Non Negotiable things in my life

I was thinking about writing this last night while I was dead tired in the kitchen. There are just certain things in our house that our non-negotiable things. Here they are randomly in no particular order:

*Daily time with the Lord for me is priority. Yes, I do miss some days but those days are rough when I do!

*Kitchen is always cleaned before we go to bed (the reason I was thinking about this last night as we kept pushing ourselves to make sure all dishes were clean before hitting the couch). I simply cannot stand dirty dishes in my sink. We started this rule when the kids were very young. I would wake up as a stay at home mom and felt depressed to walk into my kitchen each morning we had not taken the time to clean up fully. So this became a non-negotiable chore in our home.

*I shower daily. I look forward to that shower each and every evening after a long day! It doesn't matter if I'm dead tired, I won't every skip my shower.

*I wear make-up nearly every day and within the last year will not wear comfy clothes when I'm at home. Getting ready in the morning helps me to be productive in my day. I don't want the boys to see me being lazy. Being a homemaker, working from home and ministry leader are jobs that require action and I want there to be fruit shown when I'm at home. Since I don't have an office to go to, I have to create a sense of professionalism in my own home. So, comfy pants come out during the weekend or in the evenings when the work is done.

*Change all our bedsheets once a week.

*I make my bed daily. It's so much nicer to walk into my bedroom with a made bed even though I have clean laundry in baskets everyone (folded laundry still has yet to make this list! HA!)

*Bathroom sinks and toilets are cleaned often (my floors and shower are another story!)

*Boys go to bed at 8pm (unless we are not home) and sleep in their own beds every night all night long. This rule has been the best investment of our time. Our boys never fight at bedtime. They know the routine because we keep it the same every night.

*Boys have to brush their teeth twice a day.

*The boys will show respect at all times (still working on this one and will probably for the rest of our parenting lives!)

*Boys have a daily Bible lesson with Dad before bed every night. The boys won't let Jeff get out of it! I also have a lesson with them most mornings. I am working to make sure our morning routine runs smooth each morning so that it doesn't get missed like it does at times.

*Dining room table is clear at all times.

*Everyone sits at the dining room table for our evening meal together.

*Jeff and I pray together before he leaves for work every day. Haven't missed a day in all our married years unless we are a part from each other.

*Boys have a set time schedule for screen time. They'd play all waking hours if I let them!


Things I want to be non-negotiable but haven't made it into my life yet on a regular basis yet...

*Weekly date night with hubby where we actually leave the house for a little while together.

*Keep my laundry folded as I wash it.

*Keeping my kitchen counter and desk cleared at all times.

*Exercise every day. I get about 2 or 3 days in a week. This has always been a struggle to enjoy exercise!

Then there are things that just don't bother me as much such as keeping my house dusted and the floors clean enough to eat off of. My house is not always in order but having set rules does make it run much smoother during the crazy busy weeks we have.