Remembering the priorities in life

Yesterday was one of "those days".  Are you familiar with the kind of day I'm referring to?  One of "those days" where you have to remind yourself to breathe in, and breathe out.  The kind of day where you function by simply plugging one foot in front of the other and chanting, "I can do this. I can do this."   Yes, yesterday was certainly one of those days.

Today, however, is a new day.  A fresh start!  A chance to try again and hope it will be better.  I'll be honest, my brain didn't want it to start off in a positive manner.  When I opened my eyes this morning my first thought was "what day is this and are we missing a therapy?"  Panic began to set in as I referenced my memory bank, frantically searching its' catalog of days, therapies, doctors, and specialists.  Fortunately, I realized it is Friday.  We have plenty to do, but there are no appointments scheduled and no trips to the city.  Time is on our side for once today.

This doesn't mean there isn't an unbelievable amount of tasks to accomplish though.  My bathroom sink is disgusting. It desperately needs to be cleaned.  The laundry has begun to form its own mountain, and if I don't tackle it soon we'll have to name it and place a flag at the top.  Library books are due today and we must return them in person so I can explain why the protective cover has been ripped to shreds. My 7 year old thought it was covered in plastic so you could unwrap the book like a gift.  Unfortunately, this testifies to how few books we've destroyed borrowed from the library.

Dinner needs to be retrieved from the freezer and thawed, the kitchen dishes need to be washed and the floor has a layer of funk that will require at least, minimum, two thorough moppings.  I'm pretty sure I'm out of homemade laminate cleaner as well so I will have to take a moment to make some. If you're interested in the laminate cleaning recipe hop over to Nature's Nuture for the recipe! Homemade Laminate Floor Cleaner And, as any mom knows, if you clean one floor you must clean the other floors in the home, otherwise the funk from one gets tracked right to the other. Before I can vacuum the toys need to be put away, and I'm really not sure where the toybox disappeared to.  Yes.  The toybox is missing. *sigh*  I need to dust before the bunnies attack my toddler, but there's no point in dusting if I don't vacuum the intake first.  Otherwise, we'll just have more dust spitting right back out through the AC. At some point I need to make it to the grocery store as well. Somehow during my last shopping excursion I missed the fact that there are NO vegetables in the house. I have a budget of $0 left for groceries this week so this will be a challenge. I will have to be ridiculously creative in my spending since whatever I spend today, comes from next week's grocery budget.  Let's not even get into homeschool and the math and grammar that must be covered.  The day is rapidly flying by and I already feel there's more to be done than can possibly be accomplished!  I have until 6pm tonight to make it all happen.

So how do I manage? The first thing I will have to do is make a list in order of priority.  The highest priority items, such as returning the books to the library before they close, will be at the top of the list and I'll work my way backwards from there down to the least important task.  I prefer to type it on a Word document and leave it up on my desktop so I can glance at it as I go from task to task.  As I complete each task, I change the font color of the listed item.  This gives me a visual and lifts some of the burden as I see things actually being accomplished.

So, what's on your list today persevering mom?  Do you have an overwhelming volume of tasks to do?  Are you like me--behind on absolutely everything and struggling just to keep your head above water?  If so, then keep treading away momma!  Go start that list!  I'll give you a little tip--when I'm overwhelmed and cannot even decide what should be done first I pray.  Yes, I pray and ask God "should I start laundry first, or should I do the dishes?"  He will answer, and He is interested in helping with even the most mundane tasks in our lives.  In fact, He has already planned out our day for us, so who better to ask?!  

Proverbs 3:5 Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. (6) In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths.

This scripture applies to the little things as well momma.  It applies to all things, all plans, all trials, all triumphs.   So what's at the top of your list?  I've prayed and have been directed to the most important tasks for the top of my list. 

Daily Tasks:

1.  Pray

2. Spend time reading Bible

3. Pray some more

4. Enjoy children and spend time with them

 

I think that says it all.  Persevere momma.  Persevere.