Habits.

We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.”

-Aristotle

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Habits. They make us who we are. I have plenty of bad ones. When I’m writing, and focusing intently, lost in thought, trying to find the right word, I pull back on my cuticles with my other fingers. It makes my nails look dry and awful. Oh well. I also hardly ever wash my hair, but I haven’t yet decided if that’s a good habit or a bad habit. Depends who you ask. Also, if I’m staying at home several days in a row, I’ll will wear the same pants and shirt over and over (and over and over). I know, disgusting. Oh, and I will re-use my cast-iron skillets throughout the day without washing them in between. I figure a little scrambled egg mixed in the toasted cheese sandwich never hurt anyone.

There you have it. Terrible. But there are some good habits mixed in there too. Like time in Word, prayer, exercise, eating well. I do brush my teeth. Most days. 🙂

But my favorite habit is probably our morning routine with the kids, and recently someone asked if I’d share a quick snapshot of what that routine looks like, in case you wanted to incorporate a bit of it into your morning as well. Not saying this is the best way, but it works for us. I’d love to hear your ideas as well because I’m always up for improvements!

5am-7am: From around 5am until 7am is my time. Quiet time in the Word, prayer, and exercise. If the kids get up during this time they can read, snuggle next to me, or play quietly, but Mama’s top priority is Letting In Light so I have Plenty to give!

7am-8am: Then I get ready for the day, make breakfast, and the kids do their “morning 3” (Make bed, get dressed, pick up your room). We eat breakfast together at 8am.

8am-9am: After breakfast they do their next 3 chores: Brush teeth, unload the dishwasher (with my help), take out the trash. We all clean up, straighten the house, and I let them play for awhile while I figure out the day and do any food prep, toss laundry in the washer, etc. I find that I really need until 9am to get the whole house functioning and ready.

9am-9:30am: Here we do Presentations. This is simply each kid choosing an item and standing up front. He explains and talks about the item (show and tell) and we ask questions about it. This is when we work on greetings, manners (need to more!), and answering questions appropriately. Then they recite their Bible verses (expanded from Letter Lessons–I’ll include updated version here soon!) and we read several Bible stories together from the Jesus Storybook Bible, Gospel Story Bible, or the Big Picture Bible. They would read all day long if I let them. Then we pray. As I mentioned here, they usually go to their prayer spots, but sometimes we’ll stay on the couch and pray together.

9:30am-10:30am: From 9:30-10:30 is our concentrated school time. We just do reading (100 Easy Lessons book or Bob Books or any other of the Easy Reader books we have), then writing, spelling, drawing (all in their notebooks), and math (we use Saxon). For science and history we just read together–curiosity is enough at this point to spur on learning in those areas.

That’s it! The rest of the day is ours to do what we will. I’m a huge fan of Jamie Martin’s Steady Day’s Schedule, and I’ve created mine to include pockets of directed play, free play, alone play, rest time, errands, etc. I spend afternoons working on the blog, writing, or preparing for speaking engagements while Heidi naps and Dutch has quiet time. If you’re looking for help with forming your own daily schedule, definitely check out Jamie’s book. She’s been a huge help and encouragement to me personally.

There you have it. Now, your turn. Please share your own most-loved habits and how they help you grow in excellence. Don’t be shy! Thanks so much for sharing, and reading.