One "P" at a Time

When I started homeschooling 6 weeks ago I didn't think I needed a set schedule for our day.  I thought the schedule would just come naturally. Boy was I wrong! I am at times so scatter-brained.  I will walk around the house not even knowing where to start and then nothing gets done because I don't know what to do first.  It has been pretty bad.  Luckily though, I am trying to get my act together. 

Before school started a women approached me after Mass one morning and started chatting with me. After talking for a few minutes, she handed me a book A Mother's Rule of Life.  I wasn't really sure if the book was for me or when I would have time to read it, but I took it and thanked her.  Well, school started, the house became a disaster area, and I had NO free time to sit and read.  Finally one Sunday afternoon I did have a chance to read a little and I loved it!  The author, Holly Pierlot, is so funny and witty and this was only the introduction!  Anyway, the point of the book is to "bring order to your home and peace to your soul".  Mrs. Pierlot looks at the example of the Rule of Life religious live by that organizes everything that has to do with their vocation. It is basically looking at what you and each of your family members (husband and kids) need to get through the day.  The way she does it is to look at the 5 P's: Prayer, Person, Partner, Parent, Provider. 

I have only gotten through the first P, Prayer.  I looked at my day and set aside time to pray, whether it be formal prayer, scripture reading, reciting the rosary or chaplet, going to Mass.  This is an area I was seriously lacking in my everyday.  Now I have my little notebook and can refer back to it as needed.  I wrote down what prayers were important to me and when throughout the day I could prayer and have the kids be doing some other activity or praying with me.  I have been at it for a week now and have to say my prayer life has improved immensely.  It definitely takes discipline though, like when there is laundry to be folded and the kids are distracted it is tough not to just get the folding done and then pray.  Instead of doing this, I need to take the opportunity to pray then fold.
 
One of my favorite lines from the book is: "there is a time slot for everything" brilliant!  Don't worry about tidying up throughout the day, it will get done at 3:30.  This mindset has really helped me focus on the task at hand. Of course there is the exception when the kids need to be attended to. Holly says that her kids started to notice the house wasn't as messy when they picked up after themselves...imagine that! I am excited to see what the rest of the book does for me. I will for sure be keeping you updated.  I highly recommend you check out the book! Here is a link: http://www.amazon.com/Mothers-Rule-Life-ring-Order/dp/1928832415/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1380689976&sr=1-1&keywords=a+mother%27s+rule+of+life

Book Review: He Leadeth Me by Walter J. Ciszek

I recently finished reading a powerful book.  If you have not read He Leadeth Me by Walter J. Ciszek, please click here and order it immediately.  You will be grateful that you did!  He Leadeth Me is a spiritual memoir of an American Jesuit priest who was arrested as a political prisoner by the Soviet Union during and after WWII.  Ciszek ends up spending 23 grueling years in prison, work camps and solitary confinement.  He describes in his memoirs how and why he managed to withstand despair and endure all of his hardships through prayer and by relying on God's providence.

“… every moment of our life has a purpose, that every action of ours, no matter how dull or routine or trivial it may seem in itself, has a dignity and a worth beyond human understanding... For it means that no moment can be wasted, no opportunity missed, since each has a purpose in man’s life, each has a purpose in God’s plan. Think of your day, today or yesterday. Think of the work you did, the people you met, moment by moment. What did it mean to you- and might it have meant for God? Is the question too simple to answer, or are we just afraid to ask it for fear of the answer we must give?”

This book was deeply moving for me.  I am already rereading sections of it as I go through my day, and I have a feeling that I will be referring to it for the rest of my life.  This must- read and inspirational book provides hope to all Christians in our ordinary struggles and our darkest hours.