Sticking to Your Standards

God has really been dealing with my heart about a lot of things recently.  Namely - holiness.  God keeps drawing me to be more, to rid my life of things and to be more steadfast in what He has already led our family to be.

I was reading a book by Hugh Pyle called, Stick to Your Standards and it was even more the same message that God had already been dealing with me about.  There are some things that I've let in to my life and our home that God isn't pleased with.  Sure, I could justify them all day long - but I know deep inside that God has said NO!

Today, I finally let go of the fight and told God that I would let them go.  I didn't experience a life growing up watching a family compromise in many ways that only destroyed the holiness it once had - to do so myself.  I went through it so I would know what it looks like and to raise up a generation that was more concerned about God and holiness.

God needs men, women, and children to lift up the standard in this darkened world.  We are already infiltrated with the doctrines of men that proclaim that sin isn't so bad anymore and that you don't need to be holy.  We don't need to find ways to let more of the world in our homes, we need to find ways to keep more of it out!

I like the quote that was shared in the book I mentioned:

When all of God's sheep become dirty gray, the black sheep feel more comfortable. - Vance Havner

There are absolutes of right and wrong.  There is black and white.  Anything that falls into the gray areas must be carefully and prayerfully considered.  As many have said in times past, I would rather go too far than not far enough and miss the mark.  Thank God that He has standards and that we, by the Holy Spirit, can be directed in our ways and our lives.

Only let your conversation be as it becometh the gospel of Christ..... Phil. 1:27

Our Current Daily Schedule

I haven't done one of these posts in a long time, here is the last time I did before my son was born and my life looks a lot different than that now!  

10:00 a.m. - Wake up; Make breakfast

10:30 a.m. - Breakfast

11:00 a.m. - Homeschool starts - Bible, writing, grammar

12:00 p.m. - Snack for my son & Recess; P.E.

1:00 p.m. - Lunch

1:45 p.m. - Pick up time

2:00 p.m. - Son's nap for 3 hours and this is when we homeschool spelling, history or science, math and reading

3:10 p.m. - My part in homeschool is done, daughter works independently until dinner; This begins my time to do whatever is on my to-do list for the day

3:30 p.m. - Snack

4:30 - 5:00 p.m. - Start dinner prep

5:00 p.m. - Son wakes up from nap

5:30 p.m. - Dinner

6:00 p.m. - Kitchen clean up

7:00 - 9:00 p.m. - Evening activities (different each night)

9:00 p.m. - Son's bedtime cereal and milk; we usually eat a snack

9:30 p.m. - Son's bedtime

Family Freetime

11:00 p.m. - Daughter's bedtime

1:00 - 2:00 a.m. - Bedtime for me

Homeschool time is 11-12 in the morning and then from 2-5 in the afternoon.  My daughter also has evening reading that she works in sometime before bed.  Total homeschooling for the summer is about 4 hours.  Once we get to fall, we will not have such a large break from 12 - 2 - that will be the time my daughter does Latin, Spanish and Logic (new subjects she will start in 5th grade), putting her at 6 hours of schooling.  My time spent homeschooling goes from about 2 hours down to less than one in the new school year!

Sometimes I wake up before my kids and I try to be as quiet as possible, doing something like reading the news on my Kindle.  However I've learned, whenever I get up, my son always seems to hear and gets up and doesn't get enough sleep and then he will be cranky all day - so I've tweaked my own schedule to try and sleep till he wakes up.  I would like to get back to going to sleep by midnight and waking at 8, but that would mean putting my son to bed at 8 and that won't work for our family.

My son gets 12 hours of sleep at night, my 10-year old daughter gets 10 hours and I try and get at least 8 hours.  All of these are for good health and the recommended times for the age/stage.  I recently watched a documentary study on obesity and there is substantial evidence that babies and toddlers that do not get AT LEAST 12 hours of uninterrupted sleep at night, are at risk for obesity, diabetes and heart disease later on in life.  I was surprised by this but I knew that 12 hours was good as my daughter slept for 12 hours until she was around age 5 and now sleeps 10 hours.  Sleep really does make a difference in children's behaviors and ours!