Family Discipleship - 8.27am Part One

This morning, I kicked myself in the same place I always kick myself at 8.27am. We are trying to leave the house. The Vicar and I are rushing around in a state of panic, trying to find reading books, brush hair, persuade the girls to put their shoes on, and their coats, and "by the way, have you brushed your teeth and washed your faces, No? Go, go go, now quickly, do it, we'll be late!" "WHAT!!! You haven't put your pants on, I can't believe you haven't put your pants on, what will they think of me if you go to school without pants on, go, go, go, go find pants NOW, I said NOW!" "Where is your brother? Drenched in apple juice? Oh. How bad is it? Really bad. Ok". Quick change, 8.27am and onto second outfit of the day!

In the middle of it all I kick myself. Why didn't I prepare better the night before? If I was organised it would be sooo much better. I say this every day. I am frustrated by my own lack of discipline. We've never actually been late for school, and don't often forget things, but just, you know, the process is not very satisfactory, not always very holy. However, today I say it for real, and throughout the day I make a mental list of ways to improve our mornings. I want to train our children in the way they should go ( Proverbs 22v6). I fear that the dear Proverbs 31 'woman of noble character' wouldn't have this much stress getting her children out the door and I don't want my children to think this frantic nervous racing around when patience is stretched and tempers frayed is the way to go! (Although Proverbs 31 woman did have servant girls, which I'm sure must help! A lot.).

So, tonight I did something I don't often do. I prepared the book bags. I didn't want to, in fact I had to force myself to (confession: I fell asleep while praying and woke up feeling groggy as anything, yuck). But I had wanted to mean what I said this morning, so prepared the book bags I did. It took ages. Preparing the book bags involved...

a) I filled out three forms,  2 for school dinners and 1 for music lessons, and wrote three cheques (total £170). Put them in envelopes, wrote the wrong names on them, crossed them out and wrote the right names on ( when I say the wrong names, they were still my children's names, just swapped around. If you thought that you really needed to pray for me then, please do it anyway, all prayer gratefully received!). Unfortunately I make Executive Decisions about all of the above, no time for negotiations. School dinners everyday. Eldest Poppet can learn recorder. I feel a bit guilty about this, and just hope that she really wants to learn the recorder.

b) I filled out two school reading diaries ( having heard them both read, of course!).

c) I found one CD - very important. Tomorrow is the auditions for the talent contest and without the CD they couldn't do their 'thing', and I would be in Big Trouble. They are going to sing and dance to 'Great Big God', go our little evangelists! Last year, my eldest Poppet won the talent show with her friend, singing and dancing to 'Ace Foundation, I'll build my life on Jesus' to the whole school, how cool is that! (very proud Mum moment).

d) I make notes in my diary about various dates and 'don't forgets' to go with them.

e) I scan the kitchen for junk modelling resources in response to a letter from school and decide that at this moment in time, it is a step too far. If I have time in the morning, I'll sort through the bin and find something to send into school.

f) I almost ditch a letter about what 5yr old Poppet is doing at school this term, but then feel guilty and decide to read it instead, it will after all probably be my main source of information about what she is doing at school, because she likes to keep it a secret. Ah yes, topics for the term 'People who help us', I remember now that she asked me for a book about the police to take into school this morning (8.28am to be exact 'Darling, if you need something to take into school, you need to ask me before now, OK?).

At this moment, 5yr old Poppet appears at the doorway, its 9:45pm. She explains to me in the sweetest voice that because she slept in the car for 5 minutes yesterday, and she slept last night, she is "all puffed out from sleeping, and doesn't need to sleep anymore". "Oh, ok, come on lets find 'Topsy and Tim meet the Police". After 20 mins of searching it goes into her book bag. (Praying 'Dear Lord, please help me find the 'Topsy and Tim meet the police' book, felt slightly akin to the car parking space prayer, but sometimes these things are important and the Lord knows that, I'm so glad He is into details!).

 g) Finally, I found the sun hats, just in case it is sunny. They must have them. Of course, they must have their rain coats as well, just in case it is raining (this seems more likely, it is July after all!) What on earth are they going to do if it snows!

So, finally I complete the book bag preparation. I will be grateful in the morning. There were a list of about 12 other things that I could do to ease the 'getting out of the door' panic, but I'm going to introduce them one at a time, otherwise I'll be up until two, will accidentally sleep in in the morning, and we'll all be late late late for school. And wouldn't that be stressful!