Today we started our first day of our new schedule and our first official day of school.
Today...
*we all had our personal time with the Lord in the morning
*Daddy, Mommy, and 7 children took a 10 minute walk around the block before breakfast
*we ate an early breakfast, read a chapter of a book, and a chapter of the Bible together around the table
*I was able to do an art project and review the letter "A" with my little ones while the older ones cleaned up from breakfast
*I was able to spend some individual time teaching all of my children
*Timothy taught Noah to recognize several new numbers
*I got 8 new paintings/drawings to hang on my walls/fridge
*I taught a piano lesson
*the girls and I read together on their bed
*the children and I spent 30 minutes outside swinging and playing kick ball in the afternoon
*after baths, Daniel and I swang together while the children threw balls at us and showed off all their stunts on the trampoline
*Samuel and Eliseo cuddled lots on my lap while I taught school
*we all wrote a thank you letter to a family
*Alma and I practiced a song with Daniel for Sunday
*everyone was well fed and had at least 1 bath :) and the house is picked up
*we ended the evening singing songs together in the family room while Daddy played his guitar, taught us about Elijah in the Bible, and prayed with us
Today we did not stay perfectly on schedule.
*Sleepy heads, messy diapers, and such took most of our walk time...but the 10 minutes we had were just perfect
*A chewed up crayon, another messy diaper, and a child needing some loving discipline took the place of most of my plans for preschool teaching time...but we got over half an art project done ready to finish tomorrow and hang on the bulliten board
*School time went like it always does...never perfectly smooth...but the children talked non stop with Daddy when he got home about all they learned in their new books
*And unexpected visit from Alma, a dear young lady from our church, replaced the time I read to the little ones and half of a piano lesson...but we were able to visit, she told Daniel she wants to get baptized, and we were able to practice a hymn to sing Sunday
*Little things here and there took up half my cleaning hour so I only got the front of the house clean...but my girls surprised me and cleaned my room and bathroom
*Dinner was late due to another visitor and the yards hadn't been cleaned up like we want to do before Daddy gets home...but of course, Daniel didn't mind a bit and so we skipped our evening walk and we all cleaned the yard and played a bit after supper and baths
*I felt bad because the boys were excited about playing a game with me tonight, but since the evening ran late, Daddy and I thought it would be best for them to go to bed....but when I hugged Elijah good night and asked him if he had a good day, he told me it was one of the best days ever...
I agree :)
Beka helping Daddy lay bricks
Surprise packages arrived in the mail with school supplies!!!
Sunday School Hour
Alma teaching the girls a memory verse
Susannah and Noah's activity time today....
A couple of bowls of water, a bit of soap, yarn strung across the patio, a handful of clothes pins, and a bag of doll clothes....lots of smiles!
Sometimes those imperfect, things not going as you wanted days are the best ones :) Glad you got to do a least some of what you wanted/needed to do. I love the 2 little ones washing doll clothes. I think I will let my little one give that a try.
ReplyDeleteSounds like a great day! Love the smile in the last picture. Never thought of having the kids clean their doll clothes that way...just might have to do that.
ReplyDeleteI hope you have an even better day today!
It brings such joy to my heart to read this post and see the pictures of your family joyfully doing life together. Your diligence to make and follow your schedule while being open to the Lord's providence in your day is inspiring to me. Thank you for sharing days like this with us.
ReplyDeleteYour work in Mexico for Jesus’ sake is a beautiful thing, and I am so glad to be able to see what He does in your life and the lives of those you minister with and to through your blog.
Love from
your sister in Christ
in MN,
Katie
Hi Jaynee!
ReplyDeleteThank you for posting about your "imperfect" schedule. It is so helpful to see that your family is successful on days that are less than "perfect." It gives me hope for our schedule :o)
We start school next week with our newest "little" addition...Benjamin Jon was born on 8.6.09, weighing in at 11 lbs, 3 oz. All the boys think he's great...he's such a joy! How blessed I am!
Have a great year!
Sincerely,
Katie in Maryland
I love how you focused on what did get done and let go of what didn't. That is a major problem for me. I have a tendency of instead of being happy with everything I did get done I look at the few things that didn't and call it a failed day. Thanks for being such a great example.
ReplyDeleteYou and your family are a blessing to me.
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing the reality of your days. It's fun to "peek" in and remember each day holds it's own challenges and blessings.
ReplyDeleteMaking time for those sweet moments makes scheduling worth it for me~
~Cinnamon
Thanks again for more scheduling encouragement!!! I sent your blog address to our friends who are here in WA for 6 more weeks before they are located in Oaxaca with Wycliffe.
ReplyDeleteEnjoy the rest of your week!
Maureen
AAAHHH....your perspective and realism are refreshing. And it did sound like a perfect day!
ReplyDeleteAwww... what a good post. ;)
ReplyDeleteHello, Lockwoods! I've been reading for a while but never commented. While working to implement our own schedule, and after reading yours last week, this post was so much fun to read! I love the days you can look back on and see an abundance of "good" in them. Thanks for taking the time to post about your day!
ReplyDeleteVery sweet! How beautiful to read about a family who has decided not to miss "today".
ReplyDeleteGreat blessings,
Sj
I just had to share....
ReplyDeleteOur washing machine broke, so we did it the Lockwood way! Thanks for sharing your ideas!!
Jennie
pleasantplaces8.blogspot.com
OH, yes, what a beautiful post as to what homeschooling days can really be like. I know the Lord was pleased with all you got done on this perfect day!
ReplyDeletexoxo, Veronica in CA
I just heard about your blog on Veronica's...I love your picture across the top! What a beautiful family! :-) I am excited about looking around on your blog.
ReplyDeleteI just wanted to say...I looked around a little, and went to your web page where I found your testimonies. They were such a blessing to me. I am so happy to find your blog and look forward to checking in...I have to be careful-you can waste A LOT of time on the computer! But what a blessing it is to find other Christian people and to connect even though you are many miles away.
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderful family you have! It must be amazing to live in Mexico. I was wondering , since your beautiful children are so fair skinned, do you have to use a lot of sunscreen on them, or does their skin just get used to the strong sun there? And, if you use the sunscreen, what kind do you prefer?
ReplyDeleteKaiden's Mama~ No, we don't use sunscreen unless we know that we are going to be out in the direct sun all day (like if we go to the beach). Our boys always wear shirts and pants or shorts and our girls wear long dresses so they are mostly protected by their clothing. While they love to play outdoors a lot, they will often be in the shade as it is cooler. We have some sunscreen we bought when we were in the USA (just a generic brand) as the sunscreen we've seen in the bigger cities here is expensive.
ReplyDeleteI have really enjoyed reading your blog! You have such a beautiful family, and I can't help but notice that the kids always have such big beautiful smiles on their faces! What a blessing!
ReplyDeleteYou have such a lovely family! I'm glad you all had an imperfectly wonderful day. =)
ReplyDelete