“The way you keep your house, the way you organize your time, the care you take in your personal appearance, the things you spend your money on, all speak loudly about what you believe. The beauty of thy peace shines forth in an ordered life. A disordered life speaks loudly of disorder in the soul.”

Elisabeth Elliot

Since getting pregnant and powering through my first trimester, I have been so out of our routine. Now, I am at the point where I am hoping to begin implementing some things back into our routine that we were once doing. Schedules and routines happen to be something that I get asked about a lot from new moms and even moms of multiples so I wanted to share some wisdom that I have gleaned over the years. Below I have listed some things that are helpful in creating your own routine for your home. Every home will look different but I believe the following tips will help you in creating a routine that you, your family and your home thrive in.

Wake up before your household

Now, let me preface by saying that depending on the season of motherhood you are in, this may look different! If you are in the newborn phase, I do not recommend you do this. I recommend you sleep and get up when your baby is ready to get up (if you are able to). I just experienced this in my first trimester. Getting up before my kids during this time was simply not feasible. So, take the time to evaluate what season you are in. It is so different to wake up to an alarm versus a screaming baby or a toddler who is wanting a peanut butter and jelly with a side of olives. When it comes to getting up in the morning I have 2 different routines that we follow. One is for the days we are leaving to go somewhere and the other is for when we plan to stay home. On the days that we do leave, my rule is that if I am going to leave the house, I cannot neglect the house. So on these days, I get up and get a head start on dishes or laundry. However, on days that we stay home, I wouldn’t be doing these things right away. I would be spending more time in the Word or prayer.

Saturate yourself spiritually 

As mothers and daughters of Christ, we need to spiritually saturate ourselves Every. Single. Day. This can happen at any time of the day. However, I do find it is easier to do in the morning. It helps me to set my heart on walking in the Spirit and not in the flesh. My lips tend to be what takes over so I want to be intentional about fixing my heart on Him so that it impacts what comes out of my mouth. I usually will read from my physical Bible but there are times where I will also listen to my readings for the day from an audio Bible. You can do this while doing the dishes or other chores around the house!

Take time to work out

I am in a season where this is not a huge priority. There are days where I work out for 15 minutes and I do it in my pajamas! That is what I have the time for some days so I will take it. I do notice a big difference in my postpartum experience when I workout so that really is the only reason I am doing it! Overall I’d recommend you just move your body. Whether that be stretching or even going on a walk with your kids!

Establish who cares for what

One thing that is really helpful when establishing routines and schedules is deciding what things in the household you are going to care for and what are the things in the house that your husband is going to care for. In our home for example, I don’t take out the trash. However, of course, when my husband is busy or I am looking for ways to serve him, I will take care of this. He goes out of his way to do this for me too! This is one that that continues to help our routine run smoothly

Find out when you peak

Something that is also helpful in establishing routines and schedules for your home and family is to figure out when you peak. There are different studies and quizzes online that can help you determine when you peak (or are most productive). Maybe you already know when this is. For me, it is the mornings and for my husband it is the evenings. So, I don’t mind that my mornings are heavier in tasks and chores because I find that this is when I am naturally more productive. We don’t need to make things harder on ourselves. Instead let us try and make things the most optimal, which is just simply stewarding the time that the Lord has given us. Ask the Lord every day, 

“ What do you have in store for me and my children today? Help me to steward my time, help me to use it well. How can I use my time to bless others? Help my to not grow idle”

Make a routine based off your schedules

Every family has different schedules. However, if you are able to look at your work schedule, your husband’s work schedule as well as your children’s school schedule or activity schedule that can help you plan out your days and week! For me, if I know my husband is going to be out of the house for breakfast but he will be with us for lunch, I am intentional about planning our day so we can all eat together. As I mentioned earlier, if I know me and the kids are going to be getting out of the home in the morning, I will be intentional about getting up early (in the right season) and getting my chores started or done before we leave. That way I don’t feel behind and things are still getting done!

Make time for quiet

Below is a story Christina, also known as _dearsister_ over on Instagram posted that I love so much

Of course, this may look different depending on the age of your children. If you have toddlers you can begin to implement this, even if it is for 10-15 minutes at a time. You can make a game out of it and make it fun for them but regardless this is so crucial. The other day, when I put my toddler down, I rested with her for 15 minutes. As I did this, my older two were playing together and one of them made the most incredible painting! Had I not made space for this, they would have never had the opportunity to slow down, in silence, and create something so  beautiful.

Prep dinner when you can

I personally love to make dinner and serve it nice and hot when my husband comes home. However, not every day does it work where I have the time to make an entire meal at dinner time. So, if I notice I have a pocket in my day, I may cut up an onion in the morning and have it ready for later when I am ready to cook. This really helps my evenings not feel so rushed, it keeps our routine moving and helps us to save money because we don’t eat out as much.

Mamas you are doing a great job! Give yourself grace, ask the Lord for wisdom every single day for how He wants you to spend that day. That may look very different some days but let us all be blessed and steward what we have well!