I feel like I’ve kind of been on cloud nine lately and all the world is seen through my rose-colored glasses. However, it is so easy for me to get frustrated with the boys during the day. Particularly the days when they are asking for things every five minutes:

“May I have a glass of water?”

“Can you please cut up my apple?”

“Is it time for lunch yet?”

“What are we having for dinner?” (this is especially aggravating if they ask WHILE they’re eating lunch.)

Of course much of this is simply part of being a mother, but don’t you have those days when it feels like it’s their mission to see how many times they can interrupt Mom?

However, I realized that one of the reasons they ask SO many questions ALL day long is because I rarely do what they ask right when they ask it. I had the opportunity to clean the house really well last weekend and I also finished all of the laundry. Here it is Thursday and I’ve had such a great week because I’ve taken the time each day to maintain my clean house. I’ve done a load of laundry each day and taken about twenty minutes each night, after the kids are in bed, to put the dishes away, start the dishwasher, throw another load of clothes in the washing machine and wipe everything down.

As a result, I haven’t felt the usual “to-do” list hanging over my head all week long. Yesterday I made a very conscious effort to get up and meet the needs of my children right when they asked. As ridiculous as this sounds, I realized it really only takes me about ONE minute to complete what they’re usually asking of me and at the same time they’re able to see that Mommy cares more about them than the task I was working on.

Beth Moore challenged her siestas last week to pick a day and vow to not complain or be critical ALL day. The complaining wasn’t so difficult as much as the critical part. It hurt me to see how critical I can be toward everyday, nonsensical things pertaining to my children. Yesterday I worked hard to keep a smile on my face and speak softly ALL day with ALL of the children. The response from my children was unbelievable. We had more fun together, we sat and talked together, they were more willing to help me when I needed it; it was incredible. I have friends whom I’ve never heard raise their voice at their children or even get flustered, but unfortunately, that has not always been me. I’m working hard on that transformation.

I know I’ve spoken of the book, “Homeschooling with a Meek and Quiet Spirit” before, but wow, the power of being meek and quiet in your home and with your children is immeasurable. I will be working on this daily in my home.

~audrey

This entry was posted on Thursday, February 17th, 2011 at 3:02 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.