Making Your Home a Haven - Refresher Series
I hope you all enjoyed a restful and refreshing weekend as a family. We certainly did, though our house is a bit more the messier for it! And that's why I'm glad for another Monday and another Making Your Home a Haven Challenge!If you've not had a chance to join us yet, feel free to jump right in wherever you and do whatever you can do. Remember that doing something and starting somewhere is better than nothing at all!
I've added in a few extra items this week since hopefully some of us have established some basic routines now. If it feels too overwhelming or too much, just pick one or two of the following items and do those. Don't bite off more than you can chew!
1) Refresh Your Spirit
Begin your day with the Lord. Fix yourself a delicious hot drink or cold drink and spend at least a few minutes praying, reading God's Word, and meditating on Scripture. Ask God to bless your day and to love through you. Find your joy and hope and strength in Him.
Did the Lord give you a special word of encouragement this morning? Share it with us!
2) Do Your Morning Routine
If you don't have a morning routine, take a moment to write down five things you'd like to accomplish in the same order every morning. And then get busy tackling them! Remember to keep it simple. It's better to plan a few things and get them done, than to write out an elaborate list and not do it.
3) Take Time to Plan
After your morning routine is finished, write out a short to-do for today (five items or less). Number the items in order of importance and start on number 1. Don't move on to number 2 until you've completed number 1.
What's on your to-do list today?
4) What's on the Menu for Dinner?
Take a moment to plan what you'll be having for dinner and then do as much of the prep work as possible before noon. Fix up a pot of soup, throw something in the crock pot, whip up a casserole, or pull something out of the freezer.
I recommend you have this dinner prep work as part of your morning routine or scheduled into your morning somewhere. Then you'll save yourself realizing it's five o'clock and you haven't a clue what to fix!
What are you serving for dinner?
5) Project of the Day
Turn some uplifting music on, light some candles, put an apron on, roll up your sleeves, and let's get busy!
Set your timer for five minutes and start at your front door again and quickly walk through the main living areas of your house straightening and picking up and putting away anything that's out of place. When the timer beeps, you're done, so work fast and don't get distracted.
Then, go to your kitchen (you knew we'd get there soon, didn't you?) and wash, dry, and put away any dirty dishes there are (or use the dishwasher) and then quickly straighten anything else that's out of place, wipe down your counters and cupboards, and replace your dish towels.
If you have a chance, take before and after pictures of your main living areas and kitchens and share them with us.
I'll post my challenge update in the early afternoon or evening. Have a wonderful day, ladies, and I can't wait to see and hear how God blesses you as you seek to be a blessing to your families. Let's pray for one another while we work!
Graphic from Art.com
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Would you like to join us in this "Making Your Home a Haven" Challenge? Just do one or more of the items listed above or something else to "make your home a haven" and post about it on your blog. Come back here and leave your link below so that we can be inspired!
Labels: Making Your Home a Haven
posted by Crystal Paine at 1:00 AM
10 Comments:
I need the encouragement today! I've got a kitchen full of dirty dishes, dirty floor, and cluttered counters. Thanks for helping me remember I'm not the only one who has a mess to attack this morning. :)
I read Proverbs 14 this morning and that first verse, "Every wise woman buildeth her house..." really reminded me that everything I do throughout the day will either build up or tear down my family. Everything I do affects my family either for God or for nought. What a great reminder for a Monday morning!
Hi Crystal. I would love to see this keep going. It is great for us homemakers. Thank you for having it and all you do.
Have a blessed day.
Crystal,
I am sorry if I am sending this again, but when I push on #9, Betty-Jo, my husband's blog comes up, or mine does. Is this just a problem with my computer or is everyone else being linked to his blog, or mine?
Thanks,
Carla
Laundry and Dishes are underway, and when my son takes his nap I will wipe down the kitchen and laundry room. Dinner is chili over mashed potatoes.
Crystal (and everyone)--did you check out Girl Talk's blog entry for today. It is WONDERFUL and will help us all as we work in our homes and with our children. Check it out!
http://girltalk.blogs.com/
Carla: Betty Jo accidentally left the link of http://www.blogger.com which is why it is pulling up your blogs on your end. I'll correct it.
I'm glad to see this again today. Thanks, Crystal. My project of the day was actually outside my door where my little container garden is. I tidied, cut off dead leaves and sadly got rid of some dead plants. I also fertilized and watered and cleared off my deck. It looks good!
What I really enjoy about this series is that it does not have to be overwhelming to care for your home. After doing the garden I am quite tired. Doing 1 project a day with some everyday basics really suits my life best. I know I will never really have everything caught up and that's okay. Even if I were superwoman I don't think that would be possible. :)
Amber, hang in there. Mondays always seem hard. For me, I think it's because I rest so much on Sunday that there's more work to do on Monday. I posted before and after pictures, but they aren't perfect. Just be encouraged for making some visible progress. By God's grace, you'll make more progress tomorrow!
Merrilee
I am working on making my home a haven today, as I must do every Monday after busy weekends. Thanks for the encouragment Crystal! I have a question for you and your readers...how do you keep up the home & making it a haven while homeschooling at the same time?! I am starting kindergarten in August and I don't want my house to suffer as a result. I know my husband really enjoys coming home to clean and tidy house. Do you clean once a week and then just tidy up the other days? Or do you do a room a day? What is most efficient? I know a kitchen table full of books right at dinner time will quickly become a frustration for us! Thanks.
What a great way to start the week!!! This was exactly the encouragement I needed to get going this morning.
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