For today's Monday Motivation we are going to once again get motivated to encourage our husbands. We've talked about this before but I feel it's an area in which we need reminding. For some of us, the responsibilities of the home and the children sap all of our energy and there is nothing leftover for our husbands. This must not be so.
A Widow Speaks Out
Carolyn Lowe
My husband of 29 years suddenly and unexpectedly went home to be with the Lord. My husband had taken our children, 13 and 9, for a fun day at the amusement park and had a heart attack while waiting in line for the next roller coaster ride.
Randy and I read many books and attended numerous marriage seminars through the years. However, I have learned more about marriage in my short time as a widow than I ever did as a wife. It has reinforced the priorities I already knew were essential. As a widow I would encourage you to:
1. Live each day with your husband as if it were your last day together.
2. Don't let the daily trials and disappointments of life determine your steps.
3. Let the Lord lead you and listen intently to His voice as He prompts you to love and minister to your husband.
4. Let your husband be who he is and let the Lord order his steps. I think we spend too much time trying to determine who our husband should be and how he should serve the Lord. Instead, we should support and love him as Jesus does, with all his strengths and weaknesses.
5. Let him see the joy of the Lord on your face and a genuine look of acceptance and love for him. Let him see the Lord's light shining through you. Let him know that you love him.
6. Come alongside him. Walk together as you navigate your way through life.
7. "Don't sweat the small stuff." When you have discord, resolve it quickly and don't give the enemy a stronghold. Sometimes it is better to be kind than to be right.
8. Forgive him as Christ has forgiven you.
For the next couple of weeks (beginning February 1st) I am going to be doing a LOVE YOUR HUSBAND series. I'm so excited about this and I hope many of you will be too! We are going to be looking at the big R word - Respect!, as well as dressing to please, the way to a man's heart, physical intimacy, making time for husbands, praying for husbands, love notes and a lot more. There will even be a special giveaway! Stop by here each day to join in the fun!!
Showing posts with label Monday Motivation. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Monday Motivation. Show all posts
Monday, January 30, 2012
Monday, January 23, 2012
Monday Motivation #12
Our family just enjoyed a splendid visit from my dear mother in law. She joined our household for 4 days and we sure did pack in a truckload of fun. We did lots of eating and shopping, and we watched a movie (Courageous - have you seen it?), played a game (Catch Phrase - a family favorite!), took a trip to the American Girl Doll store, loaded up at the Little Debbie bakery store, celebrated a sweet 6 year old gal with a Princess Party and A LOT more. 4 whole days of fun and spoiling and now it will probably take 2 whole days to get my children, and the dog, back. What I mean is that when grandma visits there is a lot of spoiling (and there should be) and a lot of special food (sweets) and a lot of staying up late and a lot of reasons for getting excited. Throw in a birthday party and several nights of not sleeping in your own bed and you might have children you don't even recognize! Like a sweet, obedient child suddenly turned opposite. Not to mention an easy going dog turned needy and demanding. Don't get me wrong...it's all worth it, and it's all normal, and on this beautiful day it's all got to be turned around!
I've got a little something to tell you. I think you can turn these things back to normal faster with praising rather than too much correcting. Children need correcting. I certainly know that. Sometimes though it's just better to praise them for what they are doing right than to correct every little thing they might be doing wrong. I have heard myself saying, "look at me when I'm talking to you!" and, "don't do that anymore!" and all kinds of other (not so sweet) things. But I decided to do something different today. I'm going to praise my kiddos for what they are doing right as much as I possibly can and that combined with them eating right and going to bed on time, in one's own bed, ought to turn things around. The kids I know and love will be back in no time! Oh, and the dog? Well, she'll just have to figure out that grandma is no longer here and calm down.
I have decided for today's Monday Motivation to praise the children 10 times more than I correct them. Each time I see them doing their chores well, or being kind to a sibling, or showing diligence in their school work I will praise them for a job well done. Instead of looking at all they are doing wrong, I am purposing to see what they are doing right. They are kids after all! How would I feel if I had just been filled up with sugar and slept on the floor for 3 nights?
I've set a goal not to yell in 2012 (not doing perfect there, but tons of improvement!) and I truly desire to be a gentle mom. Sometimes we need to see the good in our children and let them know we are seeing it and now would be one of those times at our house.
I hope you will join me in this week's Monday Motivation and start looking for ways to brag on your kids!
I've got a little something to tell you. I think you can turn these things back to normal faster with praising rather than too much correcting. Children need correcting. I certainly know that. Sometimes though it's just better to praise them for what they are doing right than to correct every little thing they might be doing wrong. I have heard myself saying, "look at me when I'm talking to you!" and, "don't do that anymore!" and all kinds of other (not so sweet) things. But I decided to do something different today. I'm going to praise my kiddos for what they are doing right as much as I possibly can and that combined with them eating right and going to bed on time, in one's own bed, ought to turn things around. The kids I know and love will be back in no time! Oh, and the dog? Well, she'll just have to figure out that grandma is no longer here and calm down.
I have decided for today's Monday Motivation to praise the children 10 times more than I correct them. Each time I see them doing their chores well, or being kind to a sibling, or showing diligence in their school work I will praise them for a job well done. Instead of looking at all they are doing wrong, I am purposing to see what they are doing right. They are kids after all! How would I feel if I had just been filled up with sugar and slept on the floor for 3 nights?
I've set a goal not to yell in 2012 (not doing perfect there, but tons of improvement!) and I truly desire to be a gentle mom. Sometimes we need to see the good in our children and let them know we are seeing it and now would be one of those times at our house.
I hope you will join me in this week's Monday Motivation and start looking for ways to brag on your kids!
Monday, January 16, 2012
Monday Motivation #11
If you asked me what I think the keys are to a Mom being organized I would have to say at the top of the list are a good morning routine and before bed routine.
That being said...
The Monday Motivation for this week is to establish a MORNING ROUTINE and a BEFORE BED ROUTINE.
Do you ever wake up and feel behind on your day already? This happens to me if I sleep until the children wake up or if I did not prepare for the day the night before. For that reason, we will start with the Before Bed Routine. When you decide on your routine you will need to write it down and put it somewhere you will see it each night before you go to bed.
There are many ways you can do this but there are a few key points that apply to every Mom. (1.) You will need to go to bed at a decent time, that's SUPER important. I really need to practice what I preach, :) but I do know how mornings can be ruined if I stay up too late at night! (2.) You will need to lay out your clothes for the next day. And (3.) you will need to the leave the house straight, namely the kitchen. Waking up to dirty dishes is a morning killer.
My Before Bed Routine:
Straighten each room. Making sure there are no dishes left in the kitchen sink.
Set the table for breakfast.
Take the dog out.
Check to make sure all doors are locked.
Get everything ready and at the door. Obviously this applies only if we are going somewhere the next day and for our family that isn't every day. But if it's library day, I stack the library books near the door. If it's grocery day I put my list and coupon binder near the door. If our baby has an appointment with the doctor, I pack the diaper bag and put it near the door, and so on.
Lay out my clothes for the next day. If you aren't doing this already you will be surprised at what a difference it makes. It saves tons of time in the morning. No thinking, searching, deciding, just getting dressed!
Brush my teeth, wash my face, put on moisturizer, get into my pajamas.
Pray.
Sleep!
If the key to an organized morning is your before bed routine then the key to an organized day is your morning routine!
Again, there are many ways you can do this but allow me to add just one key.
THE MOST IMPORTANT PART OF THE DAY IS YOUR TIME WITH THE LORD. If you had no other routine except this, you would do well! Nothing we can ever do as moms is nearly as important as spending time praying and reading God's word. We need time with the Lord. We need to ask Him for the strength and wisdom to be the right kind of wife and mother. We need to make Him MOST IMPORTANT. Do not start the day without meeting with God! I'm not telling you how, or when, or for how long, I'm just saying, DO IT! Praying, reading, memorizing, journaling, singing, a bible study...whatever you choose. 15 minutes, 1/2 hour, 2 hours...again, whatever you choose! Think of it this way, if you had to be in court one morning you would probably pray and ask God for a favorable decision. If you were going to meet with your doctor one morning to discuss results from your medical test you would probably pray and ask God for clean health. Being a mom is no less important than going to the doctor or appearing in court is it? We must ask God to help us to be patient, gentle moms and to help us obey His word. We should talk to Him about our children and husbands. He wants to hear from us! And we should begin the day praising Him and thanking Him for the work He has done/is doing in our lives!
My Morning Routine:
As soon as alarm goes off, make bed.
Brush teeth.
Shower, dress.
Hair, makeup. I don't wear makeup every day. I actually only put it on the days I am leaving the house. Most of the time I just put on a good moisturizer and dry my hair.
Straighten the bathroom.
Start a load of laundry. Our laundry room is upstairs with all the bedrooms so before going downstairs I start my first load of the day.
Make coffee.
Bible and prayer time.
Feed baby. She wakes up sometime during my morning routine and I just include her in whatever I'm doing. I change her diaper and get her dressed and then she sits on my lap while I read my bible or she plays in the laundry room while I load the washer.
Drink glass of water and take vitamins.
Unload dishwasher and start breakfast.
As with your before bed routine, you will need to write down your morning routine and look at it each day. Soon it will become habit and you won't need to look at it but if you are just starting to establish your routine it certainly helps to look it over and check things off.
Having these routines down and doing them each day will be a huge head start in being an organized Mama. As always, comments are welcome so feel free to share your thoughts.
Have a Blessed Monday!
That being said...
The Monday Motivation for this week is to establish a MORNING ROUTINE and a BEFORE BED ROUTINE.
Do you ever wake up and feel behind on your day already? This happens to me if I sleep until the children wake up or if I did not prepare for the day the night before. For that reason, we will start with the Before Bed Routine. When you decide on your routine you will need to write it down and put it somewhere you will see it each night before you go to bed.
There are many ways you can do this but there are a few key points that apply to every Mom. (1.) You will need to go to bed at a decent time, that's SUPER important. I really need to practice what I preach, :) but I do know how mornings can be ruined if I stay up too late at night! (2.) You will need to lay out your clothes for the next day. And (3.) you will need to the leave the house straight, namely the kitchen. Waking up to dirty dishes is a morning killer.
My Before Bed Routine:
Straighten each room. Making sure there are no dishes left in the kitchen sink.
Set the table for breakfast.
Take the dog out.
Check to make sure all doors are locked.
Get everything ready and at the door. Obviously this applies only if we are going somewhere the next day and for our family that isn't every day. But if it's library day, I stack the library books near the door. If it's grocery day I put my list and coupon binder near the door. If our baby has an appointment with the doctor, I pack the diaper bag and put it near the door, and so on.
Lay out my clothes for the next day. If you aren't doing this already you will be surprised at what a difference it makes. It saves tons of time in the morning. No thinking, searching, deciding, just getting dressed!
Brush my teeth, wash my face, put on moisturizer, get into my pajamas.
Pray.
Sleep!
If the key to an organized morning is your before bed routine then the key to an organized day is your morning routine!
Again, there are many ways you can do this but allow me to add just one key.
THE MOST IMPORTANT PART OF THE DAY IS YOUR TIME WITH THE LORD. If you had no other routine except this, you would do well! Nothing we can ever do as moms is nearly as important as spending time praying and reading God's word. We need time with the Lord. We need to ask Him for the strength and wisdom to be the right kind of wife and mother. We need to make Him MOST IMPORTANT. Do not start the day without meeting with God! I'm not telling you how, or when, or for how long, I'm just saying, DO IT! Praying, reading, memorizing, journaling, singing, a bible study...whatever you choose. 15 minutes, 1/2 hour, 2 hours...again, whatever you choose! Think of it this way, if you had to be in court one morning you would probably pray and ask God for a favorable decision. If you were going to meet with your doctor one morning to discuss results from your medical test you would probably pray and ask God for clean health. Being a mom is no less important than going to the doctor or appearing in court is it? We must ask God to help us to be patient, gentle moms and to help us obey His word. We should talk to Him about our children and husbands. He wants to hear from us! And we should begin the day praising Him and thanking Him for the work He has done/is doing in our lives!
My Morning Routine:
As soon as alarm goes off, make bed.
Brush teeth.
Shower, dress.
Hair, makeup. I don't wear makeup every day. I actually only put it on the days I am leaving the house. Most of the time I just put on a good moisturizer and dry my hair.
Straighten the bathroom.
Start a load of laundry. Our laundry room is upstairs with all the bedrooms so before going downstairs I start my first load of the day.
Make coffee.
Bible and prayer time.
Feed baby. She wakes up sometime during my morning routine and I just include her in whatever I'm doing. I change her diaper and get her dressed and then she sits on my lap while I read my bible or she plays in the laundry room while I load the washer.
Drink glass of water and take vitamins.
Unload dishwasher and start breakfast.
As with your before bed routine, you will need to write down your morning routine and look at it each day. Soon it will become habit and you won't need to look at it but if you are just starting to establish your routine it certainly helps to look it over and check things off.
Having these routines down and doing them each day will be a huge head start in being an organized Mama. As always, comments are welcome so feel free to share your thoughts.
Have a Blessed Monday!
Monday, January 9, 2012
Monday Motivation #10
Every year in January I start to think about clutter. It just seems to happen each year after Christmas as we put away our new gifts. I have found January is the best time of the year to clean out drawers and cabinets and toy boxes. For our family, January is a quieter month with fewer things going on. The calendar lends itself to some free time and I like to use that time to get organized in any way I can.
On that note, today's Monday Motivation is SPEND 30 MINUTES DE-CLUTTERING ONE AREA OF YOUR HOME.
The reason I say 30 minutes (and I want you to use a timer here!) is that we women are prone to dragging out all kinds of stuff and spending an entire day de-cluttering. You know how it goes...one thing leads to another and the next thing you know the whole house is turned upside down. While you may have a lot of areas (drawers, closets, cabinets, etc.) that need de-cluttering you probably have other things you are responsible for, like your children! We still need to care for our families today and fix dinner and do laundry and so forth so we are ONLY spending 30 minutes on this. You will be surprised at what you will accomplish if you set your timer and work on this for a focused amount of time. Just pick one area, set the timer and get to work. I recommend having a trash bag with you and some other kind of container for things you are going to give away. If you have a lot of places in your home you want to de-clutter, do this every day this week for 30 minutes. At the end of the week you will have spent 2 1/2 hours decluttering.
Clutter can steal our peace and joy. It does for me. But when things are cleaned and organized and you can find the things you need the house seems to say, "ahhhhh". I find children play better when they have fewer things to choose from so clean out the toy boxes and throw away broken toys and give away the toys they no longer play with or the toys they have too many of. Or spend 30 minutes on your closet and clean out the clothes that don't fit you anymore or the ones you never wear or have gone out of style. With each bag of clutter you carry out of your home you will feel better. It is so much easier keeping a home clean when you eliminate all the "stuff". The less stuff you have the less time you spend organizing it, cleaning it, arranging it, and storing it. Get rid of as much clutter as you can and you will find cleaning the house is easier. Start with one drawer in your dresser or one cabinet in the kitchen and do a little at a time. You will love the results!
NOW GO GET STARTED!
Feel free to comment here if you want to brag about your accomplishments! I'd love to hear of your success!!
On that note, today's Monday Motivation is SPEND 30 MINUTES DE-CLUTTERING ONE AREA OF YOUR HOME.
The reason I say 30 minutes (and I want you to use a timer here!) is that we women are prone to dragging out all kinds of stuff and spending an entire day de-cluttering. You know how it goes...one thing leads to another and the next thing you know the whole house is turned upside down. While you may have a lot of areas (drawers, closets, cabinets, etc.) that need de-cluttering you probably have other things you are responsible for, like your children! We still need to care for our families today and fix dinner and do laundry and so forth so we are ONLY spending 30 minutes on this. You will be surprised at what you will accomplish if you set your timer and work on this for a focused amount of time. Just pick one area, set the timer and get to work. I recommend having a trash bag with you and some other kind of container for things you are going to give away. If you have a lot of places in your home you want to de-clutter, do this every day this week for 30 minutes. At the end of the week you will have spent 2 1/2 hours decluttering.
Clutter can steal our peace and joy. It does for me. But when things are cleaned and organized and you can find the things you need the house seems to say, "ahhhhh". I find children play better when they have fewer things to choose from so clean out the toy boxes and throw away broken toys and give away the toys they no longer play with or the toys they have too many of. Or spend 30 minutes on your closet and clean out the clothes that don't fit you anymore or the ones you never wear or have gone out of style. With each bag of clutter you carry out of your home you will feel better. It is so much easier keeping a home clean when you eliminate all the "stuff". The less stuff you have the less time you spend organizing it, cleaning it, arranging it, and storing it. Get rid of as much clutter as you can and you will find cleaning the house is easier. Start with one drawer in your dresser or one cabinet in the kitchen and do a little at a time. You will love the results!
NOW GO GET STARTED!
Feel free to comment here if you want to brag about your accomplishments! I'd love to hear of your success!!
Monday, November 7, 2011
Monday Motivation #9
This week's challenge is a real challenge for me, as all 8 have been so far. It may be nothing to you, but it's going to hurt me. I wanted to do something health related this week as I am seeking to live healthier. It occurred to me that I need to start getting rid of some bad habits and replacing them with better ones.
Join me for this week's challenge:
GET RID OF ONE REALLY BAD HABIT AND REPLACE IT WITH A GOOD ONE!
For me that means...no soda...specifically, NO Dr. Pepper. For the next 7 days I will drink no soda, not even diet. Oh, I know, some of you are saying what's the big deal? If you know me well, you aren't saying that. I love Dr. Pepper and I drink it all the time. The problem is it's bad for me, a terrible example to my children, and it's making me fat. So, I'm not drinking any Dr. Pepper this week and I'm replacing it with water. Every time I would normally reach for a Dr. Pepper, (when I drive to soccer practices, when I work on the computer, while I am cleaning, as I grade school work, every time I make a phone call...oh this is bad) I will pour myself a nice cold glass of water. My hope is that during the next 7 days I will be able to make myself a new habit and will continue to live this way into the future. This has been the goal of all of the challenges. Each Monday Motivation has started something that I have continued week after week. I'm still working on smiling at my family, and exercising, and keeping the laundry under control, and staying caught up on appointments, and respecting my husband, etc., etc. I hope you are too!
While we are on the topic of past challenges I just want to say that last week's challenge was a real blessing for me. If you don't remember, last week the challenge was to not get on the computer if we had not had time for prayer and bible study. The Lord really blessed me through my morning time with Him last week. Each morning I refused to even look at the computer until after I had my time with Him. It felt great to have my day in the right order and to soak up His goodness before looking at my email, or bank account, or blog. I will definitely keep the no bible/prayer time = no computer rule for myself.
Here are some verses the Lord showed me that reinforced for me what last Monday's Motivation was all about. These verses encourage me to start my day with God.
Psalm 4:4 Tremble and do not sin; Meditate in your heart upon your bed, and be still.
Psalm 5:3 In the morning, O Lord, Thou wilt hear my voice; In the morning I will order my prayer to Thee and eagerly watch.
Psalm 119:147 I rise before dawn and cry for help; I wait for Thy words.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I'm curious to know what bad habit you might want to give up this week. I'd love to hear from you! As always feel free to comment here or if you'd like a little more privacy you can slip it into my inbox.
Have a fantastic week!!
Join me for this week's challenge:
GET RID OF ONE REALLY BAD HABIT AND REPLACE IT WITH A GOOD ONE!
For me that means...no soda...specifically, NO Dr. Pepper. For the next 7 days I will drink no soda, not even diet. Oh, I know, some of you are saying what's the big deal? If you know me well, you aren't saying that. I love Dr. Pepper and I drink it all the time. The problem is it's bad for me, a terrible example to my children, and it's making me fat. So, I'm not drinking any Dr. Pepper this week and I'm replacing it with water. Every time I would normally reach for a Dr. Pepper, (when I drive to soccer practices, when I work on the computer, while I am cleaning, as I grade school work, every time I make a phone call...oh this is bad) I will pour myself a nice cold glass of water. My hope is that during the next 7 days I will be able to make myself a new habit and will continue to live this way into the future. This has been the goal of all of the challenges. Each Monday Motivation has started something that I have continued week after week. I'm still working on smiling at my family, and exercising, and keeping the laundry under control, and staying caught up on appointments, and respecting my husband, etc., etc. I hope you are too!
While we are on the topic of past challenges I just want to say that last week's challenge was a real blessing for me. If you don't remember, last week the challenge was to not get on the computer if we had not had time for prayer and bible study. The Lord really blessed me through my morning time with Him last week. Each morning I refused to even look at the computer until after I had my time with Him. It felt great to have my day in the right order and to soak up His goodness before looking at my email, or bank account, or blog. I will definitely keep the no bible/prayer time = no computer rule for myself.
Here are some verses the Lord showed me that reinforced for me what last Monday's Motivation was all about. These verses encourage me to start my day with God.
Psalm 4:4 Tremble and do not sin; Meditate in your heart upon your bed, and be still.
Psalm 5:3 In the morning, O Lord, Thou wilt hear my voice; In the morning I will order my prayer to Thee and eagerly watch.
Psalm 119:147 I rise before dawn and cry for help; I wait for Thy words.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I'm curious to know what bad habit you might want to give up this week. I'd love to hear from you! As always feel free to comment here or if you'd like a little more privacy you can slip it into my inbox.
Have a fantastic week!!
Monday, October 31, 2011
Monday Motivation #8
THIS WEEK'S CHALLENGE: No Bible/Prayer time = No computer time.
What's one of the first things you do in the morning? Is it check your email/blog/Facebook? If so, I'm challenging you to put priorities back in order and begin your day with God. Before checking email and the like, spend some alone time with God praying and reading your Bible.
It is pretty easy to get pulled into the computer first thing in the morning or to just take off on a busy day. As wives and mothers we can go right from one thing to the next all day without taking the time to be still and give our attention to the Lord's voice. I don't know about you but I definitely don't want to neglect that important time with my Heavenly Father! I'm putting a challenge in place. If I haven't had time for my prayer and bible reading then I'm not getting on the computer.
I cannot remember where I read it, or who said it, but I heard this quote once, "Bible reading is sort of like eating peanuts, the more you eat the more you want". I agree! The more I read my bible, the more I want to read it. And that goes for prayer too. The more I pray, the more I want to pray. My days are so much better when I begin them with the Lord. No day is perfectly perfect. I don't claim if you read your bible and pray at the start of the day, the rest of the day will go just as you want it to. No, there isn't a magic formula for perfect days. BUT, there is tremendous blessing in starting the day with God. He is peace, comfort and guidance. He is Healer, Counselor, Father. There is NO BETTER way to start the day and there is NO BETTER way for a wife/mommy to spend her time. We are all using our computers more and more, and not just computers but i-pods and i-pads and cell phones. We must be careful not to get pulled into this electronic era to the point that these things (Internet, blogging, Facebook) become idols. Make yourself a rule, as I am, no bible and prayer time = no computer time.
Let me know how this is going and if this is a real challenge for you. Feel free to comment here or email.
Be blessed this week!
THE LORD IS MY STRENGTH AND MY SHIELD; MY HEART TRUSTED IN HIM, AND I AM HELPED; THEREFORE MY HEART GREATLY REJOICES, AND WITH MY SONG I WILL PRAISE HIM.
PSALM 28:7
What's one of the first things you do in the morning? Is it check your email/blog/Facebook? If so, I'm challenging you to put priorities back in order and begin your day with God. Before checking email and the like, spend some alone time with God praying and reading your Bible.
It is pretty easy to get pulled into the computer first thing in the morning or to just take off on a busy day. As wives and mothers we can go right from one thing to the next all day without taking the time to be still and give our attention to the Lord's voice. I don't know about you but I definitely don't want to neglect that important time with my Heavenly Father! I'm putting a challenge in place. If I haven't had time for my prayer and bible reading then I'm not getting on the computer.
I cannot remember where I read it, or who said it, but I heard this quote once, "Bible reading is sort of like eating peanuts, the more you eat the more you want". I agree! The more I read my bible, the more I want to read it. And that goes for prayer too. The more I pray, the more I want to pray. My days are so much better when I begin them with the Lord. No day is perfectly perfect. I don't claim if you read your bible and pray at the start of the day, the rest of the day will go just as you want it to. No, there isn't a magic formula for perfect days. BUT, there is tremendous blessing in starting the day with God. He is peace, comfort and guidance. He is Healer, Counselor, Father. There is NO BETTER way to start the day and there is NO BETTER way for a wife/mommy to spend her time. We are all using our computers more and more, and not just computers but i-pods and i-pads and cell phones. We must be careful not to get pulled into this electronic era to the point that these things (Internet, blogging, Facebook) become idols. Make yourself a rule, as I am, no bible and prayer time = no computer time.
Let me know how this is going and if this is a real challenge for you. Feel free to comment here or email.
Be blessed this week!
THE LORD IS MY STRENGTH AND MY SHIELD; MY HEART TRUSTED IN HIM, AND I AM HELPED; THEREFORE MY HEART GREATLY REJOICES, AND WITH MY SONG I WILL PRAISE HIM.
PSALM 28:7
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
Monday Motivation #7
What's this? A Monday Motivation on Wednesday? Yes, my dear readers...it has happened. I have not been able to post since Monday. The why? Well, it's complicated and more than this little blog can handle. Part busyness, part blow to the gut...(not mine but my hubby's, and I've decided for sure this time that I prefer blows to my own gut. Watching someone you love struggle is far more painful). God's grace is always sufficient, even in the messiness of this journey and I am THANKFUL to Him today for grace. Grace, Grace, Marvelous Grace!
THIS WEEK'S CHALLENGE: TAME THE LAUNDRY MONSTER
This week I want to focus on getting the laundry under control and keeping it under control. As you know, if you have been reading along, these challenges are born out of my struggles. And if you were keeping up Monday you saw that laundry-ness is not always my strong point! I try. I really do. I do laundry every single day and I do it all day long. I start the first load in the morning before I go downstairs (our laundry room is upstairs with the bedrooms) and I am usually unloading my last load from the dryer before I go to bed. My children regularly switch the loads throughout the day also. Even still, the hamper overflows, the floor of the laundry room is covered, and baskets of clean clothes line up in my bedroom floor like a choo-choo train. Part of the reason for my laundry quandary may be the list of characters I have here. First, I have a hard working husband who wears dress clothes to work and casual clothes when he gets home and is responsible for at least a couple of outfits per day. Then I have 3 sweaty teenage soccer players including one who doubles as a referee and they dirty enough stuff to keep the washer and dryer humming "son" up til "son" down. Throw in a couple more children, and myself, plus a little baby, and you've got more than a bit o' laundry. Babies happen to be little laundry monsters themselves with the throw-ups and blow-outs and leaking and such.
Here's what I've got planned to get things back under control and maybe these things can help bring peace, order, and cleanliness to your laundry room.
1. I am designating one day a week to be laundry day. (No, I can't just do laundry once a week but I am going to have one day that is for focusing on laundry and the other days will be used to maintain.)
2. I am going to use my friend, the timer, to keep me on track. When a load goes into the washer I will set my timer to remind me to send a kiddo to put the clothes into the dryer when the washer stops. I will also use the timer to push myself to get the laundry folded and put away (more on that later).
3. On designated laundry day, each time I start a new load I will work on cleaning an area of the laundry room. For example, wiping down the washer and dryer, sweeping the floor, putting away any clutter that has collected on top of the washer and dryer, etc.
4. As I fold each basket of clothes I will weed out clothing that needs mending, or clothes that are out-grown, out of season, severely stained, or beyond repair, and put them in their proper place. I'm starting a basket for clothes that need mending, already I have an item in need of a button and another with a broken zipper. Out-grown clothes are packed away in boxes to save for younger siblings, and if something is severely stained or beyond repair it goes in the trash. No more taking up precious space with things we can't use!
5. Have you ever timed yourself when folding a basket of clothes? It actually only takes minutes! I'm going to race my timer and try to fold and put away laundry as quickly as possible so the baskets of clean clothes are not lining up in my bedroom. I will set the timer for 15 minutes and race against it trying to finish before it goes off. If I fold the laundry and put it away as soon as it comes out of the dryer we will not have the choo-choo train to deal with.
6. I'm going to learn to love my laundry! Weird? Maybe, but that's what I am going to do. I am THANKFUL for the husband God gave me, THANKFUL for the half dozen babies God has blessed me with, THANKFUL that I am home to tend to these things, THANKFUL that I am healthy and able bodied and can run up and down the steps and into each room and bend and stretch without any trouble and I am THANKFUL for my machines and detergent and easy to care for clothes. Years ago women didn't have it so easy!
I hope some of my ideas for getting my laundry and laundry room under control will be of help to you. This time of year I find it is really important to stay on top of the laundry. With the holidays coming I like to keep the house clean and be able to decorate and cook and bake and do projects with the children. All of these things are easier when the laundry is being kept under control. Plus, fresh clean laundry is another way to bless our hubbies and kiddos and that is for sure something we all want to do!
THIS WEEK'S CHALLENGE: TAME THE LAUNDRY MONSTER
This week I want to focus on getting the laundry under control and keeping it under control. As you know, if you have been reading along, these challenges are born out of my struggles. And if you were keeping up Monday you saw that laundry-ness is not always my strong point! I try. I really do. I do laundry every single day and I do it all day long. I start the first load in the morning before I go downstairs (our laundry room is upstairs with the bedrooms) and I am usually unloading my last load from the dryer before I go to bed. My children regularly switch the loads throughout the day also. Even still, the hamper overflows, the floor of the laundry room is covered, and baskets of clean clothes line up in my bedroom floor like a choo-choo train. Part of the reason for my laundry quandary may be the list of characters I have here. First, I have a hard working husband who wears dress clothes to work and casual clothes when he gets home and is responsible for at least a couple of outfits per day. Then I have 3 sweaty teenage soccer players including one who doubles as a referee and they dirty enough stuff to keep the washer and dryer humming "son" up til "son" down. Throw in a couple more children, and myself, plus a little baby, and you've got more than a bit o' laundry. Babies happen to be little laundry monsters themselves with the throw-ups and blow-outs and leaking and such.
Here's what I've got planned to get things back under control and maybe these things can help bring peace, order, and cleanliness to your laundry room.
1. I am designating one day a week to be laundry day. (No, I can't just do laundry once a week but I am going to have one day that is for focusing on laundry and the other days will be used to maintain.)
2. I am going to use my friend, the timer, to keep me on track. When a load goes into the washer I will set my timer to remind me to send a kiddo to put the clothes into the dryer when the washer stops. I will also use the timer to push myself to get the laundry folded and put away (more on that later).
3. On designated laundry day, each time I start a new load I will work on cleaning an area of the laundry room. For example, wiping down the washer and dryer, sweeping the floor, putting away any clutter that has collected on top of the washer and dryer, etc.
4. As I fold each basket of clothes I will weed out clothing that needs mending, or clothes that are out-grown, out of season, severely stained, or beyond repair, and put them in their proper place. I'm starting a basket for clothes that need mending, already I have an item in need of a button and another with a broken zipper. Out-grown clothes are packed away in boxes to save for younger siblings, and if something is severely stained or beyond repair it goes in the trash. No more taking up precious space with things we can't use!
5. Have you ever timed yourself when folding a basket of clothes? It actually only takes minutes! I'm going to race my timer and try to fold and put away laundry as quickly as possible so the baskets of clean clothes are not lining up in my bedroom. I will set the timer for 15 minutes and race against it trying to finish before it goes off. If I fold the laundry and put it away as soon as it comes out of the dryer we will not have the choo-choo train to deal with.
6. I'm going to learn to love my laundry! Weird? Maybe, but that's what I am going to do. I am THANKFUL for the husband God gave me, THANKFUL for the half dozen babies God has blessed me with, THANKFUL that I am home to tend to these things, THANKFUL that I am healthy and able bodied and can run up and down the steps and into each room and bend and stretch without any trouble and I am THANKFUL for my machines and detergent and easy to care for clothes. Years ago women didn't have it so easy!
I hope some of my ideas for getting my laundry and laundry room under control will be of help to you. This time of year I find it is really important to stay on top of the laundry. With the holidays coming I like to keep the house clean and be able to decorate and cook and bake and do projects with the children. All of these things are easier when the laundry is being kept under control. Plus, fresh clean laundry is another way to bless our hubbies and kiddos and that is for sure something we all want to do!
 |
| I found this picture inspiring. I mean, we can dream can't we??? |
Monday, October 17, 2011
Monday Motivation #6
THIS WEEK'S CHALLENGE: Start getting ready for Thanksgiving.
Yes, you read that correctly. This week we are going to start getting ready for the holidays and since Thanksgiving is up first, we will start there.
This week decide where you will be spending Thanksgiving. Are you traveling? If so, work on making a list of what you will need to pack. Decide when you will be leaving and returning home. Determine who will care for your pets and if necessary book airline tickets or schedule vehicle maintenance. Are you staying home? Are you having company? This week start working on your menu plan and from that develop your shopping list. As you do your normal grocery shopping pick up a few things that are on your Thanksgiving list. Make a list of things you need for your home also. Do you need a new tablecloth? Or if you are having company from out of town, do you need to purchase an air-mattress or a new set of sheets? Having a list and picking these things up little by little, instead of buying it all at once, will be easier on your wallet.
Challenge yourself to do as many of these things (as they apply to you) this week as you can.
For travelers:
For hostesses:
It's never too soon to start getting ready for the holidays. By inviting your guests and planning your menu this week you will have a good head start on Thanksgiving.
Knowing what you are serving enables you to begin shopping for needed ingredients and I personally think it is so fun to go through the recipe cards and choose which things to make. (I like to do this while sipping some warm apple cider. It gets me in the mood!)
Instead of running around at the last minute looking for an air mattress, or trying to get an appointment with your mechanic, or going store to store in search of canned pumpkin, you can rest easily because you took care of these things in advance.
Yes, you read that correctly. This week we are going to start getting ready for the holidays and since Thanksgiving is up first, we will start there.
This week decide where you will be spending Thanksgiving. Are you traveling? If so, work on making a list of what you will need to pack. Decide when you will be leaving and returning home. Determine who will care for your pets and if necessary book airline tickets or schedule vehicle maintenance. Are you staying home? Are you having company? This week start working on your menu plan and from that develop your shopping list. As you do your normal grocery shopping pick up a few things that are on your Thanksgiving list. Make a list of things you need for your home also. Do you need a new tablecloth? Or if you are having company from out of town, do you need to purchase an air-mattress or a new set of sheets? Having a list and picking these things up little by little, instead of buying it all at once, will be easier on your wallet.
Challenge yourself to do as many of these things (as they apply to you) this week as you can.
For travelers:
- Decide (with hubby) where you will spend Thanksgiving
- Plan for pet sitter or boarding
- Book airline tickets
- Schedule oil change and other maintenance for vehicle
- Make a list of things to pack for each member of the family
- Consider how you may contribute to the meal
- Buy hostess gift
 |
| A neat hostess gift...fill a basket with treats and such that the hostess would most likely never buy for herself. Expensive chocolate, special nuts, flavored coffee. Add a candle, or some potpourri, or even a cute Christmas ornament as most folks decorate their Christmas tree shortly after Thanksgiving. |
For hostesses:
- Make a menu plan
- Develop a grocery list
- Take inventory of linen closet (towels? bed sheets? tablecloth?)
- Pick up a few things on your list when you do your regular grocery shopping
- Phone family/friends you want to invite
- Make a list of projects you want done around the house (painting, repairs)
It's never too soon to start getting ready for the holidays. By inviting your guests and planning your menu this week you will have a good head start on Thanksgiving.
Knowing what you are serving enables you to begin shopping for needed ingredients and I personally think it is so fun to go through the recipe cards and choose which things to make. (I like to do this while sipping some warm apple cider. It gets me in the mood!)
Instead of running around at the last minute looking for an air mattress, or trying to get an appointment with your mechanic, or going store to store in search of canned pumpkin, you can rest easily because you took care of these things in advance.
Monday, October 10, 2011
Monday Motivation #5
I am so excited that we are on the 5th Monday of doing challenges and I'm thrilled with the feedback I'm getting from those of you following along. Last WEEK I scheduled a plethora of appointments. I will be running around a lot for the next few weeks, but at least I will be doing so with kids who have clean teeth and they will even be able to see where we are going!
THIS WEEK'S CHALLENGE: Do something to encourage your husband every single day this week.
Our husbands work hard and need to know they are appreciated. They are gifts from God and it is our job to let them know how thankful we are God placed them in our lives. Our husbands deserve to be the kings of their castles so let's work this week toward making them just that!
Here are a few ideas I came up while I was thinking about this week's challenge.
- Leave him a sweet note praising him as a father. Think of specifics.
- Dress more femininely, lose the sweats.
- Fix his favorite meal. Consider adding candles to the table.
- Iron his work clothes.
- Write him a long love letter.
- Make a list of all the things you love about him and tuck it somewhere for him to find.
- Give him a back rub.
- Listen to him. My husband has been going through a very difficult time recently and he loves for me to listen. I have to stop and choose to do this otherwise I stay busy with the house and children.
- SUBMIT. Is there an area that you and your husband disagree on? Something he has asked you to do? Or not do? Is it an issue with the family budget or the house? Try submitting! There is blessing in obedience to God and to our husbands. I have found when I submit and stop fighting for the way I think is best there are tremendous blessings!......ask me sometime and I'll tell you my story.
- Pray for him. Ask him what his needs, fears, and concerns are and commit to praying for him daily. Thank God for him every chance you get!
- Do some of his chores for him so he doesn't have so much to do when he is off work. My husband works a lot. I try to do something for him that he needs to get done on his off day. He is always so happy when I say, "Oh, I've already taken care of that".
- Put a note in his lunch if he packs. This one is so easy and will certainly be appreciated.
- Make his favorite dessert. Share it after the kids go to bed.
- Send him a card to his work.
- Throw his towel in the dryer while he showers and hand it to him warm and fresh.
- Plan a date night.
- Clean out his car.
- Straighten the house and freshen up right before he comes home from work. One day right before going into Walmart I pulled out my mirror and applied some lipstick. I always do. My husband said to me, "Do you do that right before I come home from work?".
- Show him respect. Watch your tone and response and let him be the leader.
- Make his coffee and breakfast.
- Tell him you are glad he is home when he comes in and wait until later to discuss anything negative.
- Do what he wants to do instead of doing your own thing. If necessary turn off the TV or computer or get off the phone. Tell your friends when your husband comes home from work you've got to hang up.
Have a great week loving your hubby!
Monday, October 3, 2011
Monday Motivation #4
Do you need to schedule a mammogram or an appointment for a physical, or perhaps there is an appointment you need to schedule for one or more of your children? Are you like me and you tend to procrastinate making these appointments? I hope most of you are not like me in this. I jot these things down on my to do list but put off making the necessary phone calls. At our house right now there are 7 of us who need physicals and 7 of us who need dental appointments. There are 5 of us who need an appointment with the eye doctor also. I need to schedule a 6 month check-up for our littlest gal and make an appointment for an orthodontic consult. So, for this week I am challenging myself to schedule ALL of the appointments everyone in our family needs. I already have my annual check-up with the OB-GYN scheduled for November. When was your last? Do you need to schedule that? Do it today! This week we are working on getting these appointments on the calendar! I hope you are motivated to pick up the phone right now!
Monday, September 26, 2011
MONDAY MOTIVATION #3
It's Monday again! I know I said this last week but, it just amazes me how quickly each week gets here.
How are the challenges going for you? They are not easy for me. Getting up earlier than normal is hard. Mainly because I still haven't kicked the habit of staying up late at night. There are just so many things I need to do and I start working at 9p.m. when the kids go to bed and I work straight on until 1a.m. or later. Wanting to stick to my challenge I did manage to get up an hour earlier all but two mornings (on those mornings I got up at my regular time). Getting to bed at a decent hour is going to continue to be a challenge for me but I am working on it. As for the other challenge, being pleasant and smiling at my family, that one is not always easy either! It's easy in the happy, warm & fuzzy moments but not so easy during times of discipline, or when we're running late, or when everyone is talking at once or.......you get the picture. With the Lord's help I am going to keep working on that too. (Don't know what in the world I'm talking about? Go HERE and HERE!)
THIS WEEK'S CHALLENGE: EXERCISE 4 TIMES, AT LEAST 30 MIN.
Many of you may already be doing this regularly, but I am not. I don't spend any time exercising ( since running errands, and chasing children around doesn't count). I want to change that so this week I am challenging myself, and you if you are interested, to exercise 4 times for at least 30 minutes. There are many, many fabulous reasons for exercising and my only trouble is making t-i-m-e to do it. I am going to have to work on my schedule to find a place to fit it in. The things that are important to us we usually find time for so I guess part of the challenge will be to make exercise important. There are so many benefits from exercising that it is sort of like giving yourself a gift! Think of it that way! *smile*
I'm planning to walk in my subdivision. What are you going to do??
How are the challenges going for you? They are not easy for me. Getting up earlier than normal is hard. Mainly because I still haven't kicked the habit of staying up late at night. There are just so many things I need to do and I start working at 9p.m. when the kids go to bed and I work straight on until 1a.m. or later. Wanting to stick to my challenge I did manage to get up an hour earlier all but two mornings (on those mornings I got up at my regular time). Getting to bed at a decent hour is going to continue to be a challenge for me but I am working on it. As for the other challenge, being pleasant and smiling at my family, that one is not always easy either! It's easy in the happy, warm & fuzzy moments but not so easy during times of discipline, or when we're running late, or when everyone is talking at once or.......you get the picture. With the Lord's help I am going to keep working on that too. (Don't know what in the world I'm talking about? Go HERE and HERE!)
THIS WEEK'S CHALLENGE: EXERCISE 4 TIMES, AT LEAST 30 MIN.
Many of you may already be doing this regularly, but I am not. I don't spend any time exercising ( since running errands, and chasing children around doesn't count). I want to change that so this week I am challenging myself, and you if you are interested, to exercise 4 times for at least 30 minutes. There are many, many fabulous reasons for exercising and my only trouble is making t-i-m-e to do it. I am going to have to work on my schedule to find a place to fit it in. The things that are important to us we usually find time for so I guess part of the challenge will be to make exercise important. There are so many benefits from exercising that it is sort of like giving yourself a gift! Think of it that way! *smile*
I'm planning to walk in my subdivision. What are you going to do??
Monday, September 19, 2011
MONDAY MOTIVATION #2
I've been thinking a lot about what this week's challenge should be. There are so many things I need to work on. I have a very long list of areas in my life that need improvement. And while we are moving on to a new challenge, I am continuing to work on last week's challenge as well. (see THIS.) It is not my intention to work on these things for a week and then return to my old ways. I am going to continue to focus on each item as the weeks build on one another.
THIS WEEK'S CHALLENGE:
GET UP ONE HOUR EARLIER THAN MY NORMAL WAKE TIME.
You may be, once again, asking yourself, HUH? Let me explain. Lately I have struggled with feeling as if there just aren't enough hours in the day. My plan is to find an extra hour. No, I can't turn my day into a 25 hour day while everyone else makes do with 24. The truth about feeling overwhelmed is that the Lord hasn't given me one more thing to do than there is time to do. I have to find an extra hour somewhere in my 24 hours and I have decided to find it by getting up an hour earlier than I normally do. It's amazing what you can get done just by getting up an hour earlier. If the children are still sleeping, that one hour might be worth 3 hours during other parts of the day! We are all in different situations and have different schedules and must find what works best for our own families. Currently I am nursing a 4 month old and that makes things just a little different for me. However, she does sleep through the night so I am not having to get up at all hours anymore. Do you want to know what my problem is? I stay up way too late at night and try to get by on 3 or 4 hours sleep. Although sleeping only a few hours may be a short term solution it is definitely not a long term solution. Sleeping too little can have adverse affects on your health and make for a grouchy mama too. The challenge for me this week is not only to get up 1 hour earlier than my normal wake up time but also to go to bed at a decent hour. We moms must guard sufficient sleep in our lives very carefully. The temptation for me is to trade it for quiet, late nights when the children are asleep and I can have some peace. It isn't worth it! I am going to do my very best to go to bed on time this week and get up earlier. I believe by doing this I will find more "hours" in my day.
Is this a struggle for you? Join me in this week's challenge!
Monday, September 12, 2011
MONDAY MOTIVATION
THIS WEEK'S CHALLENGE:
SMILE AT THE CHILDREN AND BE PLEASANT.
You may be asking yourselves why someone would need to set a goal such as this. I will tell you why. If I play back in my mind many of my interactions with my children, especially when it comes to discipline, I picture a stern look on my face. I want to be able to discipline without being emotionally involved. I not only want to be able to discipline without negative emotions I also want to be pleasant. Proverbs 16:21 says, "The sweetness of the lips increases learning." If I want my children to learn from my instruction then I will need to listen to God and use sweet words. If I were to hold up a mirror to my face throughout the day as I am teaching and training my children how would my face look? Angry? Stern? I want my face to look pleasant as I interact with my children. And taking it a step further......I want to smile! How many times a day do we smile at our children? Sometimes I am distracted by dinner preparations when a child is telling me something and I brush them off or give them a blank look. Other times I remind them to do something with an agitated look on my face. Maybe you have the same struggle. This week I am challenging myself to SMILE at the children as much as I possibly can. I'm going to challenge myself to smile even when it is difficult, not just the times when it would come natural. I am going to make a choice to smile and be pleasant all week! This is an area the Lord has shown me that I need to work on. Join me if you will!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
LinkWithin
