- Who can find a virtuous woman? her price is far above rubies
- She looketh well to the ways of her household...
- She rises while it is yet night
- She eateth not the bread of idleness
It's been a roller coaster of a ride for me the last few months--really the last year or more has been one change after another after another. And one thing I've discovered about myself--even when it's change that I want, and possibly need--
I don't DO change well.
About two years ago now, my husband changed from a job where he worked away from home (as in months at a time), to a local job where he got to come home every night. The "normal" hours were four 10-hour days, so he was gone by 6:00 a.m. and home around 6:00 p.m., and was off every Friday, as well as weekends. It was a really big change, but we (I!) adjusted. Then this past summer he changed to a different job for a different company, and suddenly was working five 8 hour days, which made him home two hours earlier, but gone an extra day each week. THEN they started a big project, and he was put on nights, 12-13 shifts, 6-7 days a week! I was exhausted just thinking about it, much less doing it!
And to add insult to injury, my schedule changed, too, after I resigned from my position at my little church.
And to add insult to injury, my schedule changed, too, after I resigned from my position at my little church.
Talk about putting a crimp on my routine! I had worked up an easy, do-able morning routine, last year when I was doing the Clean in 30 challenge and had kept it up pretty well. But suddenly, there was no point in making the bed because after I got up, my honey was coming in from work and heading to bed. And I hated rattling dishes or even cleaning the bathroom (next door to the bedroom) because it was already hard for him to shift his sleep patterns around from nights to days.
Then I started going to the gym several days a week, pretty much first thing in the morning, so I would get dressed in my gym clothes, go exercise, then come home and veg out for while, because, you know, I'd already gone and exercised and all. I'd decide to check the news, maybe have some quiet time. You know, stuff. Seemed like the next thing I knew, it was getting time for hubby to be home from work (now that he's switched back to his regular days, that is) and I'd done nothing.
So I'm trying to work out a different, slightly adjusted routine.
For one thing, I've realized that I have to work on my bedtime and wake-up time. If I'm going to have time to do anything else at all, I need to do my quiet time before I go to the gym, if possible. As I've shared before, I have major night-owl tendencies, and would stay in bed until at least 8:00 a.m. if I could, but right now in this season of my life, that just isn't working.
If I'm going to have time alone for Bible and prayer, go to the gym, keep up with my house, blog, and anything and everything else, I need to tweak my routine.
Which means get one again.
So, this is what my routine looked like today so far:
What's next for my routine? Change the clothes from washer to dryer, then later fold and put away laundry. Wash the dishes in the sink. Plan dinner.
And that's probably it for me for today, housework-wise, till I cook dinner and clean the kitchen afterwards.
Edited to add: I also washed the bathroom rugs, and my honey vacuumed the accumulated hair and dust from the bathroom floor. Made a run to the dollar store for a few things, and dropped off some bags at the ARC thrift store next door while I was at it. Made chili beans for dinner--a vegetarian version and one with meat, to fit all of the tastes of my family, and my honey cleaned the kitchen afterwards, and made us some no bake chocolate oatmeal cookies, his specialty. He's a handy guy to have around, I have to admit!
So what kind of routine do you have these days?
This post is linked to:
Make Your Home Sing at Mom's the Word
5 Day Clean Your House Challenge at Money Saving Mom
Then I started going to the gym several days a week, pretty much first thing in the morning, so I would get dressed in my gym clothes, go exercise, then come home and veg out for while, because, you know, I'd already gone and exercised and all. I'd decide to check the news, maybe have some quiet time. You know, stuff. Seemed like the next thing I knew, it was getting time for hubby to be home from work (now that he's switched back to his regular days, that is) and I'd done nothing.
So I'm trying to work out a different, slightly adjusted routine.
For one thing, I've realized that I have to work on my bedtime and wake-up time. If I'm going to have time to do anything else at all, I need to do my quiet time before I go to the gym, if possible. As I've shared before, I have major night-owl tendencies, and would stay in bed until at least 8:00 a.m. if I could, but right now in this season of my life, that just isn't working.
If I'm going to have time alone for Bible and prayer, go to the gym, keep up with my house, blog, and anything and everything else, I need to tweak my routine.
Which means get one again.
So, this is what my routine looked like today so far:
- Up at 6:00 a.m.-ish
- Brushed teeth, washed face, dressed in my gym clothes
- Made myself a glass of tea, then settled down with my Tehillim (book of Psalms) and read and had some prayer.
- Picked up my mom, who is my week-day gym partner, a little before 8:00 a.m., made it to the gym, worked out.
- Visited with my mom and dad afterward for a bit at their house.
- Once home--I changed immediately into "real" clothes--something I wasn't always doing before.
- Made the bed
- Swished and swiped the bathroom
- Finished a load of clothes I'd left in the dryer the night before by turning the dryer back on, then hanging, folding, and putting away the clothes
- Started a new load in the washer
- Put away clean dishes in the dish drainer
- Put the few dirty dishes from last night and this morning to soak in hot-soapy water
- Dusted in the living room and dining room
- Got a fresh glass of tea (hydration is good for me!)
- Checked facebook, and started this blog post
What's next for my routine? Change the clothes from washer to dryer, then later fold and put away laundry. Wash the dishes in the sink. Plan dinner.
And that's probably it for me for today, housework-wise, till I cook dinner and clean the kitchen afterwards.
Edited to add: I also washed the bathroom rugs, and my honey vacuumed the accumulated hair and dust from the bathroom floor. Made a run to the dollar store for a few things, and dropped off some bags at the ARC thrift store next door while I was at it. Made chili beans for dinner--a vegetarian version and one with meat, to fit all of the tastes of my family, and my honey cleaned the kitchen afterwards, and made us some no bake chocolate oatmeal cookies, his specialty. He's a handy guy to have around, I have to admit!
So what kind of routine do you have these days?
This post is linked to:
Make Your Home Sing at Mom's the Word
5 Day Clean Your House Challenge at Money Saving Mom
I get up, clean myself up and make the beds, it's time to walk to the post office, then make lunch and do the dishes and sweep up.. By that time, it about noon and I read/study for next couple of hours, while listening to podcasts. Then I do a half hour on a rebounder while listening to a religious show I like. Our main meal is lunch, so we just eat leftovers for dinner or skip it entirely (which I usually do because I don't like to eat late in the day). Then my husband and I go for our hike and discuss things. Our little house doesn't need much cleaning, so I do the vacuuming and dusting on Saturday and bake on the day also. We shop once a month, when we get paid. That's winter. In the summer, with all the gardening and canning, it's another story. Ha!
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on making the commitment to go to the gym everyday. I wish there was a gym around here to go to. Our winters can be pretty brutal and some days it takes quite a bit of coaching to get bundled up and go for those hikes. But I'm always glad that I do. It always makes my arthritis feel better to be in movement.
I especially like the gym that I go to, it's at our local hospital, and honestly, most days I'm the youngest person there! Some are cardiac or other rehab patients who have graduated from their "official" rehab and are continuing their program there. It's so low-key, I don't feel intimidated at all. For years, I did NO exercise at all, even though I knew I needed to. I lost some weight (about 60 pounds) by diet alone, and promised myself that when I got to a certain weight I'd start exercising, so a tried at home, but having that commitment really helps keep me motivated. At first I went and did about 3 things and that was it, but I felt like any amount of movement was better than what I'd been doing. Next week I have a appointment with one of the trainers to try to start working on my weak areas, so I'm hoping to really start seeing the difference soon. I feel you about the arthritis! I definitely have aches and pains that I didn't have when I was younger, I'm hoping the trainer may be able to advise me about some exercises to help with some of that.
DeleteI don't cook much these days, either, my husband also prefers lighter meals at night. I tend to make a one-pot meal that we can eat on for a several days--thank goodness he generally doesn't mind leftovers! In the summertime, he's good with salad or a sandwich most days.
Sometimes I feel a little guilty that I don't do much, but I'm like you, our house is small, so as long as I keep up with the daily things, I don't have to do much "deep" cleaning.
I've lived most of my life in Louisiana, but I did briefly live (one winter each) in Kansas, Colorado, and Alaska, so I can relate a little to the cold! In Alaska and Colorado I worked out on the back side of military bases where I had to walk to the latrine buildings through the snow. It was like Nanook of the North by the time I put on snow boots, hat, gloves, and parka, just to make a quick bathroom run1