31 days :: to {a routine} ordinary

Do I know how to pick a title, or what? I mean, the words "routine" and "ordinary" are about as exciting as the words "paint" and "drying."  I realize that it isn't flashy. It isn't even that original. But it's where I'm living right now.

My life is pretty ordinary. And while it might not seem very exciting to some, the ordinary tasks of raising a family and managing a home keep me busy. Very busy. As a matter of fact, sometimes the basic needs of our household leave me feeling overwhelmed and buried under a never ending list of things needing my attention.

I scrub the dishes, wash the laundry, make countless meals. I clean the house, find missing library books, wipe up mysterious sticky spots on the kitchen floor. I homeschool some kids, drive others to school, sit for hours at baseball games. And that's just what my Tuesdays are like!

When I feel like my everyday responsibilities are just too much for me to handle, I know that I need a new plan. Well, actually, when life gets to be too much for me I usually get frustrated, find someone to blame, feel guilty for blaming (and probably snapping at) others, get even more frustrated, complain, cry, decide I can't take it anymore.....then I realize that I need to come up with a better plan. Just keeping it real.

For a lot of years, I've found that having routines helps hold life together. I suppose that living according to routines sounds boring, but that's the kind of boring I like. When I have a routine, or plan, for when I'll go to the grocery store during the week or when I'll make my bed each day, I no longer have to think about it or worry about forgetting it. That's huge for me because I forget things a lot (just ask my kids!). It also means that I only have to do the thinking part of a task once. I can take the time to figure out the best way to do something and then just do it the same way each time.

Last year, I spent thirty-one days writing about creating a better ordinary. And my ordinary life really was better because of it. I want the same thing this year. My life just feels so hectic right now. So, I'll be spending the month of October writing about developing routines and systems to make life more manageable.  Every day I'll share thoughts and ideas we can use to make homemaking seem like a little less work.

I'm joining a zillion other bloggers who will be linking up to Nester's Thirty-One Days. If you want to follow along with me, you can subscribe to have this series, and all my posts, delivered directly to your inbox. You can also like me on Facebook, and I'll try to keep it updated with my new posts. I really will try. And if you want to share the love with others, please grab a Gospel Homemaking button to add to your site.

You also may want to bookmark this post because I'll be linking to each day's post right here! Are you ready to play along?

day 1 :: everyone has routines
day 2 :: making ordinary routines better
day 3 :: guard your time
day 4 :: quiet time (part 1)
day 5 :: quiet time (part 2)
day 6 :: a time for rest
day 7 :: help in troubled times
day 8 :: morning routine
day 9 :: creating a morning routine
day 10 :: afternoon routine
day 11 :: planning not to forget
day 12 :: some days don't play nice
day 13 :: Sunday morning
day 14 :: nobody's perfect
day 15 :: adjusting my housecleaning routine
day 16 :: planning errands
day 17 :: starting at zero
day 18 :: monthly cleaning
day 19 :: doing what works for you
day 20 :: doing is better than planning
day 21 :: planning for others
day 22 :: cutting costs
day 23 :: beauty routines
day 24 :: routines with an unusual schedule
day 25 :: kid routines
day 26 :: reminders
day 27 :: scheduling periodic tasks
day 28 :: tools
day 29 :: digital tools
day 30 :: gotta use them
day 31 :: routine roundup