Rythym and Schedule

So I am working on getting Rythym. Rythyms as described by my friend Cherie are like little routines that make up our whole day. I have also decided to tweak my Cleaning Schedule, and start fresh with it. Yesterday was my first day being focused, and I had an amazing result. Here is the new Schedule:

These Rooms are the Focus of each day:
Monday: Living Room and Master Bedroom
Tuesday: Kitchen, Bathroom and Girls Room
Wednesday: Girls Room, Laundry Day
Thursday: Living Room, Bathroom, Kitchen
Friday: Girls Room, Laundry Day
Saturday: Kitchen, Master Bedroom, Laundry Day
Sunday: Declutter

I am going to also Make Room in each closet for different things, so it will hopefully reduce the clutter that ends up in the Living Room and Kitchen

Girls Closets: Clothes and Toys
Master Closet: Clothes, Joel's Army Gear, Books
Living Room Closet: Puzzles, Books, DVD's, Art Supplies, Homeschool Stuff, Vacuum and Video game equipment.

Here is the result of Monday:
I also got a truthful bit of advice from my MIL when she was listening to me sob the other night...I told her how I don't want to live like this anymore, and she said that when she had young kids to take care of, she didnt do any fun things until the chores were done. She said she used to clean in the mornings and then take the kids to the beach at night. (She lived on Cape Cod, MA) I realized that part of my problem was doing things during the day like playing games, reading books, watching shows...things that could wait until after my work was done. I think I was rationalizing it by comparing my life to my husbands. I thought, "He works all day, then comes home and does whatever he wants. I work all day in my house, then I have to work at night when he gets home (dinner, tubbies, bedtime, cleaning) so I thought I would take time for myself during the day if I am going to have to work regardless.
Well, yesterday was my first day of being on a schedule, and I didnt do one fun thing for myself all day. I got what I needed to get done, and around bedtime MIL helped me get the house picked up completely and she put the kids to bed while I vacuumed. Hubby walked into a nice, clean relaxing home, I had all of my work done, and I was ENJOYING watching Heroes on TV. It was SUCH a GREAT feeling! I felt like I had worked hard, and was being rewarded for it. I just had to share that..because it made such a difference in my day yesterday.

I am sitting at my desk, looking out the window, and at all the trees. There are still dead leaves attached to some of the trees. Apparently the winds of Autumn did not carry away the leaves, or the tree was holding on too tightly to those dead leaves for fear of being naked. During the winter snow storms, the snow weighed heavy upon the trees with their dead leaves still attached, for there was more surface on the tree for the winter snow to cling to. It must have felt over burdened at times. What is going to have to happen for the new life to come from the tree? The dead stuff will have to fall off first. Perhaps when the new growth and new life comes in, the dead stuff will immediately be pushed away and fall to the wayside. Amazing how much this is like our lives. We hold onto things for so long...some of it waying us down, causing depression, anxiety, fear, anger, bitterness and loneliness. God maybe wants to do a new thing in us, to cause new growth and to bring forth new life. Regardless of how it happens, the dead stuff has to come away. Whether we let go of it, or it is forced off of us, it will be the beginning of a beautiful new season. I would rather cast it off, and wait naked in anticipation of what is to come.