We’ve had a good morning…very happy to be back into some kind of routine! Biblical Womanhood is hosting “Make your Home a Haven Monday”. I highly recommend that you to visit her site for more encouragement on making your home a haven!
I thought I would share a bit with you about our morning, what we accomplished and what we did to make our home a haven!
I’ll skip some of the morning stuff and get right to the fun parts!
8:55 Started laundry with Malachi’s “help”
9:00 Began the kids on their school work. Elias (5) ate his breakfast in the schoolroom at his desk (hey, what’s homeschooling if you can’t be flexible?!)
Asa (10) and Justus (7) wrote in their journals about their weekend, then started their math.
10:00 Malachi (3) brought in the Lincoln Logs, immediately dumped them right in the middle of the room and began to scatter them everywhere (yes, it was loud). Then he immediately decided that he didn’t want to play with Lincoln Logs and went to go get something else out (nope, I don’t think so, buddy)
It literally took 45 minutes of disciplining and taking Malachi back to pick up the Lincoln Logs before the job was actually done. He was being quite stubborn and had decided to win the Battle of the Scattered Lincoln Logs. Fortunately for him (although he didn’t think so at the time) I knew that I would win the battle. He finally realized that he wouldn’t win, then went and picked up the Lincoln Logs in about 2 minutes and then stood up smiling. We talked more about obeying Mama and he apologized and we hugged and he is happier than he was before.
In the meantime, Asa and Justus were trying to get their math done (key lessons learned in math today: patience while you’re waiting for Mom to be able to get over to you to answer your questions and working diligently in a room with lots of background noise) Justus got very frustrated and let me know about it, which almost started the Battle of I need Some Attention and I’m Not Getting Any and I’m Not Happy About It, but after a conversation about how Mama has four boys and all of them need her at once and can’t always have her at once, he decided to choose patience.
10:45 Helped Elias with a page of math, a page of phonics and did a reading lesson.
11:15 Malachi and Elias played together; Mom and Asa and Justus had a science lesson. Today we started learning about our nervous system (the nerves in my system were close to being shot after the Battle of the Scattered Lincoln Logs).
12:00 I switched out the laundry and ran downstairs to start making potato soup for lunch. Asa and Justus worked on more assignments while I cooked.
SO, was my morning productive and was my home a haven?
At times it did not look like a haven (with Malachi’s Lincoln Logs all over the already “busy looking” school room) and it did not sound like a haven (when Malachi was determined NOT to pick up the Lincoln Logs or when Justus did not want to wait for Mama to help him).
But I believe that each of my kids learned important lessons this morning, most importantly the lesson learned that Mama wins the battles around here. And through all of the crazy circumstances of the morning, the kids know that they are loved enough to be taught life lessons. So yes, I do believe that my loud and messy home was a haven this morning.
And now, we’re off to read together and do some cleaning chores together for the afternoon.
And I think I will bake a Chocolate Pound Cake that I’ve been hungry for. Because, I’m pretty sure that having something chocolate in the house to eat is always a great way to make your home a haven! :)
I wrote and comment and it got deleted. :( But, I am glad you won the Battle of the Lincoln Logs! I have had those battles before with one of my sons. It sounds like you have a good attitude and I am glad you had a great day anyway!
I loved this post! My toddler (daughter, age 2) and I had the Battle of “I am Going To Whine and Pull On Mommy While She is Trying To Do Morning Chores” this morning and it was about the same time frame of repeated trips to Time Out before she realized I was going to win and that she should go play, because after all playing on her own is more fun than being in Time Out. My son (age 4) also learned a bit about doing school work in a noisy home. : )
I say it often, but I’ll say it again – I don’t know how you do it! :-) It’s so helpful to read how you get through the “battles”, and I learn from the lessons you teach your kids through those battles.
My day started at the doctor’s office with Samuel, getting a shot, and I was wishing (as I’m sure Samuel was) that we could escape to a nice haven somewhere ELSE. Thankfully the shot went ok, and he survived, and he happily skipped off to class when we took him to school.
Now, (thanks to you!) our dinner is in the crock-pot, and my home will smell like a heavenly haven when Daddy gets home tonight!
Oooooh my gosh, I sooooo relate to your morning. I was trying to have a serious math discussion in regards to how to borrow when subtracting improper fractions and my 5 year old is running around squeezing the end of his balloon–you know that awful noise a baloon will make when you blow it up and squeeze the end letting little air out at a time!
ughhhh–I nearly lost my temper on that one. Not only was the balloon annoying but his incessent laughter, despite me telling him it was “quiet” playtime. Finally, after I repremanded him, he settled down and we got thru the lesson.
Meanwhile, my baby has learned to pull himself up to standing, but has fallen so many times that he is afraid to let go to sit back down. So after awhile of standing he gives a wimperish cry “come get me I am stuck!!!” kind of thing. That too occurred all morning.
Sorry to ramble, but I figured you would like hearing you are not alone :)
I always think you should pick your battles… and when you do, you better win!! Great job. I see way too many parents that teach their children that the children are in charge by backing down on those types of things.
I respect your committment to follow through with your children, even in the “small” battles (not that everything must become a battle, but when they do…). Consistant parenting is something I love learning about, it gives me role models for when the Lord blesses us with children :)
Thanks for your comment on my blog! I love having a full and orderly pantry too. It actually gives me a sense of security.
Just letting you know that I figured out Mr. Linky:) I am hoping someone will simply link to it for a test drive:) I hope I did it right–
Anyway, be prepared come join me next tuesday and lets get homeschoolers to share inspiring tips, ideas, and crafts!
“I’m pretty sure that having something chocolate in the house to eat is always a great way to make your home a haven! ”
AMEN! I totally agree :-D I found your blog from a comment you posted on Kim’s – yay!