Easing In--The First Day

We've had almost no schedule this summer.  This is really unusual for us.  Kids sleeping in until nearly noon.  Breakfast being catch-as-catch-can.  Dinner on time or late.  Lunch being a kid responsibility.  All of our summer learning plans gone.  A playdate here, long days at home there.  Shopping being a hit-or-miss operation depending on the condition of Mom's pregnancy cravings and nausea.  Bedtime getting later and later as the summer progressed.  Vacation schedule spilling over into at-home routines (or lack thereof).

E14 starts seminary in a week.  Class will start at 6:00 am for the first week and possibly jump to 5:45 am the second week.  We live 15 miles from the church building, so we will be out of the house by or before 5:30 am.

We also planned to start our home school the same day (by accident, not by design).

But as August arrived and we got home from our big trip out west I realized that we were going to need a bit of practice and preparation in order to survive the year ahead.  So this week is for learning how to get up on time, get chores done, have meals in a timely manner, and dive into morning devotionals.

Our entire "school" day lasted from 6-8:30 am yesterday.

By 8:30 we were all ready for a break!!!

The kids were faithful, diligent, and prepared.  So was I.

And the effort was exhausting. 

The older kids slumped around reading.  The little ones strapped on in-line skates and skated all around the garage.  I made menu plans, grocery lists, shopped, and finalized school plans for a couple more kids.

Then we made sure dinner was on time and bedtime routines were re-established. 

I crashed into bed, counting my blessings and offering thanks for the inspiration that led to this practice week.

We sure need it!!!