to keep January as simple as possible by focusing on only a few tasks each day: homeschool, cooking, dishes, laundry, my 15-minute vacation, and our group 15-minute clean-up after dinner. I tried to take it easy in between those tasks and give more attention to the kids. There were no huge demands looming in the back of my mind; no long to-do lists.
One plus of all this is that my stress went way down. I found that I had hours of free time, and it was nice! I spent way more time with the kids, and that’s something I don’t regret. I ignored lots of messes and was surprised by how much got cleaned up in the 15-minutes after dinner.
This was the easiest of the mini-goals, and I hope I can carry it on to the next months, too.
2) Take a 15-minute vacation every day. I was not able to do this every day. Sometimes, I just forgot! Other times, the boys just wouldn’t leave me alone. But some days, I was determined to find time for quiet, and I was so rejuvenated after the 15-minute “vacation”.
I found that if I had my phone with me, I didn’t end up relaxing enough to clear my mind and get prepared mentally for the rest of the day. So, going forward, no phone on vacation.
The time of day that usually worked was right before making lunch. School is finished, the younger boys are still occupied with toys or videos, and the baby is still (usually) napping.
Once the weather is nice enough, I hope to vacation on the front porch. I’m dreaming up ways to beautify it so it feels like a real retreat…I can’t wait for spring!
3) Keep Sunday a day of rest. I stayed off the computer and phone until after the kids went to bed. At least, I tried to do that. Sometimes, I couldn’t stop myself from checking email or texts. It was HARD. But that just proved to me that time away from the internet is something really needed. I can’t be the servant of my phone. Especially on Sunday, when I should be trying to serve the Lord.
Family activities need to be put in place. It was depressing being the only one not being entertained by media, and still the one making and cleaning up after meals. Blah. This is one area of our family life that I feel really needs attention. We need positive, fun, non-computer related things to do. What does your family do together on Sundays? I need ideas!!
