One Beautiful Life

The important things and that never ending search for balance.

I have just concluded two rough weeks.  I can't concentrate, as I have said before.  I don't have enough time, as everyone says! HA  My house is a disaster.  I DID get the christmas tree down and put away.  But Christmas boxes are still sitting in the dinning room along with the kid's Christmas tree and other things that need to be boxed up.  Laundry is screaming from the hampers.  Brenda's room still has the bed unmade from where it was stripped when she left and the matress topper and coverlet are in the floor.  The floors get cleaned and then are trashed again within an hour with muddy paw prints from the wet swamp mud pit in the back yard and debris/dirt/trash from the garage floor. 

Marc's room floor is scattered with toys.  Abby's room is not.

 As a discipline measure, I packed up all her toys last week.  This took an entire day.  I purged as I boxed and then I made a "treasure box" out of her favorite things.  There is a gallon zip lock bag with three Barbies and some outfits.  There is a quart zip lock bag of crayons.  There are coloring books and of course her favorite books, Madeline, Curious George, and her magazines the G-Mom gave her a subscription to for Christmas.  Now she gets to earn her priviledges back after two days in a row of good choices and good behavior.  It is working so very well.  I am so thankful to my friend Mary Jane who put the idea in my head as her husband had just packed up sweet Bella's toys the day before we visited her farm.

When Abby walked into her room and saw the cleaned out shelves and closet, she said, "Thank you". 

My mom to mom group had talked about children being overwhelmed by the amount of toys they have, the number of books, and activities to choose from and how they actually need their rooms decluttered to declutter their minds and their little lives.  When she looked around and said, "Thank you," I became a true believer.  She picked a doll her first time in the box and a bag of crayons for the second.  She plays with that doll all day and has been coloring like crazy.  It has made her happier which in turn makes me happier.  And she is very good about her choices (most of the time) as she wants to earn some of her things back.  I am so thankful.

I am feeling a bit aggitated that I can't do everything I want to do in a day.  But I am trying to pick the things that matter.  I thought about not going to Mom to Mom on Thursday to stay home and clean.  That day not only did I get some great guidance, I had 6 women hold hands and pray blessings and protection over Brenda in agreement before the Lord, another woman allow us to lay hands on and pray protection over something very important to her right now, another one let us in to some deep pain she is going through, and another one just rejoice in the fact that we were all together.  I could have stayed home and done laundry... and I would have missed something very beautiful and meaningful.  I would have missed God.

So I am going to quit blogging and go do loads of laundry, make beds, clean a kitchen and my bathroom before we go spend the afternoon with dear friends.  And I know that the house will not be perfect when I leave, but I will get to see God.  And that's more important to me than clean floors anyday of the week!