Brittany's "Redeeming Your Time" Revised Bilingual French Day in the Life (with a 4 and 1 yr old)

Reading Redeeming Your Time was honestly so influential that I reordered my days because of it. It helped me articulate my 4 priorities for this season: my personal walk with God, restarting work on the Bible Translation, teaching French to my girls, and cooking. And instead of just hoping there would be times when the girls entertain themselves so I could do one of those priorities, I instead ordered my day around how to best make them happen.

So without further ado here is my revised Bilingual Day in the Life:

6-10 I still start the day with my girls - breakfast, walks with French music, playing outside or with blocks etc.

10-11:30 During Eden’s morning nap my House-Helper watches Jubilee while I do a Deep Work session (work with a National Translator on an Old Testament Summary that is translated into the local language).

11:30-1 Eden is usually still napping, giving me time to make lunch before she wakes so we can all eat together.

1-3 This used to be the hardest stretch of my day because I would already be tired by now and here in West Africa its quite hot. I found I wasn’t able to be present/enjoy this time with the girls (especially because Jubilee never got the hang of Quiet Rest Time and it was in between Eden’s naps).

So after some trial & error I decided to send them to my House-Helper’s to play so I could prioritize rest for myself (napping if necessary, doing devotions, then reading for fun, finishing a work task, or doing kitchen prep).

3-4 The girls come home and during Eden’s afternoon nap I read picture books and watch language learning shows for “French School” with Jubilee (but I wouldn’t be able to push through the day and give her this intentional time if I hadn’t taken the above break). 

4-7:30 Eden wakes and we do a quick snack before going outside or to our new teammate’s house to play. Dinner gets made and eaten, then its bath and bedtime routine.

7:30-9:30 I talk with husband, shower, and either blog, read for fun, or watch an episode before bed.

How My Days Have Changed

Feb 2024 Brittany’s Bilingual French Day (with a 3.5 yr old and 7 month old)