[I have been asked to write about my routine and time management. A lot of my time management begins in the morning, before the house stirs. Here is an account from this morning.
Note added: My usual rising time is anywhere between 4:30 and 5 a.m. Yes, I had to train myself to wake up early – however, strange as this sounds, I found it came easier as I had more babies – as they tend to wake one up at 5 a.m. for a feeding. I would just stay up from that point. I was once a night owl in my younger motherhood years and would stay up very late, past midnight. Now, I have just reversed the clock and get up earlier. Yes, I am dressed before I come downstairs for my quiet morning hour. I lay my clothes out the night before so I can find them in the dark as there is a sleeping toddler and a sleeping husband in our room. I have a little nightlight in the bathroom so I can get ready without turning on a bright light. ]
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“You don’t bake? Oh, I love baking… I love to come downstairs, in the morning … while the house is quiet, sit and have my cup of tea and look out this window at the fresh new day … bread dough rising by the cookstove … there’s nothing that smells so good as fresh bread, just baked, wafting through the house, you know.”
-Janet King, Road to Avonlea
The black and ivory cookstove creaked as she warmed up with the embers from last night’s fire, still warm in her firebox. Opening the firebox door, I added a small bundle of dry kindling sticks to help urge the fire along. My father in law had just delivered a large crate of dry small wood for me and for that I was truly grateful. One needs good wood to get my cookstove going these cold December mornings. Located just outside the back door, the burst of fresh air as I retrieve the little wood pieces wakes me up quickly smartly each morning. Stopping to notice the sparkling stars twinkling in the dark, December morning sky, the tranquil, peaceful sight provided a fresh outlook on the day unfolding.
In the inky blackness of the horizon, I could hear a few straggling coyotes howling in the distance. I shudder thinking of our poor chickens – hoping they are warm enough in their little coop. The sun would soon be up and the house would be stirring, brimming with activity, but for now, it was unruffled and still.
With a small fire finally showing signs of life in the Elmira kitchen cookstove, I moved on to preparing my morning coffee. Using a French press, I make a small pot of coffee for just myself. No one else is up in the house this hour of the morning. A cup of coffee and some Bible time by a soft lamplight is bliss with only the ticking of the clock and the soft crackling of the fire to keep me company.
I’m reading through the Psalms right now, so I opened my Bible to read my daily passage…
“Thy voice shalt hear me in the morning, O Lord; in the morning will I direct my prayer unto thee, and will look up.”
Psalm 5:3
The morning.
What a perfectly calm, beautiful time of day. When I wake up (usually by the cry of our family cat, needing to go outdoors – she only comes to my beside in the morning to ask for the door to be opened – she must know I want to get up anyways), no one else stirs. Slipping downstairs to the main floor of our old home, I find peace in the quiet, a balm for my soul in the stillness. Our days in this filled to the brim home can be busy, dotted with random, various activities, various needs, unending chores and everyday tasks that need to be tended – but this morning – this delicate calm of the break of day – is all mine.
After my Bible time, I will set the table for breakfast and put on a pot of cinnamon-speckled oatmeal to cook on the now-warm-cookstove. Yes, like days of old, a pot of oatmeal is a staple in our house when it comes to breakfast. No one grumbles about it, for which I am grateful. Some mornings, we will be splurge and have poached eggs on toasts, a quiche on Sunday, homemade croissants (still working on this recipe) or potatoes and eggs. But a simple every day morning means a copper pot of steaming hot oatmeal, sweetened with brown sugar and enjoyed with a glass of creamy milk. Gingerbread tea is offered in the winter time for the children, as well. Most of the little ones mix their tea and milk together to their delight.
Setting the stage for a good day begins in the morning, I find.
A good solid Bible reading.
A short prayer time.
A good hot coffee or perhaps a cup of tea…
A quiet sermon to listen to as I putter around the kitchen, preparing for the day ahead of me.
Maybe a piece of toast with jam to nibble on as I take a break and sit for a bit.
Shall I set out the dough to begin a batch of fresh bread for the day? … Yes, is there anything cozier than waking up to the smell of bread baking? Yes, a batch of bread would be just the thing to begin the day on the right foot.
Breakfast has begun and lunch will now be prepared, as well. We usually have warmed up leftovers in the winter or a big pot of soup for lunch. This is simple to prepare before too long (another benefit of home canning your soups!). By breakfast, I should also know what is for dinner and have that prepped as well. With my double role as mother and homemaker and home school teacher, I find it challenging to go between the kitchen and the school books, so I try to keep the food meal preparations to the early morning. Everything flows so much smoother if I do not have to worry about lunch time or dinner. Sometimes, you may find me peeling potatoes while a little one reads to me or chopping carrots while someone asks a question about their grammar, however, the goal is to have lunch ready for the oven before school even begins.
I also challenge myself to drink my litre of water by breakfast time; this helps me stay on track with my goal of drinking enough water during the day. I use a simple mason jar to measure my water intake.
By 7 a.m., I hear the footsteps of little ones upstairs as they begin to tumble slowly out of bed. Sleepy eyed and still warm from their little beds, they will wander downstairs to find me in the kitchen. I always try to greet each child with a warm “Good morning!” and a hug. By this point, the breakfast table should be set and ready for the children. I have learned, as they have morning outdoor chores, it creates a rushed morning if I wait for them to set the table. I generally try to set the table ahead of time, even laying out the placemats and such the evening before.
Let’s start the day with cheerfulness, they will often hear me encourage them. If someone wakes with a sour mood, they are often sent back upstairs to enter the warm kitchen with a better, sunnier attitude. Everyone is encouraged to have their beds made, be neatly dressed with their hair properly combed for the day before they are welcomed to the breakfast table. [That may seem strict to some, but can you imagine chasing down eight children to get dressed each morning after breakfast? Food on an empty stomach in the morning is a great motivator to start the morning off right – dressed and looked clean for the day.]
Once the breakfast is served and eaten by eight hungry children, we pull out our Bible and review our Bible passage for the day. We like to memorize a chapter a month. We simply recite it every day until we can say it from memory. It works, it’s not a fussy system, no bells or whistles but it works.
After the Bibles snap close, everyone is hustled off for their morning chores …but that is another post and another story …
by Gigi
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