I'm gonna praise Him...

And in the spirit of not growing weary while doing the great work of raising my children, today I celebrate that after the battle that bedtime often is, we've had two nights in a row of a much smoother, more peaceful experience!

It's amazing what happens when I let go of my stubborn self and seek God's guidance in even the little things and then listen and act.  He reminded me once again that the to-do list might seem gigantic, but spending time with Him needs to be at the top every day.  And doing too many things on it at one time doesn't lead to things being done faster, just everything taking longer and leading to more frustration for all involved.

Praise God!

Be Still

Be still is a reminder that I get a lot.  That's probably because I need to hear it a lot.  When things get stressful, my first instinct is to try to do things to help with the situation that's causing the stress.  And there are time when I need to keep doing my part in the situation and let God do His part, but there are also times when what I need to do most is to be still and listen.  And I'm learning that to being still isn't only something I need to do when I'm stressed - it's just more urgent then.  But though life feels fairly calm at the moment, I was reminded again this week of the importance of listening.

So, that is my goal this week - to be still and really listen during my time with God.

Listen and Learn

Oh, the power of prayer (and listening when God answers)! Getting either of my sweet children to do anything on a timeline other than their own is an event. So much so, that I've come to dread it which I know affects how I approach things (cleaning up, in particular) making it all harder. And so I've been praying - for wisdom in how to approach these challenges, for ways to build my children up and encourage them while helping them learn the necessity of cleaning up, getting ready in a timely way, doing things they don't want to do with a positive attitude. And this week, the Lord has really been helping me recognize ways to use Bug's strengths to make clean up a much smoother experience and to recognize where he specifically needs encouragement in the process. He is easily distracted (not entirely unlike his Mama) and so I thought earlier in the week that a checklist might help him for some of the routine things he needs to do within time constraints. I mentioned it to Dr. D a few days ago and then forgot about it (I need checklists of my own :)). Tonight, he remembered and created one with Bug for clean up time and it was a hit! He did everything on the list without complaining and without bogging down. It wasn't all done fully the first time so we needed to walk him through that, but it was most definitely a step in the right direction. And when I made a point to tell Bug what he'd done well in the process, he finished the items on the list without complaint and seemed encouraged as he did so. It was one of the most peaceful clean ups in this house in the last month!