Skip to content
  • Sign In
  • Cart (0)
(0)
  • Home
  • About
    • About Us
    • Our Educational Philosophy
    • Overview of Our Programs
    • A Look at Each Subject
    • Awards
  • Programs
    • Little Hands to Heaven
    • Little Hearts for His Glory
    • Beyond Little Hearts for His Glory
    • Bigger Hearts for His Glory
    • Preparing Hearts for His Glory
    • Creation to Christ
    • Resurrection to Reformation
    • Revival to Revolution
    • Missions to Modern Marvels
    • World Geography
    • World History
    • United States History I
    • United States History II
    • Drawn into the Heart of Reading
  • Grades
    • Preschool
    • Kindergarten
    • 1st Grade
    • 2nd Grade
    • 3rd Grade
    • 4th Grade
    • 5th Grade
    • 6th Grade
    • 7th Grade
    • 8th Grade
    • 9th Grade
    • 10th Grade
    • 11th Grade
    • 12th Grade
  • Community
    • Facebook
    • YouTube
    • Email Newsletter
    • Message Board
    • Conventions
    • Gift Certificates
  • Help
    • Guide Placement Charts
    • Ordering & Shipping FAQ
    • Our Top Ten Questions
    • Updates
    • Contact Us
  • Blog
  • Free Catalog
  • Home
  • About
    • About Us
    • Our Educational Philosophy
    • Overview of Our Programs
    • A Look at Each Subject
    • Awards
  • Programs
    • Little Hands to Heaven
    • Little Hearts for His Glory
    • Beyond Little Hearts for His Glory
    • Bigger Hearts for His Glory
    • Preparing Hearts for His Glory
    • Creation to Christ
    • Resurrection to Reformation
    • Revival to Revolution
    • Missions to Modern Marvels
    • World Geography
    • World History
    • United States History I
    • United States History II
    • Drawn into the Heart of Reading
  • Grades
    • Preschool
    • Kindergarten
    • 1st Grade
    • 2nd Grade
    • 3rd Grade
    • 4th Grade
    • 5th Grade
    • 6th Grade
    • 7th Grade
    • 8th Grade
    • 9th Grade
    • 10th Grade
    • 11th Grade
    • 12th Grade
  • Community
    • Facebook
    • YouTube
    • Email Newsletter
    • Message Board
    • Conventions
    • Gift Certificates
  • Help
    • Guide Placement Charts
    • Ordering & Shipping FAQ
    • Our Top Ten Questions
    • Updates
    • Contact Us
  • Blog
  • Free Catalog
  • Home
  • About
    • About Us
    • Our Educational Philosophy
    • Overview of Our Programs
    • A Look at Each Subject
    • Awards
  • Programs
    • Little Hands to Heaven
    • Little Hearts for His Glory
    • Beyond Little Hearts for His Glory
    • Bigger Hearts for His Glory
    • Preparing Hearts for His Glory
    • Creation to Christ
    • Resurrection to Reformation
    • Revival to Revolution
    • Missions to Modern Marvels
    • World Geography
    • World History
    • United States History I
    • United States History II
    • Drawn into the Heart of Reading
  • Grades
    • Preschool
    • Kindergarten
    • 1st Grade
    • 2nd Grade
    • 3rd Grade
    • 4th Grade
    • 5th Grade
    • 6th Grade
    • 7th Grade
    • 8th Grade
    • 9th Grade
    • 10th Grade
    • 11th Grade
    • 12th Grade
  • Community
    • Facebook
    • YouTube
    • Email Newsletter
    • Message Board
    • Conventions
    • Gift Certificates
  • Help
    • Guide Placement Charts
    • Ordering & Shipping FAQ
    • Our Top Ten Questions
    • Updates
    • Contact Us
  • Blog
  • Free Catalog
  • 0
  • Toggle website search

Heart of Dakota Blog

Add Margin to Your Day to Receive New Mercy

  • Julie Grosz, M.Ed.
  • / A Heart of Dakota Life
  • / July 28, 2021
A Heart of Dakota Life - Add Margin to Your Day to Receive New Mercy

Add Margin to Receive New Mercy 

Lamentations 3:22-24: It is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness. The Lord is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in Him.

Does your homeschool day have margin? If something doesn’t go just right, does your routine or schedule allow for that? Don’t get me wrong, I am a firm believer in having a plan for my homeschooling. Especially once I began homeschooling more than one child, a plan was simply a necessity.  However, my earlier homeschool schedules lacked margin. I found out the hard way, a schedule lacking margin lacks mercy. And if there is one thing we all need, it is mercy!

Add Margin to Receive New Mercy When Something Unexpected Happens

Have you ever spilled an entire cup of coffee all over your Heart of Dakota guide? Or have you ever had a contractor stop by with about a million questions about how you want to renovate your bathroom? Has your husband ever called for a model number he needs off your broken dishwasher? Have you ever had a child throw up in the middle of your homeschool day? Life is full of unexpected surprises – every day. In fact, it is the rarer thing to have a day with no surprises at all. By adding margin to your homeschool routine or schedule, you are planning for the unexpected. So when the unexpected happens, you are ready!  You have the margin to receive mercy in the event of an unexpected surprise.

Add Margin to Receive New Mercy When Correcting School Work

Do you have time planned to correct your children’s school work? When you look at Carrie’s suggested time allotments for each box of plans, do you add time to correct work? Even “I” independent boxes of plans require our attention as homeschool moms. By adding margin for correcting school work by making it a part of your overall plan for your day, you avoid having a pile up of correcting. So when your children finish their work, you are ready! You have the margin to receive mercy in the task of correcting your children’s work.

Add Margin to Receive New Mercy When You Have Appointments, Activities, or Errands

Do you have margin planned in your week for doctor appointments? How about margin for activities you plan to attend? Or how about margin for something you didn’t plan to attend but now want to? By adding margin for appointments, errands, and activities, you avoid getting behind in your schooling. So when your child has a cavity to be filled, your sister calls you for a play date with her kids, or you have to get groceries because there is nothing for dinner, you are ready!  You have the margin to receive mercy in the time it takes for appointments, errands, and activities.

So how do you plan for margin, so you can receive new mercy each day?

To plan margin when something unexpected happens, I add some cushion of time. So, for example, I might have my ‘teacher-directed’ block of time include ‘semi-independent’ work too. That way, I have extra time to walk away and deal with the unexpected. To plan margin when correcting school work, I add extra time throughout the day. By starting my teaching time by quickly correcting what’s already been completed, I plan margin for correcting. To plan margin for appointments, I set aside one afternoon each week. So, every Wed. afternoon, I know that is the day I will make appointments. Likewise, I plan for Saturdays to be my errand day. Every other Tuesday, I plan to have our children get together with my sister’s children. Finally, I plan for at least 2-3 weeks off each year for anything unplanned! Try planning for margin to receive new mercies this school year!  I think you may like it!

In Christ,
Julie

PrevPrevious
NextNext

This Post Has 8 Comments

  1. Dana July 24, 2019 Reply

    Thank you so much Julie!

    1. Julie Grosz, M.Ed. July 24, 2019 Reply

      You are welcome, Dana! So glad you found this post helpful!

  2. Katrina Breit July 25, 2019 Reply

    This was an encouraging and helpful article Julie. Thanks for writing and sharing it!

    1. Julie Grosz, M.Ed. July 26, 2019 Reply

      I’m so glad you found encouragement from this blog article, Katrina! Have a wonderful Friday!

  3. Jennifer July 27, 2019 Reply

    Hi Julie! Thanks so much for this post! I tend to plan to the hilt every week in order to try to fit everything in, but it inevitably leads to burnout. I’d like to try to implement some of your ideas here. I have a question about your Wednesday afternoons off… do you school in the morning only that day? What do you do with leftover boxes in the guidebooks that don’t get completed before the margin time on Wednesday afternoons? Thanks for any thoughts you have about this! I’m really hoping for a more peaceful, less harried year for all of us this year!

    1. Julie Grosz, M.Ed. July 29, 2019 Reply

      Good question! We actually have the same schedule on Wed. that we have on the other days of the week, but we make 100% sure we hit our scheduled ‘times.’ The reason this works for my children who are older (in high school) is one uses the night homework option, and one uses the get-up-early in the morning option. So, we make sure we hit our scheduled times and shorten things if necessary (do R & S English all orally that day, take our DITHOR books to the appointment to read as we wait, correct less thoroughly than usual, etc.), and we make sure the homework the night before and the early morning start we shoot for on the other days actually happen. I make our appointments as late in the afternoon as possible too! I also do as many of the kids’ appointments I know we need to have every year (i.e. dental check-ups, physicals, eye appointments, etc.) during our summer break. Often the appointments are mine on Wednesdays, so I can leave my kiddos to finish out their work unhurried. Hope that helps!!!

      In Christ,
      Julie

  4. Jenny Silva July 29, 2021 Reply

    Thank you for this, Julie! It’s such a comfort to know that other moms experience random craziness as well and that we should make room for the unexpected. Which seems to be a daily occurrence!

    1. Julie Grosz, M.Ed. July 29, 2021 Reply

      Yes! Random craziness happens much more often than the perfect day! Planning for margin has certainly helped destress my day. I’m so glad you found comfort in this post!

      In Christ,
      Julie

Leave a Reply Cancel reply


This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

SIGN ME UP!

Sign up today to get Carrie’s latest Teaching Tips along with the latest news from Heart of Dakota!

TOPICS BY CATEGORY

Categories
  • A Heart of Dakota Life
  • A Look Inside
  • An Encouraging Word
  • Announcements
  • Charlotte Mason Moment
  • Dear Carrie
  • From Our House to Yours
  • Heart of Dakota Tidbits
  • History with Heart of Dakota
  • Inside the Guide
  • Library Builder
  • More Than A Charlotte Mason Moment
  • Pondering Placement
  • Promotions
  • Teaching Tips
  • Uncategorized

RECENT POSTS

Recent Posts
  • Inside the Guide: LHFHG’s Storytime Box of Plans May 19, 2025
  • Thank you for voting for us in the 2025 Practical Homeschooling Reader Awards! May 15, 2025
  • Inside the Guide: LHFHG’s Language Arts Box of Plans May 12, 2025
  • Stay with your child for math! May 8, 2025
  • Inside the Guide: LHFHG’s Phonics Choices Box of Plans May 1, 2025
View all posts

Heart of Dakota Publishing
Copyright 2024 All Rights Reserved

  • Contact Us
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms & Conditions
  • Contact Us
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms & Conditions
Trigger Cart Button
Loader
✕
×
×

Cart

  • Home
  • About
    • About Us
    • Our Educational Philosophy
    • Overview of Our Programs
    • A Look at Each Subject
    • Awards
  • Programs
    • Little Hands to Heaven
    • Little Hearts for His Glory
    • Beyond Little Hearts for His Glory
    • Bigger Hearts for His Glory
    • Preparing Hearts for His Glory
    • Creation to Christ
    • Resurrection to Reformation
    • Revival to Revolution
    • Missions to Modern Marvels
    • World Geography
    • World History
    • United States History I
    • United States History II
    • Drawn into the Heart of Reading
  • Grades
    • Preschool
    • Kindergarten
    • 1st Grade
    • 2nd Grade
    • 3rd Grade
    • 4th Grade
    • 5th Grade
    • 6th Grade
    • 7th Grade
    • 8th Grade
    • 9th Grade
    • 10th Grade
    • 11th Grade
    • 12th Grade
  • Community
    • Facebook
    • YouTube
    • Email Newsletter
    • Message Board
    • Conventions
    • Gift Certificates
  • Help
    • Guide Placement Charts
    • Ordering & Shipping FAQ
    • Our Top Ten Questions
    • Updates
    • Contact Us
  • Blog
  • Free Catalog
  • Home
  • About
    • About Us
    • Our Educational Philosophy
    • Overview of Our Programs
    • A Look at Each Subject
    • Awards
  • Programs
    • Little Hands to Heaven
    • Little Hearts for His Glory
    • Beyond Little Hearts for His Glory
    • Bigger Hearts for His Glory
    • Preparing Hearts for His Glory
    • Creation to Christ
    • Resurrection to Reformation
    • Revival to Revolution
    • Missions to Modern Marvels
    • World Geography
    • World History
    • United States History I
    • United States History II
    • Drawn into the Heart of Reading
  • Grades
    • Preschool
    • Kindergarten
    • 1st Grade
    • 2nd Grade
    • 3rd Grade
    • 4th Grade
    • 5th Grade
    • 6th Grade
    • 7th Grade
    • 8th Grade
    • 9th Grade
    • 10th Grade
    • 11th Grade
    • 12th Grade
  • Community
    • Facebook
    • YouTube
    • Email Newsletter
    • Message Board
    • Conventions
    • Gift Certificates
  • Help
    • Guide Placement Charts
    • Ordering & Shipping FAQ
    • Our Top Ten Questions
    • Updates
    • Contact Us
  • Blog
  • Free Catalog

Sign In

Item Successfully Added to Cart

Create an Account or Log in

Forgot password?

New here? Create an account
Sign in
Sign In

Checkout as a guest >