How to… Begin the Day with God

“My voice shalt Thou hear in the morning,
O Lord; in the morning will I direct
my prayer unto Thee and look up.”
Psalm 5:3

Most people approach life reactively, not proactively. Instead of planning ahead and making advance preparations for the circumstances with which they might meet during the course of the day, people tend to react instinctively toward life. They simply do what comes most naturally – like a “knee-jerk” reflex – waiting until after the fact of succumbing to temptation or reacting sinfully to a confrontation to begin repairing the damage.

Rushing into the day with little or no aforethought, circumstances rule and govern their attitudes. Happy circumstances make for pleasant moods; unhappy circumstances produce corresponding attitudes ranging from fear to anger to depression. How many times, for instance, has an angry motorist during morning “rush hour” had the effect of setting the tone of your thinking the remainder of the day?

Christian people, however, are called to “rule their spirits” – to determine their own attitudes, not to allow circumstances to bludgeon and control them: “He that ruleth his spirit [is better] than he that taketh a city” (Pro. 16:32b; cf. Pro. 25:28). The New Testament term for this kind of self-control is temperance – one of the distinguishing traits of a Christ-like character that the Holy Spirit develops in the soul (Gal. 5:22). The challenge that faces the believer each day might be expressed in terms of the need to respond Biblically (instead of react instinctively) toward the circumstances he encounters. Without a deliberate effort to calibrate one’s thinking and attitudes to the truth of God’s word every day, practical holiness proves evasive. Like water naturally follows the path of least resistance, flowing to the lowest point, so people, who are naturally habituated as sinners, instinctively react in the flesh to daily pressures and problems unless they plan and prepare for each day by drawing nigh to God. Ralph Cushman captures my sentiment in his poem “In the Morning”:

I met God in the morning
When my day was at its best,
And His presence came like sunrise
Like a glory in my breast.

All day long the Presence lingered;
All day long He stayed with me.
And we sailed with perfect calmness
O’er a very troubled sea.

Other ships were blown and battered,
Other ships were sore distressed;
But the winds that seemed to drive them
Brought to us a peace and rest.

Then I thought of other mornings
With a keen remorse of mind,
When I, too, had loosed the moorings
With the Presence left behind.

So I think I know the secret,
Learned from many a troubled way.
You must seek God in the morning
If you want Him through the day.

The Psalmist knew that a robust and vibrant walk with God was inseparably connected to the hard work of spiritual discipline. Note his language of commitment and resolve: "My voice shalt Thou hear in the morning…in the morning will I direct my prayer unto Thee and will look up (Ps. 5:3). Christians, likewise, must regularly remind themselves that godliness does not occur in a vacuum. The Christian life is not magic. Indeed, there is a supernatural dimension to Christian living, but unless the believer abides in Christ like a branch remains connected to the vine, he cannot produce the fruit of the Spirit (Jno. 15:4). Instead of love and joy and peace and longsuffering, the person who fails to maintain the moment-by-moment habit of communion with God will naturally manifest self-centeredness, cynicism, strife and impatience as the dominant characteristics of life.

The attempt to meet the challenges, bear the burdens, resist the temptations, solve the problems, and fulfill the responsibilities to which one is exposed each day without first drawing near to God is doomed for failure. It is equivalent to operating a vehicle on water instead of gasoline. Operating in the energy of the flesh, the believer is like Samsongoing through the motions of daily life, yet, all the while, oblivious to the fact that the Lord has departed from him. Tragic unconsciousness!

How, then, does a Christian abide in Christ so that the life of the Vine flows through the branch and produces fruit? The believer stays connected or linked to Christ through the spiritual disciplines of prayer, Bible intake, fellowship with other believers, and public worship. These are the spiritual resources that God has provided for godly discipleship. They are spiritual necessities, not spiritual luxuries. An authentic Christian life is simply not possible without them.

Just as Daniel purposed in his heart to live uncompromisingly in Babylon (Dan. 1:8), the Christian must purpose in his heart to cleave to Jesus Christ (Acts 11:23). He must make a conscious and deliberate moral efforta decision, if you willto live Christianly. If he doesnt stir himself up to take hold of the Lord and make a concerted effort to master his thoughts and attitudes, he will inevitably stagnate (Is. 64:7; cf. 2 Tim. 1:6).

Further, he must learn to narrow the focus and live a day at a time. No one can live a successful life all at once. A God-honoring and productive Christian life is composed of a series of God-honoring and productive Christian days strung together in succession. Someone once said Life is what happens to you while youre waiting for life to happen. The quest for a fruitful life, then, will only be realized by the individual who makes daily discipleship his focus (Lk. 9:23).

Toward that goal, I suggest the following practical directions for beginning the day with God. These are the specific thoughts and activities that have helped me get off to a good start each day.

First, at the moment you awaken, reflect on the great truth that His mercies are new every morning (Lam. 3:22). Past crises have not exhausted the Lords supply of grace. In the words of John Newton, He has a never-failing treasury filled with boundless stores of grace. Whatever trials or problems you might encounter today will not challenge the inexhaustible resources of your God. He has promised, As thy days, so shall thy strength be (Deut. 33:25). Though you have drawn deep from the well of Divine mercy for past sins, you have not depleted Gods super-abounding grace (Rom. 5:20). His mercies are new every morning; His grace is sufficient for you.

Next, let the Lord “hear your voice” through prayer and song. Jesus frequently rose early and departed to a solitary place to pray (Mr. 1:35). Even so, followers of Jesus should make it a habit to prepare in advance for the demands of each day by beginning it in communion with the Father. He delights to hear the prayers of the upright (Pro. 15:8; Songs 2:14). They, in turn, should delight in the unparalleled opportunity to draw near to Him.
Here, in “the secret place of the Most High” (Ps. 91:1), you may commit the cares of the day to God, asking for His blessing, direction, and strength, that He might be glorified in and through you. Here you may remind yourself of the fact that this day, whatever may be the current circumstances, is a priceless gift from Godthe day that the Lord hath made (Ps. 118:24). Here you may also, like that early-riser named Job, make intercession for your children before God (Job 1:5). Hymns such as Again, from Calm and Sweet Repose and I Love the Quietness of the Morning are especially appropriate to sing before the Lord during these brief morning exercises.

Thirdly, as you proceed to make physical preparations for the day, remember the words of Jesus, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God" (Mt. 4:4). Our needs, in other words, are not merely physical, but spiritual. Nourishment for the soul is as necessary as food for the body. It is helpful, then, to use the occasion of making physical provisions for the day as a stimulus and reminder of the need to provide for the spiritual life also. While you are dressing the body, remember that you must also clothe the inward man. Dress for spiritual success by “putting on” the Lord Jesus Christ (Rom. 13:12-14), charity (Col. 3:10,12-14), humility (1 Pet. 5:5), and the whole armor of God (Eph. 6:10ff). Further, let your morning look into the mirror be the catalyst to remind you of the need to look into the mirror of God’s word—the “perfect law of liberty”—in order to make adjustments to your thinking and conform yourself to the perfect will of God (Jas. 1:22-25; Rom. 12:2; cf. Jos. 1:8). Time spent in the word of God at the beginning of each day has a way of conditioning the mind to think Biblically about every circumstance one may encounter.

Finally, it will help you to spend some time in meditation. In preaching, God speaks to us. In prayer, we talk to God. In meditation, we talk to ourselves about God, taking our cue from His word. Meditationthinking Gods thoughts in Gods presenceis a necessary spiritual discipline for every Christian. The Puritans frequently encouraged their hearers to preach the gospel to themselves. In the wake of such wise counsel, I would urge every reader to make a deliberate effort to remind himself, at the beginning of each day, of several specific truths.

First, remind yourself of who your God is. It helps me to repeat salient passages like Habakkuk 2:20 (The Lord is in His holy temple; let all the earth keep silence before Him) and Isaiah 40:28 (Hast thou not known? Hast thou not heard? That the everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary). With such a view of the sovereignty and majesty of God, I then like to spend a few moments meditating on the preciousness of Christ: For consider Him that endured such contradiction of sinners against Himself, lest ye be weary and faint in your minds (Heb. 12:3).

Next, remind yourself of who you are. I fear that many professed believers think of themselves primarily in terms of their occupation (I am a banker or I am a student or I am a salesman). They define who they are by what they do. But Christians are called to reckon themselves dead indeed unto sin and alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord (Rom. 6:11). The believer should always think of himself/herself, first and foremost, in terms of his relationship to God. It helps me to begin each day by asking myself the question, Do I know who I am? and then answering, Yes, Im a child of the King and by His grace, I will live accordingly.

Also, remind yourself of how weak and sinful you are apart from God’s grace. Solomon identified genuine seekers of God as those who know every man the plague of his own heart (1 Kings 8:38); Paul as people who have no confidence in the flesh (Phi. 3:3). Now, I am not describing a kind of morose self-loathingan attitude that is the polar opposite of joy. No, there is nothing holy about such a self-absorbed mindset. But an awareness that, in and of myself, I am prone to stumble and fall and that there is no sin that I am incapable of committing is the very essence of what Scripture means when it exhorts, Humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God (1 Pet. 5:6).

When I make an effort to remember my own potential to pride and anger and unloving behavior and to reflect on particular occasions in the past when I failed to control my old nature, it helps me “not to think more highly of myself than I ought to think, but to think soberly” (Rom. 12:3). To remember that I am what I am by the grace of God (1 Cor. 15:10) helps me to bear insult and injury and to esteem anything short of eternal punishment a mercy from Gods hand. It helps me to think, I am prone to stumble; therefore, I need to guard my heart with all diligence (Pro. 4:23). Without Christ, I can do nothing (Jno. 15:4). I must draw nigh to Him in my meditations and prayers (1 Ths. 5:17) and walk humbly with my God (Mic. 6:8).

In the fourth place, remind yourself of the dangers that face you living in a world that is under the curse of sin. Christians forget that this world is enemy territory at their peril. The Christian life is a relentless battle and struggle against a triple threat that Scripture calls the world, the flesh, and the devil (Eph. 2:2-3). How critically important to meditate on the reality of the conflict in which we are engaged! Satan, the arch-enemy and adversary of our souls, walks about like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour (1 Pet. 5:8). He is a thief. His principal goal is to make casualties of Gods children along the way. He steals and kills and destroys. Many strong men have been unsuspectingly slain by him. He will steal your mind by false teaching. He will steal your time by worldly distractions. He will steal your joy by cultivating the seeds of bitterness and envy in your heart. He will steal your virtue by tempting you to moral impropriety. He will steal your life by tempting you to involve yourself in one-hundred-one different pursuits that he promises will bring happiness or success or security. What shall it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses his own soul? How important it is to remind ourselves at the beginning of each day that this vile world is not a friend to grace to bring us on to God!

Fifthly, remind yourself that all of life is lived before the face of God. David practiced the presence of God he disciplined himself to live with a conscious awareness that God was watching: Because I have set the Lord always before me, I shall not be moved (Ps. 16:8). Elder T. L. Webb, Jr. wisely suggested the practice of placing an empty chair at the table when the family sits to eat, or in front of the church during a business meeting, as a reminder that the Lord is present. Would we not be more cautious in both word and deed if we were conscious of the reality of His presence?

Next, in your morning meditations, think about the brevity of life and the preciousness of time. The Psalmist prayed, Lord, make me to know mine end, and the measure of my days, what it is: that I may know how frail I am (Ps. 39:4). Moses, likewise, petitioned God saying, So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom (Ps. 90:12). Life is brief and uncertain at best. Our days pass away swiftlywe spend our years as a tale that is told. How precious, then, is every twenty-four hour period! How we need to redeem the time! Do you ever live with vain regret over the way that you have squandered opportunities to serve the Lord, frittering your life away in trivial pursuits? Can you sing, Much of my time has run to waste? Indeed, I need to be reminded of Peters admonition every day: That [we] no longer should live the rest of [our] time in the flesh to the lusts of men, but to the will of God. For the time past of our life may suffice us to have wrought the will of the Gentiles (1 Pet. 4:2-3). Beginning the day with such a sharpened focus on the brevity of life will necessarily produce a more concentrated, and hence, more productive, Christian life.

Finally, begin each day in meditation on the fact that God is in sovereign control of your circumstances. My times are in His hands (Ps. 31:15). Commit the control of your future unto His wise and loving discretion and your thoughts will be established (Pro. 16:3; Ps. 37:5; 2 Tim. 1:12).

To begin each day with these deliberate exercises will prevent many sins. And the days will turn to weeks, and the weeks to months, and the months to years, and the years to a lifetime of godliness.

Borrowed From: http://www.sovgrace.net/beginday.htm

Another Great Article About

Beginning The Day With God:http://www.lainesletters.com/letters/mymorningjoys.html

Take Time To Pray

I got up early in the morning
And rushed right into the day.
I had so much to accomplish
That I didn't take time to pray.
Problems just tumbled around me
And heavier came each task.
I whined, "Why doesn't God help me?"
He said, "You didn't ask."
I groaned and shouted and grumbled,
I tried every key in the lock.
I cried, "why doesn't He open?"
He said, "Son, you didn't knock."
So, I got up early this morning
And paused before entering the day.
I had so much to accomplish
I had to take time to pray.
- Author unknown

Good day to all of you!

It's been busy around our place in the last few weeks. We are just about done with the school year and I'm getting ready for the next year starting September!

FUN!FUN!FUN!

Today I enrolled my kids in Creative Classes through our School District. So we will be doing out Home School and Alternative Classes they picked themselves.
This year will be so much fun! We signed up for some fun classes.

CYT - Christian Youth Theater
Mystery Solvers
Computer Basics
YMCA
Vocal Ensemble
Gymnastics
Martial Arts - Tac Kwen Doe

So in the next few weeks I'll be working on my new Calendar. Please pray for me that the Lord will give me the wisdom to plan my days, so I can bring glory to Him in everything I do.

Thank you, to all of you for your support and prayers!

God bless,
Oksana

Free School Calendar Templates - Download a collection of free school calendar templates for Excel, or quickly print a ready-made academic year calendar.

Housekeeping Rules to Live By

by Melissa Ringstaff




1. “Put it away, don’t put it down.”

2. “A place for everything and everything in its place.”

3. “A clean house is easier to clean than a messy house.”

4. “Kids need chores appropriate for their age.”

5. “Plan, plan, plan - and make a list!”

6. “Create a routine and stick to it.”

7. “Don’t wait till the last minute to start a chore. Do it ahead of time.”

Proverbs Challenge/Spring Cleaning Day 7 & 8

OK! For the most of you it's the last day of our Challenge! I know that it's a huge accomplishment when you are done with the project and I truly happy for all of you that accomplished this challenge.

As for me, well like I sad earlier, I will get it done by the end of next week.

This week has been a huge challenge for me. To many thing to do, I think, but with the help of kids and my husband I will get it done.

Blessings,

Posted by Sylvia
Faithfulness

Many a man claims to have unfailing love, but a faithful man who can find? Proverbs 20:6

If you search out God’s Word you will find faithfulness mentioned more than 60 times. Many of these times the Bible references God’s faithfulness and no wonder:

We are dependent on his faithfulness for:

* our final salvation (1 Corinthians 1:8-9)
* deliverance from temptation (1 Corinthians 10:13)
* sanctification (1 Thess. 5:23)
* forgiveness of sins (1 John 1:9)
* deliverance through times of suffering ( 1 Peter 4:19)
* the fulfillment of our hope of eternal life ( Hebrews 10:23)

God is faithful. Nothing in our lives is untouched by His faithfulness. “The Lord is faithful to all his promises.” Psalm 145:13

What is faithfulness? God’s definition of faithfulness means something that is firm and can be counted on. The faithful person is dependable, trustworthy and loyal. When Daniel’s rivals tried to find something that they could use against him before the king, they could not. “They could find no corruption in him because he was trustworthy (faithful) and neither corrupt nor negligent.” Daniel 6:4

Faithfulness has the connotation of absolute honesty.
Absolute honesty. We often give lip service to this concept but most of us are afraid of it.

“The Lord detests lying lips but he delights in men who are truthful” (Proverbs 12:22) “The Lord abhors dishonest scales, but accurate weights are his delight.” (Proverbs 11:1)

How honest are you? In all your doings? All your relationships?

The Biblical standard of faithfulness is the only standard we need measure ourselves by. We must determine to be faithful, even if it is unto death.
Evaluate your own life using the Word and a close friend. Are you dependable, even when it is costly? Are you a person who sticks closer than a brother? Think of specific times when you were either faithful or unfaithful.
Wherever your need is, ask God to meet you there and forgive you, and provide you with more opportunities to be faithful.

When I consider the reward for faithfulness, it encourages me to continue in honesty
Matthew 25:21 shows us what that reward is:

“Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!”

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Day 6 - Proverbs Challenge/Spring Cleaning

Good day to all of you!

Well today is the day that we will start with the room that is used
the most in our homes.

Kitchen!

Yes, it's time to get organized in your kitchen. This is a big project for a lot of people and one important thing you have to remember is take it slow, do not rush! For some of you it's a one day thing, for most it'll take a couple of day, and then their are some that will take a bit longer. And that is OK! For me, well it will be few days, probably until the end of this week. Kids came to me yesterday and they want to be done with their homeschooling by the end of May. So we have to put our energy into it this next month. It'll be a challenge, but I think we can make it!


So, I pray for all of you that are working hard on organizing you home and Spring Cleaning it. May your days be filled with satisfaction of accomplishment! And remember at the end of the day be thankful for all finished and unfinished projects.


Blessings to all of you!


Posted by Sylvia
Today I have a devotional from last year’s Spring Cleaning session. There were a lot of responses to it and I think it is a timeless lesson from God’s Word. I hope it blesses you today…….

That Elusive Gentle Spirit


Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Galatians 6:1

… let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God’s sight is very precious. 1 Peter 4:3

Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. Matthew 11:29

…to speak evil of no one, to avoid quarreling, to be gentle, and to show perfect courtesy toward all people. Titus 3:2

Gentleness is one of the hallmarks of a Christian who knows Jesus and reflects His character traits. Matthew 12:20 gives us the perfect picture of how Jesus deals with us in gentleness, “a bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out, til he leads justice to victory.”

Bruised reeds and smoldering wicks are people who are hurting, spiritually weak or weak in faith. Jesus does not condemn us for our weaknesses and rule breaking, but in gentleness leads us to the place where we need to be. Not only is this Jesus’ way for dealing with his people, it is our pattern when we are dealing with others.
Paul made appeals to the church at Corinth, he didn’t demand that they obey him or Christ. In doing this he exercised the spiritual gift of Gentleness.

Genuine Christians treat others with gentleness in all areas. A Pharisee-like Christian will adhere to rules and laws in favor of offering grace in gentleness to those who are struggling. They are always asking, “Is it in line with the law?” The gentle person asks, “Is it kind or the right thing to say or do?” I’ve been in churches where the leadership nearly destroyed people with their lack of gentleness in dealing with sin and failings. But that’s not the only area where lack of gentleness is obvious.

How tactful are you in your speech? Some people think it a mark of honesty to be blunt and abrupt in their speech. Are we not to answer all people with sensitivity and consideration? I personally know people who are blunt and yet tactful and kind with their words. Often though, bluntness and lack of tact can be signs that we are impatient and thinking only of ourselves and just want to get our message out. When we think of others first, we use gentle words… no matter how desperate the situation. If you tend to be blunt and tactless, examine yourself for motives.

How gentle are you in dealing with those who fail?

How much compassion do you show those who are involved in sin?

Are you gentle with your spouse when he fails in some way?

What about that elusive Gentle Spirit? Do you have a gentle spirit? Are you, at your very core, gentle and kind? Paul compares gentleness to a mother nursing her baby. You who have nursed or bottle-fed your babies, you know what that means. You can bring back to your mind those feelings of care and protectiveness. This is the gentleness we are use in dealing with others. That amazes me! I don’t naturally feel that way toward others, do you? And because of that, the Spirit moves to give us the fruit of gentleness with His presence in our lives. He gently leads us so that we can treat others with gentleness.

If you ask the Holy Spirit to make you aware of every time gentleness is needed, He will do so. First though you have to decide that you want to be gentle. You will have to let go of your love of rules and regulations. You will have to put people first, just like Jesus did if you want to care for people and show gentleness.

Philippians 4:5
“Let your gentleness be known to all.”


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The Kitchen

We will spend two days in the kitchen.

The kitchen is usually the hardest room to Spring Clean in because we use it so much and its hard to have it out of commission for a day in some families. So I suggest that you utilize your crock pot or other means of having supper tonight so that you can concentrate on cleaning instead of breaking to cook.

Take a good look at your kitchen….. does it need:
…to be majorly decluttered? - Then you may need to take several days in this room.
…to be degreased? If you are using natural cleaners, a good mild dish soap will work wonders.
…to have structural work done? Can you clean the are and apply paint or get it ready to paint?
…to be emptied out and started over? Just kidding

You must choose what you need to do in your kitchen today. Do you have time to devote to this project? Maybe you should not get in to a really deep, deep cleaning of the kitchen today. Perhaps you should do a medium clean. You just find your happy place and get in the groove, OK?

First Things First:

* Take out trash.
* Pick up countertops
* Take everything out of the kitchen that doesn’t go in the kitchen… use your 4 bags/boxes/baskets!
* Take down curtains - wash
* Take up rugs - wash

The kitchen can become a catch-all if you’re not careful. If your family has a habit of depositing things in the kitchen, and you’re OK with that, try to have a receptacle for all their stuff. Baskets are great for keys, change, pocket contents.

Mail really clutters up kitchen counter tops! Try using a box or basket to hold mail, both outgoing and incoming.

Move out furniture and take everything off your countertops that you possibly can. I will use my living room to store these things while I am cleaning because I have just cleaned my dining room and I don’t want to mess it up!
I will use laundry baskets to hold everything.

Two two big areas to clean in most kitchens are the refrigerator and the oven. Today we will clean the frig, tomorrow, the oven.
Here are steps to cleaning out the frig.

* Make a sink or large tub of hot soapy water.
* Empty the frig.
* Throw away outdated, old food.
* Pull out shelves and drawers that can be taken out.
* Wash all the shelves and drawers with your hot soapy water (WARNING: Don’t put a cold glass shelf or glass drawer in warm or hot water!!! Don’t ask….)
* Wipe down the inside of the frig with your natural cleaner or cleaner of choice. Rinse well.
* Wipe down gaskets and outer portions of the door, also clean the vent under the door.
* Replace drawers and shelves.
* Wipe down jars and food containers.
* Replace food.

On with the Kitchen Cleaning…………..
Next

1. Sweep down cobwebs
2. Make a sink of hot soapy water or use your chemical cleaner. Get out your rags and start washing down
3. the ceiling if needed, door frames, window frames, baseboards and walls. Wash windows.
4. Take up your rugs and put them in to wash. Take down curtains and wash.
5. Put a load of dishes in to wash while you work, or go ahead and wash all the dishes by hand.
6. Clean the top of the refrigerator, the stove exhaust hood, all large appliances. Go ahead and spray cleaner in the oven if you’re adventurous. Take out the drip pans and put them in a pan of hot soapy water to soak.
7. Clean of shelves and inside cabinets. Wash them down. Order and organize your pantry food and your pots and pans.
8. Wash inside your cabinets while they are empty.
9. Re-line cabinets if needed. Did you know that in the “old days” we used to use newspaper for this??
10. Replace everything that goes in the cabinets, washing and dusting off as you go.
11. Wash down the outside of the cabinets, use de-greaser if needed or a wood soap. Dry them and then polish them with lemon oil if they are finished wood. This is going to be the really hard, arm-breaking scrubby part for me today. My cabinets just need a really good deep scrub. But when its done, it will make the whole kitchen look better!
12. Don’t forget the areas over the stove!
13. Change your wash water if needed.
14. Wash down all the bottles, canisters, containers, etc. that sit on your counter tops.
15. Scrub the counter tops. Wash and replace the drip pans.
16. Sweep the floor. Make up your mop water and get to scrubbing. I will use a scrub brush this morning and scrub under the stove and all around the cabinets. Then I’ll mop the rest of the floor.
17. Can you move the stove and clean under it? That would probably be a good idea.

Consider setting up a Baking Center if you cook and bake a lot. I sat mine up in one of my cabinets. I put these items in the Baking Center:

Mixer
Food processor
Flours
Yeast
Baking powder and soda
Salt
Cornmeal
Shortening
Oil
Spices

You could put more in it, like measuring spoons and mixing bowls. It really is a time saver for me!

Finally…

* Put all your curtains and dry rugs back down when the floor is dry. Give the appliances one more look and a polish.
* Rearrange all your counter top things.
* Check out Robin’s thread for ideas regarding kitchen storage and organization.
* Light yourself some candles, make some tea and enjoy your kitchen!


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De-Cluttering and Organizing the Kitchen
By Robin D.

Most kitchens suffer from a complete clutter overload! The clutter usually consists of at least a few of the following: gadgets, unused appliances, paper, junk drawers, etc.

Here are a few quick suggestions for dealing with some of these clutter issues.

*Work out the organization ideas in your mind, and then on paper, before you actually jump in and begin re-organizing your kitchen. That way you will be better able to decide where you want to start and what changes you want to make.

*As you organize, keep in mind you want your kitchen to “flow”. That means you don’t want to be constantly running to and fro in the kitchen when you’re cooking, serving meals, etc.
Try, as much as possible, to group items together according to their use.
For instance, you would probably want to place your coffee cups and drinking glasses in the same cupboard. ~And you would want your coffee cups near the coffee pot! Make sense?
This would be a great time to work on creating “work centers” in your kitchen.

*If you have any storage containers for things like flour, sugar, or other household goods, now would the time to make sure they’re labeled clearly.

*Take this opportunity to make a pantry inventory, spice inventory, etc.

*Too many magnets and/or paper/junk on the fridge will make any kitchen look unkempt. See if you can streamline some of these items.

*If you have metal cabinets the inside of the cabinet is a great place to use magnets and hang phone numbers, etc.

*Keep the top of your fridge clutter free. If you must store items on top, take a few moments to organize them and make the space user friendly.

*It’s not only unsightly to have a lot of clutter on your counter-tops; it also makes cleaning more difficult. Take a long hard look at your counter space and make some decisions concerning clutter and ease of use. You may need to eliminate some items and/or re-organize.

*Don’t make things harder than they have to be!
Think carefully and take a few minutes to plan before you replace your items in the cabinets after cleaning. Think “user-friendly”! Stacking is fine, but think ahead and try not to stack items you use frequently on the bottom or in the back!

*Streamline when possible. Be honest with yourself when it comes to de-cluttering.
Often there are many items in the kitchen that go unused year after year. For instance, how many of your casserole dishes do you really use?
As you organize your kitchen, are you coming across items you don’t use?
Sometimes it’s good to keep a specialty item even if it isn’t used that much. For instance, most people have a turkey platter. It’s something that you may only use a few times a year, but you do use it and need it!
On the other hand; seldom do you need eight muffin pans!
So, if there are items you no longer need or don’t want now is the time to find a new home for them. Share the wealth!

*Check your window sills. It’s easy to let clutter accumulate their as well. Too many plants, decorations, etc.

*Take a deep breath and tackle that junk drawer! (Or drawers!)
There is seldom a true need for a junk drawer. To be honest, most of the time it’s simply a “catch-all” for items we haven’t taken the time to put in their proper place. ~Or that we haven’t taken the time to create a place for.
Be brutal! Tools can be kept with the rest of their kind in the tool box. Kitchen gadgets should have their own place. Take stock of the contents and organize them! Usually there is a collection of old phone books, take-out menus, bread ties, etc. in these drawers, weed out the undesirables and organize the rest.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The Kitchen

We will spend two days in the kitchen.

The kitchen is usually the hardest room to Spring Clean in because we use it so much and its hard to have it out of commission for a day in some families. So I suggest that you utilize your crock pot or other means of having supper tonight so that you can concentrate on cleaning instead of breaking to cook.

Take a good look at your kitchen….. does it need:
…to be majorly decluttered? - Then you may need to take several days in this room.
…to be degreased? If you are using natural cleaners, a good mild dish soap will work wonders.
…to have structural work done? Can you clean the are and apply paint or get it ready to paint?
…to be emptied out and started over? laugh.gif Just kidding wink.gif

You must choose what you need to do in your kitchen today. Do you have time to devote to this project? Maybe you should not get in to a really deep, deep cleaning of the kitchen today. Perhaps you should do a medium clean. You just find your happy place and get in the groove, OK?

First Things First:

* Take out trash.
* Pick up countertops
* Take everything out of the kitchen that doesn’t go in the kitchen… use your 4 bags/boxes/baskets!
* Take down curtains - wash
* Take up rugs - wash

The kitchen can become a catch-all if you’re not careful. If your family has a habit of depositing things in the kitchen, and you’re OK with that, try to have a receptacle for all their stuff. Baskets are great for keys, change, pocket contents.

Mail really clutters up kitchen counter tops! Try using a box or basket to hold mail, both outgoing and incoming.

Move out furniture and take everything off your countertops that you possibly can. I will use my living room to store these things while I am cleaning because I have just cleaned my dining room and I don’t want to mess it up!
I will use laundry baskets to hold everything.

Two two big areas to clean in most kitchens are the refrigerator and the oven. Today we will clean the frig, tomorrow, the oven.
Here are steps to cleaning out the frig.

* Make a sink or large tub of hot soapy water.
* Empty the frig.
* Throw away outdated, old food.
* Pull out shelves and drawers that can be taken out.
* Wash all the shelves and drawers with your hot soapy water (WARNING: Don’t put a cold glass shelf or glass drawer in warm or hot water!!! Don’t ask….)
* Wipe down the inside of the frig with your natural cleaner or cleaner of choice. Rinse well.
* Wipe down gaskets and outer portions of the door, also clean the vent under the door.
* Replace drawers and shelves.
* Wipe down jars and food containers.
* Replace food.

On with the Kitchen Cleaning…………..
Next

1. Sweep down cobwebs
2. Make a sink of hot soapy water or use your chemical cleaner. Get out your rags and start washing down
3. the ceiling if needed, door frames, window frames, baseboards and walls. Wash windows.
4. Take up your rugs and put them in to wash. Take down curtains and wash.
5. Put a load of dishes in to wash while you work, or go ahead and wash all the dishes by hand.
6. Clean the top of the refrigerator, the stove exhaust hood, all large appliances. Go ahead and spray cleaner in the oven if you’re adventurous. Take out the drip pans and put them in a pan of hot soapy water to soak.
7. Clean of shelves and inside cabinets. Wash them down. Order and organize your pantry food and your pots and pans.
8. Wash inside your cabinets while they are empty.
9. Re-line cabinets if needed. Did you know that in the “old days” we used to use newspaper for this??
10. Replace everything that goes in the cabinets, washing and dusting off as you go.
11. Wash down the outside of the cabinets, use de-greaser if needed or a wood soap. Dry them and then polish them with lemon oil if they are finished wood. This is going to be the really hard, arm-breaking scrubby part for me today. My cabinets just need a really good deep scrub. But when its done, it will make the whole kitchen look better!
12. Don’t forget the areas over the stove!
13. Change your wash water if needed.
14. Wash down all the bottles, canisters, containers, etc. that sit on your counter tops.
15. Scrub the counter tops. Wash and replace the drip pans.
16. Sweep the floor. Make up your mop water and get to scrubbing. I will use a scrub brush this morning and scrub under the stove and all around the cabinets. Then I’ll mop the rest of the floor.
17. Can you move the stove and clean under it? That would probably be a good idea.

Consider setting up a Baking Center if you cook and bake a lot. I sat mine up in one of my cabinets. I put these items in the Baking Center:

Mixer
Food processor
Flours
Yeast
Baking powder and soda
Salt
Cornmeal
Shortening
Oil
Spices

You could put more in it, like measuring spoons and mixing bowls. It really is a time saver for me!

Finally…

* Put all your curtains and dry rugs back down when the floor is dry. Give the appliances one more look and a polish.
* Rearrange all your counter top things.
* Check out Robin’s thread for ideas regarding kitchen storage and organization.
* Light yourself some candles, make some tea and enjoy your kitchen!

De-Cluttering and Organizing the Kitchen
By Robin D.

Most kitchens suffer from a complete clutter overload! The clutter usually consists of at least a few of the following: gadgets, unused appliances, paper, junk drawers, etc.

Here are a few quick suggestions for dealing with some of these clutter issues.

*Work out the organization ideas in your mind, and then on paper, before you actually jump in and begin re-organizing your kitchen. That way you will be better able to decide where you want to start and what changes you want to make.

*As you organize, keep in mind you want your kitchen to “flow”. That means you don’t want to be constantly running to and fro in the kitchen when you’re cooking, serving meals, etc.
Try, as much as possible, to group items together according to their use.
For instance, you would probably want to place your coffee cups and drinking glasses in the same cupboard. ~And you would want your coffee cups near the coffee pot! Make sense?
This would be a great time to work on creating “work centers” in your kitchen.

*If you have any storage containers for things like flour, sugar, or other household goods, now would the time to make sure they’re labeled clearly.

*Take this opportunity to make a pantry inventory, spice inventory, etc.

*Too many magnets and/or paper/junk on the fridge will make any kitchen look unkempt. See if you can streamline some of these items.

*If you have metal cabinets the inside of the cabinet is a great place to use magnets and hang phone numbers, etc.

*Keep the top of your fridge clutter free. If you must store items on top, take a few moments to organize them and make the space user friendly.

*It’s not only unsightly to have a lot of clutter on your counter-tops; it also makes cleaning more difficult. Take a long hard look at your counter space and make some decisions concerning clutter and ease of use. You may need to eliminate some items and/or re-organize.

*Don’t make things harder than they have to be!
Think carefully and take a few minutes to plan before you replace your items in the cabinets after cleaning. Think “user-friendly”! Stacking is fine, but think ahead and try not to stack items you use frequently on the bottom or in the back!

*Streamline when possible. Be honest with yourself when it comes to de-cluttering.
Often there are many items in the kitchen that go unused year after year. For instance, how many of your casserole dishes do you really use?
As you organize your kitchen, are you coming across items you don’t use?
Sometimes it’s good to keep a specialty item even if it isn’t used that much. For instance, most people have a turkey platter. It’s something that you may only use a few times a year, but you do use it and need it!
On the other hand; seldom do you need eight muffin pans!
So, if there are items you no longer need or don’t want now is the time to find a new home for them. Share the wealth!

*Check your window sills. It’s easy to let clutter accumulate their as well. Too many plants, decorations, etc.

*Take a deep breath and tackle that junk drawer! (Or drawers!)
There is seldom a true need for a junk drawer. To be honest, most of the time it’s simply a “catch-all” for items we haven’t taken the time to put in their proper place. ~Or that we haven’t taken the time to create a place for.
Be brutal! Tools can be kept with the rest of their kind in the tool box. Kitchen gadgets should have their own place. Take stock of the contents and organize them! Usually there is a collection of old phone books, take-out menus, bread ties, etc. in these drawers, weed out the undesirables and organize the rest.

Day 5 - Proverbs Challenge/Spring Cleaning

It's been a little slow at our place, but we will get it done!
Blessings to all of you!


Posted by Sylvia
This morning I wanted to present to you a poem that has meant a lot to me over the years. I first heard it on the radio read by Elizabeth Elliot. It is not known who wrote it, but was obviously someone who had struggled with some overwhelming tasks. It seems to have been written by someone who knew what it was like to be tempted to despair. We can be tempted to despair or give up. I’ve been tempted to do that, even with the ministry that God has laid in my hands… with my marriage, my home…

Have you ever felt like what God was asking you was just too much? Be careful; there is very often a difference between what God asks of us and what we impose on ourselves out of pride or envy of someone else’s home, job or family. Be sure that what you are attempting to do for the glory of God is truly godly and that you have those all-important priorities in order. Then, when things get really tough, do the next thing.

Do The Next Thing

Many a questioning, many a fear,
Many a doubt, hath its quieting here.
Moment by moment, let down from Heaven,
Time, opportunity, and guidance are given.
Fear not tomorrows, child of the King,
Trust them with Jesus, do the next thing.

Do it immediately, do it with prayer;
Do it reliantly, casting all care;
Do it with reverence, tracing His hand
Who placed it before thee with earnest command.
Stayed on Omnipotence, safe beneath His wing,
Leave all results, do the next thing

Looking for Jesus, ever serener,
Working or suffering, be thy demeanor;
In His dear presence, the rest of His calm,
The light of His countenance be thy psalm,
Strong in His faithfulness, praise and sing.
Then, as He beckons thee, do the next thing.

-Anonymous

Putting one foot in front of the other is sometimes more than we think we can do. We all know though, that it is often just the thing we have to do. Perseverance and determination are usually the marks of age and wisdom. My recommendation though is that you cultivate them both now. Both are traits that God approves of, and if you ask Him, He will give you what you need to develop them in your life no matter how young and inexperienced you may be.

We sometimes trick ourselves into thinking that God will just do it all FOR us. He will not. He will lift us up and care for us, encourage us, give us everything we need and send us on our way to do the things He has given us to do. Sometimes He will carry us through difficult places. But He won’t do our work for us. And often, if we do not take up the challenge to do what He send us to do, He will chose someone else to do it.

Be determined to accomplish what God has set before you today.
Here’s determination for you…..

“Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea, I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my own countrymen, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false brothers. in toil and hardship, through many a sleepless night, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure. And, apart from other things, there is the daily pressure on me of my anxiety for all the churches.”

2 Corinthians, 11:24-25
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

We’re going to be working in another bedroom today. If you don’t have another bedroom to clean, just choose another room and get busy!

Many of us have a child’s room or children’s room to clean. And many of us have a real task before us what with all the toys, crayons, books and kid stuff that needs organizing.

Basically, you will follow the same method for cleaning a child’s room that you followed in the Master Bedroom. You may however find that you need extra storage for your child’s things.

Good ideas for storage:

* Closet Systems
* Rubbermaid style containers that are clear
* Stackable containers
* Shelves
* Cubby-hole style shelves

First - Take down curtains and wash them if you are able. If you cannot wash them, hang them outside to air. Be sure not to hang them in full sun if you think they may fade.

Second - Strip the bed linens and put them in to wash or in the laundry room.
Hang the bed spread or comforter out to air.

Third - Hang up and put away all clothes or laundry. This would be a good time to go through a child’s clothing and sort it. Give away, store or sell clothing that does not fit.

If you just don’t have any way to store those clothes, you really should get rid of some of them!

Fourth - Get yourself three baskets, boxes or bags. Label these containers:

Throw Away
Give Away
Put Away

Walk around your room and put everything that you don’t want in the room in one of these boxes. Consider putting up 3/4 of your child’s toys. Every few months, trade out the 1/4 you left out for a new batch of toys and store the rest.

Fifth - Pull everything out of the closet. Oh my, yes, the closet AGAIN! laugh.gif Now go through it quickly and put each item in one of your four boxes. Hang up clothes and sort them into the boxes quickly. Don’t take too much time with this. If your child has not worn the item in 1 year, toss it or give it away.

If an item you pull out of your closet does not belong in the closet, if the closet is not where you really should store it, then move it to its rightful place. If you don’t have anywhere else for this item, then its rightful place is the closet. Only you know.

Dust, sweep and clean the inside of the closet. Rehang the clothes. Arrange the contents of the closet that are going back in it, correctly and neatly.

Sixth - Clean out from under the bed. Pull it all out, divide the under-bed contents into your four boxes. Sweep and mop under the bed when everything is moved out from under it.

Seventh - Dust the ceilings, tops of windows and door frames, and walls. If you walls are dirty and you want to wash them, go for it! Use a mild detergent or soap and warm water if you have painted walls. If you have wallpaper, you will want to use a barely damp sponge and a drying towel. Work from the top of the wall down to the floor. If you have carpet, cover it!

Now to the Nitty Gritty Cleaning of the Room:

* Wash the windows. Use my homemade window cleaner or what ever you have on hand. Use newspaper to dry them for a streak free shine!
* Clean up the window frames now and dry them well.
* Clean the baseboards with a soapy solution of mild dish soap and warm water or your natural cleaner
* Dust all furniture. Use lemon oil or orange oil on all wood. Use a mild soap and warm water on other furniture according to what its made of. Wash doilies and table covers.
* If you haven’t yet cleaned the nicnacs and needful items that go in your room go do that now. When they are cleaned, replace them where they go in the room.

Press and rehang curtains.

Enlist a child to organize and sort items to be stored in storage containers.

Sweep, vacuum and mop the floor depending on what you need to do. If your floors are hard, use which ever chemicals you have success with. I use a wood soap on my hardwood and then a wood shiner product made by Glade. Sometimes I even use orange oil on the floors and rub them to a deep shine. You must rub the wood very vigorously so that it won’t be slick!

Dress the bed. Its getting to be cooler here in the US so dress your bed in sheets and two quilts OR with one quilt and one blanket.

Replace rugs.

Give a child or two a good talking to about the rules of the house for keeping the room clean. Consider putting an every day rule for a 10 minutes straightening session first thing in the morning and another first thing before bed.

Proverbs Challenge/Spring Cleaning Day 2 & 3

Well how did you all do yesterday? I just want to say if you are not done yet with day One do not worry! No body is going to push you to hard, what matters is that it gets done! With day Two and Three we are going into the Living Room, but what I have done is applied the same rule as the Master Bedroom cleaning into the rest of the rooms, kids rooms.

Just to let you know we will be working on that starting Monday. Cleaning the kids room I will make sure that they are a big part of that project. Kids need to know what it takes to clean rooms Godly way. It's a good way to teach them lessons as we go about the room. Every time you have to show them something explain why are we doing it this way and that it's important to have it that way for a reason. I have learned one thing, when kids understand why we do things in a particular way it makes it easier for them to keep it that way. One more thing, stress it out that by obeying you they are obeying God and by disobeying you the disobey God. It's huge! When they get it!!!!

Blessings to all of you!

Posted by Sylvia
Are you having a hard time getting done everything you’v set out to accomplish this week? Don’t give up! Keep on moving and heading in the right direction. You will accomplish what you are able to do and that will be enough.

Those who are finished with the Master Bedroom can come along with me to the next room. If you are not finished with the bedroom, go ahead and finish it today if you can. Just move ahead at your own pace. We Will spend TWO days in the Living Room before we move on to the next room. You may or may not need two days but this will give some ladies the opportunity to catch up and it will give the rest of us some breathing room!

Remember Your Challenge for the Day….

* Get Up … as early as possible
* Get Dressed … Nothing fancy, but be ready to leave the house for errands if needed
* Get Moving …. There’s a Day waiting and it has tasks to do
* Seek God …. worship Him and ask Him for His help
* Make Good Changes …. in your daily routines

Joy Comes From Obedience

For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments, and His commandments are not burdensome. 1 John 5:3

When you are approaching a new challenge, like getting up early and getting ready for your day, or any other challenge that will better your life, do you dread it? Most of us at least come at those challenges with a little fear or anxiety. The One Thing that can lift our spirits and give us courage and Joy is knowing that we have the Lord Jesus’ example of joy in all things going before us.

Even the most difficult of tasks can be accomplished with sweetness and finesse when we make up our minds that we are going to do these difficult things in the joy of the Lord.

We spend lots of time teaching our children to obey us. Our own parents tried to teach us to obey, too! But now we are adults and we have to depend on self motivation and the prompting of the Holy Spirit to obey.

4 Things To Remember and Do As You Approach Your Work

First - Trust God and obey His commands for your life. Meditate on your salvation and what it means.

Second - Follow the example of Jesus when faced with difficult circumstances. He endured the difficulties with Joy.

Third - Be filled with the Spirit so that you will be thanking God all along the way and will be empowered to do the task at hand.

Fourth - Sing a song! Put on some praise music! “…singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks in all things.” Galatians 5:22. A song can cheer your heart and brighten your work.

Take heart, dear sister. The most difficult of tasks, the most impossible thing, can be done with joy in the power of the Lord.

Spring Cleaning in the Living Room

The living room or den is the room where a family does most of their, well…. living. Its a busy room and takes a lot of wear and tear. So, it can usually stand a good cleaning any time you want to give it one.

Begin by picking up the room and using your 4 bags/boxes/baskets like we did in the master bedroom. Get everything out of this room that doesn’t belong. Sometimes I place personal belongings in a basket and tell the children to come get their things in the next ten minutes or the things are leaving home

Make a pan of hot soapy water or use the kitchen sink.

Once you get the room emptied of stuff that doesn’t belong, take up nicknack's and decorative items.

Clean and wash picture frames and nicknack's, set them out to dry.

Take down the curtains and take up the rugs, wash them if possible or hang them out to air.

Take up tablecloths, doilies, all fabric coverings and pillows; wash and dry if you can or air dry.

Wash down the door frames, window frames, baseboards, all woodwork, ceilings and ceiling fans.

Wash windows

Clean off shelves, rearrange books, wipe down the shelves while they are empty.

Clean up work areas. Organize work materials.

Organize movies, cds and dvds, organize the whole tv/entertainment area

Dust all furniture, polish if needed

Move out furniture if possible, if not just clean around and under as best you can.

Vacuum upholstered furniture

Vacuum floors, sweep and mop, polish wood floors

Replace rugs and curtains

Replace furniture covers if using and pillows

Arrange magazines, papers, books that don’t have a shelf. A basket might be nice, or simply stack them up neatly.

Replace nicnacs and pictures…. do you need them all in this room?

Light some candles and relax!

A homeschooling mom’s day is not all about teaching children their ABC’s and 123’s. She has to be a chief cook and bottle washer, the medic for bumps and bruises, the domestic help who cleans, the trainer of her children, encourager of her husband, occasional gardener...the list goes on.

Where do you find yourself right now on a scale of 1 – 10 with regards to your home and schooling organization?

Do you have any sort of vision of where you want to be 2, 5 or even 10 years down the line?

Have you thought about the highschool year?

What about your day to day living – how are your children progressing in their learning disciplines?

What are you doing to shape and mould their Godly characters?

And your housekeeping? Does your family work together as a team, do your children do their chores – in fact – do you do your chores?

Are you able to eat healthy wholesome meals each day?

Can you fit in a little time each day for yourself?

Would you believe that planning is the first step to help you move forward in each of these areas? Whether you are a textbook homeschooler or unschooler or follow any pattern in between, planning will set you free to live more victoriously.


But how do you start planning?
The answer is here Click Here! in the form of the Ultimate Homeschooling Mom’s Planner. This e-book offers you over 130 templates to use to plan your homeschooling mom’s lifestyle.


What you’ll get from this e-book:

Daily, weekly, monthly and annual planners

Family vision planner

Family fitness ideas

Personal Goals

Homemaking help

Cooking and meal planning

Housekeeping including cleaning tips

Children’s Chore Charts

School planning – from preschool to highschool

And more!

Click Here!

You can begin planning in just one area with this planner, starting where you feel there is the greatest need. As you get that one habit underway, you can add the next planning sheet! This is the beauty of planning – it is moldable in your hands to suit your family.
This e-book gives you templates which you print off and adapt for your family’s specific needs as and when you need it. But more than this, on most pages you will find inspirational poems, quotes and scriptures to inspire you to never grow weary in doing good for your family and in your home.

Throughout the e-book you also have Tips for Success which come from my many years of parenting and homeschooling. The tips are to encourage you but also to give you practical planning advice so that you are mentored through the planning process.

A homeschooling mom cannot afford to let things happen as and when they may, we need to be diligent about strategizing for our families, seeking the Lord for His will in our lives and living this out before Him.
Click Here!

Not Enough of Me to Go Around

Have you ever felt that their is not enough of you to go around?
Have you ever had to be in three places at the same time?
Have you ever felt like you are running on empty tank?

Well you have to stop and look and the Word of God. We have clear answers for our frantic life.
I know as a working wife and a mother of four that time is hard to find. But I have learned to make priorities in my life. And it helped me with a lot of the responsibilities that I have. I pray that God will encourage you to follow Him in this matter. There is always enough time in any one day to do the things Christ wants us to do. He has called us to be faithful, not frantic.

Jesus never seemed to hurry anywhere, yet we are told that he finished every single one of his objectives during his short life. The night before his agony on the cross began and his earthly life ended, he looked toward heaven and prayed, “I have brought you glory on earth by completing the work you gave me to do” (John 17:4). And as he drew his last breath, he made the incredible statement, “It is finished” (John 19:30) Nothing essential was left undone.
Charles Bradshaw and Dave Gilbert

Here Are a Few Tips to Help Manage Your Time

Do the most important thing first – Think about the most important things that you need to do tomorrow. Write them down, and number each task according to its importance. Don’t worry if you don’t complete everything by the end of the day; at least you will have completed the most important projects. Do this every day

Don’t put it off – “Don’t put off for tomorrow what you can do today, because if you enjoy it today you can do it again tomorrow” James Michener

Plan ahead
Monthly – Make plans for the month, maybe you have to send a Birthday Card to a friend. It would be nice to have that ready at the beginning of the month that will save you time on a daily schedule. All you have to do is send it.
Weekly – Before the beginning of each new week, sin down to think about big things first thins small things.
Daily – Write out a schedule for each day, preferably at the beginning of each week. After you’ve recorded your appointments, write down things you need to do and other things you’d like to do. Work on the most important things first. The other things will fall into place.

Organize you space –
1. Get rid of anything you don’t use. The less you own, the less time it takes to care for what you own.
2. Assign a place for everything
3. Use the space you’ve assigned

Delegate – Many time we assume that it’s too difficult to explain tasks or responsibilities to anyone else, so we attempt to do everything ourselves. Not being able to delegate may also reflect a need to ensure a “perfect” outcome every time – another indication of our perfectionism. Delegating begins early with young children when we say “Please finish picking up your cars by the time the song on your tape is done.” The good news is that older children are capable of performing bigger jobs.

Learn to day no – This is a big one! It took me years to do that!

Deal with interruptions – As much as we’d like to get rid of them, we need to realize that there will always be interruptions, so it’s realistic to allow for a few each day. If interruptions get out of control, though, we won’t be able to accomplish the most important things. Be creative! You’ll come up with methods that are appropriate for your schedule, and even if you eliminate only a few interruptions, you’ll have more time to devote to important things

Communicate clearly – “Reliable communication permits progress” Proverbs 13:17
When you’re dealing with plans made between children, it doesn’t hurt to clarify details twice. As much as we want our children to learn independence, we are wise to clarify directions.

Limit paperwork – Purchasing and organizing a pretty filing basket in the kitchen will take some of the clutter off the kitchen counters. Label files for each child, files for menu plans, files for upcoming events – basically files for everything in your life. Color-coding pages might be a good idea too.

Make lists – Lists are records that help us keep our life running smoothly.

Limit telephone time – Telephones can be extremely helpful. As helpful as they are, telephones can also feel like a nuisance. Receiving of yet another phone call from a long-winded talker sometimes leaves us feeling that we wasted thirty minutes of our time.

Get family working as a team – Working together, the ants accomplish a task much larger than any one ant could have accomplished alone. The ants work together to carry the yellow leaf acrows the sidewalk. Our families can function the same way. Some tasks, like brushing our teeth, are meant to be done alone. Other tasks, like clearing the dinner table or cleaning the house, can be performed more quickly and efficiently if we do them together.

I would like to leave you with a few more things for this week.

Reflect on these Questions:
Read John 17. What things were important to Jesus?
Write out your personal mission statement in one short – or long paragraph
What is one of your biggest time-wasters?
What is one area in which you have been learning to say no?
What is one thing you have been putting off that you might tackle this week?
What is one thing that you might consider delegating to someone else?
Read chapters 1 and 6 of Daniel. What was most important to Daniel? What wore Daniel’s needs? How were his needs met?

God bless you all this week!

New Year Organization

I know that it's the middle of February, but it's not to late to start to Organize your Year. So please get back with me to the book by Emilie Barnes...

Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for he is good his love and his kindness go on forever.
1 Chronicles 16:34

"After fubushing a seminar on how to organize your household, I talked to a young mother who said, "I loved all the organizational ideas and tips you gave for the family and the home, but what about me - my personal organization?" Organization really does begin with our own personal lives. Once we have ourselves organized, we can move into the other areas of our lives such as our home or job.

Here are the tools you need to make your own daily planner.

• A small purse size binder with paper
• Blank tabs you can label yourself
• A calendar

Label you tabs in the following way.

Tab 1: Goals

List long-range and short-range goals including daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly priorities. This will help you get your priorities in order. Include the following:

• scriptures to read,
• prayer requests,
• priorities to accomplish
• family goals
• spiritual goals
• household goals
• workrelated goals
• financial goals
• budget goals

Tab 2: Calendar

Purchase a small month-at-a-glance calendar at a stationery store and insert it into your binder. As you learn to write activities and commitments down, you wll be surprised at how much less compicated your life becomes.

Tab 3: Daily Planner

In this section, list your daily appointments from morning to evening. This is not only useful for the mother who works ourside her home, but also for the homemaker who wants to get her daily household duties done in a more orderly manner.

Tab 4: To Do, To Buy

Make a note here of all the things you need to do when you have an errand day, such as:

• pick up winter coat at the cleaners
• go to the grocery store for birthday candles
• take package to the post office
• buy vatamins at health food store

Tab 5: Notes

Here is a place to write down notes from:

• speakers and sermons
• meetings and bible studies
• projects

Tab 6: Miscellaneous

Keep topical lists in this section such as:

• emergency phone numbers
• dintist/physician
• babysitters' phone numbers
• favorite restaurant phone numbers
• books and music recommended

Tab 7: Expense Account

This section is especially for work-related expence outside the home.

• Who it was for and the amount and how it was paid for (cash, credit card, or check)
• What it was for: Transportation, parking, food, promotion, or gas

Tab 8: Prayer Requests

Make colored insert tabs for each day of the week, Sunday through Saturday. Then write a coprehensive list of your prayer requests along with those of your friends and family, and divide them into five special lists. Assign each list to one day fr one week, Monday through Friday. Leave Saturday as a swing day for immediate prayer requests.

Sunday's section should be left open for the pastor's sermon. That way you have a history of Scripture and content for later reference or study. If someone mentions a prayer request at church, you can assign it to a special day of the week when you get home.

In this way you can cover your prayer needs over a week's time. Date the request when you enter it into your book and then record the date when it is answered. Over a period of time you will have a history of how God has worked in your life. Remember, too, that not all prayers are immediately answered by "yes" or "no". Some are put "on hold" for awhile.

I'll guarantee that by implementing these few helpful ideas into your new year, you'll be on your way to the "organized you""

By Emilie Barnes

I just want to add a few things. Through out my walk to a more organized me I have discovered that a lot of times I gave up and had no power to get up and do it again. So I would recomemd doing this with a friend or have at least someone pray for you and check up on you. It will take time for you to get used to, but it's worth every effort.

God bless,

Establishing Daily Priorities

"At the begining of the week we started with the 90-day goals. I hope that you made them! It would make you life a lot simpler if you have. All you have to do is have them close by, so you can pray about them and follow through on them. Mark them off as you compleat each goal.

Now, that you have your goals set, let's talk about how to establish your daily priorities. A lot of the time we know what we want to do, but our priorities are wrong, so we do not get things done.

Let's get back to the book by Emili Barnes, chapter two...

" Never be lazy in your work, but serve the Lord enthusiastically."

Romans 12:11

" "I've got so many thing to do today that I don't know where to begin!" Is that how you feel on many days? This statement is shared by many people because they have never learned to establish daily priorities.

This chapter will give you tools fot solving the dilemma "what do I do next?" Tools needed for this exercise are:

• Sheet of paper
• 3x5 cards
• Pen or pencil

Label your sheet of paper "TO DO" amd list all the things you have been requested to do for today. When you are requested to do something, you need to ask yourself tow basic questions:

1. Do I want to take advantage of this opportunity?
2. Shall I take part in this particular activity?

After asking the two questions you may answer in one of three ways:

• Yes
• No
• Maybe

You only want to deal with the items which you have written YES next to. The NO or MAYBE items can wait for another day. Deal only with the YES items today.

Using one 3x5 card for each activity, write out the activity you will do. Such activities might include:

• Get a haircut
• Go to the bank
• Pray for ten minutes
• Spend 30 minutes cleaning the kitchen
• Write a thank-you note to Sally
• See Mary's soccer game
• Prepare dinner for tonight

After all your activities have been written on separate 3x5 cards, sort them by the order of priority(what need to be done first, second, third, etc.). Concentrate on only one acrivity at a time. After each has been completed, you can either toss out the 3x5 card or place it on the bottom of the stack of cards. When your children or mate come home and want to know what you've done all day, you can read off the various activities and they will be impressed!

Every request that comes your way doesn't have to be answered YES. It's okay to say NO. You need to control your schedule and not let others plan it for you.

One of our family mottos is to say "no" to the good things and save our "yeses" for the best."

By Emily Barnes

What I did with the 3x5 cards is saved them in a box to use the next time I needed to do the same task. 3x5 cards should become your next best friend! I can't live without them!

How to Get your Kids to Help Around the House

Ok, so we have talked about cleaning our homes, and if you have kids you have to start teaching them how to do it. Today we will talk about, how to get your kids to help around the house. By teaching them this simple trade you will be able to help them in their lifes.

"Train up a child in the way he should go, and even when he is old he will not depart from it."
Proverbs 22:6

Let's get back to the book by Emily Barnes

"As a mother of five children under five years of age, at one time in my life it was easy to become overwhelmed and frustrated at trying to be Supermom. I needed help, and the help came from my family. I found a way to get my husband and children to help with the housework cheerfully. Even the toddlers helped.

Your children will benefit by one day becoming independent, responsible adults who are pleased with their accomplishments. So make the housework fun, give clearly defined directions, keep the jobs realistic, and avoid criticism. Above all, praise,prase, prase!

I wrote the jobs that they could do on individual pieces of paper and put them in a basket. Then they got to choose two ot three jobs from that basket once a week. These jobs went onto a Daily Work Planner Chart (we will talk about that later), which was posted. When hobs each day were completed they were marked with an"X" and a happy face of a sticker. By the end of the week the chart was full of marks; each child used a different-colored marking pen, and each loved to see his or her color appear often. Rewards came at the end of the week, with lots of praise!

Toddlers respond well to marks on a chart, and teens like to work on a point system. (So many poits per job; add them up on Saturday and reward accordingly.) When our children got into junior high school, even their friends wanted their names on our Work Planner Chart. Why? Because we had a well-defined plan, we made it fun, and they were rewarded.

If you want your children to grow up believing that the mess belongs to the person who made it, don't teach them that they are helping mommy. Instead, applaud them for making their bedm dressing themselves, and putting their clothes away. Praise your children for keeping their room neat and putting their toys away. Thank them for doing a good job because they are such good workers. Help them to feel good about being a part of a family effort. Then they will learn that they are part of a family team in which each person contributes and each person appreciates the other.

Have the mindset that the child's room belongs to the child. Teach your children from an early age (one, two, three years old) to be responsible for their own clothes, bed, laundry, and toys. This way they will find out early that if they wish to live in a neat and clean room they will have to do the work themselves.

You ask, "What if they like to live in a mess?" You are still the winner because you are spered the time, energy, stress, and aggrabation of doing it all.

At an early age, when they make their bed praise them for it! Praise will get you everywhere, and they'll want to do it again and again.

When they're ready to put away their toys, have boxes, bins, or low shelves available for them to use. Let them do it their own way, arranged by them and not you. Provide low hooks so they can hang their own sweaters, hammies, and jackets. Whenever possible, make a game of putting these things away.

One mom installed a wooden pole that went from the gloor to the ceiling. Then she screwed cup hooks into the pole and sewed a plastic curtain ting onto each of the children's stuffed animals so the children could easily hang up their animals when were finished with them. This arrangement also provided a creative decorator item, and the cildren loved hooking their teddy bears to the pole.

Make the chores fun and games. The children will want to work if you make it a happy time!

A toddler can set the table. Make a placemat out of paper and draw the shapes of the fork, plate, spoon and glass. The child gets to put each item in its place. Soon Susie or Timmy will want to set the talbe for everyone.

Let them play policeman or trashman. Give them a pillowcase to pick up toys, trash, and papers around the house and even in the yard.

Toddlers can feel important this way and can learn to like the feeling of work. congratulations are in order for a job well done!

Help your child dress independently. Keep solid bottoms in a low drawer with printed tops. If you buy coordinates, any top will go with any bottom. Even a young child can choose what to wear withing reason and limitations.

Avoid uncomfortable or difficult clothing. If you want to have children who can dress themselves, they certainly can't cple with tight collars or fancy buttons. Snaps and loose tops help them not to feel frustrated. The Velcro used on shoes today is great for little fingers and make the children feel proud of themselves as they put on their own shoes.

Yes, children can learn to love to do their fair share around the house!"

By Emily Barnes

This was chapetr #19 in the book.

Helping kids to learn how to clean in the house could be the big deal for you. You will have more time for other things. One of the things that I did for kids is I arranged the toy room and took pictures of it. Then we play a game "Match the Picture" they get to race to see who will finish first with their picture. It's fun and game for us to clean the house. We race to get our rooms cleaned faster and better, we have fast music on and have fun!

I hope that this will help you and your kids get closer with each other as well. By doing this together you are spending more time with them and teaching them things at the same time. I'm all for praise, but I make corrections as well. I tell them when they have to correct thing and do them better next time around. They srtive to profection and they want the rewards!

Blessings to all of you and your kids,

How to Get Housework Done in Record Time

This is my baby! He cannot just look at how we clean the house he has to help! I thank God for my kids, they are a joy to have, I'm so blessed!

"Teach is to number our days and recognize how few they are; help us to spend them as we should"
Psalm 90:12

Well, how did you do yesterday on your 90-day goals? I will give you one more day to get that done, so today we will be talking about our homes. How to get all the housework don in no time! I know that some of you are asking how is that possible, it is! You just have to remember Psalm 90:12 and spend your time wisely!

Here we go, back to the book!

"For the busy woman today, housework is a nuisance and not necessarily her real concern. Today's woman does not have time to devote her full time to cleaning, as did her grandmother or great-grandmother. However, dirt doesn't just blow away and seven dwarfs don't appear at night while we sleep to clean up our messes. Wouldn't it be wonderful to have time to do things with family and church instead of spending all day Saturday cleaning, cleaning, cleaning? Here are some speedy tips to get the job done and feel great about doing it.

Start with collecting the tight supplies.

• Pail or bucket and mop.


• Broom and dustpan.


• Squeegee. Professionals use these exclusively. Never use newspaper or paper towels, since they contain fibers that leave the windows messy. A good squeegee works fast and easy: Use a spray bottle with rubbing alcohol: spray on window and squeegee off.


• Billy's old football knee pads. These are great protectors which can be purchased at sporting goods stores (or similar work pads at hardware stores) for cleaning floors and tubs. soft pads keep knee work less painful.


• Clean dustcloths. Diapers are great, and so are 100% cotton dishcloths (wll-washed and dried)


• Carry-all tray. A must for storing cleaning items such as wax, window spray, etc.


• Feather duster. A super item for moving small amounts of dust from a higher level to a lower level, where most of it can be vacuumed up. I have lots of cobwebs and knickknack items, and this is my quick lifesaver of dusting each item every time. Invest in a good ostrich duster. You can purchase one at a hardware or janitor supply store.


• Pumice stone. It gets that ugly ring out of the toilet bowl caused by rust and mineral deposits. It's amazing how fast a pumice stone will remove the scale; just rub it on the ring gently and it's gone. It also cleans ovens and removes the carbon buildup on grills and iron cookware, as well as removing paint from concrete and masonry walls and scale from swimming pools. Pumice stomes can be purchased in hardware stores, janitor supply stores, and beauty supply stores.


• Toothbrush. Great for cleaning the hard corners of floors and showers and around faucets at the sink.


• Vacuum cleaner. An absolute must!


• Ammonia. An excellent cleaner (not the sudsy type) for floors


• Powdered cleanser. For sinks and bathtubs


• Oven cleaner


• Rubber gloves. To protect your hands from the chemicals in household cleaners and detergents


• Scraper. Use the razor-blade type to remove paint from tile or glass and decals or sickers from the sower door. Also, remove dried-on food after it gets hard, such as pancake batter or eggs. But be careful not to scratch the surface.

Fill your carry-all tray with mnany of the above items. It's ready to work when you are!

When you work, be sure to use the speedy easy method:

1. Put on some music with a very fast beat. This will help your cleaning go faster plus take your mind off the drudgery.


2. Go in one direction. Work around your room from top to bottom and from right to left or left to right - whatever feels good to you. Also start at one end of your home and work toward the other end. Do not get sidetracked with this mess and that mess.


3. Before cleaning windowpanes, wipe or vacuum sills and wood cross frames. Use your spray bottle with alcohol and squeegee and cotton cloth. Use a horizontal stroke on the outside and a vertical stroke on the inside. That way you'll know if you missed a spot because you can tell whick side the streak is on.


4. Use your hair dryer to blow off the dust from silk flowers. Your feather duster will work well to dust off soft fabric items, plants, icture frames, and lapshades. Remember, we're working from top to bottom in each room, so you'll be vacuuming up this dust soon.


5. After wiping clean your wastebaskets, give the inside bottom a quick coat of floor wax. This will prevent trash from sticking to the bottom of the wastebasket in the future.


6. Change your air conditioner and heater filters every six months for best performance. This will keep the dust and dirt from circulating through your rooms.


7. Wipe off the blades of your window and/or room fans quarterly to keep dirt and dust from flying around.


8. Try to aboid interruprions; take the phone message and call back when it is convenient.

Having the proper tools helps. Don't feel that everything has to be done in one work session. Set your timer and then work in 15-minute time slots. Work fast, but after each time and/or progect, treat yourself to a cup of hot chocolate or iced tea, or put a mask on your face and enjoy a hot bath.

Then go to the garden and pick a fresh bouquet of flowers for your beautiful clean house."

This is chapter eight in Emilie's book.

It helped me not only in my home, but when I had a janitorial business I knew how to clean things and with what. A great idea to have a carru-all tray. I have one for the upstairs of my hose and one for the downstairs. My husband has one for the garage and car. It's a very hand thing to have, when your kids are old enough to clean all they have to know is all the supplies are in that tray.

I can't stess enough the importance of the clean house. It'll teach your kids a lot as well. I used to tell them that our house has to be clean, because we can have people over at any given time. And when we are having people over it's live having God over. The house has to be nice and clean. When you tell your kids that from day one, it becomes their favoraite thing to do. Now my kids love cleaning the house, they can't wait to get the trays and get to work with thier choice of music.

Blessings to all of you!