Maridel Willer

Do you have a desire to impact others through your writing? Join me for a FREE workshop on Friday, March 13, 2009 at 1PM CST.

This workshop will help you get your life and home in order so you can find time to invest in writing, or any other passion.

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As we perform the daily tasks required of us, it is easy to get bogged down in the details of doing the same thing over and over.  It can be discouraging that so much of the work we accomplished yesterday did not stay done and needs to be repeated again to day.

When I came home from a corporate job to become a stay at home mom, the last thing I wanted to do is follow a rigid schedule.  However, as my children grew, I discovered the blessing of having a relaxed routine to help organize and bring focus to our day.

The benefits of creating and following a family routine include:

1.  Becoming a better steward of your time

2.  Simplifying your routine chores

3.  Having an orderly and peaceful home

4.  Communicating expectations clearly to your children

5.  Helping you live life on purpose to achieve goals

6.  Creating margin in your life

What is a family routine?  It is a general order of the activities that your family will do on a daily and weekly basis.  A routine is a flexible plan rather than a rigid schedule.  It is a tool to communicate expectations to each family member so every one contributes to household duties and works toward completing their personal educational, physical and spiritual goals.

A family routine breaks your day into blocks of time that are reserved for accomplishing the tasks you must perform and the activities you would like to complete each day.  Your daily routine can include the following responsibilities and activities.

1.  Devotional time, including bible reading, worship, prayer
2.  Meal preparation, meal time and cleanup
3.  Chores and responsibilities
4.  Home education assignments and projects
5.  Productive free time to pursue individual interests
6.  Activities and commitments outside the home
7.  Bedtime preparations
8.  Family fun

Your family routine will be unique, not like any other.  You can tailor it to fit your family’s personalities, gifts and passions.  It will be a custom tool to help you accomplish all that the Lord has for you in each season of your life.

So many moms are hoping to get organized this summer to make next year’s schooling a breeze.  We like to follow a relaxed school routine year round, but take some time off in the summer to get organized and re-focus.

If you want some great ideas on organizing both your time and your stuff, checkout my “Get Organized” bundle of audios and ebooks .

The Get Organized set includes:

* Tips for improving relationships and gaining co-operation of family members

* Storage ideas for all your homeschool supplies

* How to set family goals in 5 areas

* Instructions on creating a custom daily routine for your family

*  Meal planning ideas to simplify dinner preperation.

Find out more here.

This is a great article by my friend, Cindy Rushton.  Enjoy!
Psst!  A Secret to Scheduling Success!

by Cindy Rushton
http://www.cindysaffiliates.com/go.php?offer=hclife&pid=1
Want to know one of my biggest secrets to homeschooling the easy way? Want to know one of my biggest secrets to scheduling success? This one secret can make your daily schedule finally fit. It can end your scheduling frustrations forever.

I am not a “schedule by the minute” type of person. (GRIN)  I fail with schedules like that. They don’t meet my needs. My life includes too many areas that have different needs daily. Timed schedules just do not work for me.

So, what has worked for me? Setting up a framework to my day. This is one incredibly powerful tip. It can make a HUGE difference in your day as well. It just might be the secret that has alluded you through the years.

Wondering what I mean by a “framework” for your day? By framework, I mean a general flow to each day that includes all of the areas of my life that I juggle. But, how do I do that? Here are some quick tips: (more…)

Do you have hopes and dreams for your family in 2008?  If you are like me, you may have already spent some time this month thinking about things you would like to change or improve in the coming year.
 
It is exciting to imagine the possibilities of a brand new year, but it can be discouraging to look at past failures or difficult situations that you are facing.  Regardless of your circumstances, you can step out in faith and have the courage to set both personal and family goals for the future.
 
Goals are a tool for the stewardship of your time, resources and abilities.  They help you to live your life on purpose, using your gifts and talents to bless others and build God’s kingdom.
 
Goals are quite different from resolutions.  Many people make resolutions every January, hoping to stop bad habits or make changes in their lives.  However, most resolutions are never kept, probably because we try to make the changes in our own strength and find that we do not have the willpower to accomplish it.
 
Are you ready to start making and achieving worthwhile goals for your family?  Here are some ideas get you moving forward.
 
1.  Start by seeking God for both the goals and His plan for you to achieve them.  Bring the list of your cares and frustrations to Him and wait expectantly for guidance. 
 
2.  Believe that you will be given hope and direction.  God promises to reward those who diligently seek Him and gives wisdom to those who ask for it.
 
3.  Be humble, trusting the Lord to give you wise counsel from His word and bring you the resources you will need.
 
4.  Write down your goals and review them with your spouse and family.  Do you need help putting it all on paper?  Phyllis Sather’s book, Purposeful Planning is full of valuable information on setting spiritual, physical, household, financial and academic goals for each member of your family.
 
5.  Create a family routine to help you develop the habits necessary to meet your goals. A family routine is a daily plan that can help you reduce stress, build relationships, gain margin and keep you moving toward your goals.  When developing a new routine for your family, it is better to make small changes one by one than to set everyone up for failure with a long list of new responsibilities.
 
6.  Make a daily to do list.  Use your most creative time of day to have time to pray and journal your thoughts and plans.  What works best for me is to make this part of my evening routine, after my children are tucked into bed and I can enjoy quiet moments to refresh myself from the day’s activity and plan ahead for tomorrow.
 
7.  Communicate frequently with your spouse about how things are going as you work toward your new goals.  Consider scheduling a weekly time to talk alone.  This should not be a grumbling session!  It can be a source of encouragement and strength as you discuss and pray about areas of concern and decisions that need to be made.
 
8.  Find sources of encouragement in your family, friends, or mentors.  For many years, my source of encouragement was from the writing or speaking of leaders in the homeschooling community. What a blessing it is to find someone who can share your vision, give you ideas and speak words that inspire you to press on.  Words of encouragement will water the seeds you are sowing as you wait expectantly for the coming harvest.
 
Praying that you will find wisdom and encouragement for the journey,
 
Maridel

Do you have a desire to bring more order to your life and accomplish the things that are important to you? 

Is your life complicated by the coming and going of your family’s activities, the demands of your children, frequent interruptions, having a lack of focus or the feeling that you cannot stay on top of everything that you are responsible for? 

Have you tried to get organized, but have not been able to make lasting progress? I can tell you that there is hope!  Step by step you can make small changes that will add up to big differences in your daily life.  I will share some of the truths that I have learned on the road to becoming an organized woman.  This week we will look at some obstacles that may be standing in your way and learn how you can overcome them. 

Roadblocks can delay us or prevent us from getting to where we want to be.  They can be minor distractions that get us sidetracked or major problems that stop us dead in our tracks.  Consider whether the following roadblocks may be hindering you on the road to an organized life.

Roadblock #1 - Strife

Conflict, blame, anger, bitterness or other relationship issues drain you emotionally and cause lack of cooperation between family members.

To overcome obstacles, you must start with yourself.  As a wife and mother, you have great influence over the atmosphere of your home. 

Spend time in God’s word and in prayer for your family to change your heart and bring healing to damaged relationships.  Cultivate a heart of service toward your family that will make it easier to gain the help and cooperation of others.

So good seeds into your relationships and do not grow weary in well doing.  Nuture the seeds with kindness and patiently wait for the harvest.

Roadblock #2 – Complacency 

If you do not have a reason to make changes, it can be very difficult to get moving and keep going down the road to an organized life.  If you need motivation, consider the benefits of becoming a better caretaker of your time and possessions.  God is faithful to reward those who are good stewards of what He has given them. The fruit of becoming an organized woman is a peaceful, productive and purposeful life.  Do not be overwhelmed by any situation you are in.  The Lord gives wisdom to all who ask for it.  You are not alone on this journey.  He will walk with you every step of the way.
  
Roadblock #3 – Over Commitment

There are so many appealing activities and worthy causes that tempt us to add more and more to our schedules until we are operating on overload.  Are all of the activities that your family is involved in worth the cost of the time it takes to travel and participate in them?  Could some of that time be redeemed in more productive time with one another at home?  

Activities are worth the investment of your family’s time when you are called to do them or if they are something that brings refreshing to you.  My upcoming book on Family Routines will help you assess how you spend your family’s time and show you how to decide where to invest it.

For more information on family routines, click here.

The Homeschooler’s Time Management Toolkit

This new package from HomeschoolRadioshows.com includes 4 books, a time management software program and a bonus audio of my Family Routines workshop.  It is available only through January 27th at the amazing price of only $7 and can be ordered at this link.

Here is a review of the product:

“I just downloaded the Time Management Toolkit and looked over just TWO of the resources and wanted to tell you that this is absolutely one of the best homeschooling bargains I’ve ever bought!  It is worth many times over what I paid for it….I’m off to print some of the ideas so I can go over it with a pen and highlighter!  Thanks for such a practical tool for
families at a price that ANYBODY can afford!
 
Blessings,
Charlotte S.”

Purposeful Planning by Phyllis Sather

Phyllis’s e-book describes how to have a family planning weekend, her family’s secret to prayerfully making and achieving family goals.  This is a great guide that you will refer to year after year.  Find out more.

Healthy Eating

Hoping for a healthier you in 2008?  My long time friend, Nancy Walker, has a fantastic FREE e-course on “how to eat healthy without spending more time in your kitchen or money on your food bill!”  Click here to receive it.

Do you need to add some hours in your day?  Do you often burn the midnight oil to get things done, or just give up and leave them undone?  Here are some tips on finding extra time to build margin in your schedule.

Do you ever wonder how the women of yesteryear managed to get all of their work done?  They had to plant, tend and harvest the garden, make cloth and clothing by hand, care for the farm animals and cook every meal from scratch …and they didn’t have anymore hours in the day then we do.

One thing they did not have back then is the number of distractions that we have today.  Some of the things that have significant potential to waste our personal and family time are:  television, telephone, internet/computer, and time in the car.  All of these are wonderful inventions that give us convenience and enjoyment and expand our window on the world .  Most of us cannot imagine living without them.  However, if we allow them, they can rob us of our valuable time.

Challenge yourself to set limits on the amount of time you and your children spend with these technology time traps. If you can just shave 15 minutes off of each of these per day, you will gain a whole hour of precious time.   Here are some ways to accomplish this:

Limit television and internet use for entertainment to a reasonable amount of time and indulge in it only after taking care of all of the “must do” tasks of the day.  Consider completely eliminating entertainment media for a period of time and you will be amazed at how much more time you have for more productive and relationship building activities. 

Screen all phone calls and have a set time for listening to messages and making/returning calls each day. 

Limit your time reading and answering emails to once or twice per day, for a specific time period.

Reduce the total miles you are driving each week by eliminating some of your family’s extra-curricular activities and spend more time enjoying each other’s company at home.

Combine errands into 1 shopping trip per week.  Avoid running out during the week for just 1 or 2 items that you can make do without.  Make a master shopping list for the things you regularly buy and check what you need before going shopping.