The Challenge is Over

The month of March has passed and the 30 day early to rise challenge is over.  Here are a few things that I have learned over the last month.

1.  Going to bed early is really a good idea. 
I can't believe how much better I feel going to bed just a few hours earlier than I use to. 

2.  Starting the day with a positive attitude - changes everyone's attitude in the house.
I have so much more patience with my kids when I am well rested.  Since I am up before             everyone I am able to keep the early bird kid from waking everyone else in the house.  

3.  My time doesn't control me! 
I am list maker.  I always have a list of things to do around here.  Now instead of making a list I have a schedule.  I write down the tasks that I need to accomplish each day and a time frame in which to work on them.  It has made my days more productive and my goals are reachable.  It has helped with not having more on my list than is practical for the day.


4. Taming the Tech Beast.
Since I now have a schedule of my day, I have time set aside for computer time. This was one place I realized I was wasting a lot of time.   I have set apart time to work on stuff for our homeschool group.  That has worked really well.  My personal time on facebook and pinterest can easily turn a few minutes into an hour of wasted time.  I now set a timer before I sit down at the computer.  I wish I could tell you this works great, but I do ignore the timer a lot and stay on the computer.  This is something I will continue to work on.

5. Mornings with God are magical! 
Ok, so maybe not magical but refreshing.  Starting each day with my Savior has been wonderful.  It is so easy to see the beauty of God in the still hours of the morning.  I often find myself singing this old hymn early in the morning.

A big thank you to Crystal at Money Saving Mom  for the challenge.  It has been a great month, and I am looking forward to more early mornings in my future!