Today offered me a gift (in a weird sort of way) of three sick kids (two little ones and one big one). Which means errands, grocery shopping (we're out of milk) and walking at my mom's on her treadmill are all canceled. Some home time with my sickies is in order. Well, that and a whole lot of Lysol and Clorox wipes.
Although the laundry is going and I have the Lysol can at hand, I don't feel too guilty about being in my pajamas pants, still. Or about the fact that the kids are occupied with movies on Netflix (they're sick, after all). Or about the house being a mess and the breakfast dishes still sitting there. It was a long night.
So let's start with clarifying something. I don't DO new year's resolutions. Call it what you may, it's not my thing. I think a few too many years with pregnancies and new babies made me realize I can't count on what the year will hold. But I do think a lot at the first of the year what I would like to accomplish in the coming months. THAT is what this is about for me.
1. Potty train Little Man. My plan? Spring Break while the Coach takes the rest of the troops camping. Just the two of us (well, and Daughter #7). And the potty. And some M & M's (I might even share).
2. Break Daughter #7 from sucking her fingers at night. We've already made GOOD progress on this one. We've been wrapping them with first aid tape at night. Seems to help her remember. The nice thing is that she's old enough to understand and work on it with us. We've only had one other child suck his finger. Grateful Little Man threw the pacifier out of the bed at 10 months and never looked back.
3. Walk the Memorial HALF Marathon in April. So far my long weekend walks are up to seven miles. And I'm still enjoying it. The Coach has been amazing to give me so much time to be gone. But in all fairness, it was his idea to begin with. :-)
4. Simplify. I've already been working on this one, too. I've always been good at cleaning out. But honestly? This Fall ate my lunch. I just didn't have one second of extra time. My plan? Just picking out a drawer here, a cabinet there and going after it. Having LESS to keep picked up, wash, sort through, etc. The kids do so much better when things are simple.
5. Write letters to my kids. You can imagine with eight kids in the house it gets pretty, well, I refer to us as the traveling zoo! I'm more aware than ever of how very much my kids need my encouragement. Not just my correction. Letters are a good way for me to do that.
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Along with these, I am grateful to be learning so much through studying this year. The Red Sea Rules study with my family, the Weight of Grace study with a small group and BSF every week. I may not get it all done, but I'm seeing that the Lord uses wherever I am in His Word to reveal Himself to me. I can't help but be overwhelmed by His goodness.
My "quiet" time is long gone. I've had more interruptions while writing this than I would care to count. Remembering, today, Elisabeth Elliot's story of how in difficult times (not to say in the least that my circumstances today are truly difficult) we should just "Do the Next Thing."
For me. . . that means folding some laundry.
Blessings on your Monday!
3 comments:
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Your goal of writing letters to your children will be a treasure for them as adults. My mother died when I was 7. I remember a few incidents here and there, (wiping deviled egg off my face to take a picture at the zoo), but have no other memories. A few years ago my uncle, her younger brother, found some letters she had written. They were written to her parents from Pensacola where we had moved during WW2. He made copies for my brother and sister and me. WE eacah got an original, with copies of the others. Those letters are priceless! In one letter to her sister she mentions how many quarts of green beans she has 'put up' and the cost of having a paper recorded at the court house, and her morning nausea was over. That morning nausea was me! So do write to your children, take pictures with them. When a young (ATI) mother learned she was dying she asked me for counsel, knowing my mother had died when I was a child. I told her to write each of them a letter and have a picture made with each. She did, and over the years as I have seen the children at the Basic, or elsewhere, two or three of them have told me how much they treasure the letters and pictures. So even if you live to be an old, old lady (like me!) your children will love the letters.
Love the letters! I need to be more intentional with doing that...great one!
We too had a thumb sucker...the rest of them tossed the pacifier around 9-10 mo. Apparently there is no tossing of the thumb. We used a finger splint he put on every night. I love that we come up with some of the same solutions...LOL Too fun to read! I guess 8 kids teaches us something!
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