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The Back-to-School Rhythms That Keep Our Family of 9 Running · Praise, Prayer & Protein

• 0:09
  SPEAKER_00: Hey, I'm Katie, mom of seven, coffee lover, and believer in finding joy in every season of motherhood.
• 0:16
  SPEAKER_00: This is Praise, Prayer, and Protein, where we talk faith, family, frugal living, and the real-life mom hacks that make it all work.
• 0:24
  SPEAKER_00: Let's dive in.
• 0:26
  SPEAKER_00: Welcome back, friends, to Praise, Prayer and Protein.
• 0:30
  SPEAKER_00: We are officially into season two.
• 0:33
  SPEAKER_00: The kids have been back to school for almost a full week.
• 0:37
  SPEAKER_00: Fall is coming.
• 0:38
  SPEAKER_00: Those mornings are feeling colder and colder.
• 0:41
  SPEAKER_00: And our house is slowly remembering what it means to have routine again.
• 0:46
  SPEAKER_00: And I am saying remembering because I swear every September, it's like we've never done this before.
• 0:52
  SPEAKER_00: We've been raising children for 18 years and we have successfully completed many, many first days of school.
• 1:00
  SPEAKER_00: And yet, after summer, somehow everybody forgets where our shoes go, where our lunch boxes get emptied.
• 1:08
  SPEAKER_00: And apparently we're all learning how to live together again.
• 1:12
  SPEAKER_00: And not just the kids, but me too.
• 1:14
  SPEAKER_00: I'm remembering what it feels like to wake up at 6 a.m.
• 1:17
  SPEAKER_00: because I love sleeping in in the summer.
• 1:19
  SPEAKER_00: We remember what bedtimes feel like because none of us had them in the summer.
• 1:23
  SPEAKER_00: We went to bed super late and slept in.
• 1:26
  SPEAKER_00: So we are all just dragging our butts these last two weeks, trying to get back into a routine again.
• 1:34
  SPEAKER_00: So today I want to talk about something that has made a huge difference in our home, especially as our family has grown.
• 1:43
  SPEAKER_00: Those are rhythms, routines, responsibilities, and expectations.
• 1:48
  SPEAKER_00: Not because we have a perfectly organized home, trust me, we absolutely do not.
• 1:54
  SPEAKER_00: And not because my kids happily skip through the house, completing every chore I have asked them to do, uh, that's an absolute no to.
• 2:02
  SPEAKER_00: But because there are nine people living in our house, nine of us, and I have learned that if one person is responsible for remembering everything that needs to happen for all nine of those people, that person is going to lose her mind.
• 2:18
  SPEAKER_00: That person is obviously me.
• 2:20
  SPEAKER_00: When somebody asked me uh the question of, I don't know how you do it all, I simply answer, I don't.
• 2:27
  SPEAKER_00: And that's what we're going to be talking about today.
• 2:29
  SPEAKER_00: I want to take time to bring you inside what our back to school rhythm actually looks like, why we recently sat down and wrote out some expectations for our kids, how chores work in our home, why even my grade one kid is going to be packing or has been packing their own lunch, and how all of this connects back to something even bigger, our family values.
• 2:51
  SPEAKER_00: Because ultimately, I'm not trying to create a perfectly organized home.
• 2:56
  SPEAKER_00: Because believe me, I'm not that person.
• 2:58
  SPEAKER_00: I need systems and things in place for me to even be able to make our home organized.
• 3:04
  SPEAKER_00: I'm trying to raise responsible individuals who understand that when you're part of a family, you contribute to that family.
• 3:13
  SPEAKER_00: When the kids were younger, I simply wrote down our school rhythms and colored it and we had it on the wall.
• 3:21
  SPEAKER_00: But now that our kids are getting older, um, just seeing that on the wall is not helping.
• 3:26
  SPEAKER_00: And that's why we had to sit down and have this conversation.
• 3:29
  SPEAKER_00: If you listen to season one, you know how much I loved summer rhythms.
• 3:34
  SPEAKER_00: I actually am a big believer that summer doesn't need to look like the school year.
• 3:39
  SPEAKER_00: Like I said in the opening, we sleep later, our mornings are slower, we live by the lake, we went camping, we stay up late.
• 3:47
  SPEAKER_00: There was no real bedtimes.
• 3:49
  SPEAKER_00: Um, there's kids always coming and going, and I just love that.
• 3:53
  SPEAKER_00: But then September arrives, and suddenly all seven kids need to get out the door for school.
• 3:59
  SPEAKER_00: Micah is back into his regular work routine of going into the office.
• 4:03
  SPEAKER_00: Activities have started again.
• 4:05
  SPEAKER_00: Youth group is back going.
• 4:07
  SPEAKER_00: We are in football season, piano lessons, singing lessons, band rehearsals, and the laid-back summer rhythm just doesn't work anymore.
• 4:17
  SPEAKER_00: I think sometimes as mom, we get really frustrated because we think, why does everyone keep asking me what they're supposed to be doing?
• 4:25
  SPEAKER_00: Or why is this stuff just not automatically getting done?
• 4:30
  SPEAKER_00: But the truth is, we have spent two months doing the complete different thing, doing something completely different.
• 4:37
  SPEAKER_00: So one of the things I've learned that we put into place this year was reteaching the rhythm.
• 4:42
  SPEAKER_00: Micah and I sat down um Labor Day Monday and we talked through the expectations we have for each one of our kids.
• 4:50
  SPEAKER_00: I actually wrote them out this year.
• 4:52
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, we printed them off.
• 4:54
  SPEAKER_00: They are things like their responsibilities, things they're expected to do independently, what being part of our family looks like at each one of their ages.
• 5:03
  SPEAKER_00: I even made a little contract that we each signed, but don't think it was a strict, these are the laws and you need to sign this serious document.
• 5:13
  SPEAKER_00: It wasn't really that serious.
• 5:15
  SPEAKER_00: There's just something really helpful about taking the things that mom and dad are constantly saying, putting them on paper because sometimes we think our kids know what we expect simply because we're constantly saying them multiple times a day.
• 5:28
  SPEAKER_00: But there is a difference between constantly reminding someone and actually establishing something.
• 5:33
  SPEAKER_00: Like these are your responsibilities.
• 5:35
  SPEAKER_00: This is what you're responsible for.
• 5:38
  SPEAKER_00: And the ones that are visual learners, auditory learners, they're learning different.
• 5:42
  SPEAKER_00: And so having it written down, having that meeting was super helpful.
• 5:47
  SPEAKER_00: I don't want to be everyone's reminder.
• 5:49
  SPEAKER_00: This is something that I'm really working hard on because I feel like as the kids get older, reminders become like nagging.
• 5:57
  SPEAKER_00: And I don't want to spend every morning saying, did you make your bed?
• 6:00
  SPEAKER_00: Did you pack your lunch?
• 6:02
  SPEAKER_00: Where's your book bag?
• 6:03
  SPEAKER_00: Did you brush your teeth?
• 6:04
  SPEAKER_00: Do you have your homework?
• 6:06
  SPEAKER_00: Where are your shoes?
• 6:07
  SPEAKER_00: Did you eat breakfast?
• 6:08
  SPEAKER_00: Do you have a water bottle?
• 6:09
  SPEAKER_00: Do you, do you, do you, did you, did you, did you?
• 6:12
  SPEAKER_00: Does this sound familiar in your house?
• 6:14
  SPEAKER_00: Do y'all know what I'm talking about?
• 6:16
  SPEAKER_00: It's absolutely exhausting.
• 6:18
  SPEAKER_00: And that might just be for one or two kids.
• 6:20
  SPEAKER_00: Imagine having to do that for seven kids.
• 6:23
  SPEAKER_00: I don't have the capacity to do that.
• 6:25
  SPEAKER_00: And it's not actually helping anybody learn to manage themselves.
• 6:29
  SPEAKER_00: Obviously, a six-year-old and the 18-year-old have very different levels of responsibility, but even our little kids can learn.
• 6:37
  SPEAKER_00: This is what we do in the morning.
• 6:39
  SPEAKER_00: And once something becomes a rhythm, I don't have to make every decision for everybody.
• 6:44
  SPEAKER_00: That's one of the biggest reasons why I love systems so much.
• 6:49
  SPEAKER_00: Systems reduce decisions.
• 6:51
  SPEAKER_00: Sometimes people think systems are bondage.
• 6:53
  SPEAKER_00: They're actually so much freedom because they just reduce the mental load.
• 6:58
  SPEAKER_00: They reduce the decision making.
• 7:00
  SPEAKER_00: And as moms, we already make so many decisions every day.
• 7:05
  SPEAKER_00: What are we eating?
• 7:07
  SPEAKER_00: Who's driving?
• 7:08
  SPEAKER_00: What time do we have to leave?
• 7:09
  SPEAKER_00: Who needs something signed?
• 7:11
  SPEAKER_00: Where's that permission slip?
• 7:12
  SPEAKER_00: Did somebody feed the dog?
• 7:14
  SPEAKER_00: Although I never think about that because the dog is Micah and the kids.
• 7:20
  SPEAKER_00: Who needs to clean?
• 7:21
  SPEAKER_00: Who needs their gym clothes cleaned for tomorrow?
• 7:24
  SPEAKER_00: So if I can eliminate 10 unnecessary decisions by creating a rhythm that everybody knows, I am 1,000% doing it.
• 7:33
  SPEAKER_00: Our school morning rhythm goes something like this.
• 7:36
  SPEAKER_00: It is very simple.
• 7:38
  SPEAKER_00: Wake up.
• 7:39
  SPEAKER_00: Mom is the wake-up call.
• 7:41
  SPEAKER_00: I go into the room, they wake up.
• 7:43
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, they're responsible to make their bed, get dressed, finish packing their lunch and anything else that needs to be added, make sure their book bag is packed, eat a good breakfast, brush their teeth, get their shoes on, and have everything ready to go.
• 7:58
  SPEAKER_00: That's it.
• 7:58
  SPEAKER_00: It might sound like a giant list, but it is not.
• 8:02
  SPEAKER_00: It's just everything moves in a flowing order before they have to get out for the bus.
• 8:09
  SPEAKER_00: And I want everybody to know what they are responsible for.
• 8:13
  SPEAKER_00: These are the things that happen before you leave for school.
• 8:17
  SPEAKER_00: And the older they get, the less involved I need to be for that thing.
• 8:21
  SPEAKER_00: I shouldn't need to wake up my teenagers multiple times.
• 8:23
  SPEAKER_00: I shouldn't need to pack everyone's bag or find everybody's shoes.
• 8:27
  SPEAKER_00: Part of growing up is gradually taking ownership for your own life.
• 8:32
  SPEAKER_00: And school mornings are actually a really safe place for you moms to begin to practice that.
• 8:37
  SPEAKER_00: Did you forget something?
• 8:38
  SPEAKER_00: Okay, what can we do differently tomorrow?
• 8:41
  SPEAKER_00: Did you leave your homework sitting on the counter?
• 8:44
  SPEAKER_00: That's really frustrating.
• 8:45
  SPEAKER_00: But maybe that's the thing that teaches you to put it directly back into your book bag the next time.
• 8:50
  SPEAKER_00: Because my goal isn't to make sure my kids never experience the consequence of forgetting something.
• 8:55
  SPEAKER_00: My goal is to help them become better adults who know how to remember things for themselves.
• 9:01
  SPEAKER_00: And then when they come home, this one makes me laugh because it sounds so ridiculously specific.
• 9:07
  SPEAKER_00: But this year I told everybody when you came home, come home, you have to use the back door.
• 9:13
  SPEAKER_00: That is part of our routine.
• 9:15
  SPEAKER_00: And someone listening is thinking, Katie, you made a rule about which door your children can enter.
• 9:21
  SPEAKER_00: And my answer is absolutely I did.
• 9:24
  SPEAKER_00: And you know what?
• 9:25
  SPEAKER_00: It's because our back door is set up for people to come into.
• 9:30
  SPEAKER_00: That's where all the jacket hooks are.
• 9:32
  SPEAKER_00: That's where our shoe holder is, that's where their book bag hooks are.
• 9:36
  SPEAKER_00: It is literally designed for them to come in that door, take off their shoes, hang up their hoodie or jacket, then hang up their book bag in a designated area.
• 9:47
  SPEAKER_00: When they just plow in the front door, there is no shoe rack, no hooks, no nothing.
• 9:52
  SPEAKER_00: And then they're walking across to our house to go put that stuff back.
• 9:56
  SPEAKER_00: So I just made the simple rule that everybody needs to enter into the back door so that everything is hung up and put where it needs to be.
• 10:06
  SPEAKER_00: Our after school responsibilities, once they're done, that little reset, they can grab a snack and they are responsible for whatever they have that afternoon: homework, piano practice, whatever needs to be done before they disappear to play.
• 10:18
  SPEAKER_00: And again, the goal is not that I stand there micromanaging it all.
• 10:23
  SPEAKER_00: I want them to start knowing that belongs to them.
• 10:26
  SPEAKER_00: You have piano, that's your responsibility.
• 10:28
  SPEAKER_00: You have homework, that's your responsibility.
• 10:31
  SPEAKER_00: Obviously, I am here to help.
• 10:32
  SPEAKER_00: I'm not saying to a six-year-old, good luck with grade one, buddy.
• 10:36
  SPEAKER_00: Hope it works out for you.
• 10:37
  SPEAKER_00: We're parenting them, we're supporting them, but there's a difference between supporting your child and taking responsibility for everything your child is capable of doing.
• 10:46
  SPEAKER_00: And as they grow, I want that to be the line that they are moving towards.
• 10:51
  SPEAKER_00: Around 4:30 to 5:30, we have our house reset.
• 10:56
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, depending on what we have going on that day, they will begin to do their evening chores.
• 11:02
  SPEAKER_00: This is where everyone has a role.
• 11:04
  SPEAKER_00: One of the big jobs is packing their lunches for the next day.
• 11:07
  SPEAKER_00: And when I say everyone packs their lunch, I mean everybody, right down to the grade one kid.
• 11:13
  SPEAKER_00: And people are sometimes surprised by that.
• 11:15
  SPEAKER_00: But this has been the best part our system has created.
• 11:19
  SPEAKER_00: I really love the bento style lunchboxes for kids because they can physically see what needs to go in them.
• 11:25
  SPEAKER_00: There's a larger section for the main item.
• 11:28
  SPEAKER_00: Maybe it's a sandwich.
• 11:30
  SPEAKER_00: For our kids, it's a thousand percent a muffin or crackers and cheese, half a bagel, a croissant, whatever they are doing.
• 11:37
  SPEAKER_00: Then they can choose a couple snacks, which we have school snack bins already loaded with the snacks that they are allowed to take.
• 11:45
  SPEAKER_00: And if you have followed me online, you already know I have many feelings about lunchbox snacks and what I'm willing to pay for them.
• 11:52
  SPEAKER_00: Then I usually help with the fruit and vegetable in the morning, especially things.
• 11:57
  SPEAKER_00: Um, those things are especially better, fresh cut.
• 12:00
  SPEAKER_00: But we bought, but the bulk of their lunch is done by them the night before.
• 12:05
  SPEAKER_00: And once it's packed, if it contains refrigerated food, it goes in the fridge.
• 12:09
  SPEAKER_00: If anything can stay at room temperature, it just goes right into their lunchbox and back into their book bag until the morning when we fill it up.
• 12:16
  SPEAKER_00: And now we've removed another morning decision by making our lunches at 4:30.
• 12:21
  SPEAKER_00: And that was a friend gave me that suggestion many years ago.
• 12:25
  SPEAKER_00: Just said, when they come home, get them to clean out their lunch boxes, then they're ready to pack and put them right back in, especially if they don't have refrigerated stuff.
• 12:32
  SPEAKER_00: That way, nobody is standing in the kitchen at 7 a.m.
• 12:38
  SPEAKER_00: asking, what am I taking for lunch?
• 12:40
  SPEAKER_00: They already have it figured out and they are ready to go.
• 12:44
  SPEAKER_00: Everybody does a job at this evening chore time.
• 12:48
  SPEAKER_00: And I actually need to get our fall chore schedule printed and back on the fridge because they really like seeing what everybody is responsible for.
• 12:56
  SPEAKER_00: These aren't huge jobs, but someone might be on straightening everybody's shoes.
• 13:01
  SPEAKER_00: Even though we're all responsible to put them two by two, sometimes they get a little out of order.
• 13:05
  SPEAKER_00: So we just like to have them tidied.
• 13:07
  SPEAKER_00: Someone sets the table, someone goes and collects the eggs, the dishwasher gets emptied and reloaded, someone puts away uh or takes the laundry to their room, begins to put that away.
• 13:18
  SPEAKER_00: They're just little jobs, but collectively the house gets a reset.
• 13:22
  SPEAKER_00: This is a really important mindset shift for me that I don't want my kids to think they're helping mom.
• 13:28
  SPEAKER_00: They're not helping me.
• 13:30
  SPEAKER_00: They live here, they're taking care of our home.
• 13:33
  SPEAKER_00: I don't eat off nine plates.
• 13:36
  SPEAKER_00: I don't wear all the laundry.
• 13:38
  SPEAKER_00: I did not personally use every cup that currently sits beside the sink.
• 13:42
  SPEAKER_00: We all live here, therefore, we all contribute.
• 13:44
  SPEAKER_00: And that is one of our family values that we are really trying to teach.
• 13:49
  SPEAKER_00: Being part of a family means there are benefits.
• 13:52
  SPEAKER_00: You have people who love you.
• 13:55
  SPEAKER_00: You have people who show up for you, you have people who feed you and drive you places and cheer for you and take care of you.
• 14:00
  SPEAKER_00: But being part of our family also comes with responsibility.
• 14:04
  SPEAKER_00: We take care of one another and we take care of our home together.
• 14:08
  SPEAKER_00: And during our little meeting time we had, and if you were here for season one, uh I talked all about our family values.
• 14:14
  SPEAKER_00: We have five really important family values.
• 14:16
  SPEAKER_00: And one of our family values is hospitality.
• 14:19
  SPEAKER_00: It means we love welcoming people into our home.
• 14:22
  SPEAKER_00: And by welcoming people into our home, yes, they come into chaos sometimes.
• 14:25
  SPEAKER_00: They come into an untidy home.
• 14:28
  SPEAKER_00: But for the most part, when people come into our home, we want them to feel relaxed and at peace and not chaotic and chaos.
• 14:36
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and so we work together to have our home in a tidy state.
• 14:41
  SPEAKER_00: I really like having this reset happen before supper.
• 14:44
  SPEAKER_00: It just kind of resets the house.
• 14:47
  SPEAKER_00: It gives us um less chaotic space when we're eating.
• 14:52
  SPEAKER_00: And then the kids actually they do it really quickly because they get their screen time while I finish up supper.
• 14:58
  SPEAKER_00: So they can play on their phone, they can play a video game, they can watch a show.
• 15:03
  SPEAKER_00: Um, I really like having that done um before supper.
• 15:06
  SPEAKER_00: And then when we sit down to have supper, the place feels more relaxed and more calm.
• 15:12
  SPEAKER_00: We're really protective of our evening family rhythms, especially around our supper table.
• 15:19
  SPEAKER_00: Our kids all have different interests, they're all involved in different things.
• 15:23
  SPEAKER_00: But one of our values as a family, and when we decide if our kids are going to be involved in events or if Mike and I are gonna be involved in things, is how many nights a week it takes us away from the table.
• 15:36
  SPEAKER_00: We love eating together as a family.
• 15:38
  SPEAKER_00: It's a main connecting point for us.
• 15:40
  SPEAKER_00: So we are going to protect that at all costs.
• 15:44
  SPEAKER_00: So a lot of times we will say no to activities, especially if it's gonna take us away from that family supper time, or we do things later in the evening.
• 15:54
  SPEAKER_00: Of course, uh, we do have things come up.
• 15:56
  SPEAKER_00: There are seasons where it doesn't work perfectly, but we do make that a priority.
• 16:01
  SPEAKER_00: And I think this is where routine and family values can really connect because routines aren't just about efficiency, they're supposed to help you protect what matters to you.
• 16:11
  SPEAKER_00: What do you want your home to feel like?
• 16:13
  SPEAKER_00: And maybe this is a question I'd encourage you to ask if you're listening and thinking.
• 16:18
  SPEAKER_00: Oh, we need better routines.
• 16:20
  SPEAKER_00: Before you download someone else's schedule, before you create 47 chore charts, before you decide that every person in your home needs a color-quoted binder, ask yourself, what do we value?
• 16:34
  SPEAKER_00: What do we want our home to feel like?
• 16:37
  SPEAKER_00: What things are causing the most stress right now?
• 16:40
  SPEAKER_00: Maybe family dinner isn't your thing.
• 16:42
  SPEAKER_00: That's okay.
• 16:44
  SPEAKER_00: Maybe your schedules mean breakfast together makes more sense.
• 16:48
  SPEAKER_00: Maybe your biggest stress is getting out the door in the morning.
• 16:52
  SPEAKER_00: Maybe it's the after school explosion.
• 16:54
  SPEAKER_00: Maybe it's bedtime, or you're constantly looking for shoes.
• 16:58
  SPEAKER_00: Or I know as winter's coming, hats, mitts, all the things that just drive me bonkers.
• 17:03
  SPEAKER_00: You just need to start there because a good routine solves an actual problem.
• 17:08
  SPEAKER_00: You don't need systems just for having systems.
• 17:12
  SPEAKER_00: Our evening routine is pretty low-key.
• 17:14
  SPEAKER_00: After supper, uh, it just depends on what's happening.
• 17:17
  SPEAKER_00: But eventually we move towards bedtime.
• 17:20
  SPEAKER_00: And for the little ones, it's jammies, brushing your teeth, bedtime stories, and getting settled in.
• 17:25
  SPEAKER_00: The older kids are responsible for putting themselves to bed at the time that they've been given.
• 17:30
  SPEAKER_00: Again, responsibility changes with age, and I don't expect the same thing from every child.
• 17:35
  SPEAKER_00: But I do expect everyone to be growing in responsibility.
• 17:39
  SPEAKER_00: That's an important distinction.
• 17:42
  SPEAKER_00: Fair doesn't always mean everyone has the exact job.
• 17:45
  SPEAKER_00: Fair means we're asking each person to contribute in a way that's appropriate for where they're at.
• 17:51
  SPEAKER_00: And the goal is that over time they need us less for the basic management of their lives.
• 17:57
  SPEAKER_00: That's a good thing, even though sometimes I really want them to stay little forever.
• 18:04
  SPEAKER_00: Expectations change the atmosphere.
• 18:07
  SPEAKER_00: One of the biggest things I've noticed after summer is how quickly we forget the expectation of living together.
• 18:13
  SPEAKER_00: We're all out of rhythm, including myself and Micah.
• 18:17
  SPEAKER_00: Stuff gets left everywhere, bedtimes have moved, people have been coming and going, and suddenly school starts, and I'm frustrated that everybody isn't doing things they haven't consistently done for two months.
• 18:28
  SPEAKER_00: So instead of just getting annoyed, we're resetting the expectation.
• 18:32
  SPEAKER_00: This is what our mornings look like.
• 18:35
  SPEAKER_00: This is what happens when you get home.
• 18:38
  SPEAKER_00: This is what you're responsible for.
• 18:40
  SPEAKER_00: This is how you contribute.
• 18:43
  SPEAKER_00: This is when we eat.
• 18:44
  SPEAKER_00: This is what bedtime looks like.
• 18:46
  SPEAKER_00: There is actually a lot of freedom in knowing what is expected of you.
• 18:50
  SPEAKER_00: And I think kids feel that too.
• 18:52
  SPEAKER_00: They may not say it.
• 18:54
  SPEAKER_00: Mom, thank you for providing me with the security of predictable household expectations.
• 18:59
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, that's not happening.
• 19:00
  SPEAKER_00: That is not what they said to me, but they know what comes next.
• 19:04
  SPEAKER_00: And when everybody knows what comes next, there is less nagging, less negotiating, less decision making, and less mom trying to hold every single thing in her head.
• 19:16
  SPEAKER_00: And no, we don't do this perfectly.
• 19:18
  SPEAKER_00: Trust me.
• 19:20
  SPEAKER_00: I need to make this very clear before someone imagines my seven children marching through the back door in perfect order, hanging up their belongings on labeled hooks, cheerfully emptying the dishwasher and gathering around the table to discuss their gratitude for household responsibilities.
• 19:40
  SPEAKER_00: That's a hard no.
• 19:41
  SPEAKER_00: Someone forgets their lunchbox, someone can't find a shoe, someone doesn't want to do their chores, they get distracted.
• 19:47
  SPEAKER_00: I have to remind people.
• 19:48
  SPEAKER_00: Sometimes I have to remind myself and remind them multiple times.
• 19:52
  SPEAKER_00: Sometimes our routine completely falls apart because we have somewhere to be.
• 19:56
  SPEAKER_00: Sometimes the dishwasher didn't get emptied or started, and sometimes we are eating supper later than expected.
• 20:03
  SPEAKER_00: The goal isn't perfection.
• 20:05
  SPEAKER_00: The goal is a rhythm we can just return to.
• 20:08
  SPEAKER_00: That's why I actually like the word rhythm more than a schedule.
• 20:12
  SPEAKER_00: A schedule feels like at 3.17 we do this, and at 4.32, we do that.
• 20:17
  SPEAKER_00: That isn't that's not how our family is gonna work.
• 20:20
  SPEAKER_00: A rhythm is when we come home, this is what you do.
• 20:23
  SPEAKER_00: Before supper, this needs to happen.
• 20:26
  SPEAKER_00: Before bed, this needs to happen.
• 20:29
  SPEAKER_00: And if a random day just goes completely sideways, we just get back on track and we know what everyone was expected to do.
• 20:37
  SPEAKER_00: I shouldn't have to do everything, and either should you, moms.
• 20:41
  SPEAKER_00: And if there is one thing I want you to take away from today's episode, it's this.
• 20:47
  SPEAKER_00: You do not have to be the only person responsible for making your home function.
• 20:55
  SPEAKER_00: Let me say that again so that you get a little permission slip and you can just take a deep sigh of relief that you do not have to be the only person responsible for making your home function.
• 21:10
  SPEAKER_00: Especially if you have children who are old enough to contribute.
• 21:14
  SPEAKER_00: Sometimes it's easier in the short term to do it ourselves.
• 21:18
  SPEAKER_00: I can empty the dishwasher faster.
• 21:21
  SPEAKER_00: I can pack the lunch better.
• 21:22
  SPEAKER_00: I can straighten the shoes in 30 seconds instead of spending three minutes asking someone else to do it.
• 21:29
  SPEAKER_00: But what happens when I always choose to be the easier right now is that I end up doing everything.
• 21:36
  SPEAKER_00: And my kids miss opportunities to learn how to care for themselves and other people.
• 21:41
  SPEAKER_00: We are not just trying to survive.
• 21:44
  SPEAKER_00: They're not just going to trash our house because mom's gonna clean it up.
• 21:48
  SPEAKER_00: I am raising future adults, future roommates, future spouses, future parents, and I want them to know how to notice what needs to get done.
• 21:58
  SPEAKER_00: I want my kids.
• 22:00
  SPEAKER_00: To know how to contribute without someone doing it for them.
• 22:03
  SPEAKER_00: I want them to understand that a home requires work, families require teamwork, and taking care of the people and spaces we've been given is a good thing.
• 22:13
  SPEAKER_00: And in this season, we are finishing praise, prayer, and protein a little bit different.
• 22:18
  SPEAKER_00: So my praise for this week is that we are back in rhythm.
• 22:23
  SPEAKER_00: I love, love, love summer.
• 22:26
  SPEAKER_00: But there's just something about settling back into routines.
• 22:30
  SPEAKER_00: And after everything that has happened this summer, I am especially grateful to be healthy, to be active, and to be doing normal things again.
• 22:38
  SPEAKER_00: I did my first spin class this week.
• 22:40
  SPEAKER_00: Yes, I am very, very sore, but I am thankful that I am able to move my body like that again.
• 22:47
  SPEAKER_00: My prayer for this week and in this season is that our home would continue to be a place where we would serve one another.
• 22:56
  SPEAKER_00: Not because I made the chore chart and not because there's consequences if they don't do their job, but because we're learning what it means to be a family.
• 23:04
  SPEAKER_00: And I want my kids to know that everybody has value here and everybody has something to contribute.
• 23:10
  SPEAKER_00: And I really am praying for Mike and I to have wisdom about when to help, when we need to remind, when we need to step back, and when our kids need to take responsibility for themselves.
• 23:21
  SPEAKER_00: And the protein this week is as my kids are packing school lunches, I also want to have healthy, proteinful meals for myself.
• 23:31
  SPEAKER_00: So if your September currently feels just slightly chaotic as we get back into routines and rhythms and schedules, don't feel like you need to overhaul your entire life this weekend, okay?
• 23:44
  SPEAKER_00: Just pick one pain point.
• 23:46
  SPEAKER_00: Maybe tomorrow your kids start emptying their own lunches.
• 23:49
  SPEAKER_00: Maybe you create one place for the school bags to go.
• 23:52
  SPEAKER_00: Maybe everyone gets one five-minute chore before supper.
• 23:56
  SPEAKER_00: Maybe you establish a simple more morning rhythm and put it somewhere your kids can see it.
• 24:02
  SPEAKER_00: Please start small, practice it, repeat it, and let it become something your family just knows.
• 24:08
  SPEAKER_00: This is what we do because that is what rhythms have done for our family.
• 24:14
  SPEAKER_00: They don't make us perfect and they don't eliminate all chaos.
• 24:17
  SPEAKER_00: Trust me.
• 24:18
  SPEAKER_00: There are still nine people living here, so let's manage our expectations.
• 24:22
  SPEAKER_00: But they have helped us spend less time figuring out what needs to happen and more time actually living out the things we say matter to us.
• 24:31
  SPEAKER_00: And for us, that's being together, serving one another, taking responsibility, sitting around the table, and building a home where everybody knows you belong here.
• 24:41
  SPEAKER_00: And because you belong here, you're part of taking care of it too.
• 24:45
  SPEAKER_00: Thank you so much for hanging out with me today on Praise, Prayer, and Protein.
• 24:49
  SPEAKER_00: If this episode made you think of another mom who's tired of being the keeper of all the things, all the things, please send it to her.
• 24:59
  SPEAKER_00: And if you haven't listened to season one episode about our family values, go back, have a listen to that one too, because it really is the foundation of so much about what I talked about today.
• 25:11
  SPEAKER_00: I'll be back next week.
• 25:12
  SPEAKER_00: Until then, here's two routines that serve your family, kids who eventually remember where their shoes go, lunches packed before 7 a.m.
• 25:23
  SPEAKER_00: And moms who don't have to carry the whole thing alone.
• 25:26
  SPEAKER_00: I'll talk to you next week on Praise, Prayer, and Protein.