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To-do Lists
I love a to-do list! Have you ever had an entire day that you were devoting to accomplishing your to-do list and when you laid your weary head down, you had only crossed off a few items! It is maddening, especially for those of us with the Working Genius of Tenacity (thank you Patrick Lencioni and the Table Group for that understanding! Side note: the Working Genius is amazing to helping understand how your family works, not just your role in a workplace!) As a mother, I have the solution for a productive day! Put EVERYTHING on your list that has to be accomplished that day! Workout Shower Make Breakfast…
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Pick your battles
Parenting is a war of the wills! God designed families perfectly, giving us the experience of children, whom we love so dearly and yet can drive us absolutely crazy. He gave us living examples of how we behave toward our heavenly Father, and yet He still loves us! Parenting helps us understand our own relationship with Almighty God! Children are born with their own free wills just like we were, and it is our job to raise them to be responsible adults. Not only do they have free wills, they have the same flesh nature that caused the issues in the Garden and continues to wreak havoc today. This is…
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Don’t Ask…
I have a friend that is an amazing example to me of how to help others… she doesn’t ask permission! She just shows up! She is present and ready with food or time, when I most need help. You know those moments… when life is overwhelming and just getting enough oxygen feels hard. My wonderful friend just does something! She will drop by with a meal or a bag of groceries. When my husband had a job that kept him on the road 150 days a year, she would stop by early in the morning with a latte for me and breakfast treats for the kids. She didn’s ask me…
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That’s mine!
A friend recently asked me if we made our children share their toys. I can only answer that with a resounding, “Yes!” But, behind my “yes” are deep and character building reasons for my children. Before I jumped into this, I did probe a little about her question. She had recently been told that another family had decided that sharing was difficult and created hostility and arguments among the children. So, by making it clear that each toy belonged to a specific child, that removed any arguments over who should get to use it. That child was not required to share and likewise, siblings were not allowed to use toys…
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Just say “Yes…”
Starbucks and Nordstroms are known for their outstanding customer service. The phrase “Just say, yes!” is often associated with such service. I am here to propose this statement as your next parenting strategy. My kids are not so young or small anymore. We just had the wonderful opportunity to watch our friends’ children while they were away for a weekend. After our weekend with younger children in our house, my daughter asked, “Mom, when do you say, “No”?” I smiled. She had witnessed my great parenting treasure and recognized it on her own! I believe the word “No” is a very important word. Probably more important for Mom to use…
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Loads of Fun!
The idea of a simplified life touches my soul. I crave it! In some areas, I do it really well. In others, I am a work in progress. And then, there are areas of total simplification failure! Allow me to pass on the single most impactful gem of all! My biggest win in the simplification process has to do with laundry. When I had only 2 children, I read a book about simplification (I don’t remember what it was called, but it was small!) One chapter talked about washing all socks in the same load, which is a fine idea. But this got me thinking. Socks are actually tedious to…
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Use the Bowl!
Communication is so important! What is said, how it is said, and the message clarity all play into the effectiveness of a conversation! As a mother of four children, I have a lot of barf stories… but, one of the “funniest” highlights poor communication! My sweet Lava was only 4 years old, sleeping in a big kid bed and sick as a dog! This was the first time that the flu had settled in and his poor tummy was unable to keep anything down. During the evening hours, I taught my child how to throw up in the toilet, but bedtime was upon us. I got a large stainless steel…
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Blogging
I am learning so much about myself as I work on this blog. Having a blog has confirmed that writing is hard for me. I talk about life easily and love to sit over coffee to listen to others’ stories and share mine when needed. But writing it… is hard. I hate excuses and do not allow my children to give them when there is something for which they are responsible. No one personally is really checking in with me, and so, I find myself making excuses about why I don’t have time to write a blog post. The Spirit is checking in with me and my soul is getting…
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Lice Aren’t Nice
Bugs don’t care who you are or whether they are invited to visit. They make their home with the poor and the high class, with the homeless and the powerful. I had never stopped to think about this until we were infested. My view of bugs was that they are dirty and my clean house is no habitat for them! How wrong I was! Our first school year in Montana, I met lice! What a sticky friend. They have an incredible ability to jump from one place to another; they must have suction cup feet and they super glue their eggs! They are not easily brushed off your shoulders. And…
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Musings of Motherhood
Motherhood requires me to set myself aside, over and over and over again. It reminds me daily, if not hourly, that life is not about me… but about the God of the universe. I am a supporting actress in the greater story and my small role is to bring Him glory. God’s amazing design of family gives us the tiniest glimpse into his relationship with us. I am able to better understand how it is possible to love someone deeply and unconditionally who can be disobedient and quite frankly a total mess! Thank you, Lord, for giving me an example of loving my children completely, even when sometimes I don’t…