A Typical Day

Jonathon Moorehead asks, "I would like to know what a typical day looks like. How do you minister to your family?"

Ramona here, since Bob is usually gone during the days. A typical day? Well, I am still looking for that, too. Nothing seems to be typical around here - the one thing for sure is that nothing will be "normal" during a typical day in our home!

Our schedule is pretty loose, but the kids all know what their chores are and what they need to get done for schoolwork each day. They are free to do these things on their own schedule, within limitations. For instance, many of the kids get up at 6:00 to start their schoolwork, so that they will have extra time later in the day to do fun stuff. I personally don't have schoolwork, so I sleep in until about 8:00 most mornings. ;-)

Breakfast is informal - bagels, cereal, etc. and the kids take care of that on their own. Chores are done after breakfast, with a little bit of reminding here and there. Different groups of kids do laundry on particular days, so that gets started after breakfast, too. Schoolwork, such as learning vocabulary words, is often taken along with them as they do their chores.

On a "normal" day, I would sit down to check schoolwork after my own breakfast, and the kids would come and ask questions as they arose. Lately there have been lots of doctors visits and not many normal days, so I have had to find times to get caught up with the kids on the schoolwork!

Grandma starts lunch around 11:00, with Irina helping her. We eat at 12:00 or so, then the kids clean up the kitchen. All kids are supposed to be out of their pajamas by noon... Some of them take walks or ride their bikes to the library or store after lunch, and some of them continue with schoolwork.

A long standing tradition around our house as been "room time" in the afternoons. When our bio kids were younger, it was called "nap time", but I got so used to it that I am not willing to give it up! They all go into their rooms for two hours in the afternoons, to do their schoolwork or whatever else they like. Lately I have been giving in and letting some of them go hiking, rock climbing or to the library during this time, though.

Grandma starts supper around 4:30 or so, and the kids start coming out of their rooms. I answer more questions, talk to them, put "fires" out and generally take care of business for a while after that. Jennifer usually goes to work at Steak Out around 4:40.

School must be done by 5:00 pm, or there are consequences to be faced, depending on the child and the frequency with which this rule is broken. After supper we do various things, mostly just here at home. Bob and I sit in the sun room and read or work on our computers, while the kids play, read, make videos (a new pasttime) or do the next day's schoolwork. Exceptions are made when our church basketball team is playing, since Sergei and Zhenya are on the team. Choir also practices on Wed evenings and a number of the girls (and Dad) participate in that. Oh yes, and everyone knows that Monday evenings are grocery shopping times!

We gather at 8:30 for Bible Study and family time. Bob talks about what we have been reading in our daily Bible reading, takes questions, talks about particular issues that have come up, or we listen to particular seminars or sermons on the computer or CD. Annoucements are made for the upcoming days, current issues are discussed - then we pass around our prayer cards and take turns praying.

After that, the kids go to their rooms - some go on to bed and some stay up for a while. Inevitably, one or more come to talk to Mom or Dad about something that has been bothering them or a question they have had. Dad often stays up until midnight or later, talking to kids.

And then there are Friday evenings. We have "movie night" every Friday, complete with popcorn and sometimes other treats. On Saturday mornings, Dad takes what he calls a "bus route", where the big blue van goes around to the local stores, dropping kids off and then coming back around to pick them up. This way, they can get shopping and errands done that did not get done during the week.

Sundays are spent mostly at church, starting with Sunday School and ending with evening worship. The afternoons are lazy times, with most folks taking naps.

How do we minister to our family? Well, I am not sure I know the answer to that. Our family IS our ministry to the Lord, so we seek to follow Him in all that we do with our kids. We talk about everything to do with God and the Bible during our normal everyday conversations, and base all of our decision on biblical standards (well, when we are paying attention we do, but in our sinful states we do make mistakes). Our kids are free to talk to us about anything - and they often DO. We do our best to understand just WHO each of our kids are - their likes, dislikes, talents and abilities. When possible, we encourage and help them in the areas they are interested in.

I suppose discipline would be a big part of our ministering to them, also, as it is a picture of how God also takes care of us. We confront, rebuke, and encourage them on a daily basis. Or at least we try to.

OK, now that you know what a typical day would look like, I will admit that few days actually follow that pattern. There are many appointments to go to, errands to run, phone calls to be made/taken, projects to be worked on... We seek to work within certain parameters, though, and to keep stability and structure in our daily routine. When major times of disruption come (like Mom and Dad going out of town for a week), then everything is different, but we always come back to the same place when all is said and done. The kids seem to thrive on consistency and boundaries, even if they DO complain of boredom once in a while!

Does this answer your question, Jonathon? Or did I ramble and get way off base?

Blessings
Sheshe