#1 Eat Your Frog {52 Bites}

27 January 2012 · 2 comments

in 52 bites

We’ve talked about eating frogs before … 

You know, your frog. That same one thing, one job that you avoid doing. Loathe doing. Grumble about doing.

Do you remember what we are to do with it?

Do it first. 

Very first thing, after your fill-your-cup morning routine: Eat that frog and be done with it.  You’ll have so much more energy having conquered the worst part of your day, and everything else will feel like dessert  to-dos after already swallowing the frog-part. Tsh Oxenreider lists this as the first step to simplifying life, quoting Mark Twain:

“Eat a live frog every morning, and nothing worse will
happen to you the rest of the day."

Such a simple habit that reaps beautiful rewards. Every morning, thank God for work.Thank Him, by faith, for the “worst” work you have ahead. Then get that worst part over with. Whether it’s exercising or scrubbing toilets or doing the laundry, git ‘er done  and enjoy the rest of your day.

Who knows, between the gratitude and go-after-it attitude you might even find yourself enjoying that frog.

This time around my frog has been exercise. Not that I loathe it, I actually like exercise, but when the whirlwind of September hit I let it go by the wayside and it never returned.

Until now.  I’m devouring that little sucker. 

I admit, I actually had no aspirations of eating this frog. But then a friend roped me into running Hood to Coast this summer (thankful for you, Dani!) and then a friend asked if I’d run a half-marathon in April. I decided not to then found that that same half-marathon was going to be a support-run for my friend Shawna who is battling Stage 4 cancer.

I couldn’t say no to that.

Although I tried to. With dark, stormy weather and two kids there was no way I’d have time to train.

Then someone gave us a treadmill.

Ok, I get it!

So, I downloaded the training plan and I’m three weeks in.

Frog eating isn’t so bad. 

What’s your frog? If it happens to be exercise, join the club. You can do the same 12-week training if you like and we’ll hold each other accountable … I’ll annoy you by emailing you each week to see how you’re doing.

Do you know what your frog is? Sit down, look it in the eyes …

and eat it!

{Happy frog-eating Fridays! I’m off to run.  Thanks for reading …}

 

 

 

 

{ 2 comments }

The Five-Point Manifesto for Contentment

26 January 2012 · 2 comments

in Book Lover

It was the first pink book I’d ever read. At 19 I still thought women’s books were either stuffy or silly. I didn’t like floral prints or calligraphy.

But I also didn’t like my anxious heart so I gave this one a try.

Calm My Anxious Heart by Linda Dillow proved to be hugely instrumental in the course of my life. Simple principles, taken to heart, steered my heart toward joy. I still call to mind, often, the 5-point manifesto of contentment from the first few pages of the book. I recently re-read them, smiling as I fingered the penned-in stars I’d written almost 13 years ago. The same points are just as important today:

  • Never allow yourself to complain about anything — not even the weather.
  • Never picture yourself in any other circumstances or someplace else.
  • Never compare your lot with another’s.
  • Never allow yourself to wish this or that had been otherwise.
  • Never dwell on tomorrow — remember that tomorrow is God’s, not ours.
Simple. And simply powerful. Perhaps today you might put pen to paper and copy these down? Display them in a place you visit each day, and remind yourself to daily take each thought captive and choose joy.
{Thanks for choosing joy today, and thanks for reading…}
 

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On prayer: The perfect place to start … and to stay.

25 January 2012 · 1 comment

in Prayer

Finding this so encouraging today … thanks for reading.

“One cannot begin to face the real difficulties of the life of prayer and meditation unless one is perfectly content to be a beginner and really experience oneself as one who knows little or nothing, and has a desperate need to learn the bare rudiments. Those who think they “know” from the beginning never, in fact, come to know anything … We do not want to be beginners. But let us be convinced of the fact that we will never be anything else but beginners, all of our life.” Don Postema, Space for God

 

{ 1 comment }

Today. {All the joys that make every job take longer.}

24 January 2012 · 9 comments

in My name is Mommy

Building Together

Today when I did the laundry you were my helper. Someone’s underwear wound up on your head as you laughed yourself silly and it took me twice as long to finish as you insisted you do it “by self”  …

Today when I put clean sheets on the bed you both “hid” under the bottom sheet while I made the bed on top of you. Then I “searched” for you and pretended to take a nap on top of you. You laughed yourselves exhausted. “Do it again, Mommy!”  I did and so got a late start on dinner …

Today when we made cookies I let you stir it all by yourself. When I turned to answer the phone you stirred the oats out all over the floor. I let you form the balls all by yourself, you were so proud. Your sleeves covered in flour and dough. It meant re-cleaning the floor and more laundry in the hamper …

Today when I was doing my Bible Study I stopped and re-read the detailed Lego Specifications for at least twenty-five Star Wars sets (including series numbers and release-years). You leaned in close, studying the page, taking it all in.  I’ve read them all before at least a dozen times. I guess I’ll finish my Bible study later …

Today I climbed in the bathtub with you both. It was lukewarm, not hot, and a rubber starfish and blue whale were lodged behind my back. You both  laughed and splashed and when I finally got out you asked me to stay just a little bit longer …

Today I snuggled you both under your covers. The dryer buzzed but I let you “keep me” just a few minutes longer. You asked me to tell you a story about when I was little. So I did. And when you prayed I closed my eyes and thought about all the extra time it took to do my chores today. And how silly you are and how loud you sing and how long you laugh and how sorry I would be to miss any of this just so I could get the chores done.

And then, I thanked God for all of the joys that make every job take longer.

{Praying your day is full of joys as well. Thanks for reading.}{

 

{ 9 comments }

Children’s Chores Made EasIER

23 January 2012 · 9 comments

in My name is Mommy

Dutch's Work Cards

(EDIT at 11am on Monday morning: Seeing that I had to spend 2 extra hours this morning working on a little boy’s poor attitude regarding chores, I propose the title changing to Children’s Chores Made EasIER. Nothing’s easy about children and chores but this does truly help! :)

I think that the Letter Lessons post was the last time I wrote something on what works for us in parenting. 

That was more than 2 years ago. Hmmm.

(I guess the Picture Plan was tossed in there this year too.)

At any rate, ya’ll know that in our world it’s lots of trial and also a lot of error, and occasionally we strike it rich and find something that works.  Really works.

Sound the alarm, we found one more thing. 

Chore Cards.

Dutch's Work Cards

I know, nothing revolutionary. Perhaps ya’ll already do this. But for me this has proven a phenomenal way to tie together homeschooling, chores, and a daily, predictable, regular routine that keeps us all moving forward (and keeps Mama sane!).

Here was the dilemma: A just-turned-5-year-old-boy who wants to play Legos all day long and not lift a finger to do school or chores if I let him have this way. (Heidi on the other hand would like to do ALL our chores for us if we let her. That little girl’s a worker!) Every day it was a battle all afresh to read and write and make our beds.

Enter chore cards. We began more than a month ago and I love it. The new simple guideline is that we don’t play until the stack of cards is complete. Each morning they simply sit at his place at the breakfast table, and as each one’s complete he puts them away.

His responsibility.

Yes, most of them are things I need to help him with, but it still puts the burden of responsibility on him, not me. For us, we chose 12 simple things we do each day, and I wrote them in simple words that he can read. It usually takes from 8-10am to do all 12 (sometimes shorter) and then he has the rest of the day free. DONE.

Dutch’s Cards:

  1. Dish in sink. (this one’s a freebie since he always takes his breakfast dish in automatically anyway.)
  2. Get dressed.
  3. Make bed.
  4. Brush and floss.
  5. Trash down. (Taking trash down to the carport.)
  6. Verses. (Recites his Bible memory verses)
  7. Bob Books (Reads 3-4 of his most recent books.)
  8. Write. (Does whatever writing assignment I give him.)
  9. Math. (Usually this is something around the house–counting doorknobs, subtracting one room’s # of something from another room’s … “life math”)
  10. Bible. (I read from the Gospel Story Bible and we do the discussion questions and pray about what we learned.)
  11. Mom Read. (I read from the DK Book of Knowledge, it covers all kinds of science and history topics. I skip the stupid parts that refer to evolution. :)
  12. “Is there anything else?” (This is my wild-card for any other occasional-chores that need to be done: Laundry put away, Legos picked up, wood brought up from downstairs, etc.)
And then he’s free! The thing I love is that it keeps me accountable to all of these things (and makes sure that I make my bed and brush my teeth!), and gives us regular routine and rhythm. The dawdling-factor is diminished since there’s the included incentive of getting to play when he’s done. And, I love that by 10am we’ve crossed all the “biggies” off our list and even if the whole day falls apart at least we’ve gotten this much done.
For us, it works. And, might I add, kids might not be the only ones who need chore cards.  Just sayin’ …
{Thanks for reading. }
 

{ 9 comments }

Week’s end with thanks

January 21, 2012

A quiet week holed up at home, rain pouring outside, fire roaring inside. Shelter, warmth, food to eat. Husband who runs errands. Husband who builds new LEGO table for budding builder boy. Up late in the dim lamplight, finishing a good book. Falling asleep with a full heart. Laundry all done. Clean. Meals made ahead. [...]

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#6 Create a Family Purpose Statement {52bites}

January 20, 2012

“Mommy, do you think somebody will write a book about us after we’re in heaven?” Startled, I looked up. Dutch had asked the question completely out of the blue, while stirring his bowl of soup at the dinner table. We have never talked about writing books about people after they’re in heaven, and of course if [...]

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When you’re desperate for grace …

January 19, 2012

“So, you have someone who will watch Heidi while you speak?” I thought about this for a moment. Yes, now that you say it that would be the logical thing to do. But no, I don’t have someone. I suppose she’ll just be with me while I speak… Hmmm… It’s true that sometimes I agree [...]

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When you feel like God is silent …

January 18, 2012

{Thoughts from Richard Foster’s book on Prayer.} There is a kind of prayer we don’t often wish to pray. Richard Foster calls it, “The Prayer of the Forsaken.” It is the kind of prayer that Jesus offered on the cross, “My God, My God, why has thou forsaken me?” Knowing Christ prayed these words reminds us of [...]

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When your motives are misunderstood …

January 17, 2012

I can see in my children’s eyes when I’ve mis-judged their actions. Just today I was in the kitchen and called Heidi in to me as I had heard her being rude to Dutch. She dawdled (was not obeying) and I thought I overheard Dutch say, “You’re getting a spank!” In my mind this was taunting [...]

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Savoring these short days that feel so long.

January 16, 2012

I just tip-toed out of Heidi’s room, her sleeping soundly, my heart full. After five years of diligently following the “let-your-children-fall-asleep-on-their-own” rule, I have just now indulged in a precious afternoon ritual: I lay down next to Heidi as she falls asleep.  Yes, she knows how to go to sleep on her own and does [...]

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Week’s end with thanks

January 14, 2012

Weekend retreat with college girls … reminds me of sweet old Real Life days. Being with AJ again. Three kids hunched over the Lego Star Wars book. Heidi, “Where’s my padawan?” A printer that works. So many sunny days! Roaring fire. Wearing Jeff’s slippers. Finding a new pair of jeans in my closet, bought years [...]

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