It’s been awhile since I’ve posted here on the blog. And that’s okay. I go through cycles of available time (no, this isn’t a main source of income for our family) as well as motivation and consideration (does anyone read it? should I be writing about x, y, or z or is that something that should be kept off the interwebs?). After nearly two months of quietly brainstorming topics – read: a very full notepad on my phone titled “blog post ideas” – I am back on the road of yes, that should be put down in words and shared even if some of it is only for the purpose of getting it off my chest and into the light for potential accountability.
As for the title of this post, yesterday was/today is the first day of school for several districts around these parts. We follow the traditional academic rhythms in our home due to my husband being a high school teacher and me being a coach. Now that our children are growing up and attending school themselves (okay, I only have one in preschool, but still), we’re jumping in with both feet to the fresh start the school year brings. We are also preparing to welcome another child to our family in a little over a month, God willing, and that has also sharpened our focus as to what truly needs to matter as we begin a new school year.
Today I’m sharing 2 of the 4 things I’m hoping to focus on this fall (you can read part 2 here). While quite practical in nature, they also have deeper ramifications for what I’m truly hoping to seek and find through putting them into practice and hopefully, by winter, making them an integral part of my daily life.
Prepping for tomorrow today
My husband is fully capable of making his own lunch. He actually probably makes a better lunch because he enjoys getting out a million things to make a beautifully piled sandwich and I can’t stand having to get out more than peanut butter and jelly let alone bread. That said, making his lunch is something I have taken it upon myself to do over the last few years of being a mostly stay at home mom (it’s something I want to do, y’all). It’s taken me a few years to figure out how to make this a part of my daily routine and, honestly, I’ve only succeeded, at best, 50% of the time. What that means is that I’d startle awake about 5 minutes before he needed to leave and frantically shove whatever I could get my hands on into a cooler bag. Or better yet, tell him with my head still on the pillow that we’d deliver his lunch during his prep period (aka a total cop out to give myself an extra few minutes of sleep).
No longer. I’m only a few days in (teachers work before the year starts, remember?) but so far I’ve been able to make his lunch the night before and have it ready in the fridge. I can’t begin to tell you how much less harried it’s made mornings around here. Not only is the practical stress gone it has also lifted my internal stress of not following through on my commitment. I know that doesn’t work for everyone but it works for our family.
I’ve also tried, over the past few weeks leading up to school starting, to at least think about the next morning’s breakfast the night before. Whether that means confirming we have yogurt and granola on hand or readying sourdough starter for pancakes, I wake up less frazzled knowing I can confidently nourish the little lives God entrusted to us in a timely and healthy manner.
Starting the day with Jesus
Prepping the night before allows me to work on maintaining the practice of starting the day with Jesus. I’m not a coffee drinker so you won’t find me have a cuppa with my Bible and devotional but I have found that the rhythm of writing out a few Bible verses in my journal before I even get out of bed has helped tremendously with my overall attitude and perspective on the day (see this Instagram post). I am ashamed to say that I’m an up and down Bible reader/prayer/meditator/devotional completer (every study I’ve ever done has more than a few incomplete entries) but I do acknowledge that I must start somewhere. And so far, this September, I’ve read and written a few Bible verses every morning. I bought myself a pretty journal cover, nice journals to fill it, and scrounged up a nice pen (that I knew I had, thus, no need to purchase).
Some mornings, the kids have gotten up early and come into our room to look through a few books in the reading corner. Instead of waking me up, they see Mommy reading about Jesus. While this definitely doesn’t click with the younger one, our preschooler has started grabbing her children’s Bible as her first thing to “read” in the reading corner. That makes my mama heart so happy and is a huge reason I want to make this a practice that is non-negotiable in my life. Our first ministry is to our family and they learn about Jesus from us as their parents.
Ready for part 2? Read it here!