Ready for Success

I live in a town full of military wives. Many of my close friends are women who live their lives as single moms much of the time. They (one in particular ..shout out to Dana Dee!) have taught me the importance of preparing before hand for the times when things are no doubt going to be difficult and potentially overwhelming.

One method she uses before her hubby heads out on a long mission (10 days or 6 months) is to think ahead to what things need to be done in and around the house that is the best one to do. She makes him a "Honey Please Do" list so that those things are taken care of, and she doesnt have to worry about them while he is gone. She calls it "setting up for success".

I am realizing that while I learn to balance school, the house, the needs of other children not in school, the budget, errands ..I need to do some setting up for success of my own! 

This week, especially, I am understanding the need for getting myself ready to be successful ..its about planning ahead and doing what needs to be done beforehand for the event (our life in general) to run smoothly..

One way to do that is to determine for yourself what areas your home needs to be in order, in order for you to feel like you are ready for anything. I feel that way when my kitchen, living and dining room are straight. With school being added, the playroom/schoolroom needs to be in working order as well.  The bedrooms, bathrooms and other areas arent mandatory to getting our day off the ground on a good note.

Also, what things about your schedule need to be set in stone in order for you to have the time resources you need to face what is coming, a new routine you are taking up, a new baby or just using your resources better? Part of our "success setup" has been to give up responsibilities to alot of things that required our being present to things outside our home during the school hours.

What do you need to do get your head in the right place? What do you need to read, listen to, turn off or turn down in order to get your mind headed in the right direction?  Prayer and scripture are big ones for me ..I need to make that more of a priority for sure!

Having done one week of school and heading into next week ..I plan on setting my family for success by having bread (we had to leave a school day go get some for lunch ..yuk), having those important areas cleaned and ordered each day, keeping up with my laundry each night, writing a couple blog posts this weekend ...there are several things I can do to help myself out.

What about you ..what can YOU do to set yourself up for success next week, tomorrow or for a big event coming up?