Author: Sarah Joy Albrecht

Thomas : “Hey mom – do you want to hear a construction joke?”
Me: “Okay.”
Thomas: “I’m not ready yet – I’m still working on it.”

Baddum bum bum

This is my recent post on The Homeschool Lounge on the “Scheduling” forum:

I just wanted to say up front that I’m a reluctant scheduler.

Basically, when you have 5 kiddies and they’re all a year apart, and your youngest is a one year old, YOU’RE NOT SLEEPING THROUGH THE NIGHT. (And no, I no longer nurse the baby – she has TEETH! My baby sleeps through the night! It’s the older kids who have nightmares, night terrors, who wake me up and say “MOM! I peed the bed again! I used the last extra sheet last night and forgot to tell you!”)

My husband travels for work (overseas, weeks at a time) and it got to the point where I was going absolutely bonkers. I wanted to be more of a free spirit but I was falling so far behind that it wasn’t, well, FREEING.

Ladies, I’m shouting it from the rooftops: There is NO POINT of scheduling and there is not point of being “anti-schedule” if it’s NOT WORKING FOR YOU.

If you find that you’re micromanaging everything and the kids are sneaking play out of necessity for THEIR sanity – you HAVE to let up a little bit! Too much scheduling stifles the imagination. If you are finding that you can’t get your responsibilities done and you are escaping, not to your bucket of Duplo blocks but perhaps to the Internet or telephone to avoid work, you might need to crack down a little and make some priorities.

Not only does the schedule help my husband to connect with what we were up to, I can plan ahead a little when my brain is somewhat awake and this helps me compensate for the times when I can’t see straight. I don’t have to think about, “what lesson are we doing in math today?” because I already have it written down. OR, if we have a diaper explosion in the middle of the day, I don’t have children staring at me saying, “Mommy, I’m done reading – now what do I do?” (My response being, “GET AWAY FROM ME, I’ve got your baby sister hanging over the bathtub at the moment!”)

Scheduling , instead of robbing me of my freedom, has actually given me freedom: less to think about, so more time to enjoy the day.

It’s not about being a control freak – I’m not!

It’s not about trying to be perfect – I’m definitely not!

It’s about finding little ways to keep you and the children motivated and moving throughout the day.

It’s about being efficient with your work – not encouraging staring off into space and “I can’t help with dinner – I’m only on problem #5!” conversation (which happens to my one sweet princess if she doesn’t have a time limit) – so that you can have the reward of playtime without worrying about the interruption of having to finish school work when your neighborhood friends get off the bus and want to play.

BTW, efficiency with housework and schoolwork gives mommies more playtime, too. Who wouldn’t’ want to snuggle up with hubby instead of staying up until midnight doing dishes by hand? I certainly don’t – hehe – but I do, more often than not.

IF you are in a perpetual state of frazzled – humble yourself and be honest here! -, be it from too much planning ahead or not enough planning ahead, it’s hard to focus on glorifying God. Our goal isn’t to fit into a niche on a forum, our goal is to life lives as women, mommies, wives and homeschool teachers who glorify God in all that we do.

No matter how you decide to keep your day – because I think we can all agree that keeping home is part of our responsibility – remember to be at peace with one another as you compare methods.<--- must read this article!! Let this forum be a place of encouragement, no matter where we are in our day planner or checklist. Much love, Sarah Joy Albrecht

Christ didn’t die for us because He knew we’d become awesome Christian spokespersons. He died for us out of mercy so that we might have a relationship with the Father despite of our sin.

Some verses to ponder:
Continue reading “Why do you think Christ died for you?”

In our recent snow, I abandoned dinner responsibility (ok, I threw some chicken in the oven but didn’t create the all-out-delicious meal I had planned) and PLAYED IN THE SNOW.

We built seven snowmen, one for each member of our family

This occurred while the babies napped – it would have been difficult otherwise.

I just want to encourage all moms to take time to play with your kids.

They’re not going to remember if you had white wine sauce with five different herbs on their chicken vs. just butter and salt in five years, but they are going to remember the late afternoon when mommy put on her snow pants and they built seven snowmen together.

I think I had just as much fun as they did!

MY thought is this: No amount of microdermabrasion is going to keep your heart feeling young.

(Tabitha (left) age five, Thomas (at top) age 6, Aiden (right) age 4 and ME (center) – having a blast and eternally thankful for the gift of children after being told I’d never have any. Looking forward to when Micah and Leah can appreciate the snow!)

Dear Sarah,

I have a problem that could use guidance and counsel on. My mother-in-law likes to call on a frequent basis. Actually she calls me everyday and no fewer than 3 times a day. On Monday of this week, she called a total of 5 times (and those are just the times that I answered the phone). On a side note, I live on the east coast and my mom on the west coast and I don’t even talk to her everyday. We talk once every week to week and a half or longer if one of us has something going on. I am a stay at home mommy with a a 3,2 and 4 month old so you can imagine how hectic and busy my day is. I know that she’s not lonely because she is married and my husband’s 18 year old brother and 12 year old sister are still living at home. I’ve tried dropping hints about how busy my day is but still nothing; I’ve gotten to the point of screening my calls using my answering machine (she called a total of 15 times yesterday – No I didn’t pick up any of the calls) but I’m starting to feel like a prisoner in my own phone. My husband is no help, he thinks its funny and encourages me to just let the phone ring and not pick it up. I know that I have to say something because I just don’t have the strength or energy to maintain this type of relationship and she is also starting to make comments on the fact that she has been trying all day to get in contact with me. Sorry for being long winded but I wanted to give all of the facts. Any advice you all can give will be welcomed. Thanks

Big hugs to you! I’m a mommy of 5 little ones (close in age like yours!) and I know exactly what you’re talking about.

Conversations with children throughout the day need to be more than, “QUIET! I’m on the phone!”

This is a difficult situation because you love your MIL very much and don’t want to hurt her feelings!

You must talk to her about this lest it become a point of bitterness.

Here are some suggestions for talking points:

1. Assure her of your love. “Mom I love you so much! I appreciate that you talk to me. I know that there are many mothers and mothers in law who do not talk to their children. I am so thankful to have you in my life, and I am very thankful for our relationship.”

2. Address the problem with kindness and diplomacy. Recently, I have been convicted about trying to be more diligent about how I use my time during the day. I believe I have been spending too much time on the phone – and I’m not just talking about talking to you, but with others as well. I noticed that it’s taking a toll on my getting my housework done, and also with my parenting.

3. Ask for teamwork. “Mom, weaning myself from the phone is kinda like a diet or a lifestyle change for me – can you please be sensitive to this while I try to make the change to apply myself a little better to the tasks that God has given me throughout the day?”

4. Answer her when she needs you. “Please know that you still can call me any time! If I am available to talk, I will answer the phone! If I am in the middle of something, I am going to start letting my answering machine get it so I can get my work done . I will call you as soon as I am available to talk. If there is something that needs me immediate, please note that on the message or call my cell phone. ALSO, you are always welcome to send me as MANY emails you want!! That way, I can respond to them when I have some down time.”

5. Appreciate her understanding. “THANK YOU, mom, for being understanding and an ENCOURAGEMENT to me as I really do need to improve in this area!!!”

BTW, here is the message I have on my machine, which is a kind way to let people know that I’m screening my calls –
http://www.sarahjoyalbrecht.net/2007/08/24/a-ringing-phone-has-to-be-answered/

Much love,
Sarah Joy Albrecht

“I love hugging. I wish I was an octopus, so I could hug ten people at a time.” ~Drew Barrymore

“You can’t give a hug without getting a hug.” ~Author Unknown

“It doesn’t matter who, when, or where… you can always use a hug.”
from the movie, “Hope Floats”

“You can call me cute if it’ll make you hug me tighter!” – Author Unknown

“I have a present for you, but I need to borrow your arms for wrapping paper.”– Author Unknown

“Hug them, kiss them and tell them that you love them. Don’t miss the chances that life is giving you to spend with people you love. There are no rewinds.” –
Adam Sandler