How do I balance it all?

A reader asks:
"How do I balance it all (school, church, house, husband, social, etc.)

Tami responds:
"Balance in life in general is a juggling act for most moms. When you add in the job of being a homeschool mom, you add a full-time job to your plate. I have found that I do the best with balance when I focus on God, my husband, my family, and then others, in that order. My days are more ordered, if I give God my time first thing in the morning.

Husband:

My husband and I talk several times during the day, and we also schedule date nights as our budget allows. In the times when our budget was lean, we had date night at home after the children went to bed. We make it a point to connect with one another frequently. I read the book, The Power of a Praying Wife many years ago, and it still has an impact on my marriage.

House hold:

I have to have a schedule in order to get through the day. We have check off sheets in several places. We have a chore chart. Each child has two daily chores listed on the chore chart. I have a laundry chart that tells us what type of laundry needs to be washed on a given day along with the name of the person who is responsible for laundry that day. That person must sort, wash, dry, fold or hang, and put away the laundry on his or her assigned day. Then we have an evening chart that lists who is responsible for the evening dinner dishes and clean up. We assign one older person to one younger person each day of the week. I also keep a calendar handy, so we know when appointments are scheduled.

School:

Each child has a section in our school cabinet for his or her school books. They know that they have to work in each of their books in the stack each day, and they know that we will do some sort of hands-on activity each school day. We have to hold school 180 days out of each calendar year according to NC law. I always allow for a week in each school year for sickness. I have a check off sheet that I use to keep track of our school days.

Church:

We attend church nearly every service. If we miss a service, it is usually due to sickness. I have learned what I can and cannot add to my responsibilities at church. Currently, I am a Sunday School teacher, and I am the Vacation Bible School Director. There have been years when I was unable to do a physical job for the church, but I have always been a prayer warrior for our church, and that serves a very good purpose. Learn to say, "No."

Social:

This is an area that is most lacking as far as socialization for me. I have taken the children on various homeschool acitivties throughout the years. And they have friends that we see regularly. But I do not have an activity that is exclusively mine. With six children in the home, I just do not have the time or money to devote to a hobby or social event for myself.

In closing, I have learned to rely on God for everything, including our schedule and activities, and He takes care of a lot of the things that I juggle on a daily basis.

Until next time, Tami