PrioritiZe

Do you ever find yourself feeling like you don't have enough time in the day to get everything done? Do you ever find yourself resenting your baby's cries? Do you ever find yourself envying your husband's 9-5 job, or women who can hire the housework done?

I have. (Well, I can't say I'd want my husbands job. He has to come home and prepare sermons on top of his 7-4 job.)

Life is flying by and it seems like all I do is wash laundry, change diapers, wash dishes, sweep floors, and start the cycle all over again. In spite of that, I still have spider webs, dust, and clutter in every room. Nearly every afternoon (if not morning), I stress out. I haven't gotten all the cleaning done yet, and my husband is going to be home soon. I really want to have a clean house for him. I really want to have a good, healthy meal ready when he get's home.

Over the last several weeks I've been realizing that some things are going to have to change. My baby is crying for my attention way too much, I'm stressed way too often, and I'm impatient with my sweetheart entirely too many times.

Somewhere I've gotten my priorities mixed up. Yes my house is important! But my family is more important. I'd love to have a perfect house, but I know it won't happen. What matters is that my husband and son have time with their wife/mommy. Who cares if I'm embarrassed when somebody drops in and there are toys all over the kitchen floor. What does that matter if my husband can't come home to a peaceful house.

This idea from a Franklin Covey book is what I've been trying to use to help prioritize my day.

Urgent/Important Baby Crying Husband's Phone calls Water Bill	Not Urgent/Important Devotions Couple time Devotions and play time with Baby Personal time Exercise Planning Recipes/Cooking Cleaning Writing Some Phone Calls
Not important/Urgent Some Phone calls Interuptions distractions	Not Important/Not Urgent Facebook Internet searches Busy Work

Briefly, this is the idea. I take care of my bill, because for some reason, I let it go til the last minute (procrastination is not a virtue). Then I work on my Not Urgent/Important list. This list is not urgent only because it's not something I have to complete by 7am. It's very important to complete those things, most of them before the day is over. If I'm interrupted by a phone call from my husband or my son crying, I drop everything as quickly as possible. But if I am having devotions and play time with Baby, and I get a phone call from the phone company, Foster Care agency, etc., I have given myself permission to let the answering machine pick it up. That doesn't mean if you call, I won't answer... but if perchance I don't, just leave a message, I will probably call you very soon.

Notice cleaning comes way down the list. That's just a reminder to me that if it doesn't all get finished, it's not the end of the world.

Some things may double up. For example, I might Exercise or write for my personal time. (although right now, baby and I are doing the exercise time together.) DH and I do the weekly planning together, but we try to have some other couple time throughout the week.

The Not Important/Urgent is pretty self-explanitory.

The Not Important/Not Urgent category is for those things that most of us do in the name of 'relaxation.' Did you know that those things often lead to more stress instead of calm? I think they are OK sometimes, but when you do them just to 'escape' the stresses of the day, they rarely work. After all, the cleaning is still there, the baby is still crying, and the laundry is still waiting to be folded.

My floor still needs swept, but dirt will still be there tomorrow. People come first.

We did baby devotions, storybook, and 'picnic' time outside.

Tonight daddy took us to the park. This little man loves the swing!