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Three weeks ago, things starting changing in our new home, for many reasons. A piano is now part of the decor, the seedlings are all up, and I have set goals for myself. Also worth noting, our kids have been through please and thank-you town and I’m finding much joy in being asked correctly for everything and hearing gratitude after a task has been preformed or an item has been received. But that is not what this post is about, this post is about a schedule.

How can I find time to accomplish the daily tasks involved with caring for four young children, a husband, a yard, a house, and myself? And how can I also be challenged and fruitful at things that are not chores? Those questions deal with the principle, here is my new method:

Step 1: I made four lists. One for each child involving things I want them to be learning.

Step 2: I made another list. I listed everything I have to do, everything that needs to be done, and everything I want to do.

Step 3: I considered the days of the week. Thinking about the way one day varies from the next, tasks assigned to each day must be realistic for that specific day. This is our basic schedule:

Sunday: We all try to get church in some form. Jed works from seven to four-ish, we have dinner as a family, this is our Friday night.
Monday: Our sabbath day, our day of rest; our family day. Every other week we eat dinner at my mom’s house.
Tuesday: Our three oldest kids go to Jed’s parent’s house at lunch time and stay over night. Jed and I then have a work day and the new baby stays home with us. Sometimes we try to date on this night.
Wednesday: Jed works from eight to five; I have the morning with just the baby and sometimes I have our car. The big kids come home sometime after noon. Dinner at home all together.
Thursday: Jed works from eight to five; I’m home with the kids all day. We try to have dinner with friends on this night.
Friday: Jed works from eight to five; It’s me and the kids again all day. Dinner at home together.
Saturday: Jed sleeps in and works from noon to eight or nine o’clock. I’m home with the kids and put them to bed myself.

Step 4: I applied tasks to the days as they made the most sense. I spent a few pages listing the days and their tasks, adjusting if necessary. I followed that process by adding a time frame for many of the tasks.

Step 5: I started doing it.

So far, this method hasn’t been easy. In three weeks the piano has been played many times but not every day marked. A singular picture has been drawn. The kids are learning their alphabet at their various levels. I will say I’ve benefitted most by looking at the master list in the evening and writing a schedule for the next day or two. But just glancing over the master in the morning has helped make many days more focused. And I have deviated entirely from the list some days, after all, it’s just to help me. The whole thing is flexible. Really sticking to it will require focus and diligence, and truthfully more time than I have with a newborn. I am excited for time to pass, knowing this concept and the work will bring me success at the things I am seeking to be accomplished at. And time taken, even if it’s a small amount of time, will bring me closer to the long-term goals I have. Those goals? Perhaps that will be another post.

With a house still in the demolition stages of remodeling and the house we occupy belonging to others, nesting is somewhat out of my grasp. Laundry, bed-making and general cleaning up, currently do not satisfy. I am naturally unable to control these maternal urges and am required to satiate them with domesticity. My inner being was craving a needle and thread. I will be honest, I made a completely purposed trip to the fabric store. Pushing the kids around the bolts of material I found peace. I also found some golden cotton and a super cheery, lemon-printed cotton. I added some white polka dots to the mix. After craving sewing for days I made my purchase knowing this was the end of my nesting quest, for the time being. I began cutting squares that evening.

I must briefly mention the wonder of rotary cutters. My mom has quilted for decades and before she purchased a rotary cutter and mat, weeks would be spent tracing cardboard squares and hand cutting fabric. With a rotary cotter you have straight lines to check your fabric lines and big rulers to make long cuts. I marvel at the speed for a beginner like me with one of these nifty tools.

The next night I began to sew the squares together; deciding it in my best interest to keep the pattern simple. It’s a random pattern of 5 1/2 by 5 1/2 inch squares. I spent two days sewing it into long stips and then sewing the strips together; stopping to iron the sewed ends down. It felt wonderful to have something to work on during nap time and in the evening. I did realize while ironing that if this baby does turn out to be a boy, this quilt will grace K’s bed. It is just too happy and girly feeling for a baby boy; except just after delivery because we are not going to find out the gender beforehand that moment. 

Wednesday I thrifted around town to find some inexpensive batting and backing for the blanket. I was pleased when I found a white flannel sheet and a vintage bed sheet for backing. Amazingly the yellow/gold color of the backing is close to the front’s color scheme. And because the sheet is so old it feels really soft. A perfect mix for a spring project and a summer baby; happy colors and soft vintage cotton. I spent that afternoon at my mom’s cutting out two layers of the flannel sheet for the batting and a single layer of the striped sheet for the back. Then I did a basting stitch around the outside to hold it together.

Currently I am hand quilting around the squares. My mother has hand-stitched her quilts through the years. This can be one thing I choose to do like my mother (one among many really). I do think it entirely possible however, that if I venture into the land of king-sized quilts, a sewing machine will be employed for the stitching. I am enjoying the romance of hand stitching on my very first quilt.

This project has been so enjoyable. When I hold the quilt to hand stitch it, I love the weight of it, the softness of the sheet, and the sunny colors. Yesterday, in the morning sun, I made tiny orange-threaded stitches around the squares and I was overwhelmingly thankful. Something to occupy me while I wait for moments to work on our house and for my new baby.