Making Your Home a Haven Mondays- Setting a Bedtime Routine

Happy Monday, y'all! I feel so thankful today for God's provisions, especially new beginnings. I have been so bogged down with obligations outside of the house that I feel that I've let some things slip. I may be absent some time this week as I try to get my priorities straightened out.

The challenge for this week over at Tammy's place is to set up an evening routine. Since I sort of jumped ahead and posted one when she had us set a bedtime, I'm going to re-post those and make any necessary changes to those.

The Southern Housewife's Nightly Routine:

• After dinner, clean up the kitchen, sweeping the floor, disinfecting the counters, rinsing and putting the dirty dishes into the dishwasher, and making sure my sink is empty and shiny! How nice is it to wake up each morning to an gleaming sink and empty counters?!
• Do a quick 15 minute clean up. (pick up clutter, arrange sofa pillows, clear the kitchen bar aka catch all for mail, keys, purse, misc., empty replacing, etc.)
• Feed the babies and give out meds if necessary.
• Change into pajamas.
• Do my nightly face regimen and brush teeth.
• Take my vitamins and any medications.
• Read over my schedule for tomorrow. Write down any special errands or chores that need to be done.
• Praying with Southern Hubby. Lately we've been reading Moments with You by Barbara and Dennis Rainey from FamilyLife, which y'all know I love with a capital L!
• Snuggle up with the Southern Puppies and get some beauty rest!

Recently, SH and I have been reading about extra marital affairs, but not the kind that you may be thinking about. The ones I am referring to are "screen affairs." We first heard about this at our Weekend to Remember conference back in February. How hard those words hit me! I always thought I was a faithful wife. I never cheated on SH with any man ever! But I was cheating him out of my time with my blackberry and my computer.

So we decided that at night, we need to put away the blackberries and the Internet. If SH is working, then I can get on and play around, but the night time needs to be just for us. I was so caught up in reading homemaking blogs and writing my own, that it became something that was taking me away from the very thing I was trying to work on a promote- marriage! How ironic.

Are you having any 'screen affairs?' It doesn't just have to be phones or computers. Are TVs, and video games keeping you away from spending time with the family at night? It's different for everyone. This week, challenge yourself to turn off the screens at night!

Happy Haven Mondays!

xoxo Y

PS- I wanted to say THANK YOU so much from the bottom of heart for all the sweet and kind words about our new family addition. You really have no idea how much they mean to me and it brought tears to my eyes to see how much of you out there really care about animals. They are God's creatures too, after all. Without further ado, here he is, the newest Southern- Mattie!