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Falling into a New Routine

    Summer is now gone and fall is here. Chilly nights. Clear blue skies that are crisp and clear. And school has begun. For us, homeschooling has begun. The girls do an online school, so they have to be up, dressed, fed, and set up for their online classes by 8:15am. That means earlier mornings, earlier bedtimes, and SLEEPY CHILDREN BY 8pm!! YAY!!! *happy mama dance* They fall asleep quickly when put to bed at 9. I find this to be my dream come true. Now, the getting up part is not so easy. I'm not a morning person by nature. My goal is to be up by 7am. Reality has been more along the lines of 7:30 or *gasp* 7:45. Which makes for a rushed half an hour of dragging them out of bed, as they take after me in their hatred of mornings, and getting them to dress and eat NOW!
    Another up side to this new routine is that school work can be finished, scanned, and submitted to the teachers by noon on average. On a rougher day it takes about an extra hour. Still, WHOLE afternoon of freedom!! Until. . . we head to the gym! Get my hour in there, usually to take out my single-homeschooling mom frustrations out. Even on nights that we have church or soccer things, we still fit in the gym. Mommy needs her gym time. It's best for everyone that way.
    Another thing this new routine does for us is builds my confidence as a mom. It's not too hard, it's structured and working amazingly so far. I get my devotional time in while they are in class, do the dishes, and then sit with Courtney to work on her other subjects. My house is staying cleaner *happy dance*. My time in the word is peaceful and accomplishes much. Just getting my devotions done in the morning brings me a calm and a level head for the rest of the day.
    I also got a card from a friend today just to encourage me as a mom. She had a magazine article and a blog post she found and printed out for me to go along with her amazing words. You're thinking I cried, but no, I smiled so big and my heart was so warmed by the thought she put into me, the love she has for me, and the utter truth spoken. The blog post was on how as mothers we are NOT failing and why. http://rachelmariemartin.blogspot.com/2012/08/dear-sweet-mom-who-feels-like-she-is.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+blogspot%2FaKlTx+%28finding+joy%29. If you are or ever will be a mom, read this. NOW.
    Now, I want to keep writing, but it's way after my bedtime. I'm determined to get up at 7am and NOT hit my snooze repetitively. So, on that note, I will leave you with this. Fall is amazingly the best season of the year. I'd love to have a fall wedding someday (if I EVER meet Mr. Right), but I do NOT want to have my wedding compete with Ohio State Football.

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